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Watermark Advisors, LLC asks How World Class is Your Company?

Submitted by: Hagen Rogers on Sep 30, 2010 at 9:31 pm Tagged with: competitive advantage, Financial Advisory, Investment Banking, market postioning, Strategic Decision Making Source: Watermark Advisors, LLC

Greenville, SC – September 30, 2010- Our economy is between two storms. Until mid-2007 interconnected U.S. economic bubbles propped up the economy to support our growth. By the end of 2007, the first storm triggered by the sub-prime mortgage collapse created a global liquidity crisis. The crisis affected all sectors of the economy, especially investment banking, causing a more challenging climate for private companies. Looming concerns with the next storm – most notably the huge U.S. government debt – undermines confidence and could stretch out the recovery for years.
Sources of financing that owners and CEOs have traditionally utilized might not be enough to sustain market position in the climate ahead. Smart companies are adjusting their strategies into two phases: (1) Short-term moves to weather the recessions and recovery and (2) Long-term positioning to emerge on the other side in a strong competitive position to grow when the economy picks up again. However, this difficult period can be an opportunity for smart companies to invest strategically to make themselves world-class competitors – to position themselves to lead as paralyzed competitors struggle to get by.
Market leadership is about understanding and nurturing your competitive advantage and building barriers that your competitors will have to pay dearly to overcome. Watermark Advisors surveyed our clients this summer asking them to prioritize what areas, in their opinion, would have most meaningful impact on valuation premium. Two to one, our clients believed creating barriers around competitive advantages was their highest priority.
During a time when deleveraging is a requirement, private companies will have to rely more on internally generated cash flow to finance operations. Watermark has developed the Strategy MAP consulting engagements to help companies lessen their dependence on financing parties and focus on strategies that leverage their natural advantages and enhance profitability.
The Strategy MAP pushes companies to identify a sustainable edge over competitors that lessens direct price competition, improves margins, and drives profitability. Strategic MAP addresses four key areas: (1) assessing the company’s readiness to execute long-term strategy, (2) studying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to identify profitable growth opportunities (3) developing a strategic vision of what the company can become and a flexible, long-range roadmap for getting there, and (4) measuring the anticipated results of successful execution of the strategy. In final form, the Strategic MAP becomes a foundation piece to close the gap between the status quo and world class.
Watermark’s Senior Consultant, Dr. David Furse, is leading the Strategic MAP process for client companies. David adds a wealth of experience and knowledge to the Watermark team with over 30 years experience as a professor, business entrepreneur and consultant. He teaches strategy and leadership development at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management. Before joining Vanderbilt, David was a successful 20-year entrepreneur and served as an U.S. Army infantry lieutenant in Vietnam where he was awarded two Army Commendation Medals, two Bronze Stars, two Air Medal and a Purple Heart. David is a sought-after speaker and business consultant.
Watermark is excited to introduce Strategy MAP consulting to create a blueprint that will help your company thrive in what promises to be a disruptive market.

About Watermark Advisors (Member FINRA/SIPC)
Watermark Advisors is “Your Ally in the Capital Markets” with over 50 years of direct investment banking experience. Our Managing Directors have served over 60 clients over the past thirteen years in helping clients: raise capital to finance growth, make an acquisition, take money off the table and sell outright, while providing valuations and fairness opinions, industry benchmarking and strategic and financial modeling.
Contact:
Hagen Rogers
Executive Managing Director
Watermark Advisors, LLC
531 South Main Street
Greenville, SC 29601
Ph: 866-527-8454