I’ll admit it… I cry like a school girl when Ty yells “Move that bus!” It gets me every time when I watch the pure joy experienced by a family seeing their re-made home for the first time. The transformation is always shocking, and far more complete than the deserving family could ever imagine.
There are times in business when we need a makeover as well. As I work with businesses of all sizes, I often see the results of many years of organizational neglect. Yes, organizational practices often become the dust-covered treadmills of our business lives.
Successful companies are not exempt. In fact, sometimes the most successful companies are the ones with the most work to be done. When business is booming it’s usually all hands on deck to meet customer demand. When business is lagging, we tend to get focused on survival and business development. Meanwhile, in good times and bad we neglect to cultivate our organizational health, putting our very existence at risk.
WOLF helps companies of all sizes with “organizational makeovers.” There are a number of fundamental focus areas that we address to ensure that an organization is 1) protected from HR risk and compliance issues, 2) well documented, and 3) equipped to perform to its potential.
While it is always good to have an intentional focus on organizational health as an ongoing business lifestyle, we especially encourage a closer look prior to major events such as business transition, private equity funding, M&A, or seeking a commercial loan. Through extensive interaction with buy/sell experts including attorneys, advisors, accountants, bankers and brokers, we see the importance of creating “business curb appeal” leading to enhanced success in all liquidity events. A focus on the internal exellence of your business will impress buyers or investors (and their advisors) as they begin to assess risk and opportunity during exploratory discussions and due diligence. In fact, a well documented business can help help a buyer receive the funding necessary to make the deal happen.
Whether you are planning to sell your business some day or just want to position it for long-term growth and sustained success, a focus on these oft forgotten details will pay dividends. Your business may not need an extreme makeover, but it could likely benefit from a good inspection, some basic infrastructure repairs, and nice coat of paint.
Jeffrey J. De Wolf is the founder and managing principal of Overland Park based WOLF HR Solutions℠ (www.crywolfnow.com). He has a passion for practical, business oriented organization effectiveness solutions. He can be reached at
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or 913-219-5353.