Touchstone Program
With the increased velocity of information in today’s rapidly evolving business market, the need for timely, non-static analysis has become a critical necessity for lenders and investors. The need for one-stage assessments – a snapshot of a company’s operating status – remains important. However, with business environments changing on a weekly if not daily basis, lenders and investors require timely analysis to gauge client performance and make critical capital decisions. Questions surrounding these capital decisions – Should the lender continue to fund operating shortfalls? Are planned equity infusions warranted? – need information that is comprehensive yet timely. Timely information is paramount to effective capital decision making.
At MainStream Management, our suite of Advisory Services – 13-week cash flow model; one-week assessment; four-week assessment; and interim management services – provide lenders and company executives the type of information that is required to evaluate various alternatives. Our latest service, The Touchstone Program®, combines the strengths of our suite of advisory offerings with the increased demand for timely information and swift implementation of corrective actions.
MainStream's Touchstone Program is unique from the advisory services offered by other management consulting firms based on four key characteristics:
Multi-Stage Service
Unlike a traditional assessment, The Touchstone Program is a service offering in two pieces: an up-front analysis and an ongoing, financial and corrective actions monitoring service. Our up-front analysis consists of the principal pieces of assessing the critical operational, and financial challenges facing client organizations. Whether it is reviewing the company’s business recovery plan, “here-to-there” plan, or workout program, MainStream will provide a hard-edged assessment of the challenges and problems that have led clients down the path of concern.
Of equal importance, The Touchstone Program will provide a pre-defined monthly financial and corrective actions monitoring program to provide lenders and investors with timely, updated analysis of the client’s performance. The program offers immediate assistance by assessing the company’s corrective action plan to ensure that all of the specific and essential tactical actions and responsibilities have been properly identified. Then bi-monthly the program carries forward with a cost effective ongoing advisory structure that drives the results required to yield long term sustainability. Every month MainStream will analyze updated financial statements, management reports, and other critical information to determine how the client is performing relative to expectations. A systematic report will be provided to interested parties that provide the necessary and critical information required to render capital decisions and to report on performance relative to expectations.
Timely Information
The phasing of The Touchstone Program – an up-front analysis and a monitoring program tied to plan attainment – provides lenders and investors with information that is dynamic and evolving. Providing constituents with up-to-date, timely information will allow decision making to capture the nuances of the day, rather than on stale, dated information that may have little relevance in the decision of the day.
Cost Effective
The pricing of The Touchstone Program is structured to meet the pressing demands of lenders and investors to keep costs low. The program calls for a low up-front charge for the initial assessment work and a pre-established monthly fee for the bi-monthly financial and corrective actions monitoring.
Voice of the Customer
MainStream’s Touchstone Program is the direct result of extensive customer feedback on the frustrations associated with static, nontimely analysis. Programs that worked historically are no longer as relevant if the information is not meaningful and up to date. Lenders and investors want to make critical capital decisions on information that is relevant, a critical component of The Touchstone Program.