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A company evaluation also provides an opportunity to develop benchmarks and reports. These tools will help you stay on top of your business and identify issues before they become a threat. It is akin to being proactive with your client; reports and benchmarks provide the threshold needed to make sound business decisions.

I would recommend, as a minimum, establishing benchmarks on your Cultivation Ratio; Budget; and Employee Billable Hours/Non Billable Hours. The U.S. Small Business Administration is an excellent resource for entrepreneurs and can be accessed at http://www.sba.gov/index.html. Reports should demonstrate whether you are reaching the benchmarks for success. Reports to review, again as a minimum, would include:

• Cultivation Ratio- How many cases you open compared to how many inquiries you received regarding your services
• Billable Hours/Non Billable Hours- Compare the amount of billed hours to clients against the amount of total hours worked
• Requested Services- Analyze what services/needs inquiries are requesting (i.e. assessment; coordination of services; placement)
• Profit & Loss- Analyze your P & L to determine your expenses/revenues; variable vs. fixed costs
• Termination Report- Review how many clients have terminated services, reasons for termination, if you have multiple care managers is one having more terminations than others

Reports must be critically reviewed at least monthly and business decisions made using the information. It is easy to make decisions based on your gut but successful business owners stick to the facts. For example, how do you know when to bring on new staff? My assumption is that you have developed a company budget and have determined how many hours it will take each care manager to bill for you to turn the profit you are anticipating. The Billable Hours/Non Billable Hours report determines your staff's ability to meet the goal and your Termination Report helps you to project the number of terminations you will have monthly. Your budget and P & L will then provide you the financial information to determine the right time to hire that new employee.

The success of your business will depend on your diligence, focus, and willingness to access the expertise of others when necessary. Determining your benchmarks and reviewing reports regularly will ensure your company is headed for success.