Sageworks Blog

Jul05

5 Financial metrics every business owner should know Mary Ellen Biery [email] Research Specialist

Jul 05, 2012 14:47

Is your business successful? How do you know? If you’re like most business owners, your days are filled by efforts to make your company successful. Those tasks might be focused on making a great product, generating sales, or building customer relationships. And you might be great at those things. But how great are you at making money? And how well are you managing your resources?
While different people have various definitions of business success, there are five key financial metrics that can help you understand your business’ financial success and how you’re faring against competitors. [More]

Jul03

The health care ruling's upside for private companies Mary Ellen Biery [email] Research Specialist

Jul 03, 2012 10:41

Thursday's U.S. Supreme Court ruling is reviving impassioned discussions about whether President Obama's health care law will be positive or negative for businesses, especially smaller ones. And while those debates will continue for months or maybe years, one immediate, positive impact on owners of privately held businesses is that they know more about what to expect in the short term, said Brian Hamilton, co-founder and CEO of Sageworks Inc. [More]

Jul 02, 2012 11:05

A strong collateral position supported by a current appraisal and appraisal review was the only available remedy, without facing troubled debt restructuring considerations, impairment analysis, and large increases in specific reserves. [More]

Jun29

Private companies’ current business trends still positive - SageworksStats @ Forbes.com Mary Ellen Biery [email] Research Specialist

Jun 29, 2012 14:20

President Obama’s statement earlier this month that the private sector “is doing fine” prompted a wave of criticism, and there are certainly signs that economic confidence among consumers and businesses has weakened recently. But a new real-time measure of key financial metrics for privately held companies in the U.S. shows sales and profitability trends remain solid, even if hiring continues to disappoint. [More]

Jun 28, 2012 12:48

A round-up of quick reads on reactions to the Supreme Court’s health care ruling and what it means for businesses. Includes comments from the Journal of Accountancy, the National Federation of Independent Business, the Small Business Majority and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. [More]

Jun 26, 2012 10:04

A Sageworks roundup of recent banking industry news: Basel III impact; Regional lenders gain ground; Supervisory agencies coordinate; The decline of independent community banks. [More]

Jun 22, 2012 07:51

As the banking industry continues its recovery, industry experts are monitoring merger and acquisition activity to better understand what the banking landscape will look like in years to come. Will M&A continue and in what form? [More]

Jun21

Business booming for IT providers Mary Ellen Biery [email] Research Specialist

Jun 21, 2012 10:04

Facebook’s (NYSE:FB) troubled initial public offering, as well as cautious financial outlooks by tech giants Dell (NASDAQ:DELL) and Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO) in recent weeks have some traders of technology stocks worrying that the tech boom may be over. But at least for privately held companies involved in computer systems design and related services, business remains strong, according to recent sales and profit margin data from Sageworks Inc., a financial information company. [More]

Jun18

Companies' cash tied up in inventory, slow payers Mary Ellen Biery [email] Research Specialist

Jun 18, 2012 14:28

Later customer payments and slower moving inventory have combined to tie up private companies’ cash 16 percent longer than just three years ago, according to recent data from Sageworks Inc., a financial information company. That’s money companies don’t have in the bank to hire or buy new equipment, even though sales and profit margins this year are up. [More]

Jun 14, 2012 17:35

In business, as in most endeavors, passion is a key ingredient to success. Entrepreneurs who genuinely enjoy sales, operations, and customer service are much more likely to build profitable firms than individuals who are simply “going through the motions” of business in the name of making money. But even the most enthusiastic managers will enjoy much greater success if their passion is governed by sound financial discipline, which stems from an understanding of their financial statements. [More]