Client: Outsourced Manufacturing Company

Need: Business plan upgrade, marketing materials to attract investors and quarterly financial projections

Background: A successful and growing outsource manufacturing firm was looking for new funding to support its growth. The company had a first-draft business plan and had hired an advisor to analyze its business and develop both a new marketing strategy for the company and to assist in sourcing the new investment funds. The business plan needed to be re-written to better present the company's case and to add important material. In addition, the original writer spoke English as a second language, so much of the text needed to be re-written to read more smoothly to the native speaker. Both for internal planning and in order to meet the needs of potential investors and/or lenders, the company also needed quarterly financial projections reflecting the expected results of any newly invested funds.

Solution: At the request of the advisor and the company, Appleseed Consulting

· re-wrote the company's business plan, incorporating material provided by the advisor;

· created a stand-alone Executive Summary "teaser" to briefly introduce potential investors to the opportunity;

· created a web site for potential investors to privately access the business plan, articles about the industry, press releases, historical financial data and financial projections; and

· created a three-year, quarterly financial projection model based on the company's operating forecasts. The model provided three sets of quarterly balance sheets, cash flow statements and income statements based on three different "cases," each with their own assumption sets.

With these items, the company had the tools it needed to move forward with its process of finding the funding it needed to help it grow.

Client: Emerging Filmmaker

Need: Web site presenting the filmmaker's vision

Background: A young filmmaker wanted a web site to make her films accessible to a broader audience and to form a foundation for building her community of fans and collaborators.

Solution: Appleseed Consulting located a low-cost, overseas web site designer able to work with the filmmaker's limited budget and acted as the liaison to ensure that the final site reflected the client's vision and wishes. A year later, when the filmmaker desired a more elaborate site, Appleseed Consulting located a sophisticated domestic designer to realize her vision. Check out the results at www.aurbanproductions.com.

Client: Wireless Computer Product Manufacturer

Need: Recruit Interim Vice President Operations in uncertain environment

Background: A successful company manufacturing wireless computer products was making certain strategic decisions about the future direction of the company. In the meantime, it needed a top-notch Vice President Operations right away to keep the business running smoothly during a period of potential strategic change.

Solution: Appleseed Consulting conducted a low-cost recruiting search process on behalf of the company using web-based recruiting resources. The process involved assisting with development of an effective job description, posting the position on appropriate sites, reviewing all submitted resumes, narrowing the field of candidates, conducting screening interviews by phone, arranging in-person interviews with the most qualified candidates, making reference check phone calls and assuring a smooth offer-letter/formal hiring process when the top choice candidate was identified and successfully hired. The entire process took just over a month and cost the client significantly less than a traditional recruiting firm would have charged.

Examples of other recruiting successes:

Client: Non-Profit Museum

Need: Interim Executive Director

Background: A beloved, modest-sized museum needed an Interim Executive Director to help it develop and set the organization on the path of implementing a strategic overhaul of the museum's operations and programs. The Board had already spent significant sums working with other executive search firms, but had not succeeded in filling the post. With extremely limited funds, it still had a critical position to fill.

Solution: Appleseed helped the museum fill the post within weeks within their budget.

Client: Lighting Systems Manufacturer

Need: Systems Sales Engineer

Background: A high-quality, excellence-oriented manufacturer of lighting systems in Northern California needed a unique individual with superior electrical engineering expertise, the personality of a great salesperson and experience working with products very similar to their lighting systems. Few candidates met the company's demanding criteria and they were getting frustrated with the time-consuming, self-directed search.

Solution: Appleseed Consulting located a successful candidate in Southern California who was willing to move to Northern California and join the company.

Client: Wireless Accessory Manufacturer

Need: Evaluate and create action plan for revitalization of core sales channel

Background: A wireless accessory manufacturer was transforming from an early stage organizaton under the direction of entrepreneurial founders to a more mature company with professional management under the direction of the private equity firm that had acquired the company. Market factors and internal issues were challenging the company's historical core sales channel. The company's new CEO wanted an in-depth understanding of issues facing the business unit and an action plan for revitalizing it in the new internal and external environment.

Solution: Appleseed Consulting conducted interviews with each member of the sales group and its manager, investigated all the issues raised by the team members and analyzed sales and commission data from all the group's clients. Based on the information gathered and analyzed, a detailed action plan was presented to the company's management team, which successfully used the information to address the many challenges facing the group.

at consulting@appleseedconsult.com or call us at 818.718.6000.