We help privately-held businesses navigate the challenges of growth, profitability and change. Great business performance is a result of having a good business strategy, strong business plans and making sure the everyday activities are geared toward making the plan happen.
We provide comprehensive facilitation in the following:
- Strategic Planning
- Business Planning
- Implementation – turning plans into daily actions
- Business Coaching
- Financing Assistance
- Profitability Improvement
- Management Team Development
- Succession Planning
Our simple formula for strategy and business plan success is:
The higher the client engagement in the process – the greater the success
Business Performance improvement projects consist of three phases:
Assess the current state
High level review of the key areas of the business including financial, operations, marketing & sales, HR, and management practices. Here we use our talent for asking the right questions and listening to understand what is going on and what you want to have happen. We also employ detail analysis where required.
Develop plans
Strategic plans (including detail initiatives and actions). Link strategy to the annual business plans and financial targets including timelines and assigned accountability. We facilitate creation of these plans engaging the talent and expertise within your company.
Implement
Coaching, facilitation of management meetings. Monitoring of actual outcomes and adjustments of action plans to achieve the desired results.
When clients call us into action:
- Promising opportunities requiring a strategy and plans to develop them
- Growth and need to adapt to the new level of activity
- Merger & acquisition requiring integration strategy and operational plans
- Revenue is growing and profits are not
- Revenue or profits are stagnant or falling
- Cash flow is tight and the banking relationship is strained
David has been integral in helping us to reaffirm our next steps and our strategy moving forward. I almost think the process should be mandatory for a lot of companies like ours as it would certainly improve their perspective and their ability to move forward more strategically.
Examples of Watermark’s Business Performance Services in Action
Strategy, planning and growth
Construction
A large construction company had undergone substantial growth in operations and geographic reach. The Equipment Division [revenue $365 mm and assets over $800 mm] was responsible for providing and maintaining all the equipment for the entire group of companies. The VP engaged us to help create the strategic vision and plans for the operation. This allowed the Division to focus on how best to optimize its level of service to the overall group of companies and its investment in assets.
Transportation
We designed and facilitated a series of meetings for a regional trucking company with national reach to update and enhance their strategic plans. This allowed them to include management from acquired companies, enable smoother overall company operation at a higher level, and position them for strategic growth.
Agriculture
A diverse family-owned agricultural firm wanted to update its strategic plan and extend it into the annual business planning process. We structured a series of meetings involving all levels of management to produce the updated plan resulting in high engagement and ownership of the process, and a living document with a framework for monitoring ongoing operations.
Operations improvement
Food
We provided operational review and related financial analysis, enhanced management reporting along with management coaching to small food processor with both wholesale and retail operations. This allowed them to optimize product offerings, improve production efficiency and gross profit margins resulting in greatly increased profitability.
Professional Services
Ownership of a professional services company with 20 professionals and a successful 30-year history felt the company was under performing. They wanted to improve productivity and stabilize long-term profitability. With high management and staff involvement, we undertook a complete review and analysis of the company’s management and transaction processes, and implemented significant process improvements. Other changes included improved business planning and enhanced financial reporting to support operations. The results – vastly improved customer service, productivity, staff communication and profitability.