Our Approach

At The Schatten Group, our approach combines our business experience with your knowledge of your business to produce the most favorable outcomes.

CAPABILITIES

• Providing Strategy and Direction – Success begins with the proper strategy and a clear direction. The most profitable companies, successful sports franchises and effective militaries have a clear strategy and their organizations are working together in the same direction.

• Planning – All strategies require continual planning to seize new opportunities and eliminate unforeseen dangers. Dwight Eisenhower, who oversaw arguably the greatest military campaign in history, said “Planning is everything”. Without consistent attention to updating plans, you risk being beat by the competition, overwhelmed by technological or other change or simply not being able to achieve your goals.

• Driving Personnel Development – Neither an accomplished CEO, the coach of the year nor a highly decorated General can beat the competition without the proper team in place. From hiring the right people, getting them properly trained, continually motivating them and allowing them to excel, there are proven processes you can put in place to increase your odds of hiring, developing and retaining the best available people.

• Developing Meaningful Financial and Other Information to Run Your Business – It has been said that information is power. We would add that information is power only if properly used. Having the proper information at your fingertips allows you to measure, monitor and control your business, seize opportunities as they arise and adjust course when necessary. Confidence comes with decision making that is supported by timely, relevant data.

• Business Process Improvement and Business Process Automation – The most efficient and effective organizations utilize best business practices and take advantage of opportunities to automate. The Schatten Group uses a measurement-based approach to proactively and continuously gather and analyze information to optimize your performance. We engage your staff in process improvement initiatives from concept to delivery, including training, and develop metrics which drive financial and operational outcomes. Business process automation is selectively used to assist in increasing product or service quality, improving delivery systems, and/or containing costs.

HOW WE WORK WITH YOU: THE SCHATTEN GROUP DIFFERENCE

Our Mission – We work jointly with clients to develop and implement an achievable corporate plan, that is clearly articulated, measurable and modifiable to meet evolving business conditions and unforeseen obstacles. Our efforts can be throughout all stages of the process or at select times. The Schatten Group utilizes time tested concepts to achieve a successful outcome for its valued clientele.

• Conceptualize – What is your strategy? Which direction are you heading? One of our greatest attributes is our ability to work with you to identify your most pressing dangers, your greatest opportunities and the strengths you have to eliminate the dangers and seize the opportunities. With this information, we collaborate with you to develop a highly actionable strategy and plan.

• Implement – Many of the grandest strategies and most brilliant of plans gather dust in the CEO’s desk drawer. We will work with you as needed to ensure that your strategy and plans are implemented. We don’t walk away when the strategy and plan is developed. We assist you as needed with implementation throughout your organization. This may include training personnel in new processes, hiring key staff, interpreting financial information or optimizing newly developed business processes.

• Measure, Monitor and Control – It is critical that plans are measured, monitored and controlled and adjustments are made as circumstances change.

• CEO Accountability – Who holds you accountable? You have many responsibilities. To your family. To your business. To your employees. You may be involved in a charitable organization. You want to attend to your health while at the same time you need to make payroll every week. All of these responsibilities take up your time and challenge your focus. The Schatten Group will hold you accountable. We will listen to you and we will say the things that need to be said to keep you on course so that you can fulfill your responsibilities to your company and yourself.

About Our Founder

Alan Schatten began his career as a CPA, but found the lines of a balance sheet too narrow a focus. His entrepreneurial spirit led him to work in and with a wide variety of industries; that experience formed the basis for the techniques and tools we use to help successful business owners to grow or sell their business.

A Partnering Relationship

We don’t presume that we know more about your business than you do. We don’t presume that we’re smarter than you. You’ve already achieved great success with your business. The objective is to build on your proven track record of success to help you achieve your next goal.

What Our Clients Say

“In the early nineties my partner and I purchased a struggling marine supply wholesale distributor on Long Island. Soon after, we met Alan Schatten and hired him as our accountant. In a relatively short period of time, we realized Alan was not just about putting numbers in columns. Alan quickly learned the internal workings of our company – payroll, inventory, personnel, cash flow, sales and marketing, profit margins, and our competition. Alan became our adviser and confidante, forcing us to take time to step away from our hands on, day to day grind and focus on the big picture details as we grew our company.” [Read More]