The FiscalDoctor Is In - Best Practices for Long Term Business Health

Blind Spots: How to Find Yours Free Webinar Replay and Original Description

2012-05-21T14:15:08Z

Randy Goruk, CEO of LeadersEdge360.com gave me a copy of this webinar to share with you.

LeadersEdge360is where managers come to get help to become better leaders. We surround our clients with tools, resources, coaching / training to exceed desired results.

The webinar description follows:

Uncover Your Blind Spots and dramatically accelerate correct financial and fiscal leadership decisions! Risks are what go wrong when you are not looking: those stupid things like bounced checks, losing your best customers or best people when you are blindsided.

We help you create peripheral vision in your business so you are not caught unprepared. You need a perspective of business under the microscope and to have lived to tell the tale. You can expect a color commentary of insights which give a common sense approach to what people make complex, as companies grow, to solve problems easier than you think.

Gary W. Patterson has learned one thing from analyzing and helping hundreds of companies: “What You Don’t Know About Your Business Can Cost You Your Business.” Sticking out your balance sheet and coughing gets you what you need to know in time for needed procedures which can mean the difference between life and death, in your product, business, department, life or job. He offers a common sense, value-added approach to risk management that helps executives not only unearth key risk areas, but in the process, identify formerly invisible opportunities leading to growth and profitability.

Attendees of this interactive session will walk away with: • a laser like focus on the strategic areas they need to address to reduce or minimize risks • a roadmap that will help them develop new revenue streams • a practical, actionable process that they can implement the day after this presentation Sticking out your balance sheet is no more comfortable than a visit to your doctor, but it’s every bit as important. Even if it’s bad news (maybe especially) you need to know. Business information is the hidden pathway you travel toward your goals.

Alan Weiss's Friday Wrap™ Annual Conference

2012-05-17T08:13:00Z

May 8, 2012 – Atlanta, GA – Enterprise risk management (ERM) expert and speaker Gary W. Patterson, FiscalDoctor^®, will attend Alan Weiss's Friday Wrap™ Annual Conference Los Angeles international conference June 5.

Patterson will join other topic experts for an annual, full-day meeting of community members with guest speakers, formal programming, networking, and Alan Weiss’s latest insights about success. This community is for: professional services providers, entrepreneurs, boutique firm principals, and leaders within organizations.

The Fiscal Doctor will attend to increase his expertise working with executives to improve their business bottom line by increasing sales, building infrastructure and saving money. Like Doctors without Borders, clients say he can be dropped into any company, anywhere in the world and quickly diagnose Blind Spots before they show up on the balance sheet.

About Alan Weiss's Friday Wrap™

This new community will provide you with these benefits: (a) Weekly, quick, pithy audio updates on business events you can exploit, new intellectual property, and your questions answered. (b) Monthly videos demonstrating techniques for business growth, life balance, and personal well-being. (c) An annual, full-day meeting of community members with guest speakers, formal programming, networking, and latest insights about success. For more information, please go to www.summitconsulting.com/seminars/friday-wrap.php, or call 800/825-6153 (401/886-4097).

Risk Tolerance Policy and Why Leaders Should Care

2012-05-15T09:05:00Z

For Leaders Wanting To Uncover Their Blind Spots So They Make Better Decisions

April 23, 2012 – Atlanta, GA– Gary W. Patterson, president & CEO of FiscalDoctor^®, enterprise risk management (ERM) expert, and speaker was interviewed by Diane Bogino of Performance Strategies Inc. on the Georgia Business Directory Network www.gbdn.tv/. The interview is available on http://tinyurl.com/fiscal5.

The interview discussed ways business owners can ask questions in order to determine key facts about their own company that lead to better profitability, including the following basic strategic issues:

First, How about another example of risk tolerance?
What if someone has a different risk tolerance than the owner, other executives or the board of directors?
What if someone is a conservative low risk person and another key person is a cowboy high risk taker?
How does the team to agree on this risk tolerance profile for a fiscal vision?
Some companies have basic accounting systems and reports. How does that team know the business has the money and people resources to successfully execute the decision made?
It sounds like they really need to understand the risk exposure everyone can manage. Talk more about the question What issues are potential doomsday scenarios for your company?

The interview suggested leaders remember that with no rules on asset levels of risk people can place at risk and who has to approve the larger risks, you are creating 2 situations: (a) you will lose out or pass on opportunities without extended time to consider them and (b) someone will take larger risks than you feel appropriate and you will not know about what they did until THEY LOSE THE risky situation.

About Gary W. Patterson

Gary W. Patterson, president & CEO of FiscalDoctor®, works with leaders who want to uncover their blind spots so that they can make better decisions. He has helped companies spanning supply chain, high tech, transportation, construction, and service industries. His forthcoming 2012 book is titled Finding Your Million Dollar Blind Spots.

For more information on the FiscalDoctor, visit his website at www.fiscaldoctor.com. He can be reached at 678-319-4737.

About Georgia Business Directory Network

This is a directory for Individuals and Businesses working in and providing services in Georgia. www.gbdn.tv/ Ms. Bogino is the President of Performance Strategies Inc. expert in interpreting data and providing you with results that will make a positive difference in your clients’ strategic planning, team development, and problem solving. www.performstrat.com/

Fiscal Vision, As Opposed to Mission and Vision Statements

2012-05-08T11:18:00Z

For Leaders Wanting To Uncover Their Blind Spots So They Make Better Decisions

April 20, 2012 – Atlanta, GA – Gary W. Patterson, president & CEO of FiscalDoctor^®, enterprise risk management (ERM) expert, and speaker was interviewed by Diane Bogino of Performance Strategies Inc. on the Georgia Business Directory Network www.gbdn.tv/. The interview is available on http://tinyurl.com/fiscal4.

First, What Is a Fiscal Vision?
Why are you so concerned about WHY the leader wants to grow the company?
Tell me more about agreeing on why this business is a great opportunity
How important is the timeframe for growing the company?
What is so significant about asking how are we going to fund the next two quarters for larger companies?
With an independent CPA helping, why would there be ANY question about where the company stands financially?

The FiscalDoctor said that “A growth strategy without a fiscal vision is like a plane without wings. In other words, unless you have a fiscal vision, growing your company is an endeavor that won’t get off the ground no matter how hard you try.”

About Gary W. Patterson

For more information on the FiscalDoctor, visit his website at www.fiscaldoctor.com. He can be reached at 678-319-4737.

About Georgia Business Directory Network

Ethics and Risk Management Contributing Author Designation Awarded to

2012-05-01T09:26:00Z

Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Expert and Speaker Gary W Patterson

April 4, 2012 – Atlanta, GA – Gary W. Patterson, FiscalDoctor® and author of the forthcoming 2012 book Finding Your Million Dollar Blind Spots: What the CEO Needs to Know But Doesn’t: How, What and Why to Tell Your CEO has been selected as a contributing author http://www.corporatecomplianceinsights.com/cci-authors/gary-w-patterson/ for his Corporate Compliance Insights for his article on “Is Your Character At Risk?” http://www.corporatecomplianceinsights.com/is-your-character-at-risk/

Corporate Compliance Insights is a professionally designed and managed forum dedicated to online discussion and analysis of corporate compliance, risk management and assessment, ethics, audit and corporate governance topics. Additionally, Corporate Compliance Insights is a focused knowledge-sharing forum designed to educate and encourage informed interaction within the corporate compliance community. Corporate Compliance Insights is founded by Maurice Gilbert, managing partner of theConselium Executive Search Firm. More information is available at http://www.corporatecomplianceinsights.com/.

About Gary W. Patterson

Gary W. Patterson, president & CEO of FiscalDoctor^®, works with leaders who want to uncover their blind spots in time so that they can make better decisions.© He has helped companies spanning supply chain, high tech, transportation, construction, and service industries. Patterson is a well-known speaker on enterprise risk management (ERM), operational risk management (ORM), strategic budgeting, risk assessments, leadership, and change management. His forthcoming 2012 book is titled Finding Your Million Dollar Blind Spots: What the CEO Needs to Know and Doesn’t: The Why and How To Tell Your CEO”. For more information on the FiscalDoctor, visit his website at www.fiscaldoctor.com. Patterson also offers a "free" fiscal fitness test at www.fiscaldoctor.com/fiscaltest.html. He can be reached at 678-319-4737.

Building Products Executives: Blind Spots: How to Find Yours© ……..

2012-04-24T16:08:00Z

Leadership Expert Interviews Enterprise Risk Management Expert

April 16, 2012 – Atlanta, Georgia – Randy Goruk, founder of LeadersEdge360, will interview enterprise rise risk management (ERM) expert Gary W. Patterson, FiscalDoctor®, on How to Find Your Million Dollar Blind Spots as part of his 2012 series of leadership webinars on May 17^th at 1 pm eastern.

Lumber product and building product executives can learn a common sense, value-added approach to risk management that helps executives not only unearth key risk areas, but in the process, identify formerly invisible opportunities leading to growth and profitability.

The website with full information on the event, location, registration etc. is http://www.leadersedge360.com/leadership-webinars.php.

About LeadersEdge360

LeadersEdge360.com is where managers come to get help to become better leaders. We surround our clients with tools, resources, coaching / training to exceed desired results.

Whether you're looking to hone your own leadership skills, prepare promising employees for leadership roles, or increase the cohesiveness and performance of your entire management team, Leaders Edge 360 offers leadership webinars to inspire, train and motive. Plus, our 35 years of experience means all webinars are created with original content, leveraging the "best of the best" in leadership know-how. www.leadersedge360.com

About Gary W. Patterson

Gary W. Patterson, FiscalDoctor® is an internationally well-known expert and speaker on ORM, ERM, strategic planning, due diligence, business leadership, and risk analysis experienced in both the construction and building products industries. He is the author of the forthcoming 2012 book “Finding Your Million Dollar Blind Spots. For more information on the FiscalDoctor, visit his website at www.fiscaldoctor.com. Patterson also offers a "free" fiscal fitness test at www.fiscaldoctor.com/fiscaltest.html. He can be reached at 781-237-3637.

Contact
Gary W. Patterson

781-237-3637

###

The Courage to Lead in Uncertain Times

2012-04-17T10:17:00Z

With all the ongoing stories about lack of leadership, you may enjoy my article that American Management Association published last year. The full link is at the bottom of this post.

If business leaders were to view the state of the U.S. economy through the lens of the popular and successful 12-Step Programs, they undoubtedly would have to come to terms with the “3 A” conditions of the times. They are:

Awareness. The American public has a responsibility to seek the truth as to what our economic status really is.
Acceptance. We must accept the new economic reality.
Action. We need leaders who have the wisdom and fortitude to deliver bad news, while at the same time inspire us to take positive action.

Consider where can you benefit from creating your own 3 A or 12 step plan to provide better leadership in your life or business?

Why have you procrastinated in providing that leadership?
How would you benefit in terms of money, health or reputation from that leadership? What costs would that leadership require?
How can you better balance the cost and efforts of leading with the current and long term benefits of solving a blind spot?

For a link to the entire article, click here.

http://www.amanet.org/training/articles/The-Courage-to-Lead-in-Uncertain-Times.aspx

Are You a Person of Character or a Person of Image

2012-04-10T08:11:00Z

You may appreciate my appreciate Corporate Compliance Insights article on “Is Your Character At Risk?” http://www.corporatecomplianceinsights.com/is-your-character-at-risk/

The article concludes that our leaders fall into two broad categories that produce very different realities and outcomes: a person of character or a person of image. Which category do you fall into?

Corporate Compliance Insights is a professionally designed and managed forum dedicated to online discussion and analysis of corporate compliance, risk management and assessment, ethics, audit and corporate governance topics. Additionally, Corporate Compliance Insights is a focused knowledge-sharing forum designed to educate and encourage informed interaction within the corporate compliance community. Corporate Compliance Insights is founded by Maurice Gilbert, managing partner of the Conselium Executive Search Firm. More information is available at http://www.corporatecomplianceinsights.com/

They selected me as an author in their ethics and risk categories.

http://www.corporatecomplianceinsights.com/cci-authors/gary-w-patterson/

After you decide how you perceive yourself, consider the key issues of how others perceive you as either A Person of Character or of Image.

When you see something you can improve from this limited personal version of a 360 review and feedback, what changes will you make? When will you make those changes? How will you follow-up to see you received the improvements from those changes which you targeted?

Please comment both here and on the Corporate Compliance website the extent to which you agree or disagree with the premise of my article, or your suggestions on another article I should contribute both there or elsewhere>

Middle Market C Level Leaders: Wean Your Company Off Dead-Wood Reports

2012-04-03T13:47:00Z

High-Growth ERM Expert Gary W. Patterson Warns, “Unnecessary reports are hazardous to your company’s bottom line.”

As a sign of these challenging economic times when money and resources mean more to your company’s bottom line than ever before, Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) expert and speaker Gary W. Patterson, president and CEO of FiscalDoctor®, urges companies to throw out dead-wood reports in an effort to reduce operating costs, improve business efficiency, and enhance the performance of disgruntled employees.

To help companies do more with less, Patterson asks companies to consider the following points when determining which reports are worth keeping and which ones should be tossed out.

Just as people get out of shape and get flat or flabby, companies and their reporting infrastructures may suffer the same fate. Is your company’s reporting structure fiscally fit?
Most reports require a significant effort to gather data, record it, verify the information or at least conduct some form of sanity check on the final product. Are your concerted efforts worth the final product?
When asked, most department heads and managers complain about drowning in useless data. Are your employees complaining of too much data?
Those same managers who complain about drowning in data may be starving for information they need to run their business better. Don’t you think that now is the time to develop useful reports that will help your management team better run the company?
When information technology publications start making this suggestion as they have been doing for some time, don’t you think it’s time for companies to take this suggestion seriously?
If you think green, consider how many copies and how often reports are printed out, bound, and saved somewhere, sometimes in triplicate. Isn’t it time you think “green” when producing reports?

To leverage the pruning process even more, think about what other line items or issues deserve a periodic review? And remember to do this process in good times so your business does not get fat, flabby or overweight again. One final suggestion. Why don’t you consider instituting this review process of “doing more with less” instead of firing people as a way of reducing inefficiencies? Just think if your employees had fewer useless reports to sift through perhaps they would be more efficient, and you’d have a happier and more productive workforce.

C Leaders survey results to mine for strategic net income benefits

2012-03-28T16:23:29Z

The Mckinsey global survey summarized by CBS in an article titled “What keeps CEOs up at night” contains both good new bad news.

First, the good news is that: (1) National and international business executives are more optimistic than pessimistic about the state of their countries' economies for the first time since June 2011, a new survey shows. (2) Worries about sovereign debt defaults have decreased.

Second, the bad news is that: (1) A host of worries are still keeping them up at night. (2) Concern about rising commodity prices and geopolitical instability are up. (3) They project weak consumer demand for their companies' products and services

For full details of their ranking and how you compare, look at the full article at;

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500395_162-57404465/what-keeps-ceos-up-at-night/

Experts often say that one of the best ways to sell is to solve the buyers perceived pain point. Now that you have a prioritized listing at a global level of economic buyers prioritized perceived pain points, how can you revise your business model or customer offering to take advantage of what is in effect a dis-satisfied customer?

There always will be lemons and someone who makes lemonade from those lemons. How can you be the lemonade provider?

How Middle Market Executives Can Ace Your Firm’s Embarrassment Quiz!

2012-03-27T10:16:00Z

You may enjoy this interview by Diane Bogino of Performance Strategies Inc. on the Georgia Business Directory Network www.gbdn.tv/. The interview is available on http://tinyurl.com/fiscal3 .

What is your gut reaction to where the company stands?
How do you feel about the direction in which the company is headed?
How timely a manner is you receiving the communication package?
Where could your expertise being better utilized?
How accurate are the financial figures and operational metrics?

They agreed that answering these questions truthfully and following up where necessary can help reduce occurrences of: disgruntled employees, low margins, stagnant growth, missing budgets, inadequate or late financial statements and operating reports.

The FiscalDoctor said that “Risks you don’t know about can be costly and embarrassing.”

A key takeaway is to ask yourself “Where can you make your company an even better fiscal fit?”

About Georgia Business Directory Network

Solve the Corporate Liquidity Issues King Cash Locked in the Dungeon Creates

2012-03-20T09:18:00Z

Diane Bogino of Performance Strategies Inc. on the Georgia Business Directory Network www.gbdn.tv/ interviewed me about chapter 5 from my first book. The interview about “Healthy reserves: Why Cash is King” is available on http://tinyurl.com/fiscal2 .

The interview discussed part of 21 sure-fire tips on how to improve your cash flow and fortify your company’s position in the marketplace. A related article is available at ezinearticles.com/?Risk,-Uncertainty,-Liquidity,-and-ERM-Concerns---Heed-These-21-Quick-Ways-to-Generate-Cash&id=1529674

Call customers who owe you money and ask for payment
Shorten customer invoicing time frame
Ask employees for suggestions
Send out monthly accounts receivable statements quickly
Postpone purchases
Sell slower moving inventory at a discount

I suggest that companies pull this list out every six months to see where and how you can better manage your company’s cash flow. When the economic climate changes as dramatically and as frequently as it seems to be nowadays, remember that cash is better than king – it rules.

Repeating three key takeaways, I mentioned in the interview, because they are SO crucial.

How well can you manage cash or your business depends on the timeliness and accuracy of financial statements out in your business?
If it takes 15 to 45 days, there may be problems lurking. Historical not what is needed to run your business.
Do you have a minimum rolling 6 months visibility on cash, preferably part of a 12 month forecast you update quarterly? Cash is and always will be king.

Which of these 5 Risks Exist in Your Organization?

2012-03-13T08:12:00Z

You may enjoy this video interview where Diane Bogino of Performance Strategies Inc. interviewed me on the Georgia Business Directory Network www.gbdn.tv/

tinyurl.com/fiscal1

We discussed highlights of the five most common risks I have found when I assisted leaders discover blind spots to make better business decisions as part of a fiscal checkup. You may have heard this process called enterprise risk management, ERM, an operational review, operational risk management, ORM, a facilitated offsite strategy retreat etc.

The key is that these five underlying issues are the root cause of symptoms you may see like: disgruntled employees, low margins, stagnant growth, missing budgets, inadequate or late financial statements and operating reports.

Question 1 – My business does not accurately know who its 10 most profitable customers are.

Question 2 – Occasionally my business capitalized expenses that created an asset with what now may be a questionable recorded value.

Question 3 – My company does not know how changes at one of our top 10 customers may affect our company’s bottom line.

Question 4 – My business has an asset it would be better off selling at a loss to free up cash to pursue a more promising opportunity.

Question 5 – My business paints an overly optimistic picture of our company to a customer, vendor, or financing source.

Whatever issues this brings to mind; tailor at least ONE next step to your situation.

Repeating three key takeaways, I mentioned in the interview, because they are SO crucial.

How long does it take to get financial statements out in your business? If it takes 15 to 45 days, there may be problems lurking. Historical not what is needed to run your business.
Do you have a company level one page flash report tracking the 3 to 5 key factors to run your business?
Do you have a minimum of 6 months visibility on cash? Cash is and always will be king.

Prepare For the Tectonic Accounting Shift

2012-03-06T09:13:00Z

Every so often the accounting profession makes potentially radical changes to the score keeping process and rules. For the unprepared, another massive change is almost here.

Accounting rules and changes move slowly until they acquire momentum and become unstoppable weapons of change. Think of a snowball changing into a massive avalanche cascading down a steep mountainside crushing unprotected trees and people.

International Accounting Reporting Standards (IFRS) is reaching that momentum for unprepared US companies. See the Wall Street Journal article “US Nears Accounting Shift.” online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204131004577235480168228286.html

Technically the US generally accepted accounting principle (GAAP) standards and the rest of the world’s accounting standards are about to change to align. In some cases the international standards are moving toward US rules. In more cases, the US rules will move toward international rules.

Consider a sports analogy. What this means to you is that you know how to play baseball. You do not know how to play cricket. You know are basically going to play cricket with teams and players who know the rules, have experience in the sport, and have their training and reporting metrics set for cricket.

How much physical and financial pain did you pay in your last learning situation? The stakes are probably higher here.

If your eyes glaze from this post, email me. After all, remember what the trees look like on a mountainside after a major avalanche occurs. That could be your business or life.

How Will Greece Departing the Euro Impact You?

2012-02-21T08:12:00Z

Regardless of how the most current round of negotiations turns out, Google the phrase “Greece likely to exit the euro” and notice the wide range of discussion over the last few months about this topic.

Should Greece Leave the euro
How can they leave the euro?
Why should they leave the euro?
How much time will the current restructuring buy?
How much longer will Germans subsidize a country where people retire sooner and work less, than Germans?
Why won’t Greek politicians take the hard steps they promised, particularly downsizing a bloated inefficient government bureaucracy?
What similarities are there with American politicians statements as opposed to actions?

The only question that seems outstanding is when Greece will leave the euro.

Two key underlying issues of kicking the can down the road seem obvious. First Greece cooked the books fairly blatantly, or worse, depending upon your read of the situation. Secondly, Greek politicians avoided year after year the hard decisions needed to correct the underlying issues they ignored or hid, again depending on your read.

The obvious step to ponder is how a flat or stagnant Greece will impact your business. Expand that thought to ask how your customers will be impacted by issues of the Greek economy or the impact on European banks which have staggering losses on Greek debt being renegotiated or to be renegotiated in the next round of negotiations. Go even further as some of the commentators have and ask how much closer to a Greek situation will the US go before it stops kicking the can down the road

The real issue you have some control over from the current stage of the Greek debacle is to consider how changes in your customers’ profitability will impact you.