The concept of UTA CFO Advisory Services was created over several years of observation and involvement in entrepreneurial, early stage and middle market businesses.  Common challenges often caused by a lack of time, resources and/or skillsets became apparent to us, including the flow on effects (impacts) delaying business growth and evolution.  Through our intimate understanding and passion for innovative businesses, together with our expertise, we have made it our mission to help such businesses address the challenges via fit-for-purpose solutions.

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Below are some common examples of the types of business challenges and flow-on impacts.  Addressing such challenges is central to our business mission.

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THE CHALLENGES

• Business Plan - A lack of a true business plan that pulls everything together

• Cashflow and Liquidity - A lack of understanding of the actual business liquidity and balance sheet position with either non-existent or poor cashflow models used 

• Budgeting / Forecasting - A lack of a comprehensive, analytical budget and planning process, to provide management with clear achievable financial year targets

• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) - A lack of useful and identifiable revenue & cost metrics to accurately analyse how the business is performing

• Financial Reporting - A set of highly detailed monthly profit & loss statements that are distributed to management without any clear and robust, analytical commentary

• Processes and Controls - A lack of efficient business processes and in many cases a lack of oversight and controls

• Accounting Policies - An accountant or book-keeper that maintains cash basis books, with accrual basis accounting either ignored or done annually by a service provider (ie tax agent or auditor)

• Transparency of Numbers - An inability to provide financial reports to a 3rd party that summarize the historical and forecasted numbers as a reflection of management's business description

• Integrity of Numbers - An inability to get through an audit process without a high quantum of adjustments to the books as raised by the auditors

 

THE IMPACTS

1. Product Profitability - Lack of visible profitability across product lines, with management unable to determine whether they should be increasing or decreasing focus on specific product lines

2. Cashflow and Working Capital - Lack of understanding of materially different operating cashflow and profit results, leading to unmet financial commitments and/or deferral of budgeted capital expenditure, resulting in unpredicted customer and supplier issues such as strained relations and bad debts 

3. Business Performance Assessment - Significant budget variances that make it unclear whether the business is under-performing or the targets are unrealistic   

4. KPI Usage - Lack of specific KPI analysis behind revenue, margin and cost increases/decreases does not allow management to proactively do detailed plannning and take required operational actions for improvement

5. Monthly and Annual Run Rates Visibility -  Management unable to accurately determine scalability of business and its products, based on incorrect operational assumptions of fixed and variable costs in forecasts and business plans

6. Confidence in Numbers - Management accounts present a much different picture than audited financials, bringing into question their reliability for month-end decision-making

7. Debt Financing - Most banks do not approve the business for loans and lines of credit with common feedback that the numbers are not transparent and do not accurately reflect how management has defined the business

8. Equity Financing - Potential investors due diligence process drags on for months longer than initially expected, with continued informational requests causing detrimental distractions to day-to-day business operations   

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THE SOLUTION - HOW WE HELP 

Recognize the challenges and build the foundations!!  It became clear to us that proactively building solid foundations was key to enable more profitability, transparency and increase your probability to execute future plans such as bringing a significant investor in, an Initial Public Offering (IPO) or large capital raising, an equity sell down transaction and a profitable exit down the track.  We formed UTA CFO Advisory Services on the basis that we work closely with management and shareholders to build those foundations.  

 

We understand building and growing a business is not easy and often requires help in many places - UTA CFO Advisory Services was founded on the core concept of providing help in the form of a "niche" service for certain types of businesses, arming owners/directors with the required ammunition to take their business to the next level, grow transparently, do detailed analysis, make informed decisions and achieve higher returns as a result. 

 

Access to a high performing CFO who can partner with owners/directors and drive an execution plan is our way of proactively helping to build, manage and grow a business. Our mission has been built around proven financial and business fundamentals that enable an evolving business to have a strong growing path forward, access capital/investors and help in the process of bringing a great business vision to life.