THE VALUE BUILDER 12 Month Programme

The first month is dedicated to reviewing your Value Builder Score.  We work with you to develop an action plan that fits with your short-term and longer-term goals and aspirations.

We track the starting point and Value Builder score and highlight the key areas for improvement, remembering always that the key is to drive and build value. See the video here.

We identify the products and services that have the potential to scale-up fastest, and provide a roadmap focused on growth, whilst at the same time reducing dependence on you personally, any key employees, or indeed a single product or service.

The third month is dedicated to benchmarking your customers’ satisfaction with your business against the most successful and fastest growing companies in the world.  We will create a confidential survey for your customers called “The Net Promoter Score”.

This methodology has been statistically proven to predict a company’s growth rate because it predicts your customers’ likelihood to re-purchase and to refer you to others.

The outcome of this module is to establish your Net Promoter Score to see how satisfied your customers are, and to determine what steps you need to take in order to improve their overall likelihood of continuing and recommending you to others. See the video here.

We use the Customer Satisfaction results and Product/Service Scalability Finder to establish the potential for growth.  This is done in a risk balanced manner to determine the risk/reward profile of different actions. See the video here.

The work done in prior months assist in this module where we focus on creating and increasing recurring revenue.  The “Automatic Customer Builder” helps identify which of the six types of recurring revenue and nine subscription models are most appropriate for your business.  Companies with high recurring revenue drive higher multiples and valuations. See the video here.

We use the “Positioning Planner” to quantify and understand the unique attributes and qualities of your business that give you a defendable market position.  This stresses how you are able to differentiate from your competitors and why you are unique. See the video here.

This module focuses on the owner and the dependence within the business.

In month seven we will dedicate our time to minimizing your company’s dependence on you personally. Yes by this time (if not sooner) we need to formerly get you into the role of CEO of your business.  At the core of this session is a review of the results of a survey of your employees or even if applicable contract service providers.  In this again, independent survey, we will be asking them how clearly informed in the minute details of the job they were hired to perform they are and how clear they are to how the perform effects your company’s short and long term goals.

In other words its time to get them fully involved in how their performance effects the company.  The most valuable companies can operate without their owner’s everyday involvement (and sometimes babysitting), and this session will identify areas where additional training, systems or processes are needed to allow your company to operate without you.  This module is the time that your interior systems will fully be looked inside and out. See the video here.

In month eight, with all we have learned so far in this year long journey, our focus will be on reducing your reliance on any one customer or on any one employee. This session involves working through two exercises: The Employee Stack Ranking and The Customer Concentration Matrix.

As a result of completing this session, you will have an action plan for reducing over-reliance on key employees and/or customers. By your ability to quickly replace any one employee or customer you not only are protecting your business from unneeded headaches you are greatly increasing your company’s value - because no wants to buy your headaches. See the video here.

The ninth month is dedicated to the continued benchmarking of your customer's satisfaction with your business against the most successful and fastest growing companies in the world. Following up on the survey deployed in the third module, this survey update will allow your business to continue to track your progress and see how customers are reacting to some of the changes that have been put into place.  In other words your will refining your customer systems and the output of product and services.

In the tenth module, our focus will be on cash flow. The last thing a potential buyer wants to do is to have to put cash outside sale of the business into the business.  Your Valuation Teeter-Tooter exercise is really about looking out how strong your cash flow consistently keeps cash on hand.   Our goal will be to maximize the cash flow coming from the day-to-day operations of your business. This session is anchored by The Cash Finder tool.

You will be given have a set of actions to take that will increase your cash flow, minimize or eliminate stressful periods of low cash flow, and increase the overall value of your company. See the video here.

In our eleventh month together we will develop and fine-tune a short list of potential acquirers with a strategic reason and also the resources required to buy your company. Whether you want to sell your business in a year or a decade, knowing who the natural buyers are for your business will allow you to cultivate a relationship with those organizations so you’re on their radar.  This will assist in encouraging them to make the first move when the time comes and puts you in a position of negotiating strength.

Developing a short list also allows you to look at business decisions through the lens of how they will add or take away from your attractiveness in the eyes of a strategic acquirer.

At the core of this session is The Short List Builder Tool, which will help you to develop a long list of acquirers and then apply the 5-20 Rule to isolate those companies with both a strategic reason and the resources to buy your company.

In month twelve your will complete the Envelope Test which will help you to articulate your goals for your business and your life.  How would your life be different if you sold your business?  With all that has transpired during this program we will clearly lay out the plan moving forward.

At this point you will once again take the Value Builder Score to further insure your success moving forward.