The following questions highlight areas that business owners should have the necessary knowledge and skills to run an efficient operation. Answer the questions truthfully so you can see the areas that you need to learn more about. Do you know how to :
 

 1.  Manage your cash and control it properly    Yes ____ No ____

 2. Develop and understand financial information to make informed decisions, such as?

     Cash Position Report     Yes ____ No ____
     Cash Flow Report         Yes ____ No ____
     Balance Sheet               Yes ____ No ____
     Income Statement         Yes ____ No ____

 3.  Thoroughly understand how to read and use financial statements. Yes ____ No ____
 4.  Do Sales and Expense budgeting    Yes ____ No ____
 5.  Do reporting as to the variance between budget and actual expenses. Yes ____ No ____
 6.  Sales projections Yes ____ No ____
 7.  Know how to calculate breakeven and how to use it for pricing, purchasing and management
        of a company?  Yes ____ No ____

 8. Know how to calculate important financial ratios? Yes ____ No ____

 9. Know how to price your products or services based on  your budget or  Yes ____ No ____
     projected profits?

10. Pricing your products or services based on an overhead coverage factor?   Yes ____ No ____

11. Do you know when it all right to lower the prices on your products or         Yes ____ No ____
      services  and still cover all your costs?

12. Do you have a incentive plan of some sort for the employees?

     Yes _____ Explain type and how often:_____________________________________

     ___________________________________________________________________

     No _______

13. Do you know how to purchase effectively and keep purchases under control?

        Yes _____ No _______

14. Are you keeping your inventory under control ? Yes _____ No _____ N/A ______

      14a. Do you know what is your lowest level needed for each inventory item?

          Yes _____ No _______ N/A _______

      14b. Do you know what is the amount of inventory you need to keep on the shelf at all
                times?    Yes _____ No _______ N/A __________

15. Are you projecting capital expenditure needs in the near and  far future? Yes ___ No ____

16. Do you know how you are going to pay for the capital expenditure and be
        able to afford it?          Yes _____ No _______

17. Do you know how to calculate when to get rid of a piece of equipment
        instead of  keep repairing it?   Yes _____  No _______

18.  Do you have all the capital you need in which to expand?  Yes ___ No ___ Don't Know ___

19. Are you doing all of your payroll processing in-house?          Yes _____ No _______

20. Is all of your deposits into your business account gaining you some interest?    Yes ___ No ___

21. Do you have a savings account of some sort and are you saving any money?  Yes ___ No ___

22. Do you do any kind of credit checks on new customers?          Yes _____ No _______

23. Is your outstanding accounts receivables at a reasonable level?    Yes _____ No _______

24. Do you have qualified individual preparing your taxes annually?  Yes _____ No _______

25.  Does this person work with you on a regular basis to plan your business
        for tax purposes? Yes _____ No _______
 

26. Is your organization properly set up to make it the most efficient it can be?

     Yes _____ No _______ Don't Know ________

27. Are you working directly with the employees in resolving problems?    Yes _____ No _______

28. Or are you giving them directives in resolving these problems?       Yes _____ No _______

29. Do you work with your key employees on a regular basis to plan for the business?

     Yes _____ How often do you hold these meetings ___________________No _______

30. Are all of your employees properly trained for their positions?

      Yes _____ No _______ Who is not: _____________________________________

     _____________________________________________________________________

31. Does each of the employees know their assigned tasks and duties?

         Yes _____ No _______ Who is not: ________________________

      31a. Does each position in the company have an ADA qualified Job Description?

             Yes _____ No _______

32. Do you give each employee a formal evaluation on a regular basis?

     Yes ________ How often: ____________________  No _________

33. Do you give authority, and responsibility, to key individuals in the company?

     Who: ________________ What: _________________________________

     Who: ________________ What: _________________________________

     Who: ________________ What: _________________________________

     Who: ________________ What: _________________________________

34. Do you have an ADA qualified Personnel Policy Manual? (For company's with 10 or more

        people) Yes _____ No _______

35. Is all of your managers, and yourself, properly trained in managing and motivating employees?
 
      Yes _____ No _______

36. Do you do any type of assessments on any new or potential employees to ensure that they are

        going to be an excellent employee for you?  Yes _____ No _______

37. Is your department managers the absolute best person for the position?

         Yes _____ No _______ Don't Know _____
 

38. Do you have sales person(s) that does your sales generation for you? Yes __ How Many ___

 No ____ How do you generate new sales ________

39. Do you have regular meetings with your sales people?

     Yes ________ How often: ____________________  No _________ N/A ______

40. Do you have a Sales and Marketing Plan in place?   Yes _______  No ________

41. Do you update it on a regular basis?

     Yes __________ How often: ___________________ No ___________

42. Do you review your product and/or service mix on a regular basis?

     Yes __________ How often: ___________________ No ___________

43. Do you make changes on your product mix based on the projected market trends?

     Yes _______ No _________

44. Do you review customers on a regular basis to determine customer mix?

     Yes __________ How often: ___________________ No ___________

45. Do you review periodicals to watch the market trends?

     Yes _____ What periodicals: _________________________________   No ______

46. Do you regularly get SALES REPORTS from the Sales Peopl ?

     Yes _____ No _______ N/A ______

47. Do you know how to market your products properly in all of the industries or markets that
      you are in, or would like to be in?

     Yes _____ No _______

48. Are you aware of the competition's products and how they market them?

     Yes _____ No _______

49. Do you do in-depth market analysis for your new products?   Yes _____ No _______

50. Are you promoting your products to their fullest potential?    Yes _____ No _______

51. Do you know when to scrap a product and not sell it anymore? Yes ___ No ____ N/A ___

52. Do you make sales quotas and make the salesman "Live by them"?

        Yes _____ No _______ N/A ____

53. Is all of your sales and marketing materials top quality?  Yes ____ No ____

54. Is your sales and marketing materials designed to give you the best image possible?

     Yes  ____ No ____ Don't Know ________
 

55. Do you have a written strategic plan in plan as to where you want to take your business in the

      future?  Yes ____ No ____

56. Do you know all of your business strengths and weaknesses? No ____   Yes ____

     56a. Are you doing anything about them? Yes ____ No ____

57.  Do you have a succession plan in place for each and ever position in the business?

        Yes _______ No ________

58. Are the successors properly trained?      Yes _______ No ________

59. Do you work with your key individual or managers in making specific plans for the future?

     Yes _____ No _______

     If yes, what type ? ______________________________________________________

     _______________________________________________________________________

60. Do you review these plans on a regular basis, and make changes as necessary?

        Yes _____ No _______

61. Do you spend adequate time every day planning for your days/weeks activities?  Yes __ No__
 

62. Is your company set up in a proper format in which to protect you the most?

     Yes ____ No ____ Don't Know _______

63. Is all of your assets well protected? Yes ____ No _____ Don't Know ____

64. Do you have adequate Workman's Comp Insurance? Yes ____ No ____ Don't Know _____

65. Are you adequately prepared to defend any lawsuits that may be brought against your

    company?  Yes ____ No ____ Don't Know _______

66. Is your company adequately insured in case of major sickness or death of a key person?

     Yes ____ No ____ Don't Know _______
 

67. Are there "standards" set for the manufacturing operations? Yes ____ How many? ______

 How old ? ____ No ____

68. Are an operations work times set or estimated by an owner, manager, or take-off person?

__________________________________________________________________________

69. What percent of operations use "standards"? ___________________ %

70. Is there a piecework incentive syste ? If so, how and who updates it and how ofte ?

      Yes _________ _____________________________________________ No __________

71. Are any of the work standards obtained from a "blue book" (based on industry standards?)

     Yes ____ No ____ Don't Know _______

72. Is there a production reporting system that accounts for all paid hours on a daily basis?

     Yes ____ by person _________ by operation ______ by department ______ No ____

73. Are the standards any good?  Yes ____ No ____ Don't Know _______

74.  Do you ask the workers if the standards are any good? Yes ___ No ___ Don't Know -___

75. Is the person who is responsible for production reporting or production efficiency able to easily

    explain the system?  Yes ____ No ____ Don't Know _______

76. Is these a union involved in manufacturing? Yes ____ No ____

77. Is the method of setting standards uniform throughout the organization? Yes ____ No ____

78. How often are the standards updated or verified to keep current with methods changes?

     Yes ____ No ____ Don't Know _______

79. In manufacturing there are always a set of standards !  They can vary form hazy day work standards (rules of thumbs) to highly accurate engineered standards. The problem is to locate them. Where are  they?

___________________________________________________________________________

80. Management may have one set of standards and the workforce another set. Which set predominates and under what circumstances?

_____________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

81. Is your raw materials and finished products inventory at the level it should be for this time of the

    year?  Yes ____ No ____ Don't Know _______

82. Are you keeping your inventory (raw materials and finished products) at the proper level with the

changes of your projected sales levels? Yes ____ No ____ Don't Know _______
 

83. Do you have adequate equipment and software necessary to successfully run the office now?

 Yes ____ Don't Know _______ No _____ Explain: _________________________________

 _________________________________________________________________________

     83a. Within the next 5 years? Yes ____ Don't Know ____ No (Explain) _____________

    ________________________________________________________________________

84. Are all of your office staff thoroughly trained in the usage of all the tasks necessary to run the office, including the equipment and software? Yes ____ Don't Know ______ No _____ (Explain)

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

85. Is the office set up to be the most efficient it can be? Yes ____ Don't Know ____ No ____ Explain:

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

86. Do you have enough space (including office, warehouse, factory, etc.) To adequately run your business now?

     Yes  ____ Don't Know ______ No _____ (Explain) _____________________________

    _________________________________________________________________________

    _________________________________________________________________________

     86a. Within the next 5 years?  ____ Don't Know ______ No _____ (Explain) ________

    _________________________________________________________________________
 

87. Are you managing your "work time" effectively? Yes ____ No ______

88. Do you have a "quite area" in your house that you can concentrate and do your work

        effectively?  Yes  ____  No _____

89. Do you study your market or industry by doing daily reading?   Yes ____  No _____

90. Are you utilizing the services of experts in areas of your business that you do not have the

    necessary skills?   Yes ____  No _____

91. Do you have the necessary "Office Equipment" to run your business effectively?

    Yes ____  No _____
 

92. Now that you have finished this test, are you happy with the results?

Yes ______ No _____ If the answer is NO then contact Stephen Anderson for more information on how we can help you. We will provide you with a FREE consultation to discuss the results of this test and how we can assist you at a VERY REASONABLE INVESTMENT !! Even financing is available!

Stephen Anderson, "The Profit Doctor" can help you to overcome any of the weaknesses you just discovered in your self or your business. Call us NOW to find out how we can help you overcome these weaknesses 1-314-936-1099. We have very low cost alternatives to learning what you don't have the skills for now.
 

Based on the answers that you indicated above, prioritize the following as to the most important (1) to the least important (25) that you feel that we can train you and your personnel in managing your business better. (If an issue does not apply to your business then put N/A)

 FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
____ Getting the proper Financial information
____ Cash Management
____ Expenditures Control
____ Understanding Financial Statements and information
____ Ensuring a profit at any sales level
____ Complete financial management (including tax planning)
____ Have the necessary insurance in place to adequately cover the employees and the company

 PERSONNEL ISSUES
____ Employees are more productive
____ Employees are more responsible for making the company's profits
____ That you have highly qualified personnel
____ Your employees are highly motivate to do a good job on their own
____ The employees are happy in their work and working for this company
____ Have the key employees been properly trained

 SALES & MARKETING
____ You want your sales people to be selling more products and services
____ You want to be selling better than your competition
____ You want your products or services to be the best in the marketplace
____ You want all of your salesman to know how to negotiate bids effectively
____ Develop a complete marketing plan for the business
____ Sales & Marketing materials needed to be enhanced or developed properly

 COMPANY PLANNING
____ Thoroughly understand the strengths and weaknesses of my business
____ Develop a business plan for financing purposes
____ Develop a Strategic Plan for the development of the company

 MANUFACTURING
____ Establish standards for the production facilities
____ Improve upon the efficiency of the production facilities
____ Improve upon the cost of producing a product

Business Name: ______________________________________________________________

Address: ___________________________________________________________________

City, State, ZIP: _____________________________________________________________

Contact Person: _____________________________________________________________

Phone Number: ________________________ Fax Number: __________________________