Clients Reviews/Testimonials

Tough, Diligent, understanding, and Unforgiving

Our twelve-year-old company had finally caught some traction. The next two years would bring double the revenue of what we were used to, I was finally a brand name! With our success, came challenges. Our team, systems, processes, nothing in our company was set up to handle the anticipated growth. I needed help figuring out how to take the next step.

The consultant, I cannot say enough about her. She is extremely hard working. She got our human resources issues under control, re-organized our company structure, completely revamped our accounting. Changed our processes and procedures to meet our current demand and assisted in hiring top quality personnel to fill necessary positions. She has been diligent, tough, understanding, and unforgiving, all when it was needed the most. She will never be forgotten by me or my staff, and I hope to retain her friendship forever.

The consultant taught me how to run my company. not let the company run me. I can understand the numbers better, know what trends to look for, and how to manage my staff. The processes that have been put into place have made my life and my company much more manageable.

I am not sure what state I would currently be in if I did not bring in the consultant.  One thing I can say is that I have already seen an ROI, and although the expense was more than I anticipated, every single penny was worth it. The best thing is the information learned and systems in place will only continue our growth in perpetuity. 

DL, Murfreesboro, TN 2020/2022

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Better Understanding and Leadership Skills

The original reason for requesting consulting services was due to the need of restructuring multiple areas of the internal components the company had operated on for many years, before I took full ownership in November of 2016. The company was incorporated by my father in 1983, and with over 30 years of his hard work and with the help of multiple others, the company had grown to 70 employees. making us the largest non-union plumbing company in the county. I have worked here all my life. as this is the only job I’ve ever had, so I’ve seen the growing the pains we’ve experienced over the years. The best way to describe how my father continued operating the company as it grew would be like “Mom & Pop Shop.., which I know most people are familiar with that saying. When my father was still in control of the company the infamous saying he always stood by was “Do more with less”. which was a great philosophy when he was building the company. but I felt would no longer work for the number of employees we had.

When Hoda arrived, there were multiple areas she started to work on, so it will be tough to list them all, but I will make sure to focus on the most important ones. One of the first things she helped us with was getting an organizational flow chart in place throughout the company, since we were severely understaffed and in need of more help dealing with the day to day operations. Once this was established, new positions had been created, so we started the process of hiring people to fill them.

When the restructuring of our internal staff was complete, we ended up with (4) new positions. which greatly allowed my estimator and I to be more efficient. One new position I want to mention is our V.P. of Operations. which is something we’ve been trying to establish for the past couple years, but just couldn’t accomplish it. This has allowed us to get a person out in the field to visit the job-sites daily and oversee the field personnel to ensure the job is being done correctly, and to assist if needed.

Another thing she helped us with was getting our chart of accounts aligned, so we knew what our actual cost were for each employee, along with the material being used. Prior to Hoda corning, our chart of accounts was very basic, which allowed cost inaccurately tracked to the projects. The estimating of material that is allotted for each job will be on-going after she leaves, as my head estimator is working with a new bidding software. and it’s taking longer then anticipated to learn. Either way. our ability to generate a report showing the true cost on a project. related to labor, material and OH & P has greatly improved. There were many more areas Hoda helped us improve on. but too long to list.

There were many things I was able to take from this experience that will assist me in managing my company along with helping me take the company in a direction I want to go. The changes that have been made will allow for me to be a better business owner, not only to my current employees but also to our future clients. I’ll be-able to allot more time focusing on the growth of the company, allowing me to get out and meet with future clients, which in turn would get more business. In the past I was always so tied up with the day to day operations. I never had time to meet with clients to get in on the beginning stages of they’re future projects, which would give us a better opportunity to work with the client. Promoting the company was never a high priority in the past. so 1 am excited to begin exploring this avenue.

Throughout the entire process with Hoda my eyes have been opened in many ways. One of the biggest areas I feel I’ve changed is better understanding on how to treat your employees, realizing they’re the heartbeat of the company. In the past my Father had a certain way of motivating the guys and getting them to rally behind his cause. I had to realize I wasn’t my Father, and to find my own way to motivate the guys, along with leading with a positive attitude. I was able to refine my leadership skills with the help of Hoda, in addition to learning how important a person’s attitude can be when in a leadership position. I have grown to understand what a challenge it can be to keep a company this size operating successfully, along with portraying to the employees that I have the best interest of the company in mind, always. This is not always the easiest to do.

My experience with Hoda has been awesome! She was always very professional. and needless to say very knowledgeable about her profession. I feel she always had the company’s best interest in mind making sure everything she did was cost effective and would benefit our company. I enjoyed listening to her ideas about what she was going to do, from the day she showed, in addition to good conversations we would have that had nothing to do with work. I’ll have to admit. some of them were a little scary at first. but once it was started I seen the benefit to it and got on board.

In closing. I would recommend her services to other companies, as I feel her performance was excellent on top having a personality that’s easy to work with. I’m so pleased with the results Hoda produced, and I look forward seeing the benefits they will bring.

JV, Omaha, NE 2018/2019

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knowledge, Dedication, Patience, and Compassion

Our company was started in 1984 by my father, It is one of the largest non­ union commercial plumbing companies in the county.  Over the years the company has grown to approximately 70 employees. A couple years ago my father retired leaving the company to my brother. As the company continued to grow, he was able to see the need to restructure and just how valuable it could be.

I was in the early process of transitioning into the Controller position. I remember discussing how nervous I was to take over all accounting and financial responsibilities. This had happened extremely fast because our past Controller had resigned.

Hoda Hanna was our Consultant and began in June 2018. To say Hoda had a big challenge on her hands is an understatement! The entire structure needed to be revamped. The HR part of the company was pretty much nonexistent, and the accounting department was not set up correctly, therefore we had no idea how much profit we were actually making on projects. All day to day company operations were being handled by just the 3 of us, and this clearly was not going to work with our growing company.

Hoda started by setting up a Functional Organizational Chart and a Process Flow for the company. Current employees were moved within the company to new positions, and interviews were set up to hire new employees for 3 office positions not filled within the company. Job descriptions were created, and tasks and duties were assigned. This allowed our company to start operating properly and meet the demands of a growing business. The next step was to develop our HR Department with the correct policies and procedures. Hoda instructed us how to correctly set up employee files, perform evaluations, and document employee performance issues. She created our entire company handbook and provided training to all employees. The additional training and counseling she has provided to me has been extraordinary. Not only do I feel confident in the day to day HR responsibilities, I feel confident performing handbook training, dealing with HR employee issues, and training new employees on the correct federal and state regulations.

As with every company, there were a few hiccups we encountered along the way. After Hoda had been with us for about a month, we were notified that the company would undergo an Unemployment Audit. Within a week after the Unemployment Audit was completed, I received a notice from the U.S. Department of Labor that we would be audited. This audit would include all records for the past 2 years of the company, including all Davis Bacon payroll reports for a government project we were currently working on. I cannot express just how much Hoda helped me through both of these audits. We worked numerous nights and weekends to make sure all required documentation was provided to the auditor. Both audits were a success, and I can honestly say this could not have been done without Hoda.

Moving forward, Hoda began working with me on all aspects of the accounting and financial functions. Our accounting software was very new to me, and I was still learning while processing payroll, AR, AP, and job reports. She worked with me daily explaining our financial reports, helping me understand the terminology. Hoda created the company a new Chart of Accounts, and taught me what accounts should be put in the Cost of Goods Sold vs. Overhead. She developed a spreadsheet so we were able to accurately find out what our Labor Burden was, along with numerous other spreadsheets for company budgets, overhead percentages, and financial planning.

I honestly feel I could write pages upon pages of the wonderful experience our company has had with Hoda Hanna. Her knowledge, dedication, patience, and compassion when working with us has been remarkable. It amazes me just how much she has taught everyone, and how excited I am for the future of this company. Saying goodbye to Hoda will be extremely difficult, but I know we will keep in touch with her frequently.

GV. Omaha, NE 2018/2019.

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She was Awesome

My partner and I have struggled to stay on top of all the aspects of running our business. We felt like we were taking the right steps to get our books in order, so that we could see our cost of doing business, by hiring book keepers, accountants, and then more book keepers!! Each time we felt like we were falling further from our goal of truly knowing were the business was at financially. We also felt like we were doing the right thing by being more than just bosses to our employees, helping them monetarily with advances, and loans for personal issues and cars, letting them tell us what was best for them for work schedule, trying to get the best from them by allowing them to tell us what was best to get the best from them. HUGE MISTAKES! With our combined total of almost 50 years running our own businesses, and have successfully done so for many years, why would we forget this!

Hoda! She was awesome! Stepped right in and began helping with the production and management of the employees. Setting up weekly stand up meetings, ending the loans, and helping us take back control of our employees and what we wanted to have happen. She also structured a flow chart with duties for all members of the company from the owners down to our helpers in the shop. She helped identify our weaknesses in that chart, and key people that would help get the company on course to our goals!

Another of her tasks was to get to the bottom of our financials! We needed to be running our business by the numbers, and there was no way to do that with the mess our multiple book keepers, and accountants we had hired to track and reconcile our books left her. It wasn’t easy but she was able to get our books in order and get us a true cost of doing business! And from that was able to set us up on a budget that is sure to keep us in business! She spent many hours training our office manager to be our book keeper, and be even more proficient in her position!

Before this we had been loosing more and more hoping everyday that we were going to keep our business afloat. Through this processes we have gone from wondering what are we going to do to not only make money, but how are we going to stay in business! We now have a plan of action, we have a budget, and accurate numbers to manage our business by, and most importantly we have our confidence back that we can make this happen and have the success we want running our business. 

KS. Salt Lake City, Utah 2019

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Immediate Huge Savings

Hoda was the consultant that worked with us over the next few weeks. I could not have imagined working with anyone better prepared then Hoda. To say our books were a mess would be a huge understatement. Hoda started out working on production problems we were having to help us reach an immediate huge savings in our production department. It was great to see how fast she could implement her ideas to save our company thousands of dollars in such a short time. Hoda took the time needed to dig into our financials to establish a base so she could help us create a real budget. She took the time with me to help me to understand the importance of running our business thru our books and she taught me how to follow our books to help us accomplish our company goals.

From start to finish I couldn’t be happier with our outcome working with Hoda. I look forward to our continued relationship with Hoda to continue to learn all that she can teach us to build and maintain a growing business.

AA Salt Lake City, Utah 2019.

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Valuable Asset to the Company 

When Hoda arrived as scheduled and she began her task of teaching, counseling and coaching each of us how to get this company back on track.

It was astonishing to realize just how dysfunctional the company has become. Hoda has been in a very short time span a very valuable asset to this company. I am comforted to know that a relationship with someone who I can rely on in the future after this first project is complete. I discussed with her our priorities and how to make the best use of limited time and resources. Hoda’s main objectives were to help with accounting, budgeting functions as well as a new organizational chart with clear, defined job descriptions. These tasks sound simple but nothing could be more complex and critical to our future. The process has been exhausting with interviews, meetings and required readings but it is by far the most critical undertaking this company has ever needed.

We were a very focused, profitable company until 2007 when the housing market came crashing down. Since the housing downturn we have been mired in mediocrity and staggering along a bad path. Time is of the essence so that we will survive and get back to being a focused company with clear goals and the means to achieve those goals. 

WWM Woodstock, GA 2019

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Coach, Teacher, and Counselor

We had reached a point with the business that we could not get to the next level. The turning point for Robert and I was when it was explained to us that we were working for wages and not building a future for ourselves or the company. If we continued at the current state, there would be no growth and we would eventually just close the doors.

The next step of the process was a lot more intensive than we actually realized, but Hoda has guided and pushed us to be better and accountable in everything we do. We needed a clear plan and infrastructure, with a proper flow of information. She has helped us develop job descriptions, set up training sessions, put together an organization chart, task lists for staff that need more direction, and a proper handbook to give everyone clear understanding of what is expected of each person and their specific duties, company policies, benefits and how they will be evaluated. It was identified that one of the major hurdles we were facing is that “everyone” was attempting to do “everyone’s” jobs, so in turn taking all the accountability out and allowing too many gaps along the way keeping every job as a current problem, costing revenue and making it impossible to get ahead of the problems to try and prevent as many as possible. We have attempted before to create a workable process, but were never able to successfully implement it. Hoda has kept pushing and reminding us all along the way to stay on our path.

Prior to this experience I had a vague understanding of the different reports we would run and how they worked interchangeably with each other, I also did not know how to effectively read them and use them to help me understand exactly where our business is financially or where we are going. Hoda has taught us how to read the reports, coached us thru setting up a chart of accounts that is actually functional to our business. She has been able to help us prepare and see our low points so that we can drive our revenue.

We have created a budget that will allow us to see how the revenue is being spent, plan for expenses and profit. We have also learned how to determine overhead, and be more effective leaders in our business.

I feel we have tools and guidelines in place and have been taught how to use them in order to allow our business to take the next step and grow. With the implemented incentive plans we can show the staff that works so hard, that it can pay off and get them excited about the future as well. We are looking forward to what the future has in store for us. 

This has been an eye opening experience and Hoda has been more than a consultant to us here, she has been a coach, teacher and counselor.

R&T. H Dallas, GA 2018

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Great Decision and Value

We met with Hoda in July 2017.  First of all, I’ve never met anyone who works harder than Hoda.  Our experience started with her conducting her own analysis of our company.  The various areas she worked on are much too numerous to detail.  She will have a lasting impact on everyone in the company. She renegotiated contracts, created job descriptions for every position in the company,  estimated productivity, recreated our chart of accounts, reassigned and reclassified transactions in our chart of accounts, utilized questionnaires to assess tasks and duties for all employees and helped create job descriptions.  She created an incentive program, established processes to improve productivity and efficiency, revamped our employee handbook, redesigned our bidding process, created a budget,……and the list goes on.

Hoda Hanna has worked with us to help improve and build our company. She has worked tirelessly, side by side, with our leadership and employees to establish congruent processes that will increase our efficiencies for every aspect of our business.

We now see our business differently. We calculate our overhead differently. We look at our financials differently. Our investment was significantly more than we initially anticipated, but Hoda has brought meaningful long term value to our company and we believe the value is justified.

Everyone is happy with the changes. Hoda is a great consultant and I would highly recommend her services to any business focused on long term growth….an overall great decision and value.

OAK.  IN 2017

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Everything Gets Done Completely and Comprehensively

Our General Manager has always had way too much on his plate. It was good for him personally and it wasn’t good for the company. He shouldered enormous responsibility while others shouldered virtually none. This problem was addressed through functional re-organization. We also implemented a weekend on-call rotation which addresses another long-standing concern of mine.

I had some awareness that our key financial reports were not set up correctly, but I lacked the knowledge to correct them. Consequently, it made it hard to confidently analyze much other than revenue and net profit. Through the consulting process, we now have a workable chart of accounts, P&L and balance sheet. We have a system of allocating corporate expenses throughout the classes which finally makes sense to me.

We’ve been using a weekly labor report to try and measure our labor efficiency. It was time consuming to prepare, rarely accurate, and generally a pain for all involved. This report has been replaced with something that is quick, accurate, and allows management to react quickly and confidently to labor costs on a weekly basis. This was the original intent in the first place.

Knowing our total cost per unit was a priority to us. We had an elaborate and time consuming spreadsheet that was hard to maintain and never utilized. It has been replaced with a monthly dash report which is quick, accurate, and very useful for management.

One of our biggest challenges was our inability to staff adequate supervisors. The consulting engagement revealed a lack of in depth coaching and mentoring. Their direct Manager was buried in other responsibilities and I believe did not fully understand his role and how critical his function of developing staff was. He is now much more active in developing and training these supervisors.

We completed a SWOT Analysis and laid out the foundation for evaluating and taking action on our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats on a systematic basis. The awareness of these threats would just worry me in the past. I now feel I have a better understanding of how to/and have a system in place to take action whether it be a threat or an opportunity.

We now have a basically perfect employee handbook. This initiative was a little less exciting than others because it’s harder to see the return on investment. But now that it’s over and complete, I’m very happy with the outcome and realize it was definitely worth the time. Through the process, we were able to clarify company policies on important topics. We also gained protection as well as a platform for continuing to worry about all my information being filtered.

The standup meetings have given me unfiltered information from middle management a scheduled time to see them face to face twice per week. It’s also helped cultivate a “team” environment. giving education on our company’s policies and ethics.

As our company has grown, we hired more staff including management. As the front office landscape changed, I became less and less confident that I was doing the things that I should be doing. Before I hired a GM and other staff, it was pretty easy. “Do everything.” That has not been my role in about 5 years now. I was told I should focus exclusively on sales, or maybe the financials and sales. That never felt balanced to me. Now I understand what a business owner in my sized company should be doing.

Managing and developing our executive management team through the use of bi-weekly stand up meetings, monthly management oversight 1 on 1 meetings, event logs/timely feedback and monthly executive training.  Casting the vision and telling our story to all of our people. “Where we’ve been, where we’re at, and where we’re going … “

Set the tone for performance standards at all levels. The management trainings were also extremely beneficial. I learned a lot about different personality types and why certain people behave the way they do. I learned that if I want to enjoy the benefits of certain personality types, I may have to be willing to tolerate the less desirable characteristics that are associated with that same type. The entire management team and I came face to face with personality quirks we have that need to be worked on.

The assigned readings were especially effective. I learned how to process all the assignments and responsibilities that are coming at me in a way that is systematic and makes sense. I learned to complete tasks more quickly, delegate and follow-up, prioritize and better organize my discretionary time.

My experience with my consultant Hoda was very positive. She was very professional and knowledgeable. She was very proficient in that she made every possible effort to keep our project on time and on track. I was very impressed. She would not allow us to settle for “good enough”. With her, everything gets done completely and comprehensively.

RB   Port Arthur, TX 2017

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Work Ethics, Knowledgeable and Fair in all Aspects

Original problem/challenge — Prior to the project, I was responsible for the oversight of all aspects of the company; HR, Accounting, Sales, Water Production, and Ice delivery. There was a major weakness and disconnect within the direct supervision of the employees.  Through the consulting services, team work was established by implementing weekly management and oversight meetings and more accountability to the front-line supervision team. In addition, the largest impact was the company re-structure. This realigned and redirected the workload. The work is now distributed evenly by the owner,

A major take away from the project was actually a hard learning point; the restructure of the management (leadership); releasing former job task and embracing new task has posed challenges. I experienced growth through this process by allowing others to perform their jobs, hold them accountable for performing their jobs, teaching them “how” instead of “showing” them how to perform their jobs effectively.

In the beginning, I was skeptical that the project would not have a positive impact and I did not expect great results.  As the process began to unfold, I was pleasantly surprised and pleased at the working relationship with the consultant, Hoda Hanna. Hoda is very professional in appearance, work ethics, knowledgeable and fair in all aspects.

She is very honest. In addition to improving my workload, education in finances, team building; she encouraged self-improvement. I found the self-improvement just as important as each other portion of the project. Hoda has made a great impact on the company and me personally. Hoda’s presence will be greatly missed.

In conclusion; the project for me has been successful and very enlightening. Through the process, some things “came to light” that never would have without this process. There is better teamwork, company structure, CLEAN and ORGANIZED financial information. The goal is to continue our efforts to move the company forward in this new direction.

EW Port Arthur, TX 2017.

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Patient and Persistent

Hoda came to our business and began to gather information. Very quickly we began to address personnel problems and people who were either not in the right positions or who were not performing well. Through this process we had to let one person go. It was very interesting to see some people embrace the changes which came about as a result of my implementation of Hoda’s recommendations and others who decided that they did not want to remain here with the way we were changing as a company.

We addressed the structure of our business and placed existing personnel in new or restructured positions. This involved consolidating two divisions (which had not co-operated well) into one department. This has created more of a “team” environment and made our workflow more efficient. We also created teams of delivery/service personnel and headed these teams with coaches from their ranks. This brought about a more manageable information flow and a structure which allowed direction and information where and when it was needed. Before this, many of the questions (from approximately 40 employees) came to (and through) me and of course this did not work well. We also interviewed a number of people for two new positions. Hoda’s advice and insight were very helpful through the hiring process.

One important component which Hoda stressed was the need for accountability. We implemented job descriptions, an evaluation process, a discipline plan, and structure at Hoda’s advice. All of this was done to see our company and our people grow and improve. A really nice part of this new structure is an incentive plan. We also worked to create a budget and begin running our business based on numbers.

This process was not an easy one for me personally. Especially in the beginning, I went home each night with a headache after confronting all that needed to be addressed and changed. I had to confront weaknesses in the way I have lead and other shortcomings in myself. I have also had to learn to be able to confront and even fire people for which I had deep feelings and long relationships. I am learning to lead and not be so involved in the day to day operations of my company. I am learning how to invest my day well for the largest benefit. I am also learning how to properly delegate. I have learned these things and a many more.

Hoda was a pleasure to work with. This was a very invasive change for our business and personnel. At times, it was very difficult to stomach for everyone. To see these fundamental changes through to fruition required a lot of patience and persistence. Hoda displayed both of these attributes. She possessed great insights and shared them well with me. Each day we met extensively and discussed the challenges which we were dealing with at that particular time. She would give her insights and help me process the options. She was also quite organized and kept the project moving in a positive direction. Hoda is a true professional and approaches each day with vigor and has always displayed a desire to see my company improve. 

SW Grantville, PA 2016/2017

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Knowledgeable and Consistent 

Hoda Hanna arrived and immediately began reviewing our financials, meeting with personnel to determine the best approach for the consulting engagement. During her time with us, she revised the chart of Accounts, developed job descriptions, updated the FMSCA and DOT regulations, and trained all the staff. We now have a personnel handbook with all the required attachments.

During this time, I learned to delegate to the office personnel, to be consistent in my approach, how to read the financials better but this is an on-going process. The office personnel have improved and the process has been accepted by personnel as the project progressed. We hired a Human Resource/Accounting Specialist to manage the day to day activities, and ensure compliance with all government entities, this was a very positive addition to the team. Hoda has taught me on a personal and professional level; she is very knowledgeable, consistent in her approach, pleasant and is always willing to listen and make everything comfortable for the team and I. 

LF Odessa, TX 2015

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Good Luck Charm

Hoda Hanna arrived with the challenge of establishing some structure to this organization. We sat down to discuss what I felt the company needed the most and she explained to me the process and procedures that would be taken to achieve our goal. She must have been a good luck charm, because it seemed like as soon as she got here we began to get overloaded with invitations to bid and since I am also the estimator that did not leave much time for us to interact.

Ms. Hanna was very professional and respectful of my time and she understood that I had a lot going on. She was never pushy but was very persistent and would always follow up with me to see how our bids were going and if we were awarded any new projects. She provided me with information and the tools I needed to improve my management skills and she was determined to find someone to help assist me in the day to day operations. It took us while but we finally found someone to help with bookkeeping and human resources and that was a tremendous help.

In the short time that we had left she was able to train the new hire to handle the Data Entry and Human Resources. I am truly grateful for the work that Ms. Hanna has done with our organization, we could not have asked for a better consultant!

During this process I have learned how to be a leader of this organization and not a manager. Instead of trying to do everything myself, I delegate more responsibilities to our staff and hold them accountable.

Ms. Hanna has taught me how to read the financial reports and use them to make decisions. The tools that we have implemented allows me the time to focus on growing and diversifying the business. I feel like we are finally moving in the right direction and I am excited to see what the future brings.

BW Macon, GA 2015

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Developed Confidence among the Group

We have been working with Hoda Hanna for the past 4 weeks. We originally needed some help with productivity issues and improved profitability. We were very new to the ownership role in this business. We felt like having some outside eyes take a look at our business might prove beneficial.  We were somewhat skeptical about having a female come into our “predominantly” male business and tell us where we needed to make improvements. However, Hoda has been accepted very well by our people and in fact a number of them are sad to see her leave. She has offered much insight specifically into how our employees view their work, company and management. I am confident we would not have been able to obtain this information without her help. She developed a confidence among the group that she could be trusted and therefore they confided in her apparently without reservation.

The scope of what we initially intended for this project did, in fact change as we were somewhat overcome with all that needed to be done as well as some of the feedback we were receiving that we had not anticipated. Hoda has been very helpful to us in determining job functions and “who” is best suited to fulfill those functions. She has also given us good “Best Practices” printouts that will certainly help us as we go forward and implement much of what needs to be done.

AM & RS  Amarillo, Tx 2014

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Informative and Professionally Managed

We learned that our Profit and Loss and Balance Sheets were improperly set up. We addressed the problem and will be implementing a new Chart of Accounts with the New Year.

During our short time together Hoda Hanna has shown us how to set up the proper accounts with training in Quick Books and Excel. Ms Hanna has been very professional throughout the entire consulting time. We planned out steps for both David and myself to address and follow thru. She has challenged us to learn and train in a whole new thinking. We know our work is cut out for us but the feedback we will be taking has a very valuable return.

This experience was very informative and professionally managed. I only wish we could afford to continue our training longer. I highly recommend Ms Hanna to other companies who are struggling with their business plan and who want to grow. 

AGL Nashville, TN 2014

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Met People Where They Are At

At the outset of her work Hoda focused on me and who I had on my team. I remember very early on asking, “why do you keep asking about this person and that person, when are you going to give me tools?” I was thinking I would have quick and easy forms and calculations that I could input “x” and “y” and it would output “z”. I figured Hoda was going to come with a bunch of boilerplate forms and charts and calculators and she would teach me to use them and then leave. The first thing Hoda gave me was assigned reading, particularly a book, “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team”. That book reverberated in my mind, it turned a light on to what this project was intended to be. We needed to build a team with defined roles and responsibilities that worked toward a predetermined goal.  I have learned from the various books I’ve now read that I hadn’t achieved the growth I wanted or seen the changes I was hoping for because I had never fully identified my goals or set action

plans to achieve them. Nor did my team understand how they could contribute to and influence where we were going.  Some of the earliest steps were the implementation of management training and management oversight meetings. The purpose was to set expectations for the roles of this business and then help the individuals within those roles achieve those expectations.

This consulting arrangement was about people and process. The “tools” are built on site by Hoda and myself to fit my organization. The tools are ways to raise people up to improve performance and to establish goals against which to measure performance. We worked extensively on building a process built upon the individuals within the team. We couldn’t have just changed the process because it relies heavily upon the people and so we had to institute changes in them. We are a better company today than 22 weeks ago because we are better individuals. I have the ability to make sound decisions based upon facts about our performance by the budget and the job costing formula and not based on gut feelings for how we are performing. My team is stronger and better equipped today to manage this business on a daily basis. And will continue to get stronger as we hold each other accountable through continued training.

What I am most proud of is the realization that it wasn’t just the employee roles and expectations, it was also my role and the expectations for myself as owner and leader. I have often told people my business like so many others is a gear box but the trouble is I’m the one big central gear that turns all others. The result was we couldn’t as a company move ahead until I did. Hoda focused me on improving myself and my knowledge which we achieved through reading and training. We identified what roles I was filling and how we could delegate those to others in the organization.

I remember reading “the enemy of great is good” and I was good at a lot of things but by retaining all that responsibility I was keeping myself and company from being great.  Hoda’s attention to detail and skill with assessing people has been invaluable. One of the things I have heard her say many times is to meet people were they are at. Her ability to live that in her work is what makes her effective. There were times I felt she could have pushed more but I think she was waiting for me to get there on my own. I think we were slowed in this process because of the time it took to sort out the under performers. Some individuals didn’t give a true representation of themselves in the analysis process but I think Hoda read through that early on and helped me to hold them accountable to the process. We have added three talented individuals to my leadership team and I believe they will be invaluable as we move forward. I have also enjoyed getting to know Hoda on a personal level and I know I will miss that interaction with her after she leaves. I found Hoda to be more than competent in her work and am certain she was absolutely the right person for this assignment.

As stated, I purchased this company in 2011 from bankruptcy and in a two year period brought it to profitability. What I came to realize early was that the individual who recovered this company was not going to be able to grow it. The growth was only going to happen if I changed myself and grew myself. I entered into the agreement because I want this company to move ahead and grow and I knew I needed a different set of tools. I didn’t know what those tools would be. I now have a clearer picture of where we are going. I am concentrated on leading my company where I want it to be and am building the action steps to get there. I was once told the greatest skill a leader has to have is to learn. I feel I now have a better understanding of what that means and feel I am ready and eager to learn. 

JVK – Zeeland, MI 2014

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Seasoned Professional Consultant

I have seen firsthand the value of a seasoned, professional consultant. I have seen how Hoda created a more symbiotic relationship at all levels of the organization. Hoda did not cater to any one group but sought to bring to light balance and the need for open and honest communication. Although we are a relatively small organization, the level and frequency of miscommunication were surprising. Hoda was thorough in her approach to ensure that we understood a concept and confronted issues before she would permit us to move to the next area of dysfunctionality within the company. I may not yet be able to duplicate the impact that Hoda Hanna has had upon our company but she demonstrated that one person can make a difference.  Her tenacity, insights, and professionalism helped to elevate our organization to a higher level. We had to perform some housekeeping which was not an easy task. This was essential in order to create a team that was willing to see and solve the problem while allowing involved persons to retain their dignity. It was a delicate balance, and Hoda performed her role very well. We are not there yet, but we                                                                                       have made excellent progress.

                                                                                AP.  Zeeland, MI  2014

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Dealt with Our Personalities and Whims

When Hoda Hanna arrived, we got right to work. The first order of business was to begin the difficult process of identifying what we currently have personnel wise and map out the deficiencies. It started to become clear pretty quickly that we had some folks grossly overworked but in some cases trying to fulfill jobs that they did not have the skill set for or were not a good fit for. Furthermore, we had no proper training plan to help employees achieve their goals or grow into the role we expected them to fulfill. We simply put a list of tasks and duties in front of them and sent them on their way.

In addition to the personnel challenges, we had no idea of cash flow or budgeting. We simply worked hard and hoped there was money left at the end of the month, quarter, or year and then were surprised when we realized the tax burden on April 15. Hoda has made it a priority for us moving forward to focus on the tools needed to properly run and manage a business. Establishing a budget and cash flow analysis have been great tools for us to use to watch the business along the way and make course corrections as needed.

During the time Hoda was here, we had three audits; one from the NC Department of Commerce and two related to WC and GL insurance. Although these were very time consuming, I don’t know how they would have been completed without her because she basically was our office staff during that period.

We made several key hires during Hoda’s time with us but unfortunately all but one did not work out. This is still a bit of a mystery to me but I believe in the end, it may have been God’s way of protecting this company because of what was coming.

Along the way, Hoda has been as much of a psychologist as a consultant in dealing with our personalities and whims. She has spent lots of time alongside our project coordinator, helping her to learn tools such as the cash flow analysis. These things will help us moving forward into the New Year. During the course of the project, it was sometimes hard to see exactly what we were accomplishing; but at the end now and taking a few moments to reflect back over what I have learned, I can say that it has given me a new perspective on what I need to focus on to be successful. 

KD, NC 12/2013

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Wealth of Knowledge 

The challenge we were facing in our business that led us down the path to hiring a consultant was simply getting a handle on how to grow our company the right way i.e. “putting the right team together, along with defined positions and responsibilities.”

The action steps that were recommended by Hoda Hanna” was putting together a budget, cleaning up our chart of accounts, putting together a organizational chart, creating job descriptions and putting together an incentive plan to name a few.

Hoda worked very close with us throughout this project refocusing and changing directions many different times. Items that arose were unexpected audits, challenging hiring and firing decisions and ultimately the partnership deciding to take separate paths.

A few highlights for me that I have learned during this engagement are what preplanned profit means, the importance of having a collections procedure and making sure you have clearly defined everyone’s roles and responsibilities.

This process did a couple of different things. First it has taught me there are certain key things I need to focus on in order to run a successful company. That I must focus my skills on what’s in the best interest of the company. Be able to view the company from a snap shot “dashboards” to make good sound decisions and surround myself with competent people.

My experience with Hoda over the course of this project has been nothing but positive. Her years of experience, wealth of knowledge and passion for her work gave me assured confidence from the first day she arrived. Just as shared with us we were dealing with one of the best. She was able to handle things completely out of the scope of our original needs in order to keep things moving forward for the company as changes were being made. She understands what it takes to get things done and she makes sure they are accomplished on time.

BC NC 12/2013

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Have Tools in Place!

Hoda started off getting everyone in the company to write down what they believed to be their job descriptions, and formalized them. She reviewed our current company policies, employee handbook, and helped us revise or add policies where needed.

The most valuable aspect of this engagement for me is the budget that Hoda set up. For a company our size a budget is crucial, and neither myself nor my staff had the experience to design a budget this sophisticated. I’ve learned the process to manage by numbers and how to utilize the budget from a management stand point.

Working with Hoda has been interesting to say the least. Over the past month finding time to meet with Hoda has been a challenge, and she has worked overtime to get this project completed. I’ve appreciated her insight, even if we didn’t agree on everything. Most of all I’ve appreciated the hard work she has put in to help us become a better company than when she started.

Overall we’re happy to have the tools in place to help continue our growth and this would not have been possible without Hoda.

AET, TX 2013

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New Prospective and Vision

The demands of the print finishing industry have been rapidly changing over the past few years with the digital on demand market place. The company has been running on a “crisis mode” without a clear business plan and overall structure and accountability. My meeting with Hoda confirmed my need to stop letting my company run me, and regain control over it.

We now have an organizational structure in place, implementing standard operating procedures, and a budget plan; we are now maintaining a professional work environment and detailed records documenting all events to stay in compliance internally and externally.

This consulting process has been an accelerated course on overall business management. I now see the value of letting go, and trusting my staff to run the day to day operations. This process has helped me see my micro management style has consumed most of my time and energy, and has stifled my focus on growing my business.

Hoda’s outstanding leadership skills have brought control and professionalism back to our company. My managers have grown through this process in their ability to “manage”. I feel I may have been one of Hoda’s more challenging clients with my inconsistency to spend time one on one with her, and the slow return of the procedure reports, these delays presented Hoda with a challenge. Hoda’s background in all facets of business from organization, accounting, communication and planning was far more extensive than I envisioned. Hoda truly went the extra mile throughout this project, her support, dedication and commitment was very evident. She has been part of our team, and has coached me through the process. I will really miss her when she leaves.

My decision to hire a consultant was a tough one, trying to justify spending a sizable amount of money. Now that this project has come to a close I can say I didn’t spend a dime, I’ve made an investment in a system that will help me run my company and get my life back. Thanks for giving me a new prospective and vision. 

LT  Oakwood Village, OH 2012

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