When a multi-location provider of end-of-life care with $38 million in revenues needed $13 million in financing for a dividend, it did not find the funds at a bank. Rather, it used a Business Development Company (BDC).
Remaining competitive means you are likely relying on your CFO more and more to help set the vision for your organization. Today, if a business is standing still, it’s falling behind. With that in mind, here are seven things you should be looking to your CFO to perform to keep business moving forward.
The future of bitcoins is very much up in the air.
Traditional financing is tested, tried and true—a financial lifesaver for many companies. But, traditional financing can often be slow to materialize and onerous to obtain—not the best recipe for a business sensing a need to pounce on an opportunity now.
Crowdfunding and other alternative paths to capital are drawing in the crowds.
More CEOs and business owners are expressing confidence in U.S. economic growth these days, including decisions to boost capital spending and to lay out more cash to back up their new attitude. But their tea leaves remain muddied because of regular reminders that the American economy is still a long way from the robustness it enjoyed prior to the financial crash of 2008 and its subsequent Great Recession.
At the end of last year, the Volker Rule was written into law by the five U.S. regulators who will oversee its implementation. Regulators, policymakers and political leaders have declared both Obamacare and Dodd-Frank finally finished…except they forgot to say that now comes the hard part….implementation. The push to make the country’s banks safer creates new uncertainties for business. A regulation that aims to reduce risks in the financial system is likely to have the opposite effect.
Venture capitalists (VCs) and CEOs of venture-backed companies are showing a mix of greater optimism, confidence and measured concern for the venture ecosystem in 2014 according to the results from this year’s Venture View predictions survey. The survey was conducted by the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) and Dow Jones VentureSource. Respondents predict next year will bring improvements across several fronts, including greater IPO (initial public offering) volume for venture-backed companies, greater employment at startups and improved returns to limited fronts.
As more and more CEO have left their jobs in spectacular flame-outs—Ron Johnson’s short tenure at JCPenney comes to mind—there is a countertrend of companies luring top executives with multimillion-dollar “golden hello” signing bonuses. Bloomberg’s Jeff Green reports that the number of companies making upfront payments to get people to sign up has jumped to more than 70 in 2013 from 41 in 2012, according to governance advisory firm GMI Ratings.
David Yanofsky of QZ.com identifies nine S&P 500 companies with more cash in hand and short term securities than the cash-strapped U.S. government. GE alone has three times as much as the Treasury has available now. Jack Lew take note.
Chief Executive Group exists to improve the performance of U.S. CEOs, senior executives and public-company directors, helping you grow your companies, build your communities and strengthen society. Learn more at chiefexecutivegroup.com.
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1:00 - 5:00 pm
Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process
Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:
Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns. They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning. Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process. This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented. If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form. The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.
2:00 - 5:00 pm
Female leaders face the same issues all leaders do, but they often face additional challenges too. In this peer session, we will facilitate a discussion of best practices and how to overcome common barriers to help women leaders be more effective within and outside their organizations.
Limited space available.
10:30 - 5:00 pm
General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
Sponsored by UBS
General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.
The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.
