Finance - Exkalibur.com

Business Finance is one of the areas where CEOs and other business leaders do not have a clear understanding of some basic concepts … but we are committed to help you turbocharge your business with practical tips and techniques to improve free cash flow, the lifeblood of business.

Please check out the Featured Articles from our Business Finance Library to get you started.

The 12 Days of Christmas | What does it cost in 2018?

The cost of the fanciful mix of gifts described in the classic carol, The 12 Days of Christmas, has been tracked for over a quarter of a century.

W ho knew how expensive the Seven-Swans-A-Singing would be?

The good news is that since last year, the Index is up only 1.2% so there are bargains to be had.

Not that there’s anything wrong with a basket of assorted swans, geese, French hens and turtle doves … I’d prefer a beef tenderloin myself … but who would have expected to spend almost $40,000 for the entire basket?

What I don’t like about office Christmas parties is looking for a job the next day. ~ Phyllis Diller

PNC Wealth Management has carefully tracked these costs for more than 25 years. Each year, they expand the offerings with gifts, pictures and more.

Keep reading to find out how much this will cost you this year ….

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Monday Quote of the Week: Set your own quality standards – and follow those closely

We’ve all had this experience, haven’t we? Whether it stems from jealousy or ignorance, ’twas always the case. You’ve just got to keep your head down and do your best work.

Please visit our Facebook Page to leave your comment or question. I visit it every day and look forward to hearing from you and expanding our discussion of this subject.

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What Are You Doing to Grow Your Top Line?

Baseball season is in full swing, so it’s a good time to remember how great hitters get to the Hall of Fame.

It’s the same process you should use to focus on revenue enhancement, a fancy term for “get more sales”.

There are some Simple Metrics to Measure Your Success

Most companies do a poor job of tracking Suspects and Prospects, but if you want to overcome that limitation, try these simple metrics to build a sales funnel that will help you quickly grow your top line.

Make getting more at bats the cornerstone of your sales strategy.

I’m a Judge for the USF Undergraduate Pitch Competition. Again. Fun!

I’ve participated as judge for this event several times/year and it’s a lot of fun. You can get an idea of some of the innovative ideas in the previous competition from this article, Creativity & Innovation | They’re alive and well and living at USF.

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The Devil IS in the Details – But These are Details Worth Finding

Every business goes through its ups and downs and cash is particularly precious when things aren’t going so well.

W hile it absolutely helps to have a financial professional nearby, there are certain steps you can take – they’re FREE – to get underneath the hood and diagnose some key issues that can make a big difference.

Here are 3 of the Most Powerful Tools I Have Used.

Never neglect details. When everyone’s mind is dulled or distracted the leader must be doubly vigilant. ~ Colin Powell

It’s a phrase we’ve all heard ad nauseum, but yes, the devil’s still in the details.

So, how do you keep your perspective on the more strategic elements of your company while capturing and controlling sufficient details to calibrate and validate the execution of that strategy?

Here are a 3 powerful and proven methods to uncover and gain insight into some of these intricate details.

Keep reading to learn the THREE FREE tools to find extra cash

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ABOUT ME

I am a professional author and speaker as well as a leadership coach facilitating leadership groups among CEOs and senior business leaders in the SF Bay area.

I am the author or more than 125+ newspaper columns published by the SF Bay affiliate of the NY Times among the 550+ articles here. I have also written 3 ebooks about Leadership & Business Finance.

I have been married forever to a beautiful woman and have one spectacular daughter who has dedicated her life to helping children with life-threatening illnesses.

Read more ….

Testimonials

In my former position as a tax partner at KPMG, LLP, I worked closely with Lary on the tax aspects of the plethora of business issues that arise in the life cycle of a start up company. It was unusual to see a senior finance person demonstrate a seasoned business acumen in identifying issues and opportunities, grasping the technical issues, resolving obstacles and implementing change. ~ Jeffrey Bergmann, V.P. Worldwide Tax

Not only do you get honesty and integrity from Lary but you also get creativity, maturity and deep business acumen. Lary is the diamond in the rough for middle market companies in need of corporate advisory services and transaction services. ~ Kelly O. Kay, Partner, Center for Corporate Innovation

Lary has a remarkable ability to provide a clear and thoughtful analysis of the business drivers and potential outcomes facing private companies at each stage of development. His insight has provided a powerful framework for decision-making in many challenging situations. ~ Noah J. Rosenkrantz, CEO

I've known and worked with Lary for more than 15 years as a business partner, consulting colleague and adviser and have found that Lary's financial skills and creativity result in high quality results for his clients. I am certain that Lary's strong work ethic, client focus and successful track record bode well for future clients just as they have formed the foundation of a long-term and highly valued relationship for me. ~ Kevin J. Sharps, Director, Financial Services Consulting practice

Lary began advising our company when we were going through some difficult challenges, and now, two years later, we are in a completely different and significantly better place. His advice was specific, direct, and not always what we wanted to hear, and that was invaluable. Lary has been quick to cut through to the heart of an issue. His coaching, prodding, and tough questioning helped us to make changes that truly and measurably have helped both our top and bottom lines. ~ Paul Levitan, CEO

Lary brings to the table a wealth of real world wisdom and experience that is grounded in an impressive array of C-level and other executive leadership and operational management roles. Over the years I have found Lary's advise and counsel to be invaluable, I think in part because of his dedication and commitment to being of true value to his clients and colleagues. Lary has a well-honed ability to ask the right (and often difficult!) questions, to shed light on the most challenging aspects of your business, to share best practices and to guide you to valuable solutions to consider. I recommend Lary without hesitation. If you are a CEO or senior level executive, working with Lary will no doubt prove to be one of the smartest decisions you will make during your career.~ David Newlin, Managing Partner

Within a three year period I had two different startups and one acquisition to deal with. Lary's involvement in the projects allowed me to raise substantial amounts of capital on all occasions. He makes even the most monumental task seem effortless. His tireless attention and focus on the project gets things done, done right, and under deadline. ~ Don Meahan, owner and operator of Alaska’s Naknek Anglers, LLC

We have a great management team that has built a very successful company. At an important crossroads, we needed more expertise on an expanded list of financial issues than we could provide ourselves. Lary brought that expertise, providing the depth of knowledge and experience that helped us develop and implement a practical solution.~ Gary Imm, CEO (retired)

Lary has been a tremendous asset to our company. His experience and knowledge provides our young company with the type of financial and business guidance needed to facilitate our continued growth. In addition to Lary's efforts in raising capital for our company, he has assisted Multimedia Live in both extensive business planning, as well as continual ongoing monthly financial and strategy analysis of our business. I have found this to be an invaluable service. ~ Ken Burke, CEO, Multimedia Live, Inc.

Lary was an important component in helping us raise our first (over-subscibed) fund at Harbour Group. His doggedness, professionalism, and friendly demeanor helped open doors for what, at the time, was an untested and reasonably new concept. He was a pleasure to work with and remains a friend to this day.~ Ralph Lobdell, Chairman, Tripos, Inc.