Is your business working for you?

Chia-Li Chien 2014-07-13

What would have been your ROI (Return of Investment) if you had invested in Apple stock on July 1, 2004? Well, according to Morningstar, if you bought Apple stock on that date, you paid $2.31 a share. On July 11, 2014, the same Apple stock was trading at $95.22 per share. A quick calculation reveals your ROI would have been 40 times greater than your initial purchase.

Let’s further assume that if on average, any ROI is seven percent, (using the Rule of 72), your investment should double in ten years. Wow, that means the ROI on Apple stock more than doubled in ten years! Looking back, do you wish you had invested in Apple on July 1, 2004? If so, would how long would you have held on to it? Would you still have it now? When would you need to sell your Apple stock to realize your ROI?

What if you started your business back on July 1, 2004 and used your own hard earned $100,000 as start-up capital? Once again, using the Rule of 72, with the average ROI of seven percent, your initial capital investment would have doubled and had a worth $200,000 by July 1, 2014. Would you cash out to realize your initial investment of $100,000? Or do you think your business (and hard work) is worth far more than that? And when would you realize your ROI? Most importantly—Is your business working for you?

Take a moment to think about your answer. Now let me guess your possible answers:

• Well, I am not in the business for money because I am so passionate about what I do.
• I am not really thinking about cashing out or retiring anytime soon.
• I’m putting out fires every day in my business. It’s so competitive out there; I don’t have time to think about this.
• My business is in expansion mode, we need capital…

You see, your business is like an investment. As a matter of fact, it’s an investable asset. You happen to be the one in charge, driving ROI year after year. But the idea of cashing out or selling simply hasn’t crossed your mind.

It’s a widely held misconception that you can realize your ROI in your business only by selling to a third party or through an IPO like Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, etc.

The fact is, you have more options than you can imagine. There are actually 27 different methods to realize your ROI if you properly plan and execute in a timely manner. Want to know more about those methods?

I have good news for you!

Value Growth Institute (VGI) is conducting Business Value Driver Study Version 2.0 (BVD Study 2.0). This study could potentially help you answer the question, “Is your business working for you?”

In 2010, VGI conducted BVD 1.0 and the result was published in my award-winning book, Work Toward Reward! Building Business Value Today for a Well-Deserved Future. Through BVD Study 2.0, we would like to find out how business owners move from financial literacy to financial acumen and ultimately to business acumen.

FINANCIAL LITERACY –> FINANCIAL ACUMEN –> BUSINESS ACUMEN

Know your numbers –> Understand the health of your business –> Make prudent and informed decision> Create a scalable platform to create business equity value

What’s in it for you?

Upon completion of the BVD Study 2.0 interview, you will receive two customized documents:

• Comprehensive personal financial plan. (see sample here)
• Uncertified business valuation report. (see sample here)

The total value of these customized documents is $6,000. It is yours at no charge if you qualify to participate. 


Who qualifies to participate?

• Your business is minimum six (6) years old.
• Your business has minimum $500,000 annual revenue.

What is your commitment as a participant?

Time
• Up to 4-hour of interview(s).
• Up to 2-hour final plan delivery meeting(s)

see Sample Interview Schedule

Information needed (for final deliverables)

• Personal (See sample data gathering template)
• Business (see sample document checklist) (Business questionnaire)

You are also required to donate $500 to Foundation for Financial Planning.

Foundation for Financial Planning is a grant-issuing 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization. Foundation for Financial Planning has issued more than $5.3 million in grants and supports pro bono financial planning advice across the nation.

Our goal is to raise $50,000 for Foundation for Financial Planning by August 31, 2015.

Confidentiality

All information will remain anonymous for the BVD Study 2.0. (see a sample contract)

What is not part of the BVD Study 2.0?

Upon the signed receipt of your customized documents, your participation is complete. Any advice or implementations are separate engagements.

Now, back to my previous question…

Is your business working for you?

Wouldn’t it be nice to know where your business is today financially? Perhaps by participating in the study, you might see the gap between where you are today and where you want to be tomorrow. We only have limited weekly appointments open for this business financial planning opportunity. Schedule an appointment today!