By Jarred Liscio, Senior Associate

For any new business there are numerous milestones to pass through along your journey. From the first $100,000 in sales, the first new hire, to your first round of external funding, each step is more exciting and encouraging than the last. Every enterprise reaches an inflection point as a business where there is a need for:

• Greater financial accountability and oversight
• Ensuring strategic alignment with operational plans and financial goals
• Robust investor reporting; and
• Maximizing opportunities and increasing enterprise value.  

In many cases the planning process itself is a value add, to identify gaps in strategic and operational plans, increase buy-in and transparency across siloed departments, and the identification of cost savings and better return on investment for growth initiatives where feasible. Regardless of where a company is in their journey and corporate lifecycle, whether the enterprise is rapidly growing and investor backed or a mature family business, the function of financial planning and analysis (FP&A) can be integral to achieving the greatest outcomes. Wiss has an experienced team of FP&A professionals with deep industry knowledge who partner with our clients to empower them with the insights required to make the most informed decisions for their business.

When partnering with a client to provide FP&A services, the first step for Wiss is to develop a comprehensive understanding of your business, including a deep dive in the following areas:

• People
• Operations
• Industry/Market
• Strategic Objectives

This process will identify key drivers of past success, goals and plans for future growth, and the competitive/market challenges that will be encountered along the way. This comprehensive deep dive also distinguishes a company’s biggest competitors, and those strategic advantages that separate you from your competition. By the end of this process, Wiss will have developed a thorough understanding of the company, key objectives of the FP&A service, and a timeline and process, in addition to the desired outcomes included with our service.

With a thorough understanding of your business under our belt, we would then look to develop a bottoms up model for the company’s budget if one is not already in place. A model is simply a spreadsheet representation of the business and should capture the main drivers of revenue and costs and display how they impact the financial statements. Furthermore, the company’s budget is a model that seeks to forecast the following year and is typically referenced throughout the whole period.  Preparation of the budget would be done in conjunction with all levels of management so that everyone’s expectations can be reconciled. We would look to work with you and your team on the budget so that the model can be consistent with the enterprise’s long and short term goals and reflect the strategic initiatives of each business unit within your company.

There are numerous benefits to having a detailed budget. For investor backed companies, it maps out for shareholders how the company will grow and achieve its targets, and it is often required by investors as well. For family owned companies, it lays out a detailed plan of what will drive their success and improve operational performance. Additionally, a well constructed budget lays out key benchmarks and drivers to success, and ownership of various sections of the income statement can be assigned to management to measure individual success.

Upon completion of the budget, the next area Wiss would focus on is the best way to continually support your business operations. Our FP&A professionals have numerous tools to deliver the most insight into the financial and operational data for your business:

• Periodic forecasting – while the budget is key to establishing your goals and benchmarks, it is also static. With a forecast, we can provide an updated trajectory of the business based on the current trends and assumptions. Additionally, we would work with you to establish a forecasting cadence that makes the most sense for your business (i.e. monthly, weekly, quarterly, etc.). A forecast is a crucial tool to painting a picture of the direction the business is heading and allows you to evaluate success in real time as well as consider if any strategic adjustments may be necessary.
• Cash flow forecasting – we can work to provide a cash flow forecast to be updated regularly which allows you to monitor your cash position. Today’s current environment has introduced the highest level of uncertainty in years. Therefore, it is crucial to always be aware of any fluctuations in your cash balance. This allows you to better plan out capital investments as well as having the foresight to predict any liquidity needs in advance.
• Variance analysis – how are you performing vs your budgeted and forecasted goals, and what is driving the delta? To continually improve your operations we will consistently monitor how you are performing compared to your targets. Furthermore, our team will look to discover the root cause of any variance and identify any risks and opportunities to make an informed strategic recommendation for the business.

And in addition to the tools listed above, our team is always able to build a customized ad-hoc report to grant you specific insights into your business.

It is extremely exciting to be part of a rapidly growing company. One of the many ways that Wiss can help support their client’s growth is with the FP&A services we are able to provide. Here at Wiss, we always look to stand by our client’s side to provide them the tools and insights to guide them along their journey.