Jim Learish

Spring is here. Companies are dusting off Q1 results, setting Q2 priorities, and somewhere in a finance meeting, someone is saying: "Our costs are under control." 98% of the time, that's not true. That's not a guess. That's what we find in 98% of the audits we run when a new client comes on board. Not sometimes. Nearly always. The companies who are most surprised aren't the disorganized ones. They're the ones who have a department head who manages vendor relationships, who negotiated a contract two years ago, and who genuinely believes they did a good job. They probably did -- relative to the information they had. But here's what they didn't have: pricing data from hundreds of audits across the country using those same vendors. They didn't know what your competitor down the street is paying. They negotiated in the dark. We don't. There are only two ways to grow a business: increase revenue or reduce costs. Increasing revenue is hard. It takes time, people, and market conditions you can't always control. Reducing costs -- when done right -- is immediate, measurable, and goes straight to your bottom line. Spring is a good time to ask the question most CFOs don't ask often enough: Are we actually sure? #CostReduction #CFO #FinancialStrategy #MobilaConsulting

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“We are bigger so we need more rules, processes, approvals” The average lifespan of a S&P 500 company used to be 60+ years. Today’s, it’s 15 years Bureaucracy & the stifling of innovation is almost always one of the root causes During the early days, things move fast. Ideas are entertained and executed at speed. Mistakes are made, but stuff gets done But then as time goes by, layers and layers of processes and people are added. “We can’t afford mistakes” “We need to protect ourselves” All true, except the cost of doing anything new, or even improving the status quo, gets higher and higher The intentions of these layers are good, but to do anything different gets excruciating. So it’s simply easier to fall in line, do what’s expected Why propose something new when you need to get through 7 committees and 12 approvals? Just clock-in-clock-out for the same paycheck Those who once found joy in experimenting, innovating and building move on Those who stay perpetuate the “lay low, don’t stand out, business as usual” That’s why there will always be startups who rise and succeed in taking over incumbents. But once they become incumbents, they fall into the same trap and inevitably, make room for the next generation

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Who you finance with is important...rate is important but will they sell it, how do they run their process? Who will you talk with during underwriting? Are they preferred? How many defaults? 💰 5 Questions to Ask Before Applying for an SBA Loan Before you sign on the dotted line, make sure you understand the full picture: ✅ Is your cash flow strong enough to support repayments? ✅ Do you have updated financials ready for review? ✅ What collateral will the lender require? ✅ How will the loan impact your valuation or future sale? ✅ Is this the right loan product for your growth plan? Smart financing starts with asking the right questions. Know the details. Protect your future. #BusinessFinance #SBALoan #Entrepreneurship #TransworldBusinessAdvisors

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Most founders don’t hire their first finance leader for strategy. They hire them for accountability. When founders say, “We need a senior finance hire,” what they often mean is: “I need someone else to own this.” In a recent conversation I had with Chris Fenster of Propeller Industries, Chris broke down the real reasons first finance hires happen: accountability, credibility, and fixing accumulated “accounting debt”, and why those contexts matter more than titles. Worth watching if you’re approaching your first senior finance hire or feeling pressure from investors. And if you’re thinking more broadly about how finance teams should evolve, we’re hosting a live webinar tomorrow, February 24th at 12pm ET on how finance leaders should actually implement AI: https://lnkd.in/eUAFY86A Thanks to Propeller Industries for sponsoring this series! #FounderAdvice #StartupFinance #Leadership #EarlyStageStartups #VC #ScalingCompanies #PropellerIndustries #FinanceLeaders #AI

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Outpatient models, whole-person care, AI adoption, and regulatory pressure are reshaping healthcare delivery and strategy. In this recap of the Nashville Healthcare Sessions conference, my colleague, Kevin Kuzmick, explores the implications of these trends: https://lnkd.in/etSCSzKf

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