Amarillo 806-371-7661
Pampa 806-665-8429
Hereford 806-364-4686
Write Us a Review

Business ownership: Launch with confidence


ARTICLE | February 08, 2023

Authored by RSM US LLP


Launch with confidence

You’re ready to get to market and start building customer relationships. As your business debuts, your challenges will likely include funding, talent, money management and market share growth. Your need for cash may outpace your access to it. Being undercapitalized can mean scaling back your business plans and adjusting your strategy.

Questions and answers:

Q: What are my financing options?

Based on your business model, there are several financing options and cash sources available. Do your due diligence to determine which is best: mezzanine financing, bank financing, convertible debt, straight equity. When tackling financing there are myriad issues involved: corporate finance, tax, accounting, and legal. No one has all the answers, so your team of advisors is critically important here.

Q: How is my leadership role evolving?

Remember that a founding entrepreneur can’t do it all. By understanding your blind spots and putting your ego aside, you will enable yourself to hire as needed to build a capable team.

Q: Have I revisited my tax structure?

As your strategy or ownership changes so may your tax structure. And as your company grows your regulatory footprint will change significantly. Expansion into multiple state (and even internationally) makes taxation much more complicated. Entity type has ramifications for cash flow, regulatory burden, and eventual exit from the business, so it should be revisited often as the business grows and strategies evolve.

Best practices for owners of growth stage businesses

People, process, and technology

Arrow hitting bullseye target

People

As the business owner, you need to be able to focus on what you are good at and start building a team around you to grow the business. This need will only become more pressing as you grow.

Best practice

Outsourcing solutions may provide you the ability to afford more expertise than you could on a full-time basis. For example, many companies at this point cannot afford a full-time tax professional on staff. By outsourcing these services, you can make sure that you aren’t making decisions with surprising consequences.

Arrow hitting bullseye target

Process

By planning for various scenarios and the actions you would take accordingly, the organization can sharpen its focus on short-, medium- and long-term goals.

Best practice

Develop a strategic planning framework. In addition to the benefits of formalizing objectives, it will also help to create value as sales start to come in the door, decentralizing the knowledge so it is not tied only to the entrepreneur. Not many companies have the expertise to accomplish this effectively without outside assistance. An advisor who specializes in strategic planning can help.

Arrow hitting bullseye target

Technology

You start to have access to data that can guide decision-making and help you predict various factors that influence your business.

Best practice

Quick access to timely data can help you not only understand your financial performance but also changing trends. This will allow you to prioritize investments and better understand the customer attributes that create your margin. This can also provide valuable information about win rate and what’s working in sales.

Tax Tip

Consider the implications of entity type

Entity selection can become an important and strategic decision throughout the life of the business. Some types of taxation may allow earlier utilization of losses while others can allow better current cash flow. Apply your company’s strategic plan so you don’t make this decision in a vacuum.

How do entrepreneurs address the various lifecycle stages of business ownership?

Owning a business takes a certain confidence and grit. All owners are different, but all face similar challenges. Our business ownership lifecycle ebook shares insights gleaned from helping business owners face these challenges head on.



Let's Talk!

Contact us at one of our locations or fill out the form below and we'll contact you to discuss your specific situation.

  • Should be Empty:
  • Topic Name:

This article was written by RSM US LLP and originally appeared on 2023-02-08.
2022 RSM US LLP. All rights reserved.
https://rsmus.com/insights/services/private-client/business-ownership-launch-with-confidence.html

RSM US Alliance provides its members with access to resources of RSM US LLP. RSM US Alliance member firms are separate and independent businesses and legal entities that are responsible for their own acts and omissions, and each is separate and independent from RSM US LLP. RSM US LLP is the U.S. member firm of RSM International, a global network of independent audit, tax, and consulting firms. Members of RSM US Alliance have access to RSM International resources through RSM US LLP but are not member firms of RSM International. Visit rsmus.com/about us for more information regarding RSM US LLP and RSM International. The RSM logo is used under license by RSM US LLP. RSM US Alliance products and services are proprietary to RSM US LLP.

Johnson & Sheldon, PLLC is a proud member of the RSM US Alliance, a premier affiliation of independent accounting and consulting firms in the United States. RSM US Alliance provides our firm with access to resources of RSM US LLP, the leading provider of audit, tax and consulting services focused on the middle market. RSM US LLP is a licensed CPA firm and the U.S. member of RSM International, a global network of independent audit, tax and consulting firms with more than 43,000 people in over 120 countries.

Our membership in RSM US Alliance has elevated our capabilities in the marketplace, helping to differentiate our firm from the competition while allowing us to maintain our independence and entrepreneurial culture. We have access to a valuable peer network of like-sized firms as well as a broad range of tools, expertise and technical resources.

For more information on how ​Johnson & Sheldon, PLLC can assist you, please contact us: Amarillo | Pampa | Hereford