Today we’re going to share 3 of our favorite business turnarounds.
The worst thing you can do in a crisis is nothing. But taking action just to do ‘something’ isn’t helpful either.
In a crisis the key is to keep a clear head and take an objective assessment of the situation. In each of the following 3 cases the key to turning the situation around was having useful, objective information.
1. What do you do when your readers stop reading your national publication?
A nationally known culinary publication with 1 million subscribers was losing money in operations and facing declining circulation.
After conducting research among their readers, a NextLevel executive discovered that the publication’s focus had gradually narrowed to content that didn’t interest its readers. Based on the research, the magazine refocused their content in line with what their readers wanted, and readership not only returned, but grew beyond previous levels!
Read the full case here.
2. How can you grow when you’re bleeding money?
A global manufacturing company acquired a binational service bureau as new division. The new division had $6 million in annual sales but was losing $500,000 per year. Because manufacturing operations were poorly managed, the division could not produce the range of products required by the industry, and a single customer dominated the business. During a ramp-up for that major customer, the overseas operations fell apart.
A NextLevel executive worked to stabilize the business get it on a course to profitability. They focused on improving existing policies and introduced several dynamic new procedures, and profits rose from $-0.5 million to $6.4 million per year!
Read the full case here.
3. How do you grow when your manufacturing can’t keep up?
A food processing and consumer packaged-goods company was growing rapidly but experiencing negative cash flow and violating loan covenants. The main problem was a significant delay in the buildout of a new manufacturing facility, needed because the company struggled to fulfill sales orders using existing facilities.
A NextLevel executive was engaged to lead a more rapid transition to the new manufacturing facility and a cash flow positive state.
Within two months of identifying key performance drivers, the company stabilized and significantly improved performance, including a 40% increase in fill rates to 90% performance overall. This helped increase sales by 30%. Cash flow quickly became positive and a new operational plan reflected improved annualized cash flow by $6 million over a 24-month period!
Read the full case here.
You have to find the real problem before you can fix it.
In each of the above examples, there was one key issue dragging performance down. Once it was identified, solutions were found and implemented.
It can be challenging to stay objective and know what to look for in a crisis. That’s why it’s often helpful to bring in an outsider to review the situation with fresh eyes.
If you need some outside help, don’t wait. Take the first step toward turning things around and contact us today.