The CFO'S Perspective

Business owners find due diligence daunting because of the cost and time required to do it effectively. They worry that the conversation with potential clients will be awkward to initiate and the process difficult to execute, lengthening the buying cycle. Furthermore, they fret about the risk of losing prospects from their sales pipelines, reducing overall conversion rates. However, the benefits far outweigh the risks of doing due diligence.

Risk isn't just for actuaries! As a business owner, there are risks everywhere, and a financial assessment can help identify areas where your company might be vulnerable to risk, determine your company's attitudes towards risk, reinforce your strengths, and ensure that you are able to take advantage of valuable opportunities.

The key focus of a financial risk assessment is a deep dive into a company's financial preparedness and it includes pieces of other areas as they relate to financial stability. The assessment can point out areas that are working and those that are not, in time to make necessary course corrections.

Every business owner should think about performing a financial risk assessment of their company on a regular basis. The cadence is different for every industry, size, and type of company, but at a minimum once per year.

The results of a financial risk assessment will feed into the strategic planning process and budgeting. A consistently profitable company who is not worried about potential risks may still be missing something that could either blow up or cause them to miss opportunities.

Carl in accounting receives an urgent email from Erica, the company CEO. 

The unusual email captures Carl’s attention, so he verifies that it is from Erica’s email and notes how the tone and writing style is consistent with her other email messages.  The CEO is requesting a wire be sent immediately to the bank displayed in the email.  Since Erica is out of town, Carl complies and sends the wire as requested. 

Risk comes from not knowing what you're doing. - Warren Buffett

One of the pillars of a CFO's responsibilities is risk management. From overall financial compliance to the IT department, a fractional or full-time CFO is the first line of defense in establishing and maintaining adequate risk management and mitigation for today's organizations.

The threats may come in many forms - from lack of internal controls to cybersecurity in a privately held business or social enterprise. The CFO is charged with understanding and mitigating the risks that your organization faces.