This is NSS’ second year of providing topic specific CEO workshops. They have been well attended and we offer them about every other month. We cover a broad range of topics important to CEOs from increasing valuation to succession planning. The topic on “Accessing Capital Markets” is the #1 challenge businesses face, according to our recent CEO Survey.

We wanted to capture the essence and caliber of the discussions on video so that we can share them with more CEOs and other thought leaders.

We take pride in our selection of panelists and moderators who are leaders in their respective fields. Our thanks again to the workshop panelists:

• Skip Kelly of Silicon Valley Bank
• Katherine Brand of Monroe Credit Advisors
• Joan McArdle of Massachusetts Capital Resources Company
• Patricia Conry of Middlesex Savings Bank

If you are in the process of looking for debt or equity financing, NSS can help you prepare the story and the numbers so that lenders will listen.

Call us at 617-449-7728 today to set up a time to meet.

M&A activities are picking up?  How should you prepare?  NSS conducted a survey last year with a diverse group of M&A EXPERTS about the internal and external approach a business needs to consider to end up with a successful exit.

By Rudi Scheiber-Kurtz, CEO of Next Stage Solutions. Inc.

Growing a company takes all the energy of a CEO and Exit Planning is mostly on the periphery.  Developing a long-term approach is essential in achieving a successful exit.  This will be the biggest game you will ever play and you want the end result to reflect that.  With this survey summary we want to showcase the necessary steps for you to consider.  Mitigate risk up front and consider early on an advisory team.

The EXPERT survey takers included prominent Investment Bankers, M&A Advisors, Attorneys, CPAs and Financial Advisors|CFO, Valuation and Management Consultants from the greater Boston area.

The summary and Benchmark Report represents the overall sentiment from the EXPERTS. Click to get the report: M&A Guidelines 2011

On May 11, 2011, NSS held a CEO Workshop concerning Budgeting and Forecasting.  The group discussed the different measurement criteria, value drivers and how to lead an ongoing budget process within your business. Flexible budgets, annual budgets and rolling forecasts were compared.  Here are two articles you may want to read that are relevant to this topic.

Contact Ben Weller, BD & CFO of NSS at weller@nextstagesolutions.com or call at 617-449-7728 ext. 710 for a consultation.

1. Let It Roll: Why more companies are abandoning budgets in favor of rolling forecasts by Russ Bangham of CFO Magazine, May 2011
2. Use a Rolling Forecast to Spot Trends by Harvard Business School Working Knowledge, March 13, 2006

Budgets and Forecasts represent two parts of a business management continuous improvement process. A successful enterprise must first have a clear understanding of its strategic plan. In fact Budgets and Forecasts are the financial GPS tools that carry strategy through to implementation.

How do you communicate and manage the goals for your team?

The workshop posed the following questions to our CEO participants;

• Do you see a budget as a Strategic or a Tactical tool?
• How can your budget reflect your strategy?
• Do you see your budget as more of a tactical tool, i.e. the performance yardstick for annual goals and compensation plans?
• Is the budget made up of strictly financial metrics?
• Where do you capture operational goals and performance measurement metrics?
• Is your budget implementation process a reflection of your company’s culture or is it a process within itself?
• Do you recognize your business and industry drivers within your budget?
• Does your budget have an expiration date, or do you keep it alive through continuous improvement forecasting?

Ben Weller, BD & CFO for Next Stage Solutions compiled the following check list as a hand out:

The measure of how you execute strategy is captured in the topic of Budget. But different areas of your business require different measurement criteria.

Budgets can refer to:

• Marketing Strategies
• Sales Plans
• Operational performance
• Human Resource development
• Capital Investment
• Financing Strategy
• Ownership Return

And can take on many measurement dimensions

• Fiscal
• Continuous Improvement goals
• Key Performance indicators
• Strategic Planning Milestones
• Benchmarked Metrics
• Customer Satisfaction

Budget Implementations can take on the personality of the organization

• Size of Company and distribution of authority
• Top Down versus bottom up management style
• Fiscal Micro management vs  Strategical Macro management
• Cash Flow is Primary Focus
• Performance vs External Expectations is a Priority

And all methods and uses need to focus on Business Drivers

• Variable Sales and Cost (Marginal Profitability)
• Fixed Costs
• Project Costs (New Product Introduction)
• Occupancy Costs
• Variable Energy Costs
• Headcount
• Average Selling Prices (Competitive Positioning)
• Efficiency (Labor and Machine Operations)
• Productivity

What Profiles of budget design fit with various industries

• Software
• Life Science
• Medical Device
• Manufacturing
• Food Production
• Professional Services

What are the various focuses of forecasting and where do they apply

• Traditional Rolling 12 Month forecast
• Sales Driven Top down vs trend based
• Cash Flow vs P&L
• Analysis vs Plan
• Current State vs Future State (This involves lean accounting and is a whole other topic)

If you are interested in this topic and would like to explore rolling forecasts further for your business, NSS provided a customized one-day workshop.

Contact Ben Weller, BD & CFO of NSS at weller@nextstagesolutions.com or call at 617-449-7728 ext. 710

NSS Workshop Series for CEOs and Business Owners

If you are a service provider receiving this, please share it with your clients, a value add for you, thank you.

GPS for Budgets & Forecasts: What are your Value Drivers?

Date: Wednesday, 11 May, 2011 | 7:30am – 9:30am

Place: Bridge Bank | 1050 Winter Street | Suite 1000 |

Waltham, MA | light breakfast

The measure of how you execute strategy is captured in the topic of Budget. But different areas of your business require different measurement criteria, all of which fall under the subject of Budget.  In this workshop we will discuss and answer questions around value drivers and how to communicate and manage your goals within your business. We will also talk about the importance of aligning strategy to Budget.

Mail in or bring your questions to this interactive discussion with our very own NSS team:

Moderator:

Rudi Scheiber-Kurtz, CEO, Next Stage Solutions, Inc (NSS)

Panelists:

John Connolly, CFO, NSS
Steve Dance, CFO, NSS
Laurie Taylor, Controller, NSS
Ben Weller, CFO, NSS

Host:

Dick Sweeney, Partner, Bridge Bank

Discussion Topics:

• How can your budget enable you to execute your strategy?
• How does your organizational culture drive the way you design a budget?
• What are your business drivers and what methods and uses should you focus on?
• How do you integrate functional planning into your budget implementation process?
• What are the metrics dimensions of a budget?
• What budget profiles fit your industry?
• How can forecasting be a reality measure on your business strategy?

Who should attend?

CEOs and presidents of companies with $3MM+/- of revenue who are considering next steps for their company.

If you do not match the above criteria, please forward this email to clients and colleagues who are. They will appreciate it. Thanks.

About the NSS CEO Workshops Series:

Next Stage Solutions, Inc (NSS) is a financial consulting firm providing CFO and Controller support to growing businesses on an interim or ongoing basis. Through its extensive network, NSS began offering the workshops in 2010 exclusively to CEOs and presidents of growing companies.  These workshops are interactive in nature and encourage company leaders to explore new ways of tackling the complexities a 21st century business, to learn from each other and gain new and more effective tools in leading their business to the next stage.

Register today at info@nextstagesolutions.com or 617-449-7728

NSS Workshop Series for CEOs and Business Owners

If you are a service provider receiving this, please share it with your clients, a value add for you, thank you.

Private Equity Transactions: Raising Growth Capital and what You Need to Know!

Time: Thursday, March 31 2011 | 7:30am – 9:30am

Place: Bridge Bank | 1050 Winter Street | Suite 1000 | Waltham, MA  light breakfast

Bring your questions to this interactive discussion with a great panel:

Moderator:

Frank Leibly, Partner,  Alcon Partners

Panelists:

Paul Harting, CEO, Neuroptix

Ethan Flaherty, Partner,  Pabian & Russell

Laura Kevghas, Partner,  Mirus Capital

Scott Goodwin, Partner, Wolf & Company

Host:

Dick Sweeney, Partner, Bridge Bank

Discussion Topics:

• What is Private Equity, and how is it relevant to my business?
• What kinds of transaction structures are common?
• What questions should I be prepared to answer?
• Should I hire an investment banker or business broker?
• What are some of the metrics to consider building value?
• What are the steps towards a capital raise?
• What does a due diligence process look like?
• What to expect after a transaction is complete?
• Is now a good time for a private equity transaction?
• We will share horror stories and how to prevent them.

Who should attend?

CEOs and presidents of companies with $10MM+/- of revenue who are considering next steps for their company.

If you do not match the above criteria, please forward this email to clients and colleagues who are.They will appreciate it. Thanks.

About the NSS CEO Workshops Series:

Next Stage Solutions, Inc (NSS) is a financial consulting firm providing CFO and Controller support to growing businesses on an interim or ongoing basis. Through its extensive network, NSS began offering the workshops in 2010 exclusively to CEOs and presidents of growing companies.  These workshops are interactive in nature and encourage company leaders to explore new ways of tackling the complexities a 21st century business, to learn from each other and gain new and more effective tools in leading their business to the next stage.

Register today at info@nextstagesolutions.com or 617-449-7728

You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf - Jon Kabat-Zinn

From all of us at Next Stage Solutions -

Peace – Rudi, Lucinda, Mark, Laurie and Steve

win win win is our game…

Big Brothers Big Sisters | The Winner | Next Stage Solutions

Welcome to the NSS unCommon Contest, where all participants are winners!

We’re looking for one business with the drive to reach the next  stage – and the desire to do good.

What’s in it for you?

The opportunity to be selected to win financial consulting services from the NSS team valued at approximately $50,000 in exchange for a $5,000 donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay. Would your business benefit from a financial consultation, performed by an experienced team of CFOs and senior-level finance consultants who are well versed in best practices and competitive strategies?

Probably. But in these uncertain economic times, the challenge is finding the cash to pay for expert support.

What’s in it for us?

We believe in driving value for our clients and driving the economy upwards. We believe in doing good for those around us. The NSS unCommon Contest helps us do both. NSS prides itself on helping companies get to the next stage. Why not do it in a way that helps us raise money for the needs of New England’s children and families?

That’s where the NSS unCommon Contest comes in.

In the spirit of giving, NSS has partnered with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay to raise $5,000 for the needs of children and families across New England.

For contest details and proposal form, click here

No phone calls please.  Questions and answers will be addressed in our “Intent to Bid”  Pre-Proposal Conference Call.

By Lauriston Taylor, Controller Consultant, Next Stage Solutions, Inc. (NSS)

Summary:

The IRS has implemented two new tax breaks under the HIRE (Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act) program that will provide new incentives for employers to stimulate their staffing efforts.  Employers may qualify for the following two tax exemptions:

1. Payroll tax: 6.2 percent payroll exemption of social security tax on wages, effective dates are 2 February 2010 through 31 December 2010.
2. New Hire Retention credit: $1,000 per additional new worker that is retained for at least one year with no significant wage reductions during the later part of the year

Qualified Employees:

Those employees beginning employment after 3 February 2010 and before 1 January 2010 for a period of 60 days have been previously unemployed or worked 40 hours or less.  The following situations will qualify:

-  hiring a replacement for an existing position that has become vacant due to termination for cause or voluntary resignation

-  staffing of a new company and its initial staff

-  hiring for public colleges and universities

The staffing additions listed below will not qualify:

- State, local and federal positions

- House hold employers

- Independent contractors

- Employees who are related to the employer or who directly or indirectly own more than 50 percent of the business

The new hire should supply a signed Form W-11 and this should be kept on file for record keeping purposes.

Additional information:

For further details please refer to the IRS website

Form W-11 can be downloaded from this link

NSS Workshop Series for CEOs and Business Owners

Private Equity Transactions: From Raising Growth Capital to Making an Exit | What you Need to Know.

Date: Tuesday, November 9, 2010   7:30am – 9:30am

Host: Wolf & Company | 99 High Street | Boston, MA 02110

Who Should Attend?

This workshop is exclusively for any President/CEO or Business Owner of a mature company with greater than $10MM in sales. If you are not a candidate of the above criteria, please forward this email to clients and colleagues who are.

Attention: This workshop will be strictly confidential. Names and contact information will not be released.  No solicitations.

Moderator:

Frank Leibly, Partner, Alcon Partners

Panelists:

John Fernsell, CEO, Ibex Outdoor Clothing

Ethan Flaherty, Partner, Pabian & Russell

Laura Kevghas, Partner, Mirus Capital

Discussion Topics:

• What is Private Equity, and how is it relevant to my business?
• What kinds of transaction structures are common?
• What questions should I be prepared to answer?
• What types of companies are good candidates to work with Private Equity firms?
• Should I hire an investment banker or business broker?
• What are the steps towards a capital raise and an eventual exit?
• What does a due diligence process look like?
• Why a private equity transaction instead of a strategic sale?
• What to expect after a transaction is complete?
• Is now a good time for a private equity transaction?
• Horror stories and how to prevent them.

Sponsored by Next Stage Solutions, Inc

Attendance is complimentary, but registration is required

Call today 617-449-7728 or send an email info@nextstagesolutions.com to save a space