Advice for CEOs

To stay in business and have a chance to generate wealth for themselves, most entrepreneurs have to be good negotiators. They have the most to gain or lose in any deal, are calculated risk takers, have the vision of what their company stands for and also have an innate sense of how to be creative and structure a deal. But most importantly, they have high aspirations and the drive to expect more out of every transaction. Their egos and financial well-being demand they deal astutely and get as much as they can from each exchange. When the company is starting out, they’re the ones responsible for negotiating with vendors, customers and service providers alike. They pre-set a high bar for results—a key piece of the culture of the firm they are trying to build.

Part One of this article discussed how emerging and mid-market companies often need to raise growth capital, attract an M&A or private equity deal, or boost profitability and capital readiness for other reasons. Most management teams know their ability to generate cash flow will be scrutinized as an indicator of potential to generate future returns by investors, acquirers and banks alike.

When emerging mid-market companies need to raise growth capital, attract an M&A or private equity deal; their current cash flow will be closely scrutinized as an indicator of their potential to generate future returns. At this critical point in their evolution, many companies scramble to make improvements to their gross margin percentage. They see even small improvements in gross margin as a step toward impressing investors or acquirers as to their potential to build leverage and generate future profits.