Fairbanks Consulting
Fairbanks Consulting provides one-on-one consulting services with business owners and principals to increase the health and prosperity of their enterprise. Successful businesses are built on strong fundamentals, a clear understanding of the road ahead, and a constant commitment to “better.”
Capabilities
In my own words...
Every business is unique, of course. But, in my experience, they all ask variations of the same basic question: What is the best way to sell more product or service and be more profitable? In principle, the answer is simple enough. They need to remove unnecessary distractions from the daily operations. They need to determine which products make money — and what doesn’t. Finally, they need to find ways to refine their offerings, streamline their processes, and achieve a position of strength.
Organizational Transition
- Planning for acquisition
- Preparing for the eventual sale of the business
- Identifying leadership and changes to the traditional, long-term CEO position
Strategy & Culture
- Developing a company-wide understanding of “the business we’re in”
- Creating buy-in through communication, goal setting and leadership
- Identifying culture as a competitive advantage
Growth
- The recognition that growth is imperative to organizational health
- Creating an internal expectation of growth
- Determining sound growth opportunities and the assets necessary to assure a successful effort
Endorsements
Over the past decade, IPC Global Solutions has sought expert advice from business leaders across industries to provide guidance and insight into successfully growing our business. During this time, we had the opportunity to be connected to extraordinary business leaders. One such leader, Dick Fairbanks, has been a valuable addition to our Board of Advisors, and I recommend him without hesitation as an advisor, consultant, and business leader.
In addition to helping us identify business improvement opportunities, Dick has been a key sounding board for sales, sales development, business culture, financial strategy, and more. His financial acumen is excellent, and he asks thought-provoking questions to drive actionable changes, which have improved our business. I am confident Dick’s background, skillset, and affability can lead to significant contributions to businesses of all sizes and in a broad set of markets.
Dick is one of the smartest and most intuitive people I know. He can analyze cash flows, investment returns, and business valuations faster than just about anyone I know. But unlike most number crunchers, he also genuinely understands the human aspects behind a business. Dick is an engaged and clear-headed leader, who understands his role and who will respect yours. He’s a great listener who asks great questions. He can force you to stop and think. He’ll tell it like it is. He’ll challenge you to consider positions you might never have even thought of. This might take some people out of their comfort zone, but Dick knows that mental exercises like these are necessary to advancing meaningful change.
Over the past 20 years, Dick Fairbanks has shared his business acumen with many non-profit organizations. I was very fortunate he chose to make a major leadership commitment to the Cape and Islands United Way. Dick was consistently the voice that brought us to deliver the most Tender Loving Care to our clients. He urged us to focus on using our respective business skills: Marketing, PR, Financial Management, Service Delivery, and Fundraising.
For many years, Dick worked with an organization in transition that experienced periods of leadership changes. He was instrumental in maintaining consistency in all facets of the business while recognizing the importance of accommodating changes in volunteer and staff talents. Dick fosters a sense of teamwork, leadership and commitment in a very professional and caring way.Dick Fairbanks had created a valuable business in Orleans Auto Supply. When it came time to sell his company, Dick chose our firm to represent him. Over the years, we’ve facilitated hundreds of similar transactions — and we found Dick to be one of the better-prepared and more insightful sellers that we’ve ever worked with. The quality of his work during the deal process was a significant contribution to our ultimate success. I’m confident that Dick’s energy and insight would be valuable to any principal who is considering a major shift in the direction of his or her enterprise.
