As the economy surges into uncertainty, business owners are busy improving their production, while staying viable. Many owners are balancing their needs with budgetary concerns. In these tough times, hard choices must be made to keep pushing forward.
One idea some leaders consider involves locating savings within their business. That is not the easiest for several reasons, including time, where to start, and implementation. Given the alternative of either cutting services or staff, owners should be open to suggestions.
That is why Schooley Mitchell could be an asset. Their contingency-based business model investigates up to a dozen areas where cost reductions and/or savings could be realized. If they accomplish that, then the client and Schooley Mitchell share in the savings found. If the company is running efficiently, then there is no charge. While Schooley Mitchell operates nationally, individual franchises serve Rhode Island and neighboring states.
One Franchise Owner, Bryan Berry, said they are the “Corporate Robin Hood,” when it comes to finding money on expenses they already have.
“There are so many areas where businesses may be hemorrhaging money and they have no idea that they are,” he said. “Vendors may raise fees without the customers even knowing they did. Many executives don’t have the time to review contracts and documents to understand if they are losing money. We can come in and perform a no-cost deep dive analysis of their ‘pain points’ to identify where they can save money that could be put back into the business.”
Bryan Berry comes from a financial services and operations background, with more than two decades worth of experience in that field. Although that serves as his area of expertise, Bryan said his focus is on helping any company in any industry. His work over the past four years with Schooley Mitchell has aided business owners, non-profits, and public entities in discovering true savings after these deep dives are performed.
What sets Schooley Mitchell apart is two-fold. First, they have a team of other franchisees who are willing to collaborate when needed. Second, the home office comprises 130 employees that specialize in cost reduction and they keep all the work in house, as opposed to using third parties.
“We are a referral-based company,” Bryan said. “We can come in and provide much-needed assistance to companies by saving them both time and money. More often than not, we discover a significant amount of savings, on average 28%.”
Among the areas Schooley Mitchell looks over for cost savings include: shipping, merchant services, telecom, and waste management. There are others they focus on, but Bryan said these are often the categories where they find the most savings.
It’s not just Corporate America that can realize the importance of discovering found money right under their noses.
C.J. Smith recently came into the business about six months ago. He works with his parents, who bought a franchise one year ago. His focus is helping non-profit organizations, food pantries, and other like-minded businesses.
His motivation is simple: to help others.
“If I can find savings for the charity to help one person, or enough money to help 10 people, then that makes me happy,” he said. “For me, it’s about giving back and understanding what the business goals are and helping them reach their mission.”
Bryan and C.J. agree that with the current situation locally and nationally, they want to be resources for those companies that are struggling to address their bottom line. As budgets and profit margins get squeezed, choices will need to be made if certain market trends continue.
Bryan mentioned that brick-and-mortar companies need to weigh their current state of affairs.
“If you have an office or own a building, then you are going to be dealing with waste management, telephones, and potentially other categories we review. It’s important that your monthly expenses are where they should be.” he said.
Smith said that finding services that will advance the needs and wants of his clients is also a big motivation for him.
“If a charity or a food pantry can find ways to secure money, either through a grant or in some other fashion, then I am here for that,” C.J. said. “I want to become that type of person who can find ways of helping my clients get what they need, when they need it.”
Schooley Mitchell is the largest independent cost reduction consulting firm in North America, with offices from coast-to-coast in the United States and Canada. On average, they reduce essential business service expenses by 28 percent and have delivered over $500 million to 28,000 clients in documented savings, to date. Schooley Mitchell is your vendor watchdog!
Both Bryan and C.J. can work in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. They are both ready to help move businesses into the black and enable them to potentially branch out and expand.
For more information about their services, please contact them at the following:
Bryan Berry may be reached by phone at 781-427-9595. Or, by email at bryan.berry@schooleymitchell.com.
C.J. Smith may be reached by phone at 508-241-2621. Or, by email at cj.smith@schooleymitchell.com.
Find more details by visiting their website at: https://www.schooleymitchell.com/.
