Are you having a cash crisis? Do you think you need a loan? Do you ever wonder where the money went?

You are not alone. The lack of proactive cash management is a leading cause of business failure.

Cash is King

Cash is money in the bank. Sales only benefit the business when the cash is collected. Are you experiencing cashflow problems because you are "financing" your customers?

Obsolete or excess inventory are another cash trap. Turning inventory quickly is often the best way to improve cashflow.

Do you want to know more about where cash hides and how you can find it? Read the full article on our website.

One of the first tools alt.Consulting developed for small businesses was the Cash Flow Management Tool. This easy-to-use tool is customized to each business and helps management identify the cash traps in their business. By using a simple spreadsheet, management can project cash for six to eight weeks which helps them make good, informed business decisions.

In the April 2005 edition of the alt.Journal we told you about Mrs. Paulette Sanford's business, April House Catering in Memphis, Tennessee. Mrs. Sanford had learned about alt.Consulting in a FastTrac training class and then entered into a customized engagement for on-site assistance.

April House Catering is not only meeting its goals, but exceeding them. Last year we completed our first engagement and in January 2006 we entered into a new one that included implmenting the cash flow tool.

Today April House Catering is on track for a record year. Mrs Sanford has been able to expand her capacity and has fully implement a software program that helps manage bookings. And, she has control of her cash with money in the bank!

We want to express our sincere appreciation to the First Tennessee Foundation for supporting our work with minority entrepreneurs in Memphis. Their support will allow us to help businesses that could otherwise not afford to pay for the managerial assistance that they need to grow their companies.

Small businesses drive local economies. The more rural an area the more important it is to have strong entrepreneurs and programs that support those businesses.

Over the last eight years, alt.Consulting has provided one-on-one assistance to more than 1,000 mostly rural entrepreneurs and through our partnerships we have provided training and counseling to another 2,000 entrepreneurs. But, even with a dedicated and growing staff and strong mission driven partners, it has been impossible to reach every microenterprise in every community in the Delta to provide the services that these micro entrepreneurs need.

With a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI) and with matching support from Enterprise Corporation of the Delta (ECD), alt.Consulting will work with 2 communities in Arkansas and 2 Communities in Mississippi to implement Local Enterprise Development (LED) programs.

"Working with clients and partners throughout Arkansas and Mississippi over the last 8 years, I saw a need to develop local business development specialists who can reach into the community to identify new entrepreneurs and existing microenterprises in an effort to connect these to needed tools and resources. Through this grant we will replicate alt.Consulting on a smaller scale at the local level by sharing our tools and training curricula as well as creating access to the services of our partners. I would like to thank USDA and ECD for sharing in this vision." Ines Polonius, Executive Director

Watch for updates on this program in upcoming issues.