Be afraid! Many growing midsized companies are at risk for a PR disaster like Comcast’s if they underinvest in operations. Last-minute rush-job hiring, poor training and the pressure of a growing company can combine into operational meltdowns.
What kills growth inside middle-market firms? Join Jack Sweeney, co-host of CFO Thought Leader, as he interviews Robert Sher on details about his newest book Mighty Midsized Companies: How Leaders Overcome 7 Silent Growth Killers. Rob reveals the seven silent growth killers unique to midsize firms and explores some of the approaches CFOs can use to detect and overcome the organizational shortcomings that routinely prove fatal for growth.
Listen to the entire podcast here.
Another downturn is ahead, maybe a year away, maybe five. Could you lead your midsized firm through a liquidity crisis? Read how one firm survived an 83% drop in revenues and lived.
When is accelerating spending on growth initiatives prudent or just a drain on the bank account? Mid-market firms can spend too much too fast, or spend too little too late. It’s like the driver who braves oncoming traffic to pass in the passing lane—misjudging speed, distance and timing can be deadly.
Forecasts can make CEOs look really stupid at the end of the year. This Forbes.com article addresses the situation and offers solutions.
CEOs excited about growth often open the purse strings too widely and wind up in financial crisis. Yet it is true that you have to spend money to make money. So what’s the right balance?
Predicting market demand can seem like a dark art. Many companies have collapsed because they spent money on plan, but the market failed to respond in time. Read about simple steps the members of the c-suite can take to pursue both primary and secondary research that will illuminate market forces.
What is the right way to determine how fast to spend when cash flow is negative? Read about how the confluence of market predictability, execution confidence and forecasting acumen affect good decision making. These three big variables must be taken into account long before the runway grows short.
When a mid-market company is in need of a transfusion of cash, nothing else seems to matter. This article looks at the high cost of a cash crash. It also addresses some best practices best implemented long before trouble arises that will minimize the pain and give you a better chance to survive.
It’s the rare business that never faces a cash crunch. For most companies, whether privately held or publicly funded, the problem will arise sooner or later. Here’s how to respond when it does.
Robert Sher is founding principal of CEO to CEO, a consulting firm of former chief executives that improves the leadership infrastructure of midsized companies seeking to accelerate their performance. He was chief executive of Bentley Publishing Group from 1984 to 2006 and steered the firm to become a leading player in its industry (decorative art publishing).