Shaw & Sullivan, P.C.
Business Growth Roundtable
Shaw & Sullivan, P.C. Hosts the "Business Growth Roundtable", a discussion group of some
of the top merger and acquisition people in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. What makes
this different from organizations such as The Association For Corporate Growth is that most of
the members of the roundtable are investors and shareholders of companies looking to make
additional acquisitions as opposed to service providers looking for clients. In addition to
investors the are turnaround specialists, capital formation people, owners of emerging high
growth companies, and a SEC attorney, just to name a few. Entrance into the BGRT is by
invitation.
Estate Planning Seminars
Shaw & Sullivan, P.C. hosts a series of Estate Planning Seminars for business owners. The
seminars focus on saving taxes and in many situations saving the business from being sold to pay
the estate taxes. The firm also provides services in the succession planning area to help business
owners successfully transfer the business to family members or sell the business to a new
generation. If you would like an invitation to the next seminar please call
.
Second Generation Club
Shaw & Sullivan, P.C. hosts the Second Generation Club. The Second Generation Club is a
group that meets where the business has been transferred or sold to a second generation of
business owners. The club provides a forum for discussion of similar problems and experiences
that other people going through themselves. If you would like to attend a Second Generation
Club meeting please call the firm for an invitation.
Advisory Board Services
Most small business owners generally have very few people they can talk to, other than with just casual conversation, about their business and how things are going. Large corporations have formal boards of directors, most of whom come from outside the company, that direct the affairs of the company, bring new ideas and new ways of doing things and in most cases, bring a great deal of wisdom into an organization. Small companies need something similar but few want to spend the money nor can their small business support the cost of a formal board of directors. Some small companies have turned to a concept called an "advisory board". An "advisory board" is essentially a board of directors with no authoritative power. It is just what the name implies: "advisory" in nature. In most situations the advisory board is made up of three to seven people, depending on the size of the business, and includes the business owner(s), their CPA, the attorney for the company, and one or more other individuals. The advisory board is designed to provide the same benefits that much larger companies enjoy with their board of directors: mainly the insight of people from outside the organization whose opinions and business acumen they respect.
Most business owners are reticent to dispense financial information about their business. In fact the dispensing of financial information in too casual a manner can give away strategic information that could end up in the hands of a competitor and could do the company long term damage. Nevertheless it is generally beneficial to seek advice from others, people you know and trust, in order to achieve the full potential of the business.
We at Shaw & Sullivan provide services as advisory board members. We feel properly trained CPAs who are very business oriented, not just bean counters, are perfect candidates to provide these services. When clients use our services in advisory board situations, the clients get the full value of their relationship. We already have a solid foundation with which to provide these value-added services because of the intimate knowledge we possess about the financial situation of the company.
Most of the time we spend with clients we spend delivering and explaining tax returns and financial statements or doing tax planning. Seldom does the opportunity occur, unless it is created, to focus on the business itself. Creating an advisory board that meets on a regular basis is a perfect vehicle.
We at Shaw & Sullivan are strong proponents of advisory boards. In all situations, where the
advisory board is well prepared when meetings are convened, stays focused on the business at
hand, and actually makes progress toward helping the business and the business owner reach the
goals of the organization, success is achieved.
Value Added Info
Shaw & Sullivan, P.C. publishes a series of articles called Value Added Info. This publication
is written on a regular basis but on no specific time schedule. It takes regular everyday
information and tells you how you can use it in your everyday life to increase the profits in your
business and personal life.