Category: Finance

Eyes on the Economy: Looking at Current Economic Trends to Help Plan Ahead for 2024

With everything that is happening at a national and local community level, we have been hearing that Small Giants are keenly observing the economic climate and are prioritizing how to ensure their businesses are in a good position for the new year.

Join us for an important virtual conversation with two leaders who have their pulse on the current state of the economy and what’s trending ahead — Devyn Bachman, Senior Vice President at John Burns Research & Consulting, and Lesley Holland, Regional Director Portfolio Management at BNY Mellon Wealth Management.

Takeaways include:

  • What market trends are important to focus on
  • What the direction of these trends likely means for your business
  • What risks and opportunities potentially exist that aren’t immediately apparent
  • How to prepare financially and operationally for the rest of the year
  • And what to anticipate moving into 2024 to start the year off strong

Are You Recession Ready? What to Know About Our Economic Outlook

Economic changes create concerns as well as opportunities for Small Giants who stay one step ahead of their competitors. Join us for a virtual conversation with John Burns, CEO and Founder of John Burns Real Estate Consulting, whose 110-person firm monitors cycles carefully for executives at some of the largest investment companies in the country. Loren Feldman, the Founder of 21 Hats and a journalist who has reported on small businesses for more than 20 years, will facilitate the discussion. As two Small Giants business leaders who have their pulse on the current economic climate, they’ll discuss how people should prepare themselves and their businesses to navigate these uncertain times, and what to expect in the months ahead. Attendees of this virtual Q&A session will learn:

  • What news is real versus sensational
  • What the Fed wants to accomplish, and what that likely means for your business
  • What risks and opportunities potentially exist that aren’t immediately apparent
  • How to prepare financially and operationally, and
  • How to communicate to your team in uncertain times

The Time to Invest in Your Financial Future is Now

During this interactive session, Isaac Presley, President and CEO of Cordant Wealth Partners, answered participants’ financial planning questions and taught them about setting financial goals, managing cash flow, 401(k) investing, and how to make the most of your company stock.

We covered:

  • How to set financial goals and prioritize paying down debt
  • How to build an emergency fund and save for your future
  • Making the most of your 401(k) and company stock
  • Making confident investment decisions in your 401(k) account

You can also invite Isaac to do a presentation like this for your entire team by reaching out to isaac@cordantwealth.com.

Financial Outlook for Small Giants Companies

In this panel discussion, financial experts shared insights and tools to help you navigate the current economy, understand loan regulations and plan for the future — all through the lens of purpose-driven leadership. We’ll covered:

  • Loans and PPP regulations
  • Why weekly cash flow management is vital for business survival
  • Forecasting and budgeting for the remainder of 2020 -Preparing for future unexpected financial challenges

Exit Options for Purpose-Driven Entrepreneurs

For purpose-driven entrepreneurs, the company’s mission is a top priority. When it comes to exploring exit options, it can be difficult to make the right choice that will protect the company’s culture, reward its employees, and allow the founder to leave a lasting legacy.

In this month’s Fishbowl (a.k.a. webinar!) attendees learned from Michael Whelchel of Big Path Capital and Zane Adams of Buchi about how purpose-driven leaders can raise new capital or sell majority or minority parts of their businesses while protecting the company’s mission above all else. Tune into the recording to learn:

  • How to achieve sustainable, purpose-aligned growth when seeking outside capital
  • How to ensure your purpose is a top priority when evaluating exit options
  • How to evaluate investment partners for cultural alignment

Opening the Books is Only the Beginning: How to Teach Employees Financial Literacy

Small Giants believe in financial transparency — sharing financials with your team arms them with information that helps them make better decisions for your business.

But opening the books is only the beginning. In order to get the most out of being a financially transparent company, you have to help your employees become financially literate and understand the stories behind the numbers.

For example: Do your employees know how much revenue it takes for the business to make $1 in profit?

In this webinar, Steve Baker, Vice President at the Great Game of Business, walked us through exercises you can use with your team to teach basic financial literacy and how to use that knowledge to make better business and personal decisions.

 

How to Preserve Mission & Values Through Exit & Growth Strategies

There comes a point in time, when all Founders and CEOs must exit their business. One opportunity Small Giants may consider is searching for liquidity options that won’t jeopardize their company’s core purpose. The introduction of outside capital, whether a minority or majority liquidity, represents a vulnerable decision point that can have permanent effects on the mission, future, and legacy of a company. In this fishbowl discussion, Michael Whelchel, Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Big Path Capital, and Matt O’Hayer, Founder & CEO of Vital Farms, highlighted exit and liquidity options for Small Giants, with a special focus on how to preserve mission through your company’s most important financial transactions.

Key Takeaways:

Attendees leanred about the following exit & liquidity options with a special focus on preserving purpose & values. The webinar addressed these questions:

  • Who is the best buyer (private equity, family office, holding company, ESOP)?
  • What are the pros and cons of each?
  • If I don’t want to sell majority control, what are my options?
  • What can I do now to get ready for a future transaction?
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How to Both Measure & Increase Your Company Culture’s ROI

Small Giants understand that culture dramatically drives and impacts profit. As the width of your team’s smiles expands, so does your bottom-line. In this energized fishbowl, Kris Boesch, CEO and Founder of Choose People, weaves valuable content, enlightening stories and tangible no-cost ways to help you improve the impact of your culture on your bottom-line. Participants were able to take her doable best practices and lessons learned and implement them within their organizations to see immediate results.

Key Takeaways Include:

  • The Bottom-Line Business Case for Happy Employees
  • How to Measure Your Company Culture’s ROI
  • The Role of Compensation, Incentives and Bonuses
  • The 3 Pillars to Creating and Keeping Happy Employees
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How Much to Spend on Company Culture to Truly Impact The Bottom Line

In this fishbowl, Mills Snell and Matt Morley from Pendleton Street Advisors, shared what to measure when tracking investment in company culture and what trends to look for over time.

Key Takeaways:

  • Review the basics of a financial statement and identify which line items to pay attention to when tracking company culture
  • Learn what to do with this data and how to interpret it over the longterm.
  • Share your own experiences and questions in regard to measuring investment in culture with a subject matter expert.
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A Small Giants Final Bow: How a Responsible Exit Strategy Impacts Your Legacy

In this panel discussion, attendees heard two values-driven leaders share their succession stories: Kris Maynard of Essential Ingredients will share how he implemented an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) and Jill Nelson of Ruby Receptionists will share how she sold her majority share to a culturally-conscious and responsible venture capitalist firm.

Key Takeaways

  • Hear how two values-driven leaders successfully transitioned ownership, implemented their decision, and the impacts of their decisions
  • Learn how to begin the process of an ESOP at your company
  • Learn how to vet and find a venture capitalist firm that you can trust
  • Gain insights on the timing and best practices for designing an exit strategy
  • Hear practical strategies for preserving your culture and values beyond your lifetime

Value(s) of the Sale

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