Problem Solving . Identify Improvement . Financial Management . Governance
Often the first step to improving your business or its profitability is recognizing there may be opportunities to improve or potential solutions to problems you thought were unsolvable. It is a bold owner or manager who admits that his/her business, processes or practices are less than perfect and a wise one who engages the organization in the process of improvement. Isolated issues, problems, risks or opportunities are often clearer and actionable with independent analysis and expert advice. Hands on advice from advisors that have walked in your shoes as a manager or executive is especially valuable.
Service Overview
Business Case Evaluations
Evaluation of business cases are typically used to document the business rationale of potential investment or strategy opportunities for internal approval purposes or more simply as a discipline for good business practices. A business case requires clear identification of the problem or opportunity, as well as a reasonable but vigorous evaluation of viable alternatives. For many companies, the evaluation process is multidimensional, including financial, economic, social, environmental, employment and other types of benefits to multiple stakeholders. Dwayne has been involved with business case evaluations throughout his entire career and provides the deep financial and business acumen he has gained to clients.
Financial Analysis & Solutions
Financial analysis is critical to sound decision making. Optimal solutions are often only found in the details of detailed, creative and insightful financial analysis. Financial analysis and modeling has been a hallmark of our services.
Commercial Advice
Commercial wisdom is paramount to most advisors as it implies a deep knowledge of business, financing, accounting, economics, risks and profitability … all in the context of your business, your regulatory framework, your industry, your world. We are experienced at being a trusted commercial advisor to various companies across several industries and in various countries.
Business Process Improvement
Many companies do not undertake improvements in their processes, functions or operations because they are sometimes not obvious. Sometimes an independent advisor can drive out issues and related improvements because they bring their diverse experience across multiple clients and industries to bear in your company. They can see things from a different level that are not sometimes evident to those intimately involved in the detailed operations. We have successfully undertaken processes with internal subject matter experts of clients to identify and evaluate business process improvements for substantial effect.
Efficiency Review
Specific evaluations of particular areas or functions of concern for a client can help identify blockages to progress and root out underlying issues related to productivity, morale, training, cost and growth issues.
Outsourcing Review
Review of potential functions and processes for lower cost or more productive alternatives is similar to due diligence of an acquisition. Such a review requires careful evaluation of the details to ensure the right business decision is made for the right reason and the right outsourcing party is chosen. Getting the details right in the contracting phase and proper monitoring is a challenge for all companies pursuing an outsourcing initiative. We have been significantly involved in several outsourcing evaluations and implementations from single function outsourcing of smaller companies to multiple functions of large companies involving over a thousand employees.
CFO Services
The principal of Coben Advisory has provided his CFO expertise from past private and public company experience to clients on a project specific or an ongoing basis. This usually makes sense when the client is in the process of migrating to a new level of scope and size and / or does not have the in-house expertise for certain urgently required skills or activities such as financing or acquisitions.
Governance Review
We have advised and supported various clients in planning, structuring and guiding appropriate governance processes at the management, executive and board levels, as well as governance processes in partnership, JV, alliances and outsourcing relationships. Governance is a critical component of sound successful businesses and sometimes is aided by an independent external perspective from an advisor who has worked under great governance models as an executive, and has witnessed the “good, the bad and the ugly” as an consultant.
Risk Management
We understand that each business has its own unique risks. We have advised various clients in processes of systematic identification of risks and evaluation of alternatives to mitigate. Recognition and management of key risk and preparation for a company life’s unexpected events is integrated in our planning processes and advisory practices.