Margin Doctors: What We Offer

Who We Are | What We Offer | Our Clients | Our Team | Alliances

Annual Business Check-Up | Business & Management Consulting

As Business & Management Consultants, we are dedicated to entrepreneurs and the owners of small and medium-sized businesses. We see the backbone of the Canadian Economy more and more reliant on Small and Medium-Sized businesses and their ability to provide jobs, careers, and services inside - and outside - of Canada.

Helping you bring your business vision to fruition!

A study of entrepreneurs conducted by the BDC during the recent recession revealed that most business owners in Canada felt that the Canadian Economy was performing on a scale of 5 out of 10. They then felt that their business was operating (during the same recession ) at a 7 out of 10.

Our own study - conducted about the same time - took a look at the actual performance metrics of small and medium sized businesses in Canada over the same period of time.

Guess what?

We found that MOST businesses saw their days receivables (the number of days it takes to get paid on an issued invoice) went from 39 days to 74 days. This puts a significant and often strangling hold on cash flows.

We also found that MOST business saw their sales drop by nearly 30%.

And, in the 2007 where 3 out of 4 clients would get a loan based on standard financials, this dropped to 1 out of 4 during 2008 and into 2009.

We also spoke to the spouses of most of these businesses we reviewed and discovered something interesting: the spouse would have given a 4.5 out of 10 as to how well their spouses' company was operating since they tended to see their spouse, the business owner, in a foul mood, away from the home for more hours trying to find new business - or just as likely - hanging around the house bored looking for something to do, and less cash coming into the household overall.

What does this show?

Most small and medium business owners think their businesses are doing better than they are.

Your spouse knows. Your employees usually know. In most cases your customers know. The best thing to do is to take action and fix it.

One easy step towards doing that, is through the Business Check-Up.

The Business Check-Up

Just like an annual physical you get from your doctor, the Business Check-Up is a "physical" for your business. Using the DSLCS Small Business Framework, we assess your business on the 10 Aspects of Small Businesses. This qualitative and quantitative analysis provides you with a thorough understanding of how your business measures up: how suitable your business is for resale: how good your business is. Further, it is guaranteed.

We provide Business Check-Ups for people who are:

Business owners who want to grow their business
Business owners who want to improve their business
Owners looking at selling their business and want the best price for it
Business purchasers - as part of their due diligence process - to determine where and how the business can be improved after purchase to increase its value and effectiveness

The check-up is a two-day co-investment. We provide an analyst who performs this two-day, thorough assessment of your business, and you pay a marginal fee which is used to offset direct expenses and travel costs for the analyst.

DSLCS Small Business Framework featuring the "10 Aspects of Small Businesses":

Business Purpose

Governance

Getting Clients (Sales & Marketing)

Servicing Clients

Financial Capital

Human Capital

Structural Capital

Communications

Information & Knowledge

Sustainability

Questions and issues we help our clients work with and answer…

If I were injured, sick or “taken out of the picture” who would run the business?
What is goodwill? How do I build it into my business?
I am a firefighter: I am too busy to plan and measure!
I work 80+ hrs per week for less than I pay some of my employees!
How can I grow when I am already working 80+ hrs per week?
The stress of business is messing up my family life!
How well am I running the business?
How well am I performing in the role of company president?
How can I play the role of president if I am still chief cook & bottle washer too?
I have no life outside of the business!
I wait until tax season only to have my Accountant tell me how much I made or lost.
Expensive website, or real e-commerce?
I don’t know if this is all worth it?
I find myself thinking “If I can only generate $X this month, I can coast for the rest of the year… “
If I put my best efforts forward, how much can this business really make?
Do I have the best possible business strategy to help me achieve my goals?
We’re a husband and wife team.
I always find myself checking the bank balance each morning before I start working.
Has the business diminished over time or is it growing as it should?
Has the market-place grown past me or have I been able to keep up?
Do I have a coordinated wealth management plan?
Life insurance policies aligned to my wills?
My spouse keeps complaining that I spend all of my time at work.
Shareholder agreements aligned to both?
Will I be able to sell the business?
My people want to have “careers!” I’m just making sure they get paid.
My people don’t get anything done on time that isn’t directly for a client.
My people don’t get anything done right or on time, period!
I can’t find good people!
Nepotism: big problem.
When can I retire?

If you have concerns about any of these issues or any other challenge facing your business then call The Margin Doctors for your 2 day business checkup.

Our analysts will help you to identify major challenges facing the business and show you where you can improve.

Our Check-Up Guarantee

We stand behind our Business Check-Ups and offer them with a guarantee: if you do not find benefit in the Business Check-Up, you do not have to pay for it.

Margin Doctors | 62 Twenty-Seventh Street | Toronto, Ontario, Canada; M8W 2X4 | 416-802-2526 | information@margindoctors.com