Management Advisory

Management Advisory Services

Idea Generation

Did you know that according to many different research sources, including Bloomberg, generally, about 80% of new start-ups fail within the first 2 years of starting their operations? You probably did, but your idea is definitely good and, perhaps, much better than what the others may have, right? This self-conviction is further reassured when your family and friends also think that your idea is brilliant, and your gut feeling (which has never betrayed you before) seems to be in agreement too! This is it, you think! I have what it takes and I have a killer idea! Right? No, most possibly wrong! Sorry! Most of the above-mentioned start-ups in the bottom 80%, when interviewed, admit to having such convictions in the beginning too! Often, seeking out that confirmation bias for our idea leads us to our own downfall...

But do not despair! We are not here to demotivate you from venturing out on your own or taking that next step in developing that brand new product or a business line for your existing company. Far from it! We are here to help you get on the right track from the outset or as early as possible! We want to help you have that next breakthrough idea, product or service, the next craze that people talk about around the world! We want you to be in that 10% of the companies that succeed in the long-term!

Our extensive research has shown that the best business ideas - that is the ideas which stand the highest chance of being successful in the long term, have a set number of common factors and generally follow a common pattern of logic, regardless of the sector wherein they operate. Our idea generation product is custom-made around the client's business idea. Through informal focus groups and quick brainstorming sessions with you and your management team, we discuss your business idea in detail and advise you on how it can be changed or tweaked to better comply with the above-mentioned logical pattern. Upon completion of this process, we are able to give you a feedback on whether your business idea is worthy of further pursuit, and, if yes, what conceptual changes you should strive to make before you take it to the next level. And if we find that your business idea is probably best to be abandoned all together, then, we believe it makes sense to cut the losses and start thinking of another idea! After all, we think it is much better to dispose the idea on the paper before any further financial and human resources are fruitlessly expended on something that is bound to eventually fail! Harsh but also very pragmatic!

Express Test

So you have a business idea that you know follows the sound principles that all good business ideas inherently have. If you are still not sure whether this is the case or not, please contact us to see how our idea generation service can be of help.

Knowing that your business idea is sound is the first big step towards your success! However, to answer how good that business idea is, you should check how profitable it is likely to be. One way of doing this is to conduct a feasibility study (see our next product for more information), which will assess the overall viability of your idea by delving into its operational and financial merits. This is all good and we certainly also recommend this approach! However, sometimes you need a quick rough answer before making the final decision of committing further time and resources to that idea or project.

This is where our express test comes in! It is specifically designed with this end-goal in mind. We quickly assess the merits of your idea from the operational and financial perspective. Although your idea is sound, it is still questionable whether you have the financial, human, and other resources necessary for its effective implementation. And even if you do, do you know how profitable your idea is likely to be relative to other similar opportunities in the marketplace? In other words, is the payoff worth your time and money?

Through a tailored initial research and analysis, we can assess the high level operational and financial feasibility of your business idea. This includes understanding both your internal resources, capabilities and the external market conditions. It also often includes a deeper look at your business model and how well it can cope with the current and future competition. If needed, we also provide advice on how to tweak your business model to ensure it is both robust and flexible enough to meet the challenges your business idea is likely to meet at inception and in the future.

Although the research and analysis required for the express test is meant to be quick, it is also not vague or inconsequential. We believe that the best ideas are the ones that emerge from structured analyses that are based on facts and accurate information, rather than guess or speculation!

Feasibility Study

You may already have a sound business idea that you know is good, but do you know exactly how profitable the business is likely to be and exactly how much further resources (and time!) would your new business or product line require in Years 1, 2, and 3? Like the express test, the feasibility study effectively provides the answer to "Does this idea have the potential to succeed and will it work?"; however, the difference between the two products is in the greater detail and focus that comes with the full feasibility study.

Whether you are a start up or have been operating an established company, the importance of ensuring that your business idea is worthwhile your further efforts and resources cannot be understated. A complete feasibility study will be a crucial asset in not only convincing yourself and your management team about the viability of your new business idea or a product, but also, very importantly, the financial institutions and the potential investors.

By conducting a thorough market research and analysis, we can identify how viable your business is likely to be taking into account the financial, operational and organisational matters.

How good is your product/service offering? How attractive is the market and industry? How well is your business equipped in terms of your available finances and organisational capabilities? What are your fixed and variable costs going to be in Years 2 and 3, and exactly when will you break even or become profitable? Are you well prepared should the worst case scenario happen? Speaking of which, what is your worst case scenario exactly?

Our feasibility study report will cover these and many other critical questions including many technical, commercial, financial, and organisational matters, which will, in turn, provide you with a good basis upon which you can finally make the ultimate decision of taking the plunge, so to speak! And if so, the report will also serve as your bridge towards preparing a fully fledged business plan (see our next product below), which will, in turn, become your blueprint for the years to come!

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Business Plan

So why do you need to have a business plan if you already know that you have a good business idea in place or your business is already thriving anyway? Perhaps you have already conducted a Feasibility Study too, in which case this question then becomes even more relevant.

We hear a lot of entrepreneurs often tell us that writing a business plan is "a waste of time" - time that could be spent on the implementation of that idea. We disagree, but let us leave this debate to another time for now and let us concentrate instead on the reasons why you need to have a business plan!

There are overall two main reasons and we highly recommend that you create business plans for BOTH of these reasons!

1. External: Most of the entrepreneurs and senior managers that we have spoken to primarily join the group of people who retrospectively think that the external reasons are probably the biggest reason why they embarked upon this (as most of them call it) "torturous process" of writing a business plan. So what is this external reason?

A business plan is essentially seen as a selling document, which tries to pitch your company, business idea, product, service, or generally an opportunity of some sort to external parties. Many potential lenders and investors demand to see a professionally prepared business plans before they even consider investing in the business. A business plan can also be increasingly required by other external parties, such as suppliers and even key job candidates. All of these stakeholders often rely almost exclusively on business plans for their initial investments/decision screening purposes. When it comes to start up funding, the importance of a well-prepared business plan is amplified as it is almost inconceivable for such a business to raise any substantial amounts of funding without the availability of a credible business plan!

All of these reasons can often put a lot of pressure and stress on the senior management team, who are tasked with not only producing a good, credible business plan, but also have to continue running their companies on a daily basis. This is indeed one of the main reasons why entrepreneurs and companies outsource the production of business plans to professional consultancy companies. By engaging Acube Capital, not only can you ensure the preparation of professional and credible business plans, but you can also continue to focus on running your business and its day-to-day operations! When preparing a business plan on your behalf, we strongly believe in and follow a collaborative process, which brings us to the all important second reason below.

2. Internal: you see, preparing a good business plan should be an immersion exercise which usually takes time. During this experience, business managers and other team members go through a rigorous process of thinking, researching and analysing every single aspect of their business, idea, product, service, market, competition, and other very important matters. This process forces a team to not only work together, but to turn some abstract ideas like "we love how this idea fits our customer base or our vision, etc" into concrete and tangible realities like "we'll need to sell 425 more X units this year and 610 Y units next year to break even in Year Z".

We strongly believe in a collaborative partnership, where we take your hand and guide you through the whole process of asking tough questions and forcing you to think about even tougher solutions! Our business plans will cover such all-encompassing matters as the management team and human resources, market analysis, competition and competitive advantages, marketing strategy, sales forecasts, financial projections and analyses, risk analysis and funding requirements.

Failing to plan is planning to fail, and so we hope that you will not underestimate the importance of having a professionally prepared business plan!

Marketing Strategy

Do you need to increase your revenue and attain a sustainable competitive advantage in the market? Of course you do! Easier said than done though! This is the realm of the marketing strategy.

Our management advisory team can help in developing your marketing strategy which will take into account both your short- and long-term goals by carefully defining the business activities required to be accomplished by your company and the management team.

In order to develop a viable and a realistic marketing strategy, we thoroughly check both the internal marketing mix, including but not limited to your pricing and product strategies, as well as the external factors, such as customer analysis, competitor analysis, target market analysis, and other important environmental factors. Once this is done, we then suggest an optimal, and often a revised, marketing mix that will support the company's short- and long-term objectives given the current and projected external environmental factors. In doing so, we also take into account the company's financials and the marketing budget.

Furthermore, we offer ways to monitor the progress on a regular basis, so that your company's marketing activities remain in line with the set marketing strategy and your business objectives.

Just like when we develop our business plans and other services, we strongly believe in a collaborative partnership, where we take your hand and guide you through the whole process of asking tough questions and forcing you to think about even tougher solutions!