EvaluSys - Articles #management best-practicesEvaluSys - Articles #management best-practiceshttps://www.evalusys.com/blogs/tag/management-best-practicesWed, 28 Oct 2026 05:45:15 -0700http://zoho.com/sites/<![CDATA[When Your Business Bloodwork Comes Back Outside the Normal Range]]>https://www.evalusys.com/blogs/post/Business_BloodworkWhat if your business “bloodwork” came back outside the normal range? Don’t ignore it, and don’t prescribe a solution before understanding why. See how EvaluSys diagnostics can turn warning signs into informed action.]]>
Review of Business Wellness Checkup

Most of us understand the value of an annual physical. We may feel perfectly healthy, yet our doctor still orders bloodwork because important health conditions do not always announce themselves with obvious symptoms. A blood panel provides objective markers that can reveal something worthy of attention before it develops into a more serious problem. The same principle applies to the health of a business. The EvaluSys Business Wellness Checkup™ gives business owners and their advisors a structured way to look beneath day-to-day symptoms and identify business functions showing meaningful indications of weakness.

This idea is a natural evolution of an analogy I wrote about in November 2010, when I compared business diagnostics to the check-engine light in an automobile. The central message of that original 2010 article remains just as relevant today: an indicator tells us that something deserves attention, but an indicator is not necessarily a diagnosis. In medicine, when a physician sees a blood value substantially outside the normal range, the prudent response is rarely to guess at the underlying problem and immediately prescribe a remedy. Further testing is commonly needed to determine what is actually happening, understand its significance, and choose an appropriate course of action.

That is precisely where the EvaluSys Business Wellness Diagnostic Series™ comes into play. When a Business Wellness Checkup™ identifies substantial indications of weakness in one or more business functions, the next logical step is deeper diagnostic examination. Rather than jumping from a symptom or weak score directly to a solution, an EvaluSys Business Advisor Member can use the Diagnostic Series to help investigate what may be contributing to the condition. 

For existing EvaluSys Business Advisor Members, this bloodwork analogy can be a particularly useful way to explain the value of further diagnostics to clients and prospects. A responsible physician would not ignore an abnormal marker, nor assume that the marker alone provides enough information for treatment. Likewise, significant weakness revealed by a Business Wellness Checkup™ creates an opportunity for an advisor to say, in effect, "We have identified a marker that deserves attention. Now let's examine it more closely before deciding what should be done." That conversation can reposition the Business Wellness Diagnostic Series™ from an optional assessment to a prudent next step in an informed business-improvement process.

For business advisors who are not yet EvaluSys members, the same model illustrates an important professional opportunity. Effective advisors add value not simply by recommending solutions, but by improving the quality of the diagnosis that precedes those recommendations. EvaluSys provides advisors with a structured diagnostic approach for moving a client conversation from general concerns to more focused examination of business-management functions. Advisors interested in incorporating these capabilities into their practices can review EvaluSys membership options.

And for business owners, the takeaway is simple: don't wait for the business equivalent of a medical emergency before looking at the markers. Ask your business advisor about the EvaluSys Business Wellness Checkup™ and, when the results reveal functions with substantial indications of weakness, ask whether the Business Wellness Diagnostic Series™ should be the next step. Good health, whether personal or organizational, begins with knowing what deserves attention. Better decisions begin with understanding why.



Learn more about Business Management Evaluations
Learn more about EvaluSys Membership Plans
Register as an EvaluSys Business Advisor Member
]]>Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:57:46 -0400<![CDATA[EvaluSys Thought Leadership Series - The Hidden Cost of AI Dependence]]>https://www.evalusys.com/blogs/post/the-hidden-cost-of-ai-dependenceArtificial intelligence can drive significant efficiency and growth, but businesses that become dependent on AI capabilities they do not own or control may introduce new operational, financial, and strategic risks.]]>
Hidden cost of AI Dependence Cover

Artificial intelligence is transforming the way businesses operate, but what happens when a company becomes dependent on AI capabilities it does not own or control?


As part of the EvaluSys Thought Leadership Series, The Hidden Cost of AI Dependence: How the Rush to AI Adoption May Put Business Viability at Risk examines the often-overlooked risks of AI dependence, including vendor lock-in, loss of organizational capability, margin pressure, and threats to long-term business value. The paper offers practical strategies for building AI resilience while continuing to benefit from innovation.


Authored by EvaluSys CEO, Tom Bixby, the paper challenges the assumption that rapid AI adoption is an unqualified competitive advantage. The paper argues that while AI can dramatically improve productivity, businesses risk becoming dependent on external intelligence they do not own or control, creating vulnerabilities similar to owner dependence, supplier concentration, or key-employee risk. It explains why access to multiple AI vendors does not automatically eliminate this exposure, explores the difference between technical portability and true business-outcome portability, and outlines the operational, financial, and strategic risks that can emerge when AI becomes embedded in critical processes. Most importantly, it provides practical guidance for building AI resilience by preserving business knowledge, maintaining human capability, qualifying alternative models, and ensuring the company remains viable, valuable, and transferable even if the source, behavior, availability, or economics of AI changes.

The Hidden Cost of AI Dependence was written as an educational resource for business owners, and their advisors. Its purpose is to encourage business owners to adopt AI with the same discipline they apply to other critical business dependencies.


Download the Full White Paper
]]>Tue, 29 Sep 2026 11:14:19 -0400<![CDATA[EvaluSys Thought Leadership Series - The 5-10 Year Exit Advantage]]>https://www.evalusys.com/blogs/post/The_5-10_Year_Exit_AdvantageThe 5-10 Year Exit Advantage, part of the EvaluSys Thought Leadership Series, explores why successful business transitions require 5 to 10 years of preparation. The paper highlights how early planning increases options, strengthens value, and improves outcomes for both owners and their businesses.]]>

Many business owners assume they can begin serious exit planning two or three years before leaving their business. In practice, however, the most successful transitions often result from preparation that begins much earlier.


As part of the EvaluSys Thought Leadership Series, The 5-10 Year Exit Advantage: Why the Best Outcomes Take Time explores why value growth, leadership development, succession readiness, risk reduction, tax strategies, and personal transition planning all operate on timelines that are difficult to compress. Enterprise value is not created when an initiative is launched. It emerges after organizational adoption, performance improvement, and sustained results have been demonstrated over time. Likewise, owners often need years, not months, to thoughtfully prepare for their own next chapter.


The paper's central premise is simple:

Exit success is not a transaction executed at the end of the journey. It is the outcome of decisions, investments, and preparation that occur years before a transition takes place.

The paper examines:

  • Why late-stage planning often limits options and increases execution risk.
  • The realistic time horizons required for common value growth initiatives.
  • The often-overlooked personal dimensions of transition planning.
  • Tax and financial strategies that require years of advance preparation.
  • How business readiness and personal readiness should progress together.


This paper was written as an educational resource for business owners, and their advisors. Its purpose is to encourage earlier conversations, better-informed decision-making, and greater awareness of the advantages created when time remains an ally rather than an adversary. While the paper is published as part of the EvaluSys Thought Leadership Series, its focus is on advancing understanding of long-horizon transition planning and supporting the broader exit planning community.


Download the Full White Paper
]]>Wed, 26 Aug 2026 10:05:53 -0400<![CDATA[EOS Pilot Participant Experience]]>https://www.evalusys.com/blogs/post/eos-pilot-experienceTwo participants in the EvaluSys EOS Pilot share the experiences they and their clients had using EvaluSys.]]>

On April 4th, 2024, EvaluSys CEO Tom Bixby recorded a conversation with two EvaluSys EOS Pilot participants, discussing the experiences they and their clients had using EvaluSys. 


"A great way to unlock hidden issues that the leadership team isn't even thinking about."

"S.W.O.T. on steroids." 

- Nick Whitney, EOS Implementer


"There's value to any industry, any company..."

"It's a great way to get that integrator and the visionary on the same page."

"I could see [EvaluSys] being powerful as an onboarding tool for new Integrators, whether it's an internal one or someone brought in from the outside."

 - John Merrill, EOS Integrator


Learn all about the experience Nick Whitney and John Merrill had using EvaluSys with their clients by viewing the video below.


Learn more about the EvaluSys EOS Pilot
]]>Mon, 08 Apr 2024 10:00:44 -0400<![CDATA[Retailer Reinvigorated!!]]>https://www.evalusys.com/blogs/post/retailer-reinvigorated
This article, originally posted by Level Management Partners in 2015, illustrates how EvaluSys tools are used to deliver value to business owners.


One of the CEOs who attended The Entrepreneurship Institute’s (TEI) Charlotte President's Forum event in December 2012 owned a chain of retail stores. This was the second business venture for Frank, the company owner. In 2005, Frank sold his first company for a handsome profit.  He and his wife had the financial security needed to retire comfortably.  Like many successful entrepreneurs, they found retirement to be boring and purchased a struggling Charlotte retail operation in 2007.

Frank quickly turned around the struggling $3mm retail business and made a profit in 2008.  He knew there were other opportunities to purchase similar unprofitable businesses and by 2012 Frank had 4 profitable locations in three southeastern states doing $13mm in revenue.  Unfortunately, day to day management of the business took a heavy toll on Frank.  It wasn't fun anymore and Frank contemplated selling the company and giving retirement another try.

After registering for the TEI President's Forum, Frank invested 15 minutes taking the Business Wellness Checkup™, a service TEI offers nationwide through a strategic alliance with EvaluSys® and Level Management Partners.  Frank found the Checkup results to be quite interesting and signed up for a Checkup Review meeting facilitated by Tom Bixby, President of Level Management Partners and founder of EvaluSys®.

During the hour long Checkup Review meeting, Tom and Frank discussed the top strategic goals for Frank and his company, reviewed Frank's progress against those goals, and focused attention on Checkup-diagnosed issues likely to be barriers to meeting Frank's goals.  Several critical issues were exposed, and Frank decided to hire Level Management Partners to perform a deeper diagnostic examination using the EvaluSys® Business Wellness Diagnostic Series™.

Frank was extremely busy and was concerned the diagnostic process would take up a great deal of his valuable time.  Tom tailored the program to Frank's needs by spreading the diagnostic series out over a 5 week period, prioritizing the evaluation to focus on the most urgent issues first.  This ensured that Frank would need to allocate no more than 3 hours per week to the program.

The Diagnostic Series examined management practices in Executive Leadership, Business Planning, Financial Planning & Control, Human Resources, Management / Supervision, Exit Planning, Marketing, Sales, Product/Service Innovation and Business Process Quality.  Tom reached out to members of his local Business Wellness Advisor Network to invite them to participate as subject-matter experts as Frank and Tom reviewed evaluation results during weekly review meetings.  The Network advisors who sat in on the review meetings did an excellent job helping Frank understand the implications of the diagnostic results, the relative urgency of taking action and possible solutions to identified problems.  Frank liked what he heard from the Network advisors and asked for their help in implementing the needed solutions.

After the 5 week program was completed, Frank had gained renewed enthusiasm for his business.  He had a clear vision for what needed to be done and had the expert resources identified to make it happen.  He has great confidence in his ability to grow the business to over $50mm in revenue within 5 years and is excited to see that vision realized.

This amazing transformation began when Frank invested 15 minutes taking the Business Wellness Checkup! 

Learn more about the Business Wellness Checkup




]]>Sun, 24 Jun 2012 13:21:00 -0400<![CDATA[Swing The Hammer!]]>https://www.evalusys.com/blogs/post/swing-the-hammer
If you want to drive a nail, you have to swing the hammer!

A hammer is a useful tool to drive nails, but it can't do it on its own.  You have to take action.  Pick up the hammer.  Yes, you do have to take aim at your targeted nail head, but aiming alone won't get it done.  You have to swing that hammer!

At EvaluSys, we're thankful to have developed a strong community of Business Advisor members since we launched back in July 2009.  They became EvaluSys members because they understood the necessity of identifying a client's core management issues before prescribing a course of action.  The EvaluSys Business Evaluation™ has proven to be an effective tool to quickly and reliably diagnose a broad range of management issues, saving time and money for both clients and advisors.

Following the hammer analogy, Advisor members must act to use EvaluSys management diagnostics with their clients before that tool can help them be more effective in improving business results, for both their clients and for their own advisory practice.  Registering as a Business Advisor Member is like picking up the hammer.  It's a great start!  If you are a business advisor of any flavor and you haven't registered at EvaluSys.com, you should begin there.

The next step would be to take aim. For EvaluSys, that could mean examining your current client list looking for any where you suspect they haven't reached their full potential. Advisor members have begun to employ the Business Wellness Checkup™ as a way to take aim at the management areas of general concern, and to identify clients who could benefit most from further diagnostic assessment.
 
Then it is time to swing the hammer and use the Business Evaluation process to identify business improvement opportunities for review with your clients.  Diagnostic results will provide you with a list of suggested actions, supported by valuable insights on how the issue may be impacting the client business and potential benefits of taking action.

If you are a business advisor who is looking for ways to inject new life into your advisory practice or your client's business, take action!  Swing the hammer!  Use the EvaluSys Business Evaluation™, providing valuable insight that is making a profound difference for companies across the United States and beyond. 
]]>Sun, 24 Jun 2012 13:21:00 -0400<![CDATA[EvaluSys for CPA Firms]]>https://www.evalusys.com/blogs/post/evalusys-for-cpa-firms
Two key concerns common to CPA firms are client retention and having consistent and diverse revenue streams. For many, introducing business advisory services is a solution to both concerns. Yet many firms are slow to adopt these new services because they are uncomfortable transitioning to the "Trusted Business Advisor (TBA)" role with clients.

In a May 2012 article in the Journal of Accountancy (click to read), AICPA's Lindsey Ferguson lists many benefits of becoming a TBA, including improved relationships, client referrals, consistent revenue and more.  Lindsey also speaks to the challenges associated with transitioning to the TBA role.

At EvaluSys, we help CPA firms successfully transition to the TBA role by providing diagnostic tools to identify and describe critical management issues impacting client business performance. Our suite of fully hosted management diagnostics will expose a broad spectrum of advisory service needs ranging from Business Exit readiness to Product / Service Innovation. EvaluSys opens up a whole new channel for engaging and retaining business clients, driving advisory services growth while minimizing selling costs.

When used as an integrated part of your client engagement process, EvaluSys will help you:
  • Ask the right questions to reveal critical business issues impacting client profitability and goal achievement
  • Maintain a consistent and repeatable discovery process to ensure a outstanding client experience
  • Become a vital partner in your client's future success
  • Uncover important client needs you can satisfy directly or indirectly through your network of referral partner


The diagnostic tools offered by EvaluSys help CPA firms make the transition from tax and accounting service provider to trusted advisor easily by using the Business Wellness Checkup™ to identify general areas of improvement opportunity.
  • Simple set up - even simpler to use with clients
  • BWC serves as the conversation starter
  • Diagnostic results serve as a call-to-action for clients
  • Natural progression into deeper diagnostic examination as a billable advisory service.

If you would like more information about EvaluSys diagnostic tools and how they can help a CPA firm transition to a trusted advisor role, please visit EvaluSys.com.

]]>Sun, 24 Jun 2012 13:21:00 -0400