A high-net-worth individual started a turnkey cell phone wholesale and distribution company with three interconnecting companies. He self-funded the rapidly growing company with $10 million as the Company reached $40 million in annual revenue.

Confident about the upward trajectory of his business, the owner reached out to a Chicago-based bank to provide a working capital loan to fund the growth. However, to this point, the accounting was done “out of a shoebox” and there was no financial information supporting his working capital line request.

With a complicated turnkey business model that has thin margins, the Bank needed to gain comfort with the business and what the true capital need was.

The lender referred us to their prospect. We assessed the business and developed a financing memorandum that thoroughly explained the model and provided financial projections that mapped out the initial working capital need.

With a satisfactory comfort level, the Bank approved a less than maximum working capital line with the understanding of a six-month revisit to determine if additional capital was needed.

Sutker, then, developed processes and procedures to provide timely and accurate financial information to the owner and lender which led to formally becoming the Company’s Outside CFO and key member of the management team.

Now, a year-and-a-half since the start of our engagement, the Company’s current run rate is $120 million with a projected $2 million in net income with additional working capital support from its Lender.

With reluctance from ownership, Sutker Moran was hired and instantly plugged itself into the Company’s cash situation to create a 13-week cash flow projection to help gain comfort with the adequacy of the company’s near-term liquidity.  Simultaneously, Sutker began working on a Zero-Based Budget exercise to find the optimal structure of the company.  The resulting plan including downsizing to a two-shift operation, selling excess equipment to pay down term debt, and shifting focus away from identified underperforming segments while investing more resources those segments that were determined to generate incremental profits.  When presenting the financial plan to their bank, it was satisfying to listen to our once-reluctant client explain the zero-base process to our lender.  Based upon the plan, the lender loosened its lending limits. Fast forward a year later and the Company is generating consistent profits, and the upcoming bank renewal will be far less restrictive.

A middle-market marketing organization began to service an overseas client and wanted to build an organizational presence there. Sutker, as the Company’s CFO, gathered and analyzed the start-up and ongoing costs required to support this endeavor. Based upon an expected gross margin percentage, Sutker provided management with the revenue requirements in order to break even, expected payback period,  as well as projected profitability at various revenue levels, all of which management used to make its decision.

Sutker introduced its results-oriented business planning process which included surveying key personnel regarding the marketplace, operations, personnel, and organization, working with the Company’s management team to, based upon the survey results, identify and analyze key company attributes, weaknesses, and opportunities. Based on this assessment, Sutker helped the team develop strategic goals. Then, “drilled down” to specific action steps to attain these goals as well as determine key result measures to assess their progress.

A middle-market construction-related company seeking to increase its competitive advantage eliminated its controller position and hired Sutker Moran at significantly less cost to prepare and analyze monthly financial statements, attend monthly management meetings, and provide guidance when financial issues arise from time to time.

Sutker Moran develops, in conjunction with other senior management, the company’s annual operating plan, provides monthly analysis on customer and product line profitability, as well as variances to budget. In addition, Sutker reviews administrative expenses, recently being instrumental in reducing the company’s corporate insurance by 40%.

We analyzed each category within each product line, and each product within each category, and recommended a 40% reduction in SKUs. Selective price increases were implemented for the remaining products. In addition, we scrutinized each non-direct labor position, resulting in over $400,000 of savings from job eliminations. Finally, by narrowing the product base and instituting an inventory reduction program, the space required to support the operations was reduced, allowing for one of the three operating facilities to be sold.

Through extensive interviews of all levels of management, we helped to assemble a less complacent, more cohesive hands-on management team. We then guided the new team to take action – consolidating departments, eliminating shifts, and discontinuing unprofitable product lines.

Through a zero-base exercise, eight unnecessary positions were identified and eliminated for a net annual savings of $450,000. We also conducted a lengthy activity-based cost analysis and discovered opportunities for $750,000 in annual price increases. A minimum order requirement was established for non-major customers, eliminating unprofitable short production runs. In addition, activity-based set-up charges were instituted to encourage major customers to order in larger lots.

Hired by the organization to assess their situation and provide strategic alternatives, Sutker Moran, through developing comprehensive income statement and cash flow projections, determined given the critical nature of the situation an expedited sale of the company was the best path to maximize the value of the organization. Sutker worked closely with remaining key members of the organization as well as with various members of the ownership group who had diverse opinions to obtain insight on how best to craft a Sales Memorandum that conveys the Agency’s value. Sutker contacted several buyers and was able to identify two interested parties. Sutker then skillfully negotiated a very attractive sales price from this buyer that provided the ownership group a satisfying return on their investment, especially given the circumstances.

One of the two owners of a Company that was in the very mature age of its business cycle but cash flowing began to invest in a start-up business in a potentially burgeoning market. After several years of consistent losses and several million dollars invested, both owners questioned the viability of the business model. Sutker Moran helped construct a working senior management team and “locked arms” with them to make significant restructuring moves. These moves included eliminating a low profit, resource-draining royalty relationship, non-productive sales representatives, as well as identifying and converting excess inventory into cash. Even though Sutker played a small role in Company’s future success, we are proud to say we helped the management team build the foundation to allow it to have doubled in size and consistently generate millions of dollars in annual profits.

The first step was to improve operations – implementing various manufacturing efficiencies, reducing production capacity, and eliminating non-essential personnel. Next, it was time to convince ownership to push back on the major customers, one of which was supplying a majority of the raw cheese. Either our “partners” would allow us to make money or would lose a good supplier and, in one instance, also a good customer. The Company entered into a tolling arrangement with the largest customer and negotiated price increases with the second-largest customer. These steps would dramatically increase margins and eliminate a significant amount of cash required to pay for product. Through these restructuring actions, the Company’s operating deficit was reversed the following year.

Sutker took on the interim Controller tasks. Sutker also developed a comprehensive refinancing package that included a detailed financial analysis showing the Company’s path from an unprofitable year to its projected profitable year, as well as presented their upcoming working capital needs. Confident about the credibility of the Company’s plan, Sutker reached out to several lenders who were not averse to the construction industry as well as whose customer base and culture matched that of the Company.  Sutker negotiated the lending agreement with the new lender on behalf of the Company.

Sutker Moran was hired to assess the situation by developing financial projections as well as construct a turnaround plan. In a period of one week, Sutker Moran facilitated a zero-base budgeting exercise with management which started from scratch and brought back segments of the business that were profitable as well as identified opportunities for profit improvement. Unthinkable when we were first engaged, the actions taken because of the exercise allowed the company to continue to operate as well as provide comfort to the lender to maintain support while management seeks to revitalize the revenue base and ownership seeks equity investors.

Sutker Moran was hired and immediately created an accurate WIP schedule to provide meaningful job profitability results as well as created KPI and Operational Metrics to report revenues and gross profit by project team and customer. These analyses helped the team improve project management and identify poorly performing projects.

We then focused on creating a formal monthly closing process which provided a fully accurate picture of the company’s financial performance and, as a by-product, reduced their CPA’s year-end review cost since all the books and records were pristine.

With the processes in place, Sutker Moran has transitioned into the CFO/Controller role. With a high level of comfort that their financial department is being managed well, “the plumbers are now focused on the plumbing.”

After a very successful year, a project-based international marketing firm invested in its infrastructure — started a regional office, hired a senior sales executive, etc. After developing the monthly financial projections at the beginning of the new year, Sutker, as the Outsourced CFO, reforecasted the projections monthly incorporating updated potential projects and changes in the expense structure. Starting in July, Sutker/Management saw softening in the backlog for the 4th quarter and into the following year. This softness increased when Sutker reforecasted in August. Seeing the financial impact to the reduced business, both in profits and liquidity, Management took proactive steps to reduce its expense structure in anticipation of the lower 4th quarter revenue.

Working with ownership/management, Sutker Moran developed financial projections for each restaurant, modeled to easily evaluate various scenarios given the uncertainty of the situation. Sutker, then, analyzed various components of the operation which was used by management to identify cost reductions. After incorporating these reduced costs into the projections, Sutker modeled the payment deferrals it needed from its lender and landlords in order to survive. Armed with a plan, Sutker was able to negotiate and agree upon a deferred payment plan from its lender as well as its landlords. These deferrals allowed the restaurant group to survive until obtaining government relief and the eventual lifting of capacity restrictions.

Through extensive interviews and analysis, Sutker developed a consensual, standard pricing template that was used for all estimates. With the estimates’ standardized, Sutker, working with the Company’s IT Department, developed a labor tracking system that mirrored the estimating template, allowing for relevant actual vs. estimate analysis. Proving its value, Sutker became the Company’s outsourced CFO.

A middle-market service provider’s personnel were classified as a certain type by its long-time insurance broker. Ownership felt this classification was incorrect and costing the Company money. The broker insisted there were no alternatives. Sutker Moran searched and found many brokers who agreed with the incumbent, but we found one who didn’t and who worked tirelessly to get the classification changed, saving 30% on the Company’s workers’ compensation insurance.

Through various financial analysis and working with the management team, $6.1 million in profit improvements were identified and implemented. Through negotiations with each secured lender, the annual principal and interest payments were reduced by $5.3 million or $442 thousand per month. The Combination of profit-enhancements and principal re-amortization provided sufficient liquidity and resulting profitability.