From our Partner,Eide Bailly

Family Business Finances: Unlocking Growth through Strategic Accounting

Achieving generational success in your family business requires an intentional investment in both the business itself and the relationships that accompany it. To ensure that a new set of family members are prepared to continue growth — and are unified on the strategy — several key practices must come to the forefront. 

Effective financial management is the backbone of any successful family business as it provides a narrative of the business’s history, guides its present, and shapes its future. Accounting plays a pivotal role in this process, which is why a strategic approach is crucial for informed decision-making, now and for a successful transition in the future.

Here are the crucial areas you should prioritize:

Key Metrics and Tailored Information Tracking

You can begin to unlock the full potential of your family business by delving into essential accounting metrics. These key metrics, including profit and profit margin, payroll, accounts payable and receivable, inventory, and cash flow, offer valuable insights into the financial health of your family business.

To track and analyze key metrics effectively, consider the following:

  • Use accounting software: Utilize accounting software to help track and analyze your family business’s financial data. This will help you keep accurate records and generate reports that can provide valuable insights into your key metrics.
  • Set goals and benchmarks: Set specific goals and benchmarks for each of the key metrics you are tracking. This will help you measure your progress and identify areas where you need to improve.
  • Regularly review and analyze your data: Make it a habit to regularly review and analyze your financial data. This will help you identify trends and patterns and make informed decisions about your family business’s financial future.
  • Keep accurate records: Ensure that your financial records are accurate and up to date. This will help you avoid errors and make better decisions based on reliable data.

Capturing the right information will allow you to construct accounting records that empower informed decisions. It’s not just about collecting data; it’s about gathering meaningful information tailored to the unique needs of your family business. These key metrics will be invaluable when making critical business decisions and preparing for an eventual exit.

Leverage Financial Statements

Accurate financial statements are vital for effective family business management. Financial statements illuminate various aspects of your business, including:

  • The Balance Sheet: reflecting your organization’s resources, liquidity, and equity
  • The Income Statement: providing insights into profitability over a specific period
  • The Statement of Cash Flows: tracking the sources and uses of your cash

Your financial statements can be used to compare current performance with historical data, benchmark against industry peers, and project future performance, giving you a comprehensive view of your family business.

Using financial statements for budgeting, forecasting, and profitability analysis allows for strategic decision-making and effective cash flow management. Transparent communication and integration of financial statements into succession planning can also contribute to a successful transfer of leadership.

Embracing a mindset of continuous improvement will help you identify areas of strength and weakness, make informed decisions, and plan for the future.

Embrace Digital Solutions

Adopting technology and automation is crucial for optimizing operations in any family business. The right digital solutions can help save time, reduce manual errors, gain real-time visibility into financial performance, and increase efficiency.

  • Financial management software: Financial management software can help streamline operations by automating tasks like bookkeeping and payroll, providing real-time data and insights into financial performance. This empowers informed decision-making about cash flow, budgeting, and investments.
  • Cloud-based accounting and invoicing systems: Cloud-based accounting systems offer a range of benefits to family businesses, including increased accessibility, cost-effectiveness, enhanced security, improved efficiency, and better decision-making.

By streamlining operations within your family business, you can free up resources for more impactful work and empower your team to concentrate on value-added tasks.

Additionally, adopting technology shouldn’t be viewed as a one-time event. You should continually evaluate your systems and processes to identify areas of inefficiency and leverage technology to improve your operations.

Prepare Your Team for Change

When it comes to streamlining processes and implementing new technology, proper change management is vital for a successful transition and requires leadership alignment, open communication, skill repurposing, patience, and consistency.

Here are some tips to help your team during the transition:

  • Lead with enthusiasm: To inspire enthusiasm for change, leadership must set the example by being enthusiastic themselves. Start by setting realistic goals, sharing your expectations, and explaining the desired outcomes.
  • Encourage open communication: Create an environment of communication and transparency by clearly stating the objectives of implementing new processes, technology, automation, or changes in roles and responsibilities. Allow employees and family members to provide feedback, ask questions, and be open about your plan.
  • Exercise patience and consistency: Understand that change takes time and doesn’t happen overnight. Stay patient throughout the process and consistently follow your plan to make progress.

Unlock Growth and Future Success Through Strategic Accounting

Establishing key metrics, tailoring information tracking, leveraging financial statements, embracing digital solutions, and preparing the family for change all play pivotal roles in bolstering your financial operations. These strategic steps not only pave the way for a successful leadership transition but also ensure the enduring legacy of your family business. 

Whether you need minor adjustments or a significant overhaul, an experienced advisor with specialized expertise can be invaluable in this process. Eide Bailly's outsourced and managed services team can help you take a strategic approach to your accounting functions, eliminating inefficiencies and using digital solutions to improve operations within your family business.

Our team of experienced advisors will meet you wherever you are on your family business journey and help guide you towards improved operations and a strong financial future. Learn more about Eide Bailly's specialized solutions for family-owned businesses here.

A version of this article first appeared on EideBailly.com.

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