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Business Solutions
Every business faces problems. We're here to help solve them.
Over the past three decades, we have customized consulting services designed to drive growth, improve efficiency, and optimize financial performance. From strategic planning to cash management, we work with business owners to define actionable goals, maintain liquidity, achieve long-term financial stability, and deliver results.
Our services include financial reporting, market analysis, pricing strategies, and treasury operations that enable businesses to make data-driven decisions, enhance profitability, and mitigate financial risks. We manage projects, optimize business processes, improve budgeting, streamline operations, maximize productivity, plan for capital investments, conduct cost-benefit analysis, and oversee reorganizations.
Whatever your business needs, we’re here to help you succeed.
Check out some of the ways we've helped organizations accomplish their goals
Improving productivity and quality control at a cash-management company
BUSINESS PROBLEM: The operational division of a cash-management company was looking to improve productivity and assure quality control across the services it provided in a large metropolitan region.
SOLUTIONS: We were hired to assist the operational director and managers with reviewing and optimizing procedures and processes, breaking down costs and identifying areas for improvements. We created a plan, redesigned work flows, and devised better ways of delivering quality services.
ASSIGNMENT: 18 months
RESULTS: We updated, standardized, and implemented new procedures and processes that addressed the issues the organization was facing at the outset of the project. Productivity improved. There was a marked decline in repetitive errors, and quality was assured for clients, leading to fewer complaints and greater customer satisfaction.View more details...Running a telecoms infrastructure project from start to finish
BUSINESS PROBLEM: An infrastructure contractor for one of the world’s largest telecommunications firms needed a financial/management professional to run operations as part of a multi-year contract it had won to build dozens of cell phone towers, from site acquisition to delivery of fully functional units.
SOLUTIONS: This assignment began by helping the owners set up a special purpose entity and finalize contract negotiations to set milestones, disbursements, and cash flow expectations. We oversaw staffing, which entailed hiring a rotating team of 40 subcontractors from eight countries who worked on the phases of this multiyear project. We managed back-office staff, bank and investment accounts, and worked with lawyers and accountants, signing off on payroll, taxes, and contracts. We set up and oversaw a financial control system, with continuous reporting to both the telecoms carrier and the contractor’s owners. At the end of the project, we wound down operations, terminated contracts, and wrapped up loose ends.
ASSIGNMENT: 5 years
RESULTS: We successfully completed the project, building and delivering all the cell phone towers on time and on budget.View more details...Evaluating startups and projects for investment
BUSINESS PROBLEM: A growing asset management firm needed on-demand assistance in evaluating startups and projects for investment.
SOLUTIONS: This project involved working directly with the firm's owner and principal investors on devising and implementing methods for investment decisions, looking at product/service viability, potential for innovation, market size, the competition, barriers to entry, among numerous other factors. We also assisted the firm when they received proposals by reviewing business plans, financial statements, funding needs and more, focusing on ROI, exit strategies, and risk management.
ASSIGNMENT: 3 years
RESULTS: We analyzed dozens of proposals using repeatable procedures, with a consistent strategy in mind. The firm was able to determine its acceptable level of risk, its expected return on investment, and feel confident about its decision-making within a given set of parameters.View more details...Improving cash management and financial control at a nonprofit organization
BUSINESS PROBLEM: A nonprofit organization needed help with treasury functions, including financial control, financial procedures, fundraising, and cash management
SOLUTIONS: This assignment began with a review of current processes and procedures to determine where improvements could be made to financial control and cash management. We developed a plan with the organization’s directors to upgrade software, standardize procedures, and improve reporting capabilities. We then worked together on strategies for fundraising and better cash flow.
ASSIGNMENT: 14 months
RESULTS: With better financial information at their disposal, the Board of Directors was able to plan and budget better, improving the organization’s overall health. The year after we implemented the new fundraising strategy, donations rose by nearly 15%.View more details...Helping a family-run building materials factory professionalize and grow
BUSINESS PROBLEM: A family-run building materials factory needed assistance with updating its financial control systems, improving profitability, expanding its export capacities, and marketing its products internationally.
SOLUTIONS: Working directly with the owners and key staff members, the first multi-year project with the factory involved reorganizing the company’s finances, implementing new financial software, improving cash flow, and analyzing product pricing and profitability. After the financial success of this first assignment, they asked for help developing and implementing a strategic plan to expand their exports to multiple countries.
ASSIGNMENT: 7 years
RESULTS: The company shifted its financial control from a paper-based system to hybrid digital procedures, increasing efficiency and enabling much better reporting, which led to better decision-making. Cash flow improved by optimizing invoicing/collections, including automated reminders. Better financial control allowed for more accurate costing on manufactured products, which helped refine pricing and boost profitability. The company also secured new business for exports to multiple countries.View more details...Translation & Language Services
Doing work in Spanish or Portuguese?
We've got you covered.
We provide ATA-certified translations, editing, proofreading, and professional writing in Portuguese, Spanish, and English. Since the 1990s, we have been translating, editing, and delivering nearly one million words a year for international law firms, major banks, multilateral agencies, leading universities, and dozens of organizations of all sizes around the world.
From contracts to reports, websites to correspondence, and everything in between, we produce the highest quality available on the market. When you need something done right the first time, you can count on us.
Beyond conventional translation, we also copy edit academic articles and provide cultural coaching to help clients reach target audiences. In addition, we work closely with organizations as they select and deploy appropriate language technology and artificial intelligence (AI) tools.
Contact us today to find out how we can assist you.
About Us
We are business-oriented problem solvers.
Whether improving cash flow, managing projects, developing strategies, communicating in multiple languages, or optimizing internal processes, we can help. Over the past 25+ years, we have developed and implemented solutions for major banks, law firms, retailers/wholesalers, think tanks, telecoms outfits, universities, multilateral agencies, small businesses, and a whole host of other organizations. We pinpoint issues, listen to concerns, then deploy appropriate solutions.
The firm is led by John M. Milan, M.Sc., an economist, business owner, financial/management consultant, certified translator, editor, and frequent lecturer. Mr. Milan is a former adjunct professor of economics who has provided consulting, advisory, project management, and language services to organizations and individuals in over 20 countries. He works in-person with local businesses in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area, as well as remotely with clients around the world.
Allison (Ali) Milan is a senior project manager, translator/interpreter, and North Carolina licensed general contractor. Known for her troubleshooting skills, Ms. Milan excels at identifying problems, diagnosing concerns, and implementing practical solutions. For more than two decades, she has managed projects in multiple languages for clients ranging from international law firms to local small businesses, ensuring high quality deliveries on time and under budget.
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