ROBBING PETER TO PAY PAUL 11/21/2011
 To this day I am astonished by the amount of debt that has been incurred by our society. You can pick your reasons: assets, growth, risk, social perception or personal enjoyment. The list is long. I do not profess to be an economist, but I do feel as though I have a fair amount of common sense and to me this certainly doesn’t make sense. Small business owners are a unique breed. They have an uncanny ability to recognize opportunities and risk everything they have to pursue it, expecting the rate of return to far exceed the investment. When it works, they look like a genius. When it doesn’t, they look like a compulsive gambler that hasn’t learned when to fold. Over the past month I had the opportunity to spend some time with over 50 small business owners, speaking to them about cash flow in their business. I asked them all the same question: “Who does NOT have cash flow issues in their business?” Much to my dismay only 3 said they did not. We then proceeded to have an hour long discussion on the characteristics exhibited by companies that manage cash well. In doing so I learned a very important lesson. Those in attendance already knew what I was telling them! Their actions were just not in alignment with their knowledge. Tim Hull CommentsThrough application of the techniques or knowledge that was discussed we have been able to increase cash flow or collections. We still have cash flow problems in that we want more! I think some of the cash flow we were thinking of when you asked the question was more to the likes of more jobs in the pipeline. That is the feeling I got with our group at least. Leave a Reply | 
Our Authors...
Chuck Violand has always had the objective of helping owners of restoration and cleaning companies improve their long-term business and personal success. The founder of Violand Management Associates, LLC Chuck brings firsthand knowledge and experience of the inner workings of a restoration and cleaning company from over 20 years of owning his own.
Scott Tackett is a facilitator, business trainer, and adjunct professor with a 32-year background in manufacturing. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in human resource management and a Master’s in organizational leadership. Scott founded VMA’s Management Development Program, which helps owners and managers meet the daily challenges of managing a business, while also addressing the challenges of individual managers.
Tim Hull has an expertise in operations. Formerly, he was branch manager and general manager at a disaster restoration company with over $6M in annual revenues. He then became national disaster-response manager at a leading $100M disaster restoration company. To those who face operational challenges in this industry, Tim brings firsthand insight, along with the systems and procedures to solve those challenges.
Tom Cline has a 28-year back-ground in sales, marketing, and operations. He is a consultant, trainer, and adjunct professor with Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in economics and mathematics. Tom brings experience in executive coaching, job costing, sales planning and sales force development to the VMA team.
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