Blog entries

When an Advisor Can't Sleep

Marty Koenig — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 01:44:52 +0100

It seems the so-called gurus with the "7 Steps to XYZ" are mostly self-indulgent and focused on the money they'll personally make, rather than the money their customers will make. They’ve got video testimonials, compelling squeeze pages, and annoying, over-exposed email campaigns. Unfortunately, the highest paid “experts” ...

A Visual Look at Funding — Comparing Equity vs Debt Financing

Marty Koenig — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 17:05:30 +0100

In this graphic, Lendio has taken a deep look at each source of capital, have uncovered how much money is going where, and identified common considerations, compromises and benefits of each. In the end, this gives a good visual look at the state of business financing in today’s economy.

8 Tricks to Beat Your Competition

Marty Koenig — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 21:02:32 +0100

A business owner can spend a lot of money and time with consultants trying to figure out what the competition is up to. But you don't have to. Last week, I sat down with a business owner and one of the first questions I asked was "What do your competitors do to win against you?" The response? I got a blank stare.

That's a fairly typical resp...

Music for the Entrepreneur's Ears

Marty Koenig — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 17:13:22 +0100

This morning, I was out in our little paradise room with my coffee - a tropical screen room with a bar, kitchenette, seating for a dozen and a stereo.

My ears perked up as I listened intently the song Hearts on Fire by "Scars on 45". My epiphany: This is a great song for an entrepreneur or business owner. This part is the part that got me:

Cause when you're standing on your own

And you feel you've got nobody round you

Yeah you know I'll be t...

A CFO Grapples with the Challenges of Technology at Small Businesses

Marty Koenig — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 14:09:37 +0100

The IT function continues the challenge of becoming a strategic player in small companies. I've been an advocate of small companies using technology for their strategic advantage. However, most small biz owners aren't all that tech savvy, and if they are, they don't hold IT in high regard. Times have c...

Dashboard-Cashboard

Marty Koenig — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 07:00:00 +0100

By Keith McAslan, Partner, CxO To Go

Introduction:
Most CEO’s and small/medium business owners only review the financial position of the business with their Bookkeeper/Controller two to three weeks after the month has ended. This is like driving your car forward while looking exclusively in the rear view mirror – it doesn’t work. Most CEO’s and business owners focus on the “bottom line” (net income, EBIT or ...

Top 7 - CFO's State of the Recovery

Marty Koenig — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 17:19:32 +0100

CxO To Go continues to keep on top of the current recovery. We believe, as others do, that the recovery is on its way. Even with a jobless recovery, many signs are pointing to additional growth which eventually means hiring. Take a look at the charts and articles to get an idea of what we are looking at, so you can be well informed, too.

Half of Global CEOs Confident in Revenue Growth

Top 14 Benefits of the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010

Marty Koenig — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 22:17:19 +0100

By Marty Koenig, CEO of CxO To Go

The new small business lending bill “Small Business Jobs Act of 2010” got passed today by the Senate (61-38). That shows the federal government got the message: Most job growth is caused by small businesses. The small-business bill provides $12 billion in tax incentives and p...

Proposed Lease Accounting Changes Could Impact Commercial Real Estate

Marty Koenig — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 07:00:00 +0100

By Keith McAslan, Partner, CxO To Go

Introduction:

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) on August, 17, 2010 released their “exposure draft” requiring companies to record nearly all leases on their balance sheets as a “right to use” asset, and a corresponding “future lease payment - liability”. What does this mean to your business in layman terms? This proposal in essence does away with o...

The Dean

Marty Koenig — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 01:07:11 +0100

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Marty Koenig of CxO To Go Appointed “Dean of the University of Entrepreneur”

DENVER, Colorado (August 6, 2010) – CxO To Go’s Founder and CEO Marty Koenig was appointed the “Dean of the University of Entrepreneur.” When Linda Hughes, Chancellor of the U or E, and Kevin Johansen, Chairman of Angel Capital Summit, asked Mr. Koenig to accept, he was thrilled with the opportunity to work with them to help more entrepreneurs...

CxO To Go Secures Financing for Two Clients

Marty Koenig — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:47:56 +0100

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CxO To Go Secures Financing for Two Clients

DENVER, Colorado (July 13, 2010) – CxO To Go partner Keith McAslan (Denver Business Journal 2010 CFO of the Year Nominee) has secured favorable financing for two CxO To Go clients in this difficult lending environment. Using the BankSell™ package, preferred lending sources and personally representing the Client’s with the lenders, CxO To Go was able to secure the financing.

These su...

CSIA Champion of the Year Nomination

Marty Koenig — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 17:22:42 +0100

George Tyler Nominated as CSIA Champion of the Year

DENVER, Colorado (July 1, 2010) CxO To Go partner, George Tyler, has been nominated as CSIA’s Champion of the Year. CSIA (www.coloradotechnology.org) is Colorado’s Technology Association, serving the software, hardware and IT services industry. Nominee volunteers of this award will be judged on their breadth of involvement in CSIA, impact of their contribution, influence among other volunteers, and their willingness an...

Sales Success Requires a Tracking Process

Marty Koenig — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 18:23:08 +0100

"Tracking your follow up determines your success"

By George Tyler, Partner, CxO To Go

The world's oldest profession is selling. Before anyone can purchase or use any service or product, they must be sold. Everyone in your company should be selling, as they are an ambassador for the company, no matter where they are. This is very evident in today's social media world, where employees need to heed what they post on a public...

McAslan Nominated CFO of the Year

Marty Koenig — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 07:00:00 +0100

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Merger and Acquisitions Series: Non Binding Letter of Intent

Marty Koenig — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 07:00:00 +0100

Keith McAslan, Partner, CxO To Go

Introduction:

One of the first steps in the merger and acquisition process after executing a confidentiality agreement or non-disclosure agreement is the non binding letter of intent. A letter of intent, commonly referred to as the LOI, is a document that is given to express the interest to take the next steps in a transaction, such as to purchase or merge a business.   An LOI is a nonbinding agreement that not on...

How Important (and Effective) is Your Company's Elevator Pitch?

Marty Koenig — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 07:00:00 +0100

Harriet L. Donnelly, President, e5 Marketing

How many people in your organization can describe what your company does in a few sentences? How many different descriptions do you hear and how many of them are correct? Typically, you can pick a sentence off of one and mesh it with another that you wordsmith with the third and it may still not be right. But, this may not be how you ultimately want people to think about you and your company...

Your first i...

Sales Force Optimization “Sales Team Compensation”

Marty Koenig — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 07:00:00 +0100

By Mark Francischetti, Partner, CxO To Go

Many small business owners after reading the title of this article will assume this will be a short diatribe. After all (as noted in an earlier article), everyone knows that all you have to do to attract a great sales force is simply dangle a large bucket of money in their faces. Right? WRONG! In that earlier article we covered how to attract and retain a high performing sales team. Also, we touched on the importance of str...

Key Elements of an Effective Business Plan

Marty Koenig — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 07:00:00 +0100

By Keith McAslan and Marty Koenig, Partners, at CxO To Go™ Introduction - Crafting a Business Plan Your company’s business plan can be one of your most important business documents – IF it is well written and usable. A plan that is unrealistic, too simplistic or a monstrosity parked in a binder is useless. Business plans written by CxO To Go are crafted with the end use in mind and we have two packages the PowerPlan™ for improvement to your current business plan and the PowerPlan2™ which ...

Sales Force Optimization

Marty Koenig — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 08:00:00 +0100

Attracting & Retaining an Effective Sales Force
Mark Francischetti, Partner, CxO To Go

In my last article, we looked at the all too common disconnect between sales team behavior and the expectations of corporate leadership. This time, we'll look at how to attract a quality sales team in the first place and equally important - motivating and retaining them.

The knee-jerk answer regarding how to attract sales talent is "offer them a bucketful of money". While ...

32 Ways To Use Facebook for Business

Marty Koenig — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:00:00 +0100

Facebook’s not just for keeping tabs on friends and ﬁlling out quizzes — it can also be used as a highly effective business tool. It’s great for marketing your products, landing gigs and connecting with your customers.

Here are 32 ways to use Facebook in your business.

1. Manage Your Proﬁle