Virtuoso Team Consulting, Inc.

I recently did a corporate valuation for a client and in going through the financials for the last few years it occurred to me that his business was worth little on paper but was actually quite lucrative. In fact, after a long conversation about possible valuation methods and the effects of the current downturn, the owner asked me what I would do in his position. My brain had been juggling all sorts of possible plans of action for two days, so I was prepared to state my singular thought, “I wouldn’t sell.”

What?

I had to play it backwards and forwards, different amounts, and different tweaks, but no matter how much I reordered the data I kept coming up with the same answer. To sell now would be leaving far too much money on the table. The buyer had not yet had access to the numbers I was working with, but I feel certain he thought he would be getting a steal. Certainly there is no shortage of business owners who would rather be bought out than just close the doors and turn the keys over to the landlord or bank. Something is better than nothing.

This is the love/hate aspect of consulting. I love my job, the analysis, brain storming, twisting and turning to see the whole picture and implementing solutions. After that comes the much harder part, when I can only give a factual account of what the numbers mean, and postulate the options the client has. In business I am, in game show terms, a “lifeline”, the real equivalent of “phone a friend”, “ask the audience”, or a “street shout-out.” I can apply all of my experience and education to a problem, and then break it down to the salient details to ensure each little part is understood. Ultimately, at the end of the day, the client is the one who has to pull the trigger and give their “final answer.” I get paid either way, only my reputation is on the line, and I can’t see into the future any more than anyone else.

I do everything I can to make money for my clients, or to mitigate losses when necessary, but imagine for a moment that your friend or family member is on a game show and has just been asked a question that could mean the difference between struggling to make ends meet and never having to work again, when all of a sudden, your phone rings…

I have a dry-erase board, month-at-a-glance calendar, and gCal synced to my iPhone. Every task, be it personal or professional ends up on these. Why am I so obsessed with calendars?

It has been my experience, only things with deadlines looming get done. It forces me to see what is coming up, evaluate where I am in a project relative to its delivery date, and coordinate everything with the rest of my life. Here is my ten cents on getting things done, and done on time.

First, before anything goes on a calendar I ask myself if it will be worth my time. If the answer is no, then it will not make it past that point. If it is, in fact, worth my time, then I put it in the appropriate gCal (personal, family, business) and make any notations about it along the way. For example, let’s say I am meeting with an established client and they want me to figure out some solutions to Problem X, sometime between now and then I actually have to DO that. I schedule times to do the work in the interim, and then ensure I complete it a few days early so I may review it again before meeting with the client. All of this is transcribed on my dry-erase so I have to see it everyday, a not-so-subtle motivation.

What method do you use to ensure you get everything done that you need? Are there any productivity tools you find helpful?

©2008-2009 Virtuoso Team Consulting, Inc.   All Rights Reserved.