Albert Christensen, B2B CFO®
Providing CFO services in Vancouver, WA and surrounding areas

 As we approach the end of the first quarter of the New Year, it is a good time to take stock of how your company is doing compared to the budget you created last fall.  Take a moment and dust off the projections and assumptions and take some time to evaluate how you are doing through the first few months of the year.

 Let’s face it, when the budget was created it was to be a roadmap or goal to be attained.  Companies never perform to budget exactly and so there are always variances to be discussed. 

When comparing the company’s performance to budget, there are two areas I like to focus on.  Variances from budget based on volume changes, and variances from budget based on costs changes.  Let’s talk about the variance which is sales driven in nature…Volume Variances. 

Volume Variances are just what you would expect them to be, sales are either going to be higher or lower than forecast – hopefully your experience is in the higher category.  The thought here is if you have experienced higher sales volumes you should be experiencing higher than budgeted variable costs.  More product sold…more COGS.  This is a great thing as long as your product margin percent remains at the anticipated level.

Creating a budget should have been a thoughtful process where market share, trends and data were used to create a thoughtful position for sales and where historical costs along with vendor trends were taken into consideration for a build up of costs.  So we should be able to now use the first quarter results to determine how well the trends were predicted.  If adjustments need to be made for the next 3 quarters, now is the time to take care of this task

Now is a good time to evaluate what has been going right and what areas need some attention.  After all, most of us have given these forecasts to our banks and they will be looking for feedback.

You can avoid many frustrations if you are evaluating the company’s financial performance and understand the drivers which are affecting your performance.  Knowing what issues to address is empowering.  Only then can you truly find the road to better financial strength.

With the temperatures dropping into the teens, I suppose most of us are just thankful to not be in the cold.  But just being warm is the start of the list.  Opportunities and associations are always at the top of my list. 

Recently a young man in our community has undergone treatment for cancer.  Don’t ask me the type because I don’t know.  But what I do know is that the treatments are aggressive and have left him sick at time and most distressing to him and to any teenage boy is the loss of his hair.

I left last weekend to take some 12 year old scouts out on a training weekend.  We had a great time and I was feeling very good about having given time and effort to these young boys.  When we returned one of the boys’ brother came to pick him up and he had shaved his head.  I was astonished, but what was even more astonishing was when I learned my own son had shaved his head as well.  A group of seven young men went over to one of their leaders homes and all eight shaved their heads to show support for our friend who is now undergoing treatment.

I try not to be too emotional, but some things are just priceless.  So at the top of my list this holiday, I am thankful for the coming generation and their great hearts and capacity to serve each other.  I know this is not an isolated incident, but it was special to me because it is affecting someone very close to me.

Gratitude is never wasted.  What are you grateful for most this season?

B2B CFO NAMED IN PRESTIGIOUS INC. 5000 LIST

184% Growth Earns B2B CFO Spot in the 2010 List of Fastest
Growing Companies in America

Phoenix, Ariz. August 24, 2010 – B2B CFO, nation’s largest
provider of CFO services to small businesses, has been named to the
prestigious Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies in America.



Now in its 29th year, Inc. Magazine’s annual ranking judges US-based
and privately held companies by their revenue growth. This year’s
list was ranked on the percentage in revenue increase from
2006-2009. B2B CFO’s growth earned 84th place in its industry.

“There are approximately 27 million small businesses in the U.S.
today,” said Jerry L. Mills, founder and chief executive officer of
B2B CFO, “It is a huge honor to be among the fastest growing and the
most successful businesses in the country. Our firm has experienced
tremendous growth over the past few years and we are on track to
continue expanding. I am especially grateful to all of the firm’s
dedicated Partners who continue to advocate our services around the
nation.”

In a personalized letter congratulating B2B CFO on this
accomplishment, Jane Berenston, editor-in-chief of Inc. Magazine’s
wrote “Congratulations: your company, B2B CFO, has made the 2010
list of the fastest growing private companies in America. This
achievement puts you in rarefied company, especially if you consider
that over 27 million businesses are registered in the USA. The elite
group you’ve now joined has, over the years, included companies such
as Microsoft, Timberland, Visa, Intuit, Jamba Juice, Oracle, and
Zappos.com. I look forward to congratulating you in person in
Washington, D.C.”

B2B CFO’s growth is reflected in numerous awards this year. The
company was also recently named in ACE Corporate Growth Awards,
which recognized the most successful and fastest growing companies
in Arizona.
In August 2010, B2B CFO has grown to 170 Partners across 39 states,
representing 5,000 years of cumulative experience. Each Partner is a
seasoned financial executive who serves as CFO to growing businesses
on as-needed basis. Approximately 80% of the Partners have a
background that includes senior executive positions at the Big Four,
and all of the Partners have held high level executive finance
positions in various industries in corporate America. Together, B2B
CFO Partners work with more than 500 businesses in the nation with
combined annual sales of more than $3 Billion.

Jerry L. Mills and many of the B2B CFO Partners regularly dedicate
time to educate business owners on financial matters. Mills is a
frequent speaker and contributor and has been featured on many
national media networks including FOX Business, Fortune Small
Business, Smart Money and many others. Mills is also the author of
The Danger Zone – Lost in the Growth Transition, and Avoiding The
Danger Zone – Business Illusions, both business non-fiction books
that help entrepreneurs understand and build a strong financial
strategy.

“We look forward to participating in the Inc. 500|5000 conference in
Washington, DC this fall,” added Mills. “Along with my colleagues, I
look forward to the October 2nd awards ceremony and to meeting the
entrepreneurs that created the other 5000 fastest growing companies
in America.”

About Inc. Magazine

Founded in 1979 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures LLC, Inc.
is the only major business magazine dedicated exclusively to owners
and managers of growing private companies that delivers real
solutions for todays innovative company builders. Inc. provides
hands-on tools and market-tested strategies for managing people,
finances, sales, marketing, and technology.

Inc. Magazine’s 29th annual Inc. 5000 ranking of the fastest-growing
private companies in the country is available online at
www.inc.com/inc5000/list

About B2B CFO

Headquartered in Phoenix, Ariz., the firm was founded in 1987 by
Jerry L. Mills. B2B CFO is the nation’s largest CFO firm serving
entrepreneurial, growth and mid-market companies with revenue under
$75 million. The firm’s partners have an average of 25 years of
experience and each individual partner is a senior level executive
with a broad range of expertise. Please visit online at
http://www.b2bcfo.com/