Financial Management Resources

In my experience, poor financial management is what causes most underperforming small businesses to fail or not achieve their objectives. Often it is a lack of understanding of how basic business finance works that inhibits owners and leadership teams. You need to fully grasp what makes your economic engine work to make the right investments and calculate appropriate risks.

Blog Posts

Leadership Thought #198 – Are You Doing Business With The Right Clients?

August 18, 2011

Targeting the right prospects requires thought and effort. Every business needs to know when to say no. It’s easy to say yes (or at least we think it is). Bad or mediocre clients lead to bad or medicore outcomes – it is that simple. The math doesn’t get better on its own. You need to have the expectation of a reasonable return on investment and manage to certain margin thresholds. There should also be some sense of operational synergy and a belief that you can deliver what’s expected within the expected time frame.

Daily Leadership Thought #176 – Don’t Run Out Of Financial Runway

July 19, 2011

Every company should be run profitably. A portion of this profit should then be saved for future emergencies or needs. This should become the standard approach to managing your organization’s finances.

Daily Leadership Thought #175 – You Can Cut Expenses Too Much

July 18, 2011

…if you prune a tree too much it will die. It also requires proper fertilization and conditions conducive to growth. The same thing outcome invariably happens to companies.

Recommended Reading

MONEY: Master The Game

Tony Robbins

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Key Performance Indicators

Bernard Marr

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How Finance Works

Mihir A. Desai

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Favorite Articles

Why Every Business Owner Needs an Exit Strategy

You wrote a business plan to launch your company. To say goodbye to it, you need an exit plan to get the maximum possible return and to limit any future exposure to what happens to the company after your departure. But years of experience teach you that nothing in business is predictable — and that’s […]
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AI’s Effect on Industry Margins Over the Next Five Years

Investors have poured billions into AI-related companies, but adoption is moving slowly across American firms. According to the Census Bureau, just 5% of American businesses have used AI to produce goods and services over the last two weeks, highlighting that market enthusiasm is not yet matching the real economy. Despite this slow progress, AI has the […]
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What are the roles and responsibilities of a CFO?

For years, the simple answer was that the CFO leads a company’s finance function. But the role has expanded tremendously. Today’s CFO is a key colleague across businesses and functions, and is the CEO’s strategic partner in maximizing value creation. The CFO helps with shaping portfolio strategies, undertaking major investment and financing decisions, and communicating with […]
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Leadership Interviews

Dominic DiPietro, CEO of ROI Construction

Helpful Websites

Middle Market Journal

This is a platform that provides valuable insights and analysis specifically tailored for mid-sized businesses. The site covers a wide range of topics, including market trends, investment strategies, industry challenges, and leadership tips, all designed to help business owners and executives in the middle market grow and succeed. It’s a great resource for staying informed […]
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KPI.org

KPI.org is an online resource for KPI practitioners sponsored by the Balanced Scorecard Institute (BSI), a Strategy Management Group company. BSI provides consulting, training, and professional certification services to commercial, government, and non-profit organizations worldwide. BSI specializes in helping organizations: Become a high-performance organization Increase focus on strategy and results Improve organizational performance by measuring what matters Align the […]
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CPI Inflation Calculator

The CPI inflation calculator uses the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) U.S. city average series for all items, not seasonally adjusted. This data represents changes in the prices of all goods and services purchased for consumption by urban households.
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Video Favorites

How The Economic Machine Works by Ray Dalio

Created by Ray Dalio this simple but not simplistic and easy to follow 30-minute, animated video answers the question, “How does the economy really work?” Based on Dalio’s practical template for understanding the economy, which he developed over the course of his career, the video breaks down economic concepts like credit, deficits and interest rates, […]
Founder City CEO Panel

Ed facilitates panel of successful Maryland-based CEOs (for Founder City) to share their experiences as a founder and offer some valuable lessons learned for others who are following in their path, or are already in the midst of their own journey.

Interested in learning more about leadership?

Ed’s books on Leadership, Life and Business will elevate your knowledge and give you the confidence to apply it to your personal and professional life.