One of my earliest marketing mentors Robert Middleton recently put me in touch with a fellow Portlander, Larry Willeman. We met for tea and I had a fascinating time hearing about what he does.
Larry is a remarkable person (as is Robert, I’ll be interviewing him soonish.) Through his consulting firm, Willeman Strategyas Partners, he basically functions as a Chief Financial Officer for small businesses that aren’t quite large enough to have their own CFO. Okay, that’s sounds as exciting as watching grass grow.
Here’s the exciting thing: every single one of his clients, every single one, survived the recession and the majority of them actually grew in the last two years. This is in Oregon, one of the harder hit states with 10+% unemployment. He’s helped many of his client firms expand their impact tremendously, while making their owners millionaires in the process.
If you’re reading this blog you might not be in a position to hire Larry, since most of us in the HoB tribe are self-employed or have a micro-business. But what he has to say about managing costs, developing a business financially, and the role that heart and caring play in the numbers is something you need to hear.
We spent about an hour talking through three areas:
- What is it we’re talking about? What are the basic/fundamental understandings about a struggling business in a down economy and the role financials play.Where does money leak? What keeps profitability from happening?
- What are the basic principles you operate by to help a business get healthy?
- Advanced tips and tricks, or surprises, or unusual things to watch out for.
Open your heart and have a listen. How often do you get to hear advice from a stunningly successful chief financial officer?
[audio:http://heartofbusiness.com/Audio/larrywilleman.mp3]Right-or-option click to download.
And if you do have a small to mid-sized company, take a look at Larry Willeman.
What big questions would you ask if you were able to spend time with a big-hearted, super-successful CFO?
4 Responses
Mark, thank you so much for bringing quality content and inspiring messages. These are challenging times, and I really appreciate your support.
Jennifer- you are so welcome. Larry is a gem, isn’t he?
Larry sounds like a good guy and a very competent consultant. His website speaks of the quality of service he provides.
But you do him a disservice by using someone else’s protected service mark to describe him in your article. CFO for Rent (R) is the registered trademark of our firm, and has been for most of the last 20+ years. Please do your homework before borrowing someone else’s intellectual property.
I just changed the title of the blog post, Gene. I had no idea you existed. I wish you success in your venture.