What You'll Need
Think of this as organizing your financial desk before an important meeting. You don't need everything perfect, but having these basics sorted saves time and helps us spot opportunities faster.
Recent Financial Statements
Grab your last six months of operating statements. We need to see where money comes in and goes out. Don't worry if they're not polished — rough numbers work fine as long as they're honest.
Current Budget Structure
How do you split costs today? Marketing, operations, payroll, rent — whatever your categories are. Even a simple spreadsheet listing your monthly allocations helps us understand your baseline.
Business Context Details
Tell us about your industry, team size, revenue range, and growth goals. This context shapes everything. A retail shop and a consulting firm need totally different benchmarks, even if their budgets look similar on paper.
Key Spending Questions
Where do you feel unsure about spending? Maybe marketing feels expensive but results are unclear. Or maybe operational costs keep creeping up without explanation. Knowing your pain points helps us focus the analysis.
Access to Records
You'll need someone who can pull financial data quickly during our work together. Could be you, your accountant, or a finance team member. Just someone who knows where the numbers live and can clarify details when needed.
Realistic Expectations
Benchmarking reveals patterns, not magic fixes. It shows how your spending compares to similar businesses and where adjustments might help. Come ready to ask questions and explore options rather than expecting instant answers.
Why This Preparation Matters
Better Data Means Better Decisions
Over the years, we've seen how preparation quality directly affects results. When clients show up with organized data, we can move past surface-level observations and dig into what actually drives their spending patterns.
One manufacturing client came to us with three years of detailed expense tracking. Within two weeks, we identified that their equipment maintenance costs were running 40% above industry norms — not because they were wasteful, but because their vendor contracts hadn't been reviewed since the company started. Simple oversight, significant impact.
- Complete financial picture helps spot unusual patterns quickly
- Industry context ensures comparisons make practical sense
- Clear questions guide analysis toward useful insights
- Quick data access speeds up the entire process
Ready to Start?
We're here to help you through the process
Whether you've got everything lined up or need guidance on what to gather first, reach out. We'll walk through what makes sense for your specific situation and get you set up for a productive benchmarking session.
Get in Touch