Consulting

A Strategic Business Plan is much more than a calculated method for getting financing. If your plans and thoughts are still unrefined, you need to develop a strategic plan to define the direction of your organization. An effective plan will clarify your leadership goals and keep all key players conforming to a concise plan. It spells out specific tasks to be completed in order to move on.

Having a strategic business plan allows you to put these challenges into perspective. Your business strategy provides you with the valuable foresight you need to tackle new challenges in an organized way. You’ll also have a better view of how your company can be affected by future problems, making it easier to control your future.

Few things are more important to business owners than the value of their business. The valuation you get for your business can make or break a proposition.

Whether you’re negotiating a merger, considering new shareholders, attempting to resolve disputes associated with liability, shareholder equity, estate planning, or marital dissolution, objective valuation can make the difference between loss or gain, success or failure.

Business valuation is not an exact science. It’s based on judgment, experience, and relevant information. You need professionals who are well qualified, with significant experience in evaluating all types of organizations.

Our approach is to intimately know your business in order to understand what constitutes its value. We work closely with you to analyze your operations and historical financial data. Our in-depth knowledge of your business enables us to provide a well-reasoned, fully documented, and defensible valuation opinion.

If you think chief financial officers (CFO) and controllers are only for large corporations, consider the role these financial guides play in a business. Regardless of the size of the business, every business benefits from controller and CFO services. You can think of a controller as being responsible for technical accounting and keeping all your financials current and accurate. The CFO function is more operational. That’s the person who takes those hard numbers and helps you strategize for efficient, profitable growth. Here at WollackLewitz, we know that outsourcing these duties means gains for even the smallest business.

We understand how your finances interrelate with your business operations. From the basics of managing cash to understanding capital structures, we can guide you with an optimal strategy for your business’s future growth. Don’t miss out on taking your business to the next level because you aren’t ready for full-time financial oversight. Let us offer solutions that will help you overcome financial challenges, fine-tune your accounting and tax strategies, and speed growth.

Good cash management can improve a company’s liquidity, reduce costs, and increase profitability. WollackLewitz can help you maintain optimal cash flow levels by tracking sources and uses, forecasting, and budgeting accordingly. A budget is an essential component of your financial plan. Not only does it force you to monitor your spending, but it also enables you to focus on which items (such as loans and credit card debt) you can pay off or pay down so that you can accumulate funds for retirement, education, or buying a home.

To a business entity, cash flow is something that can make or break the business’s ability to survive. We can help you analyze your spending, re-balance your budget and/or debts for an optimal cash flow to support your business’ success. This balance plan would be revisited if and when there were any major changes in your business structure to ensure that you are operating at an optimal level. With our help and guidance, you will always be on top of your finances and ready for the future.

Each estate plan is different in its needs and goals. The administration of estates and trusts can be complicated, and knowing the available elections, distribution requirements, and filing deadlines are essential to proper administration.

At WollackLewitz, we help minimize the stress and administrative burdens of the executors and heirs. Our professionals will collaborate with your estate planning team of attorneys and financial planners to make sure the estate plan meets your goals, minimizes taxes, and maximizes benefits to your heirs. We review and evaluate estate planning documents, recommend options, and prepare any gift tax returns that may be needed as a result of estate planning transfers. Each plan should be periodically reviewed to determine if there is a need for modification due to changes in tax law, tax rates, and family circumstances. We can help you update your plan as needed.

Estate Tax Return Preparation

We also offer estate tax return preparation, for both federal and state, when required. Our tax professionals have years of experience in the preparation of fiduciary income tax returns, probate, and probate court accountings, and will consider planning opportunities that may save your estate significant tax.

We Work to Identify Opportunities and Risks

We work with clients to understand their goals and objectives for mergers and acquisitions. Then we put our audit and managerial skills and tax expertise to work to evaluate the opportunity and identify risks. Our job is to make sure the transaction runs as smoothly as possible without surprises, unknown risks, or regret.

Areas of consulting for mergers and acquisitions:

• Review and evaluation of assets of the acquired companies
• Consulting on business valuation and purchase price
• Advising on tax planning opportunities
• Working with attorneys, bankers, and other advisors
• Due diligence engagements
• Analysis of financing options
• Advising on proper accounting methods and adjustments
• Reviewing and advising on acquisition agreements
• Prepare pro forma financial projections for the combined entities
• Coordinating the complex nature of combining accounting and administrative support

We are unafraid to advise you when mergers and acquisitions don’t look like a good fit. Whatever you decide, we will support you through the process and assist with post-transactional issues. Our team can conduct due diligence services for both buyers and sellers.

As a QuickBooks ProAdvisor Program Member, WollackLewitz can help our clients get maximum mileage from their accounting software. Our knowledgeable staff will handle the initial set-up and creation of a customized industry and client-tailored chart of accounts. They will also facilitate the training of staff and owners on how to utilize the features in QuickBooks to meet your business’s needs.

We’re also available to answer questions and review your QuickBooks file throughout the year to be certain you stay on track, ensuring that you’re in a position to grow your business with full confidence in the accuracy of your financial information.

Developing and implementing a well-designed succession plan is essential to the survival of any business. As trusted advisors, we assist business owners in securing financial independence by structuring their business in a way that promotes long-term success and stability. We work with business owners to develop plans for transferring business ownership to the next generation or to new leadership.

If you decide to sell, we work with you to identify the financial strengths and weaknesses of your business and develop a plan to maximize its value in preparation for sale. If you decide to keep the business in the family, we work with you to prepare your successor to take over the business or identify one if you haven’t already done so.

Succession planning services include:

• Assist with the internal transfer
• Identify a potential buyer(s)
• Business valuations in preparation for sale
• Buy and sell agreements
• Estate and trust tax planning
• Gift tax planning
• Retirement planning and tax projections
• Business restructuring

It’s Never Too Early to Start Planning an Effective Business Exit Strategy

If you need assistance figuring out which exit strategy is best for you and your business, simply fill out the contact form below or give us a call right now.

Estate planning on your own can be complicated and costly. And the list is endless… state taxes, bureaucracy, probate courts, unfair appraisals, health care concerns, eligibility of heirs, life insurance, IRA’s, 401K’s, annuities, burial or cremation costs, and intent regarding death-postponing treatment to name a few. Not knowing your legal and financial rights often ends up costing you more in the end.

We can assist you by working closely with your estate attorney by providing the tax ramifications of various estate planning scenarios.