Defend the Fort: Staying Ahead of the Wolf

We do live in interesting times…maybe too interesting.  As we continue to do battle with the pandemic, inflation, supply chain disruption, and all things disruptive, don’t forget the activists lurking one 13D filing away. As CFOs refine their operating plans and budget for next year, it is a good reminder to think about employing a capital activism mindset. After all, it’s better to play offense and deploy an arsenal of assets than play defense in a social media rodeo. Having a pressure-tested operating model with analytics to support a robust action plan can make the difference. Many clients are working through an array of tools from zero-based budgeting to aggressive working capital management. The advancement in analytics and newer tools (yes.. there is more to life than Excel), has put the CFO team in the thick of top-line revenue generation and customer profitability discussions. Stay tuned.. this will be another wild ride going into Q1.