Congratulations! Your business is in a great place. You have grown into the ‘tween’ or ‘teen’ stage where you are too big to be small, but too small to be big. Unfortunately, the growing pains that naturally come with your success are presenting diverse issues and challenges not encountered before.
This is new territory for you and your business. It’s uncomfortable and you know it’s going to require things to change. Your business is entering a new phase and needs new processes, new structures and new insights; insights into your numbers and business as a whole; insights that are currently missing from your leadership team.
It’s time to add another trusted member to your team. One that brings both financial acuity and business acumen; but you are not ready for, or can yet afford, a full time professional. So where do you turn for help?
Interpreting what they mean and communicating what’s important
CFO Navigator offers a powerful combination of financial insight and business foresight that simplify the numbers, clarify what is important and communicate – in plain English – which ones to watch to navigate the business and make better decisions.
CFO Navigator focuses on helping companies that have out grown their current financial capabilities and are ready to use their numbers to navigate the business and not just keep score.
CFO Navigator designs and builds scalable financial capabilities, knows the numbers inside and out, provides confidence that they are right, interprets what they mean and communicates what’s important; and when the time comes, will turn over the helm to a full time CFO.
CFO Navigator offers business owners an expert sounding board with an experienced outside perspective for assessing business opportunities and obstacles.
Navigating is all about getting where you want to go, not so much about reporting where you’ve been.
Someone that knows your numbers inside and out, provides confidence that they are right, interprets what they mean and communicates what’s important.
A professional with the experience and leadership to help you through the growing pains of the ‘tween’ and ‘teen’ stage and get to the next level.
Someone with financial expertise who understands the numbers and provides you with the confidence to make critical business decisions.
An experienced business partner with an outside perspective to serve you as an expert sounding board.
A typical accountant, bookkeeper or CPA will only look in the rearview mirror and tell you where you have been, without any regard to where you are going. They focus on what has already happened, rather than understanding the numbers and using them to help you look forward.
Navigating a business by the numbers requires first, that a solid financial foundation be in place from which reliable financial insight can be obtained. We equate the financial foundation to the sturdiness of a ladder.
A sturdy financial ladder consists of three Components, four Functions and three Roles.
This foundation is what enables a business to turn data into decisions and pivot from simply counting to navigating by the numbers.
We’ve found many clients have Controllers they trust and value, but they just aren't providing the depth of financial insight the business needs.
Ingrained in our approach is a coaching mentality of elevating your Controller from a bean counter mindset to that of a CFO Navigator.
If there are any reservations as to whether the numbers you’re seeing are correct, your confidence in using them to make decisions is diminished.
We ensure your numbers are right, giving you confidence to use them to make decisions.
Once confident the numbers are right, the value of a CFO Navigator is in anticipating the financial future.
We use dashboards and financial models to track trends and project future financial implications. This allows us to assess various “what if” scenarios, anticipating what the financial future might look like “if” certain paths are taken.
We are running a quickly growing agency here and our revenue growth quickly outpaced our ability to manage our financials. Robert has come in and given discipline to our finance department and predictability to me as a CEO so I know what to expect and can plan for growth appropriately. We can't thank Robert enough for what he has done for Cardinal.
As or business continues to grow, we knew we were not structured financially to maintain that growth. Robert Stephens provided the perfect fit without having to hire a full time CFO. He was able to come in, assess our situation, and design a plan and organizational structure that will help us continue to grow into the future. He offered fresh ideas as well as independent confirmation of some of my own thoughts. The process helped me focus those thoughts and ideas, and add structure to my vision for the future. We could not have made this transition without his help.
I needed a way to evaluate my 10 years in production. I needed visuals and budgets-to move forward more successfully.
Recommended by one of his previous clients--I took flight. Literally, I took a FLIGHT---> From NYC to the Atlanta airport...to meet Robert. From the moment I discussed our goals, losses, gains and hopes- he was IN! I have never felt so supported in business. Robert has worked closely with my bookkeeper to see new ways of accounting, he even took the time to meet one-on-one with EACH of my 12 employees!
We have hired him for a temporary review and restructure of the finances..however, I think PTC Productions, and myself...we may just keep him forever!
“Robert was able to come in and quickly get our financials in order to present our company to the potential acquirer. He worked steadily to improve our reporting capability and provided much needed month to month and annual reporting that allowed us to get a better understanding of our business.”
“Robert has provided invaluable assistance to CHRIS 180 and to me in analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of our accounting procedures and personnel, then working with the COO and myself to create a plan that strengthened the entire department. Robert is able to work effectively with board, senior leadership and with accounting personnel, always treating individuals with honesty and respect.”
“As CMO’s new acting CFO, I have found Robert to be quick and thorough in developing the needed insights on how we conduct our business.”
“The reports you put together make it easier for me, not having a financial background, to understand. It also helps me to bounce things off of you to get your input from a CFO perspective.”
“I was looking for someone to help communicate my financials clearly and consistently. Robert dove right in, gained an understanding of our business and developed a consistent process for accounting and reporting that I rely on every month.”
“Robert analyzes and presents our financial data in a simple and concise format that financial and non-financial owners can understand and comprehend. He understands our metrics and what we need to focus on to maintain our growth trajectory.”
"Responsive, informative and easy to work with. Robert has done everything we expected of him and more. As a restaurateur we sometimes ask for information at a moments notice and Robert has been great at getting us detailed info promptly."
“Understanding us and what drove our costs and profitability, Robert was able to create a bid scenario modeling tool that we use on a daily basis to bid out jobs. His ability to grasp how all the moving parts came together, operationally and financially, made a huge impact on our ability to analyze a job’s profitability and contribution to overhead - - at bid time, rather than months after a job was completed.”
"I knew that CFO Navigator was going to free up my time for me to focus on other aspects of my business. What I didn't appreciate then (that I do now) is how incredibly valuable it is to get their outside perspective on my business."
“You are the person that stands back and looks at situations without all the distractions of the day to day and grasps the impact our decisions are having on things as we go forward. You’re the first one in seven years that has shown me cash flow projections out into the future which I think is critical.”
“Robert is a trusted thinking partner for me. He provides sound advice on an internal and external level, across all operational areas, to help guide me with strategy and decision-making. He does this with our best interest at heart… thank you for all that you do!”
"It has been a pleasure to work with Robert Stephens as our external CFO and business advisor. Robert's experience, combined with his authentic desire to serve his clients, make him a rare service provider. For a business that needs help not only knowing where they have come from but also where they are going, I cannot recommend Robert highly enough."
“I have had the opportunity to work with Robert and his CFO Navigator team on two separate engagements... In both instances, they were able to step in, immediately get their arms around the key issues and needs of both organizations and provide both high-level strategy and day-to-day management. CFO Navigator fills a critical gap for small businesses, nonprofits and governmental organizations that do not have the budget or need for a full-time CFO or controller.”
“Working with CFO Navigator has impacted my business by systematizing my full financial department to provide me with the information I need as a business owner to make timely and sound decisions. It’s been a relief to have a seasoned financial expert take charge of the financial department to free my time to focus on the growth of the company. Working with CFO Navigator was the most impactful business decision I made as a CEO in 2018.”
“CFO Navigator brought tremendous experience to the table, rolled up their sleeves and figured it out for us. They provide a sense of security that they have our back.”
“CFO Navigator fills the perfect need for small businesses like ours, who need guidance in financial management and strategies to stay competitive and be successful. Robert and his team have provided the professional skills and made recommendations to help us not only succeed financially, but to focus on what we do best—marketing!”
“Before CFO Navigator, our accountants and bookkeepers processed financial data; but we didn't know how to use that data to make better business decisions; after engaging CFO Navigator, Robert and his team implemented techniques and strategies to track labor efficiency, predict expenses, set profit targets, manage cash flow and ultimately drive growth. We now have the financial insight and business foresight to fulfill our company mission and achieve our financial goals.”
“CFO Navigator gave me clarity in a language that I can understand without me having to pretend to be an accountant. I don’t see my team winning without their support.”
“CFO Navigator allowed me to stop, take a step back, and look more closely at the numbers that tell our accounting story. I seldom see the true picture when trying to manage the day to day operation. I have been much more successful and stopping to look at our numbers on a regular basis.”
“We believe anticipating financial implications before they’re in the rearview mirror is more valuable than simply reporting their outcome once they’ve passed.”
CFO Navigator was founded with the vision of changing the focus of accountants from simply being bean counters to becoming business navigators. Understanding the beans is important, but applying that understanding to navigating the future is the real value. If you’re not getting what you need from your bean counter, why not consider bringing a CFO Navigator on board. There is so much more to knowing your numbers than simply how much is in the bank or how much you owe in taxes. The true value of knowing the numbers is in anticipating the future. Use your numbers to navigate your Business!
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CFO Navigator, LLC
Atlanta, GA
(404) 642-2688
team@cfo-navigator.com
