Case: Mediation

Three businessmen set up a company and after a while have different views regarding the company. One of them wants to part and start his own company, still in the same sector, and wants to take existing customers with him. It becomes a fight between lawyers, who eventually would benefit from it more than the parting businessmen. We got called in by a partner of the stakeholders to mediate.

We had four sessions with the businessmen, first of all an individual session with each one of them. The first condition was that all legal proceedings should stop immediately. After a bit of tumult, we succeeded. It was mutually agreed that the businessman would buy out the other stakeholders and continue with the existing company. No unnecessary legal costs, with the exception of an excellent notary.

Problem Solved! Duration: 3 weeks, on a part-time basis.

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Case: The Outsourcing Company

An outsourcer has set up a branch in Amsterdam. There is nothing, just a building and 5 members of staff. The procedures have been set up in South Africa, however rules are different in the Netherlands. The people hired (non residents in the Netherlands) have different specializations and specific high demands regarding payment, the premises, transport and charges.

Standard procedures have been made together with the client. The administration has been set up with comprehensive funds with an external accountant. It was looked at how risky it would be for the client if the contractors changed their demands. This was taken care of with contracts.

It is a successful formula because in principle the client does not need to be the preferred supplier, simply because they can offer these IT services that are very rare to find, but which are very needed.

It was invested a lot. A few years later the company was taken over by a stock market listed company and we ended our services for this company.

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Case: A building company

The director of a medium-sized real estate company with lots of experts starts a partnership with a small real estate company, forming a new legal entity.

Their goal is to buy old properties in big Dutch cities, converting them into studio flats which will be offered to people who are looking for small accommodations. They have rented a fully refurbished office, and hired staff to perform their duties. The automation can be supported by Microsoft Dynamics. However, they have forgotten about a crucial part. There is no business plan, no process descriptions, who is going to do what and when. After all it was so straightforward in the big company, that they just assumed: "Why shouldn't a start-up work in this way?"

Making an objective business plan within 4 weeks is an exceptional order. OFC was made the project owner and gave a great input to other experts in the current companies to complete the business plan. At the same time, contracts for clients needed to be made and we were in the exceptional circumstance to set up a company - which in fact existed already - but with a completely new structure, as if it was a start-up.

After the final approval of the business plan, the company was gradually successfully started, and we withdrew from the project. We provide ad hoc corrective measures so that our clients can focus on their core business.

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An interesting everyday SMEs example:

Two collaborating retailers, with eight (rented) branches in the Netherlands and Belgium which exist already 10 years. Real professionals. There were several stores, several employees and it looked like everything was running smoothly for years. However, there were no goals, no business plan, no financial overview per branch and, with the exception of payment by card, no automation. A partner took care of accountancy, tax refund and payments for years. They wanted to expand using financial means from third parties. Rabobank contacted us to have a look at it.

Our findings were not rosy. Instead of an expansion we suggested a reorganization. Some branches were technically insolvent, while others were doing great. They knew everything about the profession but just a little about the actual situation. The net earnings were rather negative.

We temporarily took over the accountancy. The intrinsic value capitalized and the cash flow per branch indexed. Meanwhile a central  automation system took care of the administration. Next to other advices, such as a business plan, consultation with creditors and changes, they now have 4 strong branches. Rabobank has maintained their credit. The entrepreneurs  are now 100%  in control.

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