Advice for CEOs

Companies of every size face problems daily that are difficult to overcome. And for small to midsize businesses, it can be hard to overcome these challenges with limited time and resources.

In the first article in this series I discussed the opportunities and challenges facing companies that are in the later stages of being VC owned and are still founder managed.

My experience as chair of three governing bodies and a member of four others has convinced me that many boards could benefit from clarifying their role and differentiating it from that of executive leadership. The systematic application of these three simple tools to make boards work better can greatly improve the contribution of most statutory and advisory boards.

Part One of this article discussed how emerging and mid-market companies often need to raise growth capital, attract an M&A or private equity deal, or boost profitability and capital readiness for other reasons. Most management teams know their ability to generate cash flow will be scrutinized as an indicator of potential to generate future returns by investors, acquirers and banks alike.

When emerging mid-market companies need to raise growth capital, attract an M&A or private equity deal; their current cash flow will be closely scrutinized as an indicator of their potential to generate future returns. At this critical point in their evolution, many companies scramble to make improvements to their gross margin percentage. They see even small improvements in gross margin as a step toward impressing investors or acquirers as to their potential to build leverage and generate future profits.

The partners of the Newport Board Group have found that emerging growth companies who are deciding whether or not to outsource manufacturing operations to China, have many pros and cons to weigh. As expert business advisors, Newport Board Group offers companies important information to consider before making the final decision.