Career Update, 2 Open Positions and Financial News

by Paul Gillman on February 7, 2011

First, this message is different as it shares two open positions from a coaching client. Also, I’m providing financial news.

Good News, Good Opportunities. One of my business coaching clients plans further growth in 2011 and has two positions open. The company is a well established leader in its industry segment as a regional distributor of wholesale and retail construction related products locating in Reading, Ohio. The first position, Office Administrator, is part-time, prefer five days a week, could work around children school schedule; but, mostly will be an important foundation person to let the others do the sales and operations of the business. The second position, Sales Rep, allows them to grow, reach more customers, increase depth in company, and free up the President/Owner.

Business Coaching – Requesting Referrals! Together with the owner we identify the needs, then I work with small and medium sized businesses on business and bottom line improvement. Specialization examples include producing Annual Business Plans, financial analysis, cash flow, marketing plans, and combined operations-financial Dashboard Reports. May I help a business owner-leader that you know?

Financial News
Some of what I thought were the best articles this month from CFO.com.

  • Boardroom Focus in 2011: Growth – Many leaders and CFO’s can expect more positive board meetings in 2011, with an emphasis on strategy and growth. The past few years, anxious directors have asked finance chief how they intend to raise or preserve cash. This year the focus will be more on best ways to spend cash, growth, and corporate strategy. See full article at (http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/14549573).
  • CFO Outlook: Onward and Upward -  Finance Chiefs are more optimistic than they were last quarter and plan to increase spending in 2011 per Duke University/CFO Magazine survey released in a December 14 article, CFO magazine (http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/14544581). The survey finds more optimism about the economy in general, their companies, and that the tone should translate into some hiring. Finance chiefs have been aggressively accumulating cash, half say they will spend some cash, others will continue with a liquidity buffer and watch the lingering economic uncertainty.
  • Late to the Party: Small Biz – This January 11 article in CFO magazine (http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/14549163) notes that weak sales continue to keep small businesses cautious. A survey of business owners done in December, released by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) shows that the moderate recovery being felt at large corporations is largely out of reach for the smaller firms. Lower sales are cutting into business plans for hiring new employees and making capital expenditures, causing them to make do with smaller staffs and aging equipment.
  • People Are Different – But Shouldn’t Be – Very different article on human capital decisions, measuring human capital and running a business. See CFO magazine (http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/14548918). “Our people are our most important asset.”
    It’s common today for business leaders to at least pay lip service to that sentiment. Yet, many if not most leaders have only a vague notion of what that assets is worth, or how it can be deployed for optimal returns. True, many human resources departments have scorecards and databases that generate lots of reports on things like turnover, performance distributions, and engagement. But, what’s usually missing is the application of metrics that finance executives (and some CEO/COO’s) hold dear. Detailed comments follow in the article.
  • Treasury Tackles Small-Business Lending – Will community bankers tap a $30 billion fund intended to get capital flowing to small businesses? One-third of small businesses say it is harder to get credit today than a year ago–about 70% are worried about their ability to access financing to run the business in 2011. The article (http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/14549598) provides some survey results and analysis.

Blessings & Best Regards
Paul J. Gillman
pgillman@cinci.rr.com

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Financial News & Holiday Greeting

by Paul Gillman on December 17, 2010

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and a successful New Year! This message is to share some financial news (detail notes below) and to provide holiday networking.

I work with small and medium sized businesses on business and bottom line improvement. Specialization examples include producing Annual Business Plans, cash flow, and combined operations-financial dashboard reports. Let’s contact a business owner-leader that you know.

Financial News
A number of the notes and links are from CFO.com.

  • Lessons of the Fall – It may be hard to believe, but there was at least one positive outcome to the financial hardship that befell companies in the wake of the economic crisis that struck in September 2008: a heightened sense among finance chiefs of how to assess and manage unexpected risks. See full article at http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/14535443.
  • Repeal or Repair -  Health reform is more likely to get a nip and a tuck rather than a toe tag – according to a December 1 article, CFO magazine (http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/14540265). In the wake of midterm victories, triumphant Republicans have repeatedly vowed to repeal health-care reform. Yet political reality suggests that GOP leaders only real option will be to fix and polish the very law they would prefer to consign to the dust heap.
  • Surprising Rise in Health Costs – This December 6 article in CFO magazine (http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/14542731) notes that U.S. companies should hope their collective forecast for healthcare costs in 2011 is more accurate than the one they made for this year. A spike in per-employee costs — the biggest since 2004 –caught many by surprise.
  • Bank Loans Crucial to Start-ups – Where do small businesses get their capital? Not from the sources you might think, CFO magazine (http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/14520386). Small businesses are more sensitive to the contraction of bank lending than previously thought, and the conventional wisdom about how small businesses finance themselves may be hogwash, according to a new paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research.
  • Commercial Banks in Limbo – Although their balance sheets are recovering, banks are still hesitant to lend. When it came to handing out business loans, commercial banks and savings institutions continued to be ultraconservative in the third quarter of 2010. The article (http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/14542011) provides some figures and analysis.

Have a Blessed Holiday Season
Paul J. Gillman
CFO & Financial Business Coach
513-317-7039
pgillman@cinci.rr.com

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Economic and Financial News

June 1, 2010

Dear Friends
Financial News A number of the notes and links are from CFO.com.

401(k) News – according to recent articles in CFO magazine, there has been change in participant behavior, investing, and employers response. 401(k)’s have rebounded from the scary periods in 2008, with contributions coming back, improved performance, and more companies [...]

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CFO Magazine & FENG Economic Update

March 22, 2010

Some of these comments are compliments of a FENG (Financial Executives Networking Group) newsletter.
For those of you looking for something cheery to read with your coffee, you may want to skip to the latter parts of this newsletter as the observations below about the state of the economy could depress you; but, they also offer some guidance [...]

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