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by John M. Collard, Turnaround Specialist
Strategic Management Partners

A nationally recognized turnaround management firm
specializing in asset and investment recovery, raising capital,
outside director governance, interim executive leadership,
investing in and rebuilding distressed troubled companies.
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Writing Credits
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Topics:
Raise Money
Build Value
Invest in Distressed Assets
Benefits of Outside Directors
Value Creation
Presentations & Specials
Leadership
Benefits of Interim Managers
Phases & Actions in Turnaround Process
Working With Turnaround Pros
Exit Strategies For Practice Owners: Cash Out Alternatives
Defense Conversion
Liquidate. Start Over.
Sell To Customers In The Way They Want To Be Sold To
Incentive-Based Mgt
Set Strategy
Early Warning Signs of Business Troubles
Ebook
Create Value.
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John M. Collard is a nationally recognized turnaround professional, interim executive
manager, interim CEO,
private equity advisor, equity capital investor, and outside director; is a frequent speaker, often quoted by the press,
and has authored many articles on the topics;
Is Your Company In Trouble?, Early Warning Signs Pinpoint Business Trouble,
Change Leadership Style to Affect a Turnaround,
Turnaround Mgt and Equity Investing Techniques,
Working With Turnaround Pros to Preserve Value,
Incentive-Based Mgt, Value Creation Model,
Building Value, Asset and Investment Recovery,
Phases and Actions in the Turnaround Process,
Investing in and Rebuilding Underperforming Distressed Troubled Companies,
A Rx to Renewed Health and Asset Recovery,
Benefits of Interim Managers,
Benefits of Outside Directors & Advisors, Raising Money In Tough Times,
Sell In The Way They Want To Be Sold To, Exit Strategies For Practice Owners,
and Liquidate. Start Over.
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The Future. Now.
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Raising Money In Tough Times: Easier Than You May Think
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- Turnaround Management Journal
- The Turnaround Management Journal is a publication of the
Turnaround Management Society for business leaders and international professionals.
Turnaround management expert John M. Collard presennts an approach to
raising capital during tough economic times. You need a Three Step Approach utilizing
the Internet, an Overview, Executive Summary, Operating Plan, and a focused list of investors.
Be the "good deal" and you will raise money.
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Outside Directors Offer Valuable Guidance, Contacts
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- Baltimore Business Journal
- The Baltimore Business Journal is a publication of American Business Journals
for business leaders and professionals.
Turnaround management expert John Collard discusses adding outside directors to
a private company's board to offer valuable guidance, contacts, and benefits.
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Turnaround Strategist by John Collard
Smart CEO Magazines
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- Turnaround Strategist
@ SMP
- A Column: a compilation of articles by John Collard, Chairman, Strategic Management Partners, Inc.
published online and in various Smart CEO Magazine publications,
including Baltimore, Washington, Philadelphia, and New York.
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Raising Money In Tough Times
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Raising Money In Tough Times: Easier Than You May Think
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- Turnaround Management Journal
- The Turnaround Management Journal is a publication of the
Turnaround Management Society for business leaders and international professionals.
Turnaround management expert John M. Collard presennts an approach to
raising capital during tough economic times. You need a Three Step Approach utilizing
the Internet, an Overview, Executive Summary, Operating Plan, and a focused list of investors.
Be the "good deal" and you will raise money.
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Raising Money In Tough Times.
Easier Than You May Think
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- Private Company Director
Directors & Boards
- Private equity funds use a "funnel approach" viewing 1,000 deals
to find 100 worth a deeper review, which result in one or two worth investment.
Present the deal to investors and what is in it for them.
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Liquidate. Start Over.
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Building Value In Companies to Prepare Them For Sale
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A Hands On Approach.
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- Mergers & Acquisitions, The Dealmaker's Journal, SourceMedia, Inc.
- Executing a turnaround is no easy task. John M. Collard of Strategic Management Partners, Inc.
spells out the guidelines to get an under-performing company up to speed.
As important to cash infusion for working capital needs is to make certain that cash
won't be diverted to past commitments.
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Investing in Underperforming Companies
A Rx for Renewed Health and Asset Recovery
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- Buyouts Magazine
Featured Cover Article
- The newsletter for management buyouts, leveraged acquisitions and special situations.
Investing in underperforming companies can be profitable if you know what to look for and how to execute.
The fundamental premise is to get a company that is turnable, know how to fix the problems,
be able to not spend money on past sins, obtain at the right price, manage the turnaround
and sell at increased value.
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Fixer-Uppers:
Creating Pre-Sale Company Value
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- New Jersey Lawyer, In Re: Special Mergers & Acquisitions Supplement
- Outlines a process for building value into companies and the role of a turnaround specialist in
asset recovery and valuation preservation for troubled companies. How to invest in underperforming companies.
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You Can't Measure A Company's Value Until You First Build It
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- Baltimore Business Journal, Mergers & Acquisitions
- Build enterprises that buyers want to invest in. Create a value equation to build worth.
Turnaround manager and distressed investor, John Collard, describes the process. American
City Business Journals syndicated this article to 42 cities nationwide.
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Benefits of Outside Directors
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Outside Directors Offer Valuable Guidance, Contacts
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- Baltimore Business Journal
- The Baltimore Business Journal is a publication of American Business Journals
for business leaders and professionals.
Turnaround management expert John Collard discusses adding outside directors to
a private company's board to offer valuable guidance, contacts, and benefits.
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Six Ways Outside Directors Impact Business Growth
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- Private Company Director
Directors & Boards
- With a board of directors, your company immediately gains legitimacy, and
a panel with expertise that you probably don't have in-house. Outside directors
bring an independent perspective, strategic thinking & planning,
experience & objectivity, contacts, capital infusion, and transactions.
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You Need These Folks --
Six Ways Outside Directors Impact Business Growth
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- ABF Journal
- The ABF Journal is a publication of Xander Media Group for the commercial finance professional.
Turnaround management expert John Collard points out that adding outside directors to
a private company's board can generate six key advantages -- independent perspective,
strategic thinking and planning, experience and objectivity, contacts, capital infusion,
and deals.
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6 Ways Outside Directors Benefit Business Growth
You Need These Guys
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- President&CEO Magazine
- Discusses the actions and skillsets brought by outside directors and the benefits of each.
Prepare for that future liquidity event. The best time to sell a company is when a buyer
wants to buy and has cash, which could come when you don't expect it.
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Benefits of Working With Outside Directors
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- InterimExecs Network Journal
- The InterimExecs Network Journal is a publication of the
Association of Interim Executives.
Turnaround management expert John Collard discusses that adding outside directors to
a private company's board of directors or advisors can generate key advantages -- independent perspective,
strategic thinking and planning, experience and objectivity, contacts, capital infusion,
and deals.
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Value Creation Model To Build Value
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Value Creation Model
Built to Sell
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- Shareholder Value Magazine
Featured Article
- A primer on how to build a value creation model aimed at achieving the kind of
steady growth that attracts investors and future buyers of the business itself.
The key business attributes and how to create the most value in them are spelled out.
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If You Build It ...
Value Creation Model Shows Buyers Your Company's Worth
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- ABF Journal, Turnaround Corner
- The magazine for the commercial finance professional.
Determining Value is more art form than science. True value can only be established at the time
of a transaction, where a willing buyer tenders payment and a willing seller accepts it in exchange.
Valuing a company is the easy part; creating that value in the first place so you can measure it is
a more formidable task. A Value Creation Model can build worth into your company.
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Investing in Underperforming Distressed Troubled Companies
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Looking For The Exit:
An Approach To Investing in Underperforming Companies
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- Dow Jones Bankruptcy Review
Dow Jones & Company Newsletters
- Covering Key Issues and Events in Distressed Situations.
One of a series of opinion columns by leading bankruptcy participants.
Professionals guiding investors or looking to invest in underperforming companies
themselves should be aware of what to look for and how to execute.
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'Distressed Investing' Can Yield Healthy Returns for Savvy Backers
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- Baltimore Business Journal
- Mergers & Acquisitions Special Edition
Piecing The Deals Together
The first special publication devoted to Mergers & Acquisitions, BBJ set out to go behind the
deals that had the business community buzzing. BBJ solicited articles from the personalities
behind the art of the deal in Greater Baltimore.
John M. Collard, Chairman, Strategic Management Partners, Inc.
writes "Corporate renewal is a process. It involves using a set of skills to rejuvenate a
company to the state where it can be sold."
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Mining 'the Gold' in Troubled Companies
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- ABF Journal Magazine, Turnaround Corner
- The magazine for the commercial finance professional.
Investing in underperformers has become a more acceptable practice. It can be very profitable
if you know what to look for, how to execute, as many buyout firms are finding out. While simply stated,
yet tricky to implement, there is a rewarding process to provide results.
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Executive Leadership to Enhance Value
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Benefits of Interim Management
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Phases and Actions in the Turnaround Process
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Managing Turnarounds: Phases and Actions in the Turnaround Process
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- White Paper by John M. Collard
- The process of turning around a troubled entity is complex. This is made more difficult
and compounded by the multiple constituencies involved, all of whom have different agendas.
Lenders want a return of their invested capital, preferably with interest. Creditors want
their money in exchange for goods and services. Original investors want and hope for recovery
of their capital. While distressed investors want to buy in at 20 cents on the dollar, then
turn a profit; some by trading the credit, others by turning the business positive then selling.
Owners want to avoid guarantees and recoup some of their equity. Employees want their jobs
and benefits. Directors want to avoid risk and litigation. Other stakeholders want their
interests protected. These desires can often be at odds with other parties and hamper the effort.
We address the turnaround process as if all constituents are in favor of proceeding through to
the end, when a restructured entity emerges.
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Working With Turnaround Professionals To Preserve Value
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Work With Turnaround Professionals to Preserve Value
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- Lending and Risk Management News
- The Risk Management Association, formerly Robert Morris Associates; the official association representing
the commercial bankers across the United States. Working with turnaround professionals to improve and preserve value.
An overview of the process provides food for thought.
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Recover & Preserve Value:
Working Successfully With Turnaround Professionals
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Part 1, When is Specialist needed, how to hire
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Part 2, How Specialist operates, why firms hesitate hiring
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- ABF Journal, Turnaround Corner,
- The magazine for the commercial finance professional. Working with the turnaround professional
discusses when a specialist is needed, how to diagnose company trouble, how to hire and select a
turnaround specialist, how the specialist operates and forges an agreement, and sheds light on why
some businesses are leary of using these specialists.
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Part 2
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Turnaround Specialists Can Stave Off Financial Ruin
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- Baltimore Business Journal
- Banking & Finance Special Edition
The turnaround specialist should work himself out of a job to be most effective. A company's financial
problems often result from mismanagement. When existing management who lead the company into trouble,
doesn't have the skills to deal with crisis, a turnaround specialist may be needed.
John M. Collard, Chairman, Strategic Management Partners, Inc.
writes "The specialist offers a new set of eyes, skills and understanding of troubled situations to
independently evaluate a company's circumstances. Turnaround Specialists add value."
American City Business Journals syndicated this article to 42 cities nationwide.
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Working With Turnaround Professionals to Preserve Value
An Overview of the Profession
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- TMA Directory of Members and Services
- The Overview of the Profession section describes Working With Turnaround
Professionals. This section was written by John M. Collard.
While used 1992 - 1996, this section has been condensed in later versions,
many excerpts still are used. Excerpts are also being used as part of the
Training Course offered by TMA to teach Loan Officers the value of working
with turnaround professionals. Mr. Collard is an authorized instructor.
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Working with Turnaround Professionals
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- Commercial Loan Monitor
- Turnaround Pros: Who Are These Guys? An interview with John M. Collard on what to expect when working with turnaround professionals.
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Exit Strategies For Practice Owners: Cash Out Alternatives
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Defense Conversion — Strategies for Federal Government Contractors
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Defense Conversion, Myth or Mystery?
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- The Military Engineer Magazine
- A magazine for the engineering management professional. Transition between markets, from and to commercial,
international and federal, is complex business and must be handled by professionals who have been there before.
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How to Restructure a Defense Contractor
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- Successful Restructurings
- Turnaround Corner. Inside the Country's Top Turnaround Firms.
John Collard On: How To Restructure A Defense Contractor. From defense contractor
and part of 'Star Wars' to commercial integrator working to improve the environment. A case study yielding six-fold growth.
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Incentive-Based Management To Get Results
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Managing Employees Through Incentive Compensation
If You Want Results, Show Them The Money!
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- Fabricator Magazine
Official Publication of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, International.
- Provides a methodology to incentivize emploees based upon rewarding teamwork that produces results.
The ultimate goal of the methodology is to improve the equity value of the company. Incentives are based 50% on what
the employees are directly responsible for, 30% on how their performance other key elements of the business, and 20% on
their ability to improve equity value or other elements within their control.
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Show Them The Money:
A Case For Incentive-Based Management
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- Smart CEO Magazine
- A methodology to improve the equity value of the company. Incentives are based 50% on what
the employees are directly responsible for, 30% on how their performance other key elements of the business, and 20% on
their ability to improve equity value or other elements within their control.
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Incentive-Based Management
-- Show 'em the Money
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- Printing Impressions Magazine
- America's most influential and widely read publication for commercial printers. The magazine
focuses on informing the executive management in the industry.
This piece demostrates the importance of utilizing incentive compensation plans aimed at
accomplishing goals and directives to achieve results
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Set Strategy — Build Mission Statement for Direction
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Mission Possible:
Six Questions Your Mission Statement Should Answer
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- BMDO Update
- A quarterly publication of National Technology Transfer Center, formerly the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization.
The publication links American Businesses with Ballistic Missile Defense Technology.
Collard writes on the topic of preparing a mission statement to run a company to guide those who are
experts at mission statements to run Missile Defense.
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Sell To Customers In The Way They Want To Be Sold To
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Fast 50:
Focus On Retention Over New Customers
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- Baltimore Business Journal
- There are only two ways to grow revenue.
1) Sell new products and services to existing customers.
2) Sell existing products and services to new customers.
Most importantly is to sell to your customers in the way that they want to be sold to.
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Early Warning Signs of Companies Heading For Trouble
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Deathbed Businesses:
When a Business Stops Growing. It Starts Dying.
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- Baltimore & Washington Smart CEO Magazines
- Too often, companies die unnecessarily because most business leaders haven't learned to
recognize the symptoms of oncoming illness in their business. Leadership hasn't had to
deal with it in the past and is ill equipped when trouble sets in. • The
obvious signs of business trouble are rarely its root causes. The astute CEO recognizes
his infallibility and has the foresight to ask for help - before serious trouble
sets in. • If you can answer yes to some of these
questions, it is time to take decisive action. • John M. Collard
of Strategic Management Partners, Inc.
spells out some early warning signs of trouble.
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Is Your Company In Trouble?
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- The Corporate Board Magazine
- The Journal of Corporate Governance, for the directors of Fortune 1000 companies. There are early warning signs to
gauge corporate health, management effectiveness, and predict when a company is headed for trouble.
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Steering Clear of the Brink
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- The Journal of Private Equity
- Strategies and Techniques for Venture Investing. Published Quarterly by the Institutional Investor, Inc.
In looking at portfolio companies, John Collard notes that differences in leadership style can be an early warning sign of impending trouble.
In addition to leadership style, he notes 10 other common signs of difficulty.
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Presentations & Programs on Building Value and Investing
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Buying and Managing Distressed Companies
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- Thomson Venture Economics' Buyouts Symposium
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Buyouts Magazine is the newsletter for management buyouts,
leveraged acquisitions and special situations.
A Symposium Special Panel was moderated by John M. Collard, Chairman, Strategic Management Partners, Inc.
This article is excerted with permission from the panel discussion.
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Competition for Good Distressed Deals Is Intense
Investors Warn: Be Skeptical, Hands-On, Disciplined
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- The Journal of Corporate Renewal
Official Publication of the Turnaround Management Association,
the premier professional community dedicated to
corporate renewal and turnaround management.
- Excerpted with permission from "Buying and Managing Distressed Companies,"
a panel at Thomson Venture Economics' Buyouts Symposium.
The panel discussion was moderated by
John M. Collard, chairman of Strategic Management Partners, Inc.
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A Primer For Corporate Renewal
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- A Primer for Corporate Renewal
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Published by the Turnaround Management Association featuring pertinent articles to help turnaround practitioners,
consultants, private equity investors, bankers, lenders, and lawyers. Authors include: Tom Peters,
Abraham Zaleznik, Rosemary Bowes, Phyllis Gillis, Jack Butler, Richard Walters, John Collard and others.
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Western Turnaround Management and Equity Investing Techniques
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- World Bank, Economic Development Institute
- A course developed for World Bank to teach the Privatization Agency, Bankruptcy Agency officials, and industry leaders the way turnaround management and investing is carried on in the western world. A 'train the trainers' course now being delivered throughout Russia, the former USSR countries, and Central Europe.
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Select writing credits include Buyouts Magazine, Director’s Monthly, Directorship, The Corporate Board,
Private Company Director, Director's & Boards, Washington & Baltimore Smart CEO Magazine, InterimCEO News, InterimExecs News, Mergers & Acquisitions,
Venture Capital Guide, The Journal of Private Equity, Shareholder Value Magazine,
Valuation Issues Magazine, Strategic Finance Magazine, Financial Executive Magazine, Institutional Investor,
Commercial Law Bulletin, New Jersey Lawyer, Successful Restructurings, Dow Jones Bankruptcy Review, ABF Journal,
Printing Impressions Magazine, Print Profit Magazine, Military Engineer,
BMDO Update, Manage Magazine, Contract Management Magazine, The Fabricator,
Secured Lender, Lending and Risk Management News, RMA Journal,
Commercial Loan Monitor, Journal of Working Capital Management,
Journal of Business Strategy, Journal of Corporate Renewal, Turnaround Management Journal, among others.
In addition, we have been quoted or featured in the Wall Street Journal,
Washington Post, Baltimore Magazine, Baltimore Sun, Warfield’s Business Record,
The Daily Record, Washington and Baltimore Business Journals,
Gazette of Politics & Business, Success Magazine, Bloomberg Magazine, Europe Magazine, Bankruptcy Court
Decisions, International Treasurer, M & A Magazine, Turnaround & Workouts Magazine, ABF Journal, President&CEO, and others.
About the Firm
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Strategic Management Partners has
substantial experience advising corporations and individuals on the strategic
and mechanical issues of corporate development and governance, operating management and
turnarounds for asset recovery, and investing in and rebuilding underperforming companies.
Our principal has over 35 years experience in
P/L Management, Strategic Planning and Repositioning, M & A for Strategic
Advantage, Finance, Investing, Raising Funds, Sales/Business Development,
Building Selling and Marketing Teams, and Operational Auditing = In Public &
Private companies = In healthy and crisis situations.
We work with and support the equity capital community to provide assessment studies to determine
the situation, planning and strategy development to direct the company, crisis management to
oversee that assets are not squandered away, workout teams that recover assets, and board level
oversight to keep the client headed in the right direction.
We seek strategic alliances with private equity funds.
www.StrategicMgtPartners.com
www.StrategistLibrary.com
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Contact
We welcome constructive inquires. More information is available if required.
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Contact Information
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John M. Collard, Chairman
Strategic Management Partners, Inc.
522 Horn Point Drive
Annapolis, Maryland [MD] 21403
Voice 410-263-9100 Facsimile 410-263-6094 E-Mail
Strategist@aol.com
About the Principal
About the Expert
We serve as experts for comment or quote, please contact us at 410-263-9100

We welcome constructive inquires, please send via E-Mail to:
Strategist.

Copyright © 1990-2017
Strategic Management Partners, Inc.
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