How We Work

Business consultation

 When you work with Ground Level Consulting, Christina Suter will visit your company and review your situation, drawing on some of the methods that have been found to work well in managing other small businesses. She will continue to meet with you in person or by phone over several months to implement the plans and fine-tune your company so it runs smoothly, efficiently and profitably.

While the specific details and actions differ from one business situation to the next, Christina uses this same general three-phase approach with each client:

Phase 1: Problem ID/Resolution

Problem identification and resolution is the primary focus of the first phase of our work together. Every company has at least one area that the owner feels the company just needs to work better in. Our consultant will present a variety of possible actionable solutions, based on her work with other businesses. The focus for the first several sessions is on implementing these solutions in the fastest and most effective way possible. So that you and your company feels like it can breathe again.

Initial Sessions include:

  • Review of your company's site
  • Meeting of employees
  • Review of financial statements
  • Review of your current accounting system
  • Review of time management system
  • Review of all systemic or tracking systems
  • Review or clarifying owner's vision and purpose for the company
  • Review or clarifying short- and long-term goals for our work
  • Identification of problem(s)
  • Developing solution(s) to problem(s)
  • Creating solid and implementable action steps to solve problem(s)

Phase 2: Fine-Tuning 

In Phase 2, the objective is to fine-tune your company's foundation and efficiency in accordance with your goals. Your consultant will review your company line item by line item and evaluate it with you following a variety of parameters.

Areas addressed include:

  • Advertising
  • Payroll
  • Inventory
  • Office systems
  • Office work flow
  • Customer satisfaction
  • Employee retention
  • Scheduling of employees
  • Time management
  • Sales numbers
  • IRS filing
  • Business loans

Evaluation parameters include:

  • Is it cost effective?
  • Is it efficient?
  • Does it fulfill what company needs it to do short and long term?
  • Does it fit the company's mission and long term goals?

Fine-tuning is accomplished by:

  • Performing a cost analysis
  • Establishing tracking systems
  • Creating and implementing action plans

Phase 3: Business Expansion

The final stage is the ongoing maintenance of your company and implementation of any expansion you would like to see. Your goals might range from: increasing sales to opening multiple locations to reducing your stress. An important focus of this phase is your long-term plans for yourself and your lifestyle, which involves determining how your company can help you achieve your retirement goals, and setting that in motion.