Solutions That Inspire Change
Have a project in mind? We take a comprehensive approach to marketing, strategic and financial planning.
Explore these 15 select solutions to achieve your business goals and objectives.
What Type of Business Plan Do You Need?
Whether you need a plan to raise capital or you want one as a strategic tool, Next Level Consulting efficiently guides you through the process of crafting a plan to fit your needs.
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There are many things for you to consider when developing a business plan and financial projections. For example, you will need to factor the business plan purpose, audience, and your available resources to determine the level of effort and time commitment. Here are just a few of the things to think about.
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The answers to these questions will determine whether your plan will be a two- to three-page summary or a comprehensive document well over twenty pages. Next Level Consulting will help you answer these questions and produce what you need.
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What is the purpose for putting together a business plan and projections?It is to: Apply for a loan Obtain investor financing Gain executive and board approval Focus management team on strategic priorities Measure financial and operating performance Build value and position the company for sale
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Who will be reviewing the business plan and projections? What are their expectations?Lenders Private equity firms, wealthy investors, friends and family Board of Directors Prospective employees Potential buyers Landlords
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What internal resources do you have to complete the business plan and financial projections? Will you have to tap external resources to help you complete some parts of the plan?Elements include: Historical financials – income statement, balance sheet, cash flow, and tax returns Ability to build three-, five-, or ten-year financial projections Informational research on the industry, competitors, and trends Management experience and competence in marketing, finance, operations, and production
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What is the purpose for putting together a business plan and projections?It is to: Apply for a loan Obtain investor financing Gain executive and board approval Focus management team on strategic priorities Measure financial and operating performance Build value and position the company for sale
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Who will be reviewing the business plan and projections? What are their expectations?Lenders Private equity firms, wealthy investors, friends and family Board of Directors Prospective employees Potential buyers Landlords
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What internal resources do you have to complete the business plan and financial projections? Will you have to tap external resources to help you complete some parts of the plan?Elements include: Historical financials – income statement, balance sheet, cash flow, and tax returns Ability to build three-, five-, or ten-year financial projections Informational research on the industry, competitors, and trends Management experience and competence in marketing, finance, operations, and production
What’s in the Business Plan?
Elements of a business plan and financial projections are generally the same. The level of detail is different depending on its intended use and audience.
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Once you have evaluated your internal resources, contact us to work alongside your management team to fill any gaps and get the business plan and financial projections done in the required timeframe. Lists of the areas we can address in a business plan follows.
Jump Start Your Business Planning
Potential lenders and investors will need a good understanding of your business to make their decision.
To make sure the information you provide best describes your enterprise, prepare answers to these questions.
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If you need help drafting answers, we’re here to help.
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What is the purpose for putting together a business plan and projections?It is to: Apply for a loan Obtain investor financing Gain executive and board approval Focus management team on strategic priorities Measure financial and operating performance Build value and position the company for sale
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Who will be reviewing the business plan and projections? What are their expectations?Lenders Private equity firms, wealthy investors, friends and family Board of Directors Prospective employees Potential buyers Landlords
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What internal resources do you have to complete the business plan and financial projections? Will you have to tap external resources to help you complete some parts of the plan?Elements include: Historical financials – income statement, balance sheet, cash flow, and tax returns Ability to build three-, five-, or ten-year financial projections Informational research on the industry, competitors, and trends Management experience and competence in marketing, finance, operations, and production
Elevator Pitch. Executive Summary. Presentation Deck.
Now you have your detailed business plan. It’s time to raise capital. You’ll need a couple of documents based off the information in the business plan. Each one is a more concise summary of the key elements and value proposition outlined in the plan.
Most likely your initial contact will be the Elevator Pitch. Think of a short elevator ride where you have the just a few moments, maybe minutes, to get an investor to consider your project or a referral partner to pass your project idea on to someone that has the capital you need.
If they’re interested, you’ll probably be asked to send them an Executive Summary. This two-page document is a very concise overview of key information contained in the business plan.
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When they want to know more, you’ll be invited to make your in person pitch in front of one or more investment partners. For that you’ll need a PowerPoint (or equivalent) presentation deck. The essential elements of the presentation include one slide on each of the following:
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Introduction of the business
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Team Profiles highlighting how talent is aligned to business needs
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Product Description of key features, functions, and uses
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Market Analysis of trends and growth opportunities
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Business Model summarizing target customers, value proposition, delivery channels, go-to-market strategy, critical operations, strategic partnerships, major expenses, and revenue streams.
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Competitors and the business SWOT
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Financial Summary of historical and projected income, cash flow, and balance sheet, along with an estimated business valuation
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Conclusion and “The Ask”
We’re adept at extracting critical details from the business plan to craft an engaging Executive Summary and Presentation Deck. We’ll also help you practice telling your story.
Pitch It!
Stop
Attrition
With average customer turnover estimated at 30%, finding a way to attract, retain, and build customer relationships is key to financial success and provides a competitive advantage.
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Key Questions as recommended by Jeannie Bliss
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What is the purpose for putting together a business plan and projections?It is to: Apply for a loan Obtain investor financing Gain executive and board approval Focus management team on strategic priorities Measure financial and operating performance Build value and position the company for sale
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Who will be reviewing the business plan and projections? What are their expectations?Lenders Private equity firms, wealthy investors, friends and family Board of Directors Prospective employees Potential buyers Landlords
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What internal resources do you have to complete the business plan and financial projections? Will you have to tap external resources to help you complete some parts of the plan?Elements include: Historical financials – income statement, balance sheet, cash flow, and tax returns Ability to build three-, five-, or ten-year financial projections Informational research on the industry, competitors, and trends Management experience and competence in marketing, finance, operations, and production
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What is the purpose for putting together a business plan and projections?It is to: Apply for a loan Obtain investor financing Gain executive and board approval Focus management team on strategic priorities Measure financial and operating performance Build value and position the company for sale
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Who will be reviewing the business plan and projections? What are their expectations?Lenders Private equity firms, wealthy investors, friends and family Board of Directors Prospective employees Potential buyers Landlords
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What internal resources do you have to complete the business plan and financial projections? Will you have to tap external resources to help you complete some parts of the plan?Elements include: Historical financials – income statement, balance sheet, cash flow, and tax returns Ability to build three-, five-, or ten-year financial projections Informational research on the industry, competitors, and trends Management experience and competence in marketing, finance, operations, and production
Real Money
Extraordinary Customer Experiences = Real Money.
How are you outpacing the competition? Forrester Research correlation of its Customer Experience Index with stock market values found that over time delivering consistently good customer experiences generates higher multiples and greater enterprise value.
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By starting with the simple fixes and later tackling the big, complex customer issues represents the greatest untapped source of revenue increase and expense reduction. By removing pain points, you:
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Lower service costs by creating fewer problems
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Reduce customer defections and increase incremental purchases
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Grow sales by word-of-mouth and online referrals
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Real money builds enterprise value.
All the cost savings and revenue growth produced by focusing on the customer translates into greater profitability and better returns. Plus a positive buzz from customers gets investor interest to find out just what management is up to.
The Golden Rule
What’s the customer experience rating criteria?
Your customers are continuously evaluating all the interactions they have with your business.
In doing so they use these three measures to evaluate the customer experience.
Got It Done!
Customers want 24 x 7 x 365 omnichannel access to your products and services so they can start in one channel, continue to another, and finish where it is convenient.
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Successful
It Was Simple.
Each customer interaction should be empowering by providing intuitive
self-service tools and
clear concise information to make informed decisions.
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Easy
Made Me Smile
Hands down customers want consistent execution of the basics by engaged and excited employees that know what they are doing and take ownership of the customer experience.
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Happy
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What is the purpose for putting together a business plan and projections?It is to: Apply for a loan Obtain investor financing Gain executive and board approval Focus management team on strategic priorities Measure financial and operating performance Build value and position the company for sale
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Who will be reviewing the business plan and projections? What are their expectations?Lenders Private equity firms, wealthy investors, friends and family Board of Directors Prospective employees Potential buyers Landlords
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What internal resources do you have to complete the business plan and financial projections? Will you have to tap external resources to help you complete some parts of the plan?Elements include: Historical financials – income statement, balance sheet, cash flow, and tax returns Ability to build three-, five-, or ten-year financial projections Informational research on the industry, competitors, and trends Management experience and competence in marketing, finance, operations, and production
Welcome
Aboard!
What happens in the first 90 days of a customer experience with you often sets the tone for the relationship. So it is important to get off to a good start.
Simpler Processes. More Smiles.
There is not much difference in the products and services financial institutions offer. What distinguishes one from another is the customer experience.
Across industries, among various products and services, people’s lives are made simpler when firms excel in focusing on making it easy and enjoyable to do business with your company.
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What is the purpose for putting together a business plan and projections?It is to: Apply for a loan Obtain investor financing Gain executive and board approval Focus management team on strategic priorities Measure financial and operating performance Build value and position the company for sale
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Who will be reviewing the business plan and projections? What are their expectations?Lenders Private equity firms, wealthy investors, friends and family Board of Directors Prospective employees Potential buyers Landlords
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What internal resources do you have to complete the business plan and financial projections? Will you have to tap external resources to help you complete some parts of the plan?Elements include: Historical financials – income statement, balance sheet, cash flow, and tax returns Ability to build three-, five-, or ten-year financial projections Informational research on the industry, competitors, and trends Management experience and competence in marketing, finance, operations, and production
Meet Your Money Maker
Instead of selling
product and service benefits,
solve customer problems.
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What is the purpose for putting together a business plan and projections?It is to: Apply for a loan Obtain investor financing Gain executive and board approval Focus management team on strategic priorities Measure financial and operating performance Build value and position the company for sale
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Who will be reviewing the business plan and projections? What are their expectations?Lenders Private equity firms, wealthy investors, friends and family Board of Directors Prospective employees Potential buyers Landlords
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What internal resources do you have to complete the business plan and financial projections? Will you have to tap external resources to help you complete some parts of the plan?Elements include: Historical financials – income statement, balance sheet, cash flow, and tax returns Ability to build three-, five-, or ten-year financial projections Informational research on the industry, competitors, and trends Management experience and competence in marketing, finance, operations, and production
Customer Issue Resolution
Issues are going to come up. How you respond to them can make all the difference.
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What is the purpose for putting together a business plan and projections?It is to: Apply for a loan Obtain investor financing Gain executive and board approval Focus management team on strategic priorities Measure financial and operating performance Build value and position the company for sale
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Who will be reviewing the business plan and projections? What are their expectations?Lenders Private equity firms, wealthy investors, friends and family Board of Directors Prospective employees Potential buyers Landlords
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What internal resources do you have to complete the business plan and financial projections? Will you have to tap external resources to help you complete some parts of the plan?Elements include: Historical financials – income statement, balance sheet, cash flow, and tax returns Ability to build three-, five-, or ten-year financial projections Informational research on the industry, competitors, and trends Management experience and competence in marketing, finance, operations, and production
Help Desk Call Center Quality
Technology is great, but sometimes you just want to get an answer and move on. Don’t put customers on hold.
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What is the purpose for putting together a business plan and projections?It is to: Apply for a loan Obtain investor financing Gain executive and board approval Focus management team on strategic priorities Measure financial and operating performance Build value and position the company for sale
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Who will be reviewing the business plan and projections? What are their expectations?Lenders Private equity firms, wealthy investors, friends and family Board of Directors Prospective employees Potential buyers Landlords
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What internal resources do you have to complete the business plan and financial projections? Will you have to tap external resources to help you complete some parts of the plan?Elements include: Historical financials – income statement, balance sheet, cash flow, and tax returns Ability to build three-, five-, or ten-year financial projections Informational research on the industry, competitors, and trends Management experience and competence in marketing, finance, operations, and production
We Serve Colleagues Across the Organization
Great customer experiences are often the result of everyone being on the same page and working together to get things done.
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What is the purpose for putting together a business plan and projections?It is to: Apply for a loan Obtain investor financing Gain executive and board approval Focus management team on strategic priorities Measure financial and operating performance Build value and position the company for sale
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Who will be reviewing the business plan and projections? What are their expectations?Lenders Private equity firms, wealthy investors, friends and family Board of Directors Prospective employees Potential buyers Landlords
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What internal resources do you have to complete the business plan and financial projections? Will you have to tap external resources to help you complete some parts of the plan?Elements include: Historical financials – income statement, balance sheet, cash flow, and tax returns Ability to build three-, five-, or ten-year financial projections Informational research on the industry, competitors, and trends Management experience and competence in marketing, finance, operations, and production
Empowering employees takes considerable effort, but is worth getting right because employees are often the primary point of customer contact, employment costs are typically one of the largest business expenses, and experienced, productive employees are valuable assets.
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By selecting employees with the right temperament, providing them with the knowledge, skills and techniques to perform to their full potential, and performance goals and incentives you build employee excitement and desire to deliver extraordinary customer experience with each interaction.
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Let us help you find the right person for the job!
Fearsome Front Line
Calculated Risk
Compliance with regulatory requirements is a key priority for financial institutions. When you have over 2,500 branches across the country offering multiple products and services over several platforms through many channels, risk is complex.
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What is the purpose for putting together a business plan and projections?It is to: Apply for a loan Obtain investor financing Gain executive and board approval Focus management team on strategic priorities Measure financial and operating performance Build value and position the company for sale
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Who will be reviewing the business plan and projections? What are their expectations?Lenders Private equity firms, wealthy investors, friends and family Board of Directors Prospective employees Potential buyers Landlords
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What internal resources do you have to complete the business plan and financial projections? Will you have to tap external resources to help you complete some parts of the plan?Elements include: Historical financials – income statement, balance sheet, cash flow, and tax returns Ability to build three-, five-, or ten-year financial projections Informational research on the industry, competitors, and trends Management experience and competence in marketing, finance, operations, and production