The Mobile Boardroom

Overview

The journey for a new business is often complex and arduous and The Mobile Boardroom covers some of the bigger questions and challenges business owners and senior managers will face.

Starting up a business, running it successfully and making it grow is a challenge in any climate and for all businesses. This book tackles all the important elements that must be considered when buying, growing or selling a company. Expert insights and top tips on all aspects of the business cycle will take you through everything you need to know to succeed.

The essential main commercial areas covered include: strategy, finance, accounting systems, strategic IT management, sales, marketing, production and business growth – as well as general management, non-executive directorship and chairman roles, this guide is a must-read to be successful.

Contents

Chapter 1: Better business planning

• Brainstorming
• Analyse the numbers
• What do investors look for?
• Define your business concept
• Clarify the market opportunity
• Developing a strategy
• The management team
• Risk
• Resources
• Customer satisfaction

Chapter 2: Raising capital

• What is venture capital
• Be clear why funding is required
• Which VC to approach and how
• The business plan
• Be prepared to face emotive issues
• Prepare by 'grooming'
• The investment process

Chapter 3: Financial management

• Information gathering and presenting
• The management information proces
• Presenting MI information
• Key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Budgeting
• Managing costs
• Types of external funding and costs
• Risk
• Effective cash flow management

Chapter 4: Sales and marketing

• Recruitment and process
• Measurement
• Motivation and reward.
• Training and mentoring
• Marketing
• Profit, revenue and margins
• Qualification
• Customer retention
• Context-driven sales
• Monitoring

Chapter 5: Information technology

• Business service requirements
• Keep it simple, robust and reliable
• Standardise on IT equipment and configuration
• Managing IT costs and a budget
• Test data backup and disaster recovery processes
• Create a documentation library
• Build good supplier relationships
• Supplement your internal IT support capacity
• Think carefully about 'The Cloud'
• Take information security seriously

Chapter 6: Management of people

• Your leadership style
• Clarify roles and supply resources
• Communication
• Your management style
• Manage information well
• Look at rewards
• Training and development
• Remove barriers to success
• Recruit well
• Build a team

Chapter 7: Operations, production and service

• Introduction
• Operational planning
• People respond to their environment
• Documentation for strong foundations
• Quality assurance not quality control
• Don't be too impatient with new ideas
• Good communication
• Help your suppliers to help you
• Pareto – Make it work for you!
• Speed up throughput times
• Resolving any underlying issues

Chapter 8: Mergers and acquisitions

• Get your strategy right
• Research potential targets
• First approach
• Due Diligence
• Negotiation and closing the deal
• Post-acquisition management
• Run your company
• Control the deal
• Make sure you can afford it
• Advisers

Chapter 9: Management buy-outs

• The MBO journey
• The benefits of the MBO
• Identifying the opportunity
• Reviewing the framework
• Get a team together
• Structuring the MBO
• Financing the MBO
• The exit of the institutional investor/sale of the company
• Proceeding with an MBO

Chapter 10: Post-acquisition management

• Set clear integration objectives
• Appoint an integration team
• Document the post-acquisition plan
• Communicate the plan
• Keep employees informed
• Implementing key financial controls
• Maintaining the customer base
• dentify supplier savings
• Focus on essential administration and IT
• Understand the commercial risks.

Chapter 11: Selling your company

• Get your strategy right
• Timing and tax planning are vital
• Valuing the company
• Grooming the company for sale
• Consider the alternative exit options
• Prepare a decent sales memorandum
• Identifying interested parties
• Keep your focus until the transaction is complete
• Control the deal and negotiate sensibly
• Seek a clean break

Authors

Julian Clay

Julian Clay has worked with a number of different types of company (from SME’s to ‘Times Top 100’), to help develop and implement successful sales strategies. His expertise lies in understanding the core business challenges company’s face to help companies manage their opportunities well and win more business. He is the co-author of The Sales Manager’s Desktop Guide, SALES STRATEGY for Business Growth and author of Successful Selling Solutions, (Thorogood publishing).

Nik Askaroff

Nik Askaroff is the founder and CEO of EMC. He is a former President of the UK-based South Eastern Society of Chartered Accountants, past Chairman of both Business Link Sussex and Sussex Enterprise (the Chamber of Commerce for Sussex). Nik holds board positions with six companies and at EMC. He distils his many years experience into this practical book.