CFO Services

Focused Financial Resources

Your Success is our Focus!

CFO Services

Owners and CEO's of growing enterprises often find they do not have all the information they need to guide operations. Their information needs frequently outgrow the data their accounting department produces. They want to run the company by the numbers, but may be unsure of what numbers are critical. Simply put, they have outgrown their accounting department. Yet they may not be ready to hire a permanent, full time Chief Financial Officer. Focused professional CFO's bridge the gap by providing the services growing companies need at rates they can afford.

In addition, we provide INTERIM CFO services to companies needing an expert to run their finance department while they are searching for a permanent CFO.

Focused CFO's have deep experience in the following areas:

         Budgeting & Forecasting         Expense Reduction                 Financing Growth
         Margin Improvement                Cash Management                  Assessment & Mentoring

         Metrics and Dashboards           Turnaround Consulting         Risk Management

For more information on how Focused Financial Resources can help your business reduce expenses, increase margins and become a data driven enterprise contact:

Doug Zeisel (Baltimore): 443 253 5174 or email DZeisel@FocusedFR.com
Bob Lampa (York/Lancaster): 717 797 7177 or email BLampo@FocusedFR.com

Budgeting & Forecasting
    Successful CEO's run their businesses "by the numbers". They compare actual results to their plan and work to fix deviations from that plan. If external events occur that cause deviations from plan, they adjust accordingly. These executives have at their disposal full control of operations because they have data that tells them what is going on in their business.

It all starts with a concise and meaningful business plan. The strategy of the business plan is translated to budgets which are supported by forecasts. The budget provides the benchmarks for success. Rapidly growing business need planning more than ever but often are not at a point where hiring a full time CFO makes sense.   Focused Financial Resources solves this dilemma by providing professional financial leadership on a part time basis at affordable rates. You get what you need without paying for vacations, sick leave, workers comp, FICA, etc. Call Doug Zeisel (Baltimore) 443 253 5174 or Bob Lampo (Yor/Lancaster) 717 979 7177 today for a free consultation. Click Here to return to top.

Expense Reduction
Reducing operating expenses in the current economic environment takes more than cutting back on employee hours. In fact, cutting in the wrong places can actually be counter productive. We are deeply experienced in finding the fat in operations and cutting it without pain. We also have a myriad of contacts with low cost, high quality providers. And did you know you can save big bucks by outsourcing many of the functions you are now performing "in house"? For more information on how you can painlessly reduce your operating expenses contact Doug Zeisel at 443 253 5174 (Baltimore) or Bob Lampo (York/Lancaster) at 717 979 7177. An initial 2 hour consultation is free!
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Margin Improvement
In today's economy many business owners are temped to increase or maintain sales at the expense of margins. This often results in operating losses. Unless your father owns a bank, you will soon be out of business following such a strategy. Focused CFO's are keenly aware of the factors that affect margins and how to best control them. We can help you manage your margins instead of your sales department controlling margins by setting selling prices. Call Doug Zeisel (Baltimore) 443 253 5174 or Bob Lampo (York/Lancaster) to set up a free 2 hour consultation.
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Metrics and Dashboards
Become a "Data Dog"! Its no secret - running a business by the numbers almost guarantees success. The problem is understanding what numbers are critical to the success of your enterprise and how to dig them out of your accounting system. That's where we come in. Focused CFO's are highly experienced in understanding the key drivers of a business and finding the data that can be translated into meaningful management reports. If you want better control of your operations, call Doug Zeisel for a free 2 hour consultation at 443 253 5174 (Baltimore) or Bob Lampo 717 979 7177 (York/Lancaster)

For a free White Paper entitled "Shifting Gears Towards Growth - Using Metrics" Click Here.

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Cash Management
Cash is the lifeblood of any enterprise. Assets must be managed to maximize the availability of cash. And cash must be available to facilitate growth. We understand this better than anyone. So we start by assessing your assets for ways to increase cash. Then we forecast your cash needs, potential shortfalls and find ways to finance your growth. We know how to give you the most bang for your buck on excess cash that may build up on your balance sheet.   We also understand that much of your personal wealth can be tied up in your business. This cash can be used to decrease your personal risk and diversify your asset base while minimizing your taxes. Call us for more information on cash management - Doug Zeisel at 443 253 52174 (Baltimore) or Bob Lampo 717 979 7177(York/Lancaster).
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Turnaround Consulting

Under performing and Financially Distressed Businesses require fast and accurate situation assessment to both determine their viability and maximize stakeholder value. Distressed companies may also require a set of eyes and ears on site to help mitigate risk. Our team of turnaround experts is led by a Certified Turnaround Professional with over 25 years of experience in distress and crisis situations. All of our Controllers and CFO’s have helped companies improve operations and profitability. When you need a professional who is comfortable working in a difficult situation contact Doug Zeisel at 443 253 5174 (Baltimore) or Bob Lampo 717 979 7177 (York/Lancaster).

Under performing and Financially Distressed Services Include:

Situation Assessment
Monitoring Operations
Cash Flow Stabilization/ Profitability Improvement
Creditor Negotiations/ Loan Workouts
Restructurings – Balance Sheet/ Operations
Operational Wind Downs
Liquidations
Interim Management – CRO/CEO/CFO/Controller

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Financing Growth
Financing Growth is a tricky business. It requires knowing how much money you actually need as well as the sources of funding and what those sources are looking for. Focused Professional CFO's have helped finance many kinds of enterprises. We are experienced with various kinds of financing and also have deep contacts within all corners of the finance industry. We can help you understand how much you need, help you put together an attractive plan, and match you with the best source of funds. For a free 2 hour consultation, call Doug Zeisel (Baltimore) at 443 253 5174 or Bob Lampo (York/Lancaster) at 717 979 7177.

For a free white paper entitled - Financing Growth - Click Here

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Assessments & Mentoring
Focused Assessment and Mentoring Services help capable but inexperienced managers ranging from head bookkeepers to controllers improve their job skills. The starting point is an assessment of their skill levels and knowledge compared to the demands of their job and the role they must grow into. The assessment may take from one to four hours. Once the assessment is complete, a mentoring program is tailored to provide relevant, on hands training. For example, at an emerging high tech manufacturing company, the controller was highly capable but inexperienced in developing and managing a manufacturing cost system. Doug Zeisel worked with her once a week for a ten day period to teach the basics of Bills of Materials, tracking labor costs and the mechanics of setting up a cost system. A working model was developed that illustrated the transition to a full blown automated system that was to be later set up and managed by the controller.

We also provide assessments of the entire finance function of a firm as compared to industry best practices. These assessments are designed to find strengths and weaknesses and to point out what functions should be developed as the enterprise grows. For more information on Assessments and Mentoring, call Doug Zeisel (Baltimore) at 443 253 5174 or Bob Lampo (York/Lancaster) at 717 979 7177.

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Risk Management
Risk management is all about knowing what risks your business need to cover and who are the best carriers to provide the required coverage. As CFO's experienced in a variety of industries we have basically "seen it all". That means we know what you need and where to find it. In addition we can monitor those relationships and/or train your personnel to handle claims and other risk related matters.
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