7 Tips to Improve Your Resilience* in Business and Finance

* Resilience = the ability to recover quickly from change or misfortune;
in German: die Widerstandsfähigkeit, die Ausdauer, die Belastbarkeit

By Martin Schneider

Side note: Remember that Martin is an avid pilot and you'll understand his take on the present climate in this article.

Since last winter, the time for flying in sunshine is over. There are heavy clouds in the horizon so that we need to prepare ourselves much better as well as our aircraft. The best pilots are those with ample experience in flying in cloudy and stormy weather.

To remember what the weather and economic analysts forecasted in early 2008: Continued sunny weather with some clouds! No need to worry about a catastrophic turn of events!

Now many of us need to pilot and the weather tells us is that there is stormy weather in the forecast. Most of time weather forecasters are correct or partly correct. But sometimes their predictions are incorrect as is the case now (economically speaking).

Let's make the best of these predictions!

In good and not so good times a pilot needs to know two things: Where am I (what is my position?) and where do I want to go from here?

During sunny periods it's enough to ask these questions a few times a year. Now in possible stormy weather, we need to assure our position daily, weekly or at least maybe monthly.

In my sixteen years as Head of Tomato, my team and I have had our share of challenging times. We're still here offering assistance, especially in trying times.

Based on our clients' situations, we've learnt the following 7 steps as being the most crucial, especially in a time like this:

  1. Liquidity Planning and Cash at Hand
    The finance department must know its financial status (if critical then every day). To this end, departments such as procurement and sales need to report their predicted and actual spending and income as concise and timely as they can. Improve also direct communication to procurement and sales.
  2. Improve your Risk Management
    During the last three years, we've seen many risk systems not working. Regardless, play out all possible scenarios at your work place to ensure an effective risk management system.
    Regarding currency risks: For instance, before the fall of 2008 financial crisis, the USD/CHF moved from 1.25 to 1.00 and the EUR/CHF moved from 1.50 to 1.65. What have you done in terms of currency risks during the past years? What are your plans and projections now?$
  3. Procurement and Supply Chain
    You need to optimize your external cost structures. Prices for commodities are changing significantly. May be it's time to bind your vendors with contracts. Ask yourself if you want to enter into long-term partnerships or maintain your flexibility!
    How well do you manage your account payables? Do you make the most out of your supplier contracts? Where could you save more money?
  4. Sales and Client Relationships
    Check with all clients that your product is delivered in a timely manner and that the client is able to make his payment to you NOW and not tomorrow. You may need to offer your client financing. Talk to them as partner and friend and they will reciprocate. Know the average time for your customers to pay their invoices by monitoring their payments. This way you see warnings if customers’ payments begin to slip and you can take measures to enlist more timely payments.
  5. Improve Your Credit Risks
    Ask yourself these questions:
    > How many of your vendors or clients are still in a sound financial shape?
    > How many of your vendors or clients need financial help from the state or other parts of the community?
    Your risk management and assessment needs to be adapted here first.
  6. Improve Your Balance Sheet
    If you build debts how can you reduce them? Evaluate all ideas to gain flexibility in finances.
  7. Review Your Business Model
    You may need to improve on it. How? Which areas? Ask yourself which part of your business is resilient to a shaky environment and which divisions are vulnerable!
    Maybe it is time for coaching with some experts in your business area. These people have broad and ample experienc

At Tomato, we have years of experience in these topics. Our tips are recession proof. Actually, we like flying in turbulent weather and we are able to pilot you to save grounds.

Keep well and enjoy flying!