Maintaining perspective on the financial progress of your retail operation is more than tracking your bottom line performance. Survival and stability are a result of owners knowing when they are headed for trouble--in enough time to change course and steer clear.

Knowing what to look for, being able to adjust and then setting next action steps all depend on the ability of the owner to understand the basic financial structure of the business regarding:

• Liquidity:  How quickly can the owner get his hands on cash to take advantage of significant opportunities?
• Solvency:  What protection does the owner provide his trade creditors, floor plan lenders and all those that are at risk?
• Leverage:  What is the right balance between using other people's money and property versus your own?
• Flexibility:  How adaptable is the retail operation to swings in the market place? Does the owner know how to play the downsides?

Using the Financial Analysis Software, Bill Carr looks back at the last several years of operation by completing an in-depth review of the retailer's financial statements. This points to areas of weakness that can quickly be converted into opportunities for improvement.

Asset Management, Cash Management and Balance Sheet Management are all one-in-the-same. Knowing this part of the business is even more important than focusing on the bottom line. Owners who increase their skills in these areas can quickly become high performance, lean-men money machines.

Bill Carr will work on-site for one or two days to make sure owners understand these financial management strategies. The extent of the work necessary to be thorough and worthwhile depends on each individual situation.

A written financial analysis can be prepared upon request.