How Financial Advisors Can Help Small Businesses

Handling Cash Flow

Cash management is another critical area where financial advisors can provide critical assistance. SBOs often struggle, Monax said, to “keep enough cash in reserve on both the business side as well as personally.” He suggests having at least six months of reserves, perhaps more, depending on your business—typically, the advice is three to six months of reserves. “A reserve account becomes especially important the more seasonal or cyclical your business is. You want enough … to handle all the predicted ups and downs plus extra for the unexpected.”

Financial advisors can help clients manage cyclical operations to ensure they have enough cash flow year-round. For example, a small wedding planning business with busier operations in the summer than in the winter might need the help of an advisor to ensure that the company has enough money to survive the slower season.

Managing Investments

Financial advisors also provide guidance on what to do with business profits. Many small business owners, Haas told us, make the mistake of reinvesting all profit back into the business without considering the potential benefits of diversifying their financial assets.

“Small business owners tend to be completely focused on their businesses and often ignore their own personal financial lives,” he said. He suggests at least some of the profits are put toward retirement. “Businesses often don’t go up in a straight line, and business owners need to protect themselves by saving for retirement in a 401(k) or similar plan that protects their savings from bankruptcy.”

Business Valuation

For many SBOs, their company represents the majority of their net worth. Folkes said, “It is common for business owners to have roughly 70 to 90% of their net worth tied up in their business.” Given this concentration on one asset, it’s crucial for SBOs to understand the true value of their business and work with a financial advisor to maximize its worth.”

Business valuation takes into account its assets, liabilities, revenue, and growth potential. Financial advisors can help SBOs navigate this complex process and identify prospects to increase their firm’s value. “To maximize this value, [SBOs] need to understand its current worth and identify additional hidden value that may not be reflected on the balance sheet,” Folkes said. An advisor can help uncover value in intangible assets such as intellectual property, customer relationships, and brand recognition.

Higher valuations can increase credit lines, the sale price, and other essential aspects of the business. But Folkes emphasized another important factor: “Their business will likely be their primary source for funding retirement, transitioning to the next stage of life, and establishing their legacy. Unlocking this value at the right time will significantly impact their financial future and overall success.”

Managing Risk

Financial advisors also help SBOs identify and mitigate potential risks that could harm their company’s financial health and hinder growth. Menard said risk management has to come before any money is put toward acquisitions or expansion. By conducting a thorough analysis of the business’s financial performance and comparing it to industry benchmarks, she said, financial advisors can help small business owners “de-risk” by doing the following:

• Cutting costs
• Diversifying revenue streams
• Adjusting pricing strategies

In addition to financial risk, SBOs must find ways to mitigate these other types:

Insurance is a critical component of risk management for small businesses, and financial advisors typically connect clients with agents and brokers if they don’t handle the insurance in-house. One of the most important types of insurance for small businesses is general liability coverage, which protects against a wide range of potential claims. It can cover the following:

• Bodily injury
• Property damage
• Advertising injury
• Libel and slander

In addition to general liability insurance, financial advisors can help SBOs assess their need for other types of coverage:

• Property insurance
• Workers’ compensation
• Professional liability insurance

Due to the nature of certain businesses, financial advisors can help assess whether error and omissions insurance is worth it. These policies protect against negligence lawsuits or damage caused by the company. You can also help your clients determine whether they need cyber liability coverage.

Financial advisors can also guide clients about their needs related to life and disability insurance for themselves and key employees. The death or long-term disability of an owner or key employee can have devastating consequences for a small business, including the loss of essential skills, contacts, and knowledge and the closure of a company.

By recommending appropriate life and disability insurance policies, financial advisors can help ensure business continuity.

Tax Planning

Managing a small business’s financial assets requires understanding the tax implications of various financial decisions. Financial advisors can guide them on tax planning strategies that can help owners minimize their tax liabilities. Haas said not to forget the importance of lowering the potential capital gains should the business be sold.

Setting Up Company Benefits

Financial advisors also help SBOs design employee benefit programs that can attract and retain top talent, boost employee satisfaction, and support the business’s long-term success.

Many companies offer their clients 401(k) or similar defined-contribution retirement plans for their employees. Establishing and installing a plan in a company often comes with many reporting and management requirements, though clients can outsource much of the administrative burden. Financial advisors can oversee the retirement plan and offer advice to company employees while receiving management fees.

Lovison said retirement plans “might seem like a luxury, but they can be a huge morale booster and help with employee retention.” “We work together to find a plan that fits their budget, forecasting the potential tax benefits for the business and how it can make them more competitive as an employer.” Far from seeing employee benefits as yet another cost, Lovison said they can be “a win-win situation for everyone involved.”

Jeremy Finger, an advisor in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, said retirement plans and other financial arrangements have to be adjusted as the business changes. “Many times, owners default to what they used to have, even though their business has grown dramatically,” he said. “They can upgrade their plan to put more money away for themselves, and their employees would benefit, too.”

Some small businesses offer subsidized insurance coverage to their employees or have specific levels of disability insurance for all staff. Financial advisors can also guide small business owners while considering additional employee benefits like flexible work arrangements, employee stock ownership plans, tuition reimbursement, and health and wellness programs.

Planning the Exit

All SBOs will eventually exit their businesses. Some eventually sell, while others transfer ownership to family members. Selling or transferring ownership is often a complex process requiring experience with business valuation while thinking ahead to the effects of the sale on employee benefits and taxes.

Before and during a sale or transfer, a financial advisor can distill advice from experts on each facet of the transaction to help guide their clients toward their exit. “Most [owners] don’t have a true understanding on how to maximize the value of their business to their family” when transferring it, Finger said. A financial advisor can “step in and help create an ‘advisory board’ to assist business owner clients.” This could include CPAs, tax attorneys, and investment bankers when selling the business.

Planning the Exit Clients Don’t Want

Some companies, of course, won’t make enough money to survive. If an owner is too emotionally tied up with their small business, it’s up to the owner’s financial advisor to map out the financial situation and deliver hard-to-hear information. A company may have enough funds today, but financial advisors with an eye on their cash flow analysis and financial and local economic trends might see trouble long before an owner does.

David W. Demming, the founder and president of Demming Financial Services in Aurora, Ohio, has helped guide the business finances of many in an over 40-year career. He recalled one particularly tense meeting with a client, an accountant, and the client’s attorney. Despite the unanimity of the others that the client should “declare bankruptcy and walk away,” the client refused.

As such, it fell to Demming to support the client as he attempted to beat the apparently bad odds his business faced. Demming helped him refinance his home, and that money was then plowed into the business. “Last year, his gross sales were above $2 million with excellent improving profitability and now no debt,” Demming said, skipping ahead, no doubt, past many moments of stress and hard work on both their parts.

Given the failure rate among small businesses, of course, many times, things don’t work out as well. “Sadly, I’ve had to tell some owners that their business model just isn’t sustainable. It’s heartbreaking, but we work on creating an exit strategy,” Lovison said. “Sometimes, it’s selling the business; other times, it’s winding down operations responsibly. The key is being honest, empathetic, and focusing on what’s best for their financial health.”

Managing Post-Business Portfolio

Much like a climber scaling a cliff face, small business owners often become so preoccupied with finding their next foothold in sometimes rugged terrain that they forget to pause to look where they’re headed. Finger said he often has to remind clients to “think through what life is like after” and plan accordingly.

Once an SBO exits the business, a post-business portfolio—hopefully infused by profits from the business, though sometimes weighed down by remaining debts—has to be set up. The first step is to assess the owner’s new finances and develop a comprehensive plan that aligns with their long-term goals and risk tolerance.

At this point, an advisor is likely to assume the more traditional role of managing investments and work on a plan for replacing the income previously generated by the business. This may involve developing a retirement income plan with various sources, such as Social Security, pensions, and investment income. They also help identify investment prospects, diversify their portfolio across different asset classes and sectors, and strategize how to minimize their tax bill.

Lastly, a financial advisor can help former business owners develop an estate plan to transfer their wealth to their desired beneficiaries. This may involve working with legal and tax professionals to create a customized plan that could include trusts, gifts, and charitable giving.

The Bottom Line

Starting and managing a small business involves a lot. Many financial advisors know this firsthand since they run small businesses themselves. SBOs can turn to their financial advisors to help manage business assets, implement insurance or companywide benefits, and plan for life after the owner leaves the company.

A financial advisor can ensure that business owners don’t have to go it alone—they can help them manage much of the finances so they can focus on the day-to-day operations and other, more pressing matters.

“The type of recommendations and insights a financial advisor can give are invaluable,” Cassick said. “While many individuals can benefit from a financial advisor, it is essential for small business owners to seek their expertise.”