It’s no accident that the pyramid has been a part of our logo for years. Ok, so it’s not completely original. The analogy of it to me has been a part of stories I have told clients since my first days in the business in 1989.
To me, it symbolizes so many things:
- Strength—no other architectural structure is stronger than the pyramid. That’s what we want for your finances and your business—a virtually unshakeable structure that can withstand 1000s of years of wear and tear.
- Process—Pyramids were built over a very long time. Excellence doesn’t happen over night. The foundation had to be tirelessly built to create structure integrity. You couldn’t build the next tier until the previous tier was in place.
- Excellence—When the capstone (apex, top piece) was placed, imagine the celebration? Imagine the accomplishment? It is no different from your business. Our capstone is in gold, because that is where the true gold is, in having a business that is “saleable”. Gold in the financial sense, but more valuable is the gold of being a vehicle to help you experience all that life has to offer.
Let’s take a look at each piece. If you click on the individual pieces you will get a full description of what is possible and how we help you put that block in place in the pyramid of your business—and your life.
Cornerstones (the most important pieces to a strong structure):
- Positive Cash Flow—Every business owner knows this is the key, having more money coming in that is going out. But is that cashflow bullet proof? Is it stable? Is it recurring, or do you have to go find new sales every month and bite your nails worrying that this will be the month that won’t happen? Is it protected? Could someone make that go away? We help you examine that and work to create a system that creates revenue and manages expenses…every month, without fail.
- Exit Plan—Michael Gerber, author of The E Myth, considered one of the 20 most important business books of the 20th Century, wrote that only reason to start a business is to be able to sell it. A business is the most amazing asset you can possibly own. You will exit your business one day, either voluntarily…or hopefully not involuntarily through death, disability, legal action, etc. Successful business owners exit on their terms, and receive the greatest possible value for that business when they exit. The time to create that plan is as soon as possible, and then update it along the way. We are experts at creating and implementing exit plans.
Center of the Foundation:
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- Financial Security—Your business is the key to your and your family’s well being. But that’s not all…what about your employees? They and their families depend on your business, too. Successful owners take that obligation very seriously. All entrepreneurs are risk takers to some degree, but what if you could play with the “house money?” What if you could work on growth and playing a big game and know that even if those plans don’t succeed, you, your family and your employees are going to be taken care of? None of us can predict the future; all of us can plan against unforeseen bumps in the road. We have a system to make sure that happens.
Second Tier (Adolescent businesses)
- Retirement income plan—There are so many tools available for business owners to ensure that they will have income when they choose to retire. Even if you are the owner who says “I will work forever” wouldn’t it be nice to have financial freedom and work because you choose to, not because you have to? Income is the key to making that happen. We use a combination of pre-tax pensions and other qualified plans, and non-qualified and deferred compensation plans to put together a plan for you. The sooner we begin, the easier it is to create. It is easier than you think because we are pros when it comes to using cutting edge tools to create a bulletproof income plan for you.
- Key employee retention/incentive plan—As you grow, you want to have superstars who make your business fly. How do you get maximum performance and incent them to be all they can be? Secondly, how do you make sure they stay and don’t go to work for a competitor or open their own business and take your key accounts? Lastly, what would happen if tomorrow that person wasn’t at work? What if they died or became disabled? How would the business overcome that loss and take care of the employee and his or her family? We help you answer these questions and put in a plan that ensure that your superstars stay for the long run, and are excited to be there.
Apex (Mature business)
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- Owning a business that is “saleable”—We use the phrase saleable, because not every owner wants to sell. Let’s face it, very few ever get the chance to sell their business. So having a business that you could sell, is a crowning achievement to say the least. To have a business that is saleable, you have to have a business that has value without you being there. Because if someone were to buy it, they want to achieve more than they paid for it without you being there. Imagine that for a moment. Your business functions seamlessly without you. What would you do with your time? What would you do with the business? Would you sell it? Maybe you could open other locations that would operate just as this location does, or franchise it. Maybe you want to pass it on to the next generation or sell it to a key employee. Whatever your desire, having a saleable business is the key to you have time freedom and money freedom. That’s one definition of success: to be able to do what you want, when you want. That could be you. We can help.