The Mobile Boardroom

Overview

The journey for a new business is often complex and arduous and The Mobile Boardroom covers some of the bigger questions and challenges business owners and senior managers will face.

Starting up a business, running it successfully and making it grow is a challenge in any climate and for all businesses. This book tackles all the important elements that must be considered when buying, growing or selling a company. Expert insights and top tips on all aspects of the business cycle will take you through everything you need to know to succeed.

The essential main commercial areas covered include: strategy, finance, accounting systems, strategic IT management, sales, marketing, production and business growth – as well as general management, non-executive directorship and chairman roles, this guide is a must-read to be successful.

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Contents

Chapter 1: Better business planning

• Brainstorming
• Analyse the numbers
• What do investors look for?
• Define your business concept
• Clarify the market opportunity
• Developing a strategy
• The management team
• Risk
• Resources
• Customer satisfaction

Chapter 2: Raising capital

• What is venture capital
• Be clear why funding is required
• Which VC to approach and how
• The business plan
• Be prepared to face emotive issues
• Prepare by 'grooming'
• The investment process

Chapter 3: Financial management

• Information gathering and presenting
• The management information proces
• Presenting MI information
• Key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Budgeting
• Managing costs
• Types of external funding and costs
• Risk
• Effective cash flow management

Chapter 4: Sales and marketing

• Recruitment and process
• Measurement
• Motivation and reward.
• Training and mentoring
• Marketing
• Profit, revenue and margins
• Qualification
• Customer retention
• Context-driven sales
• Monitoring

Chapter 5: Information technology

• Business service requirements
• Keep it simple, robust and reliable
• Standardise on IT equipment and configuration
• Managing IT costs and a budget
• Test data backup and disaster recovery processes
• Create a documentation library
• Build good supplier relationships
• Supplement your internal IT support capacity
• Think carefully about 'The Cloud'
• Take information security seriously

Chapter 6: Management of people

• Your leadership style
• Clarify roles and supply resources
• Communication
• Your management style
• Manage information well
• Look at rewards
• Training and development
• Remove barriers to success
• Recruit well
• Build a team

• Introduction
• Operational planning
• People respond to their environment
• Documentation for strong foundations
• Quality assurance not quality control
• Don't be too impatient with new ideas
• Good communication
• Help your suppliers to help you
• Pareto – Make it work for you!
• Speed up throughput times
• Resolving any underlying issues

Chapter 8: Mergers and acquisitions

• Get your strategy right
• Research potential targets
• First approach
• Due Diligence
• Negotiation and closing the deal
• Post-acquisition management
• Run your company
• Control the deal
• Make sure you can afford it
• Advisers

• The MBO journey
• The benefits of the MBO
• Identifying the opportunity
• Reviewing the framework
• Get a team together
• Structuring the MBO
• Financing the MBO
• The exit of the institutional investor/sale of the company
• Proceeding with an MBO

Chapter 10: Post-acquisition management

• Set clear integration objectives
• Appoint an integration team
• Document the post-acquisition plan
• Communicate the plan
• Keep employees informed
• Implementing key financial controls
• Maintaining the customer base
• dentify supplier savings
• Focus on essential administration and IT
• Understand the commercial risks.

• Get your strategy right
• Timing and tax planning are vital
• Valuing the company
• Grooming the company for sale
• Consider the alternative exit options
• Prepare a decent sales memorandum
• Identifying interested parties
• Keep your focus until the transaction is complete
• Control the deal and negotiate sensibly
• Seek a clean break