This is an open letter to anyone who is considering using the services of George H. Thorn III (Visible Algorithms LLC).
AnnArborAlive.com is a start-up Internet radio station, at this time offering eleven channels of music and views from Ann Arbor. George initially began working with us to provide a financial model of our future business for an investor prospectus.
I wish to emphasize that George not only provided the financial model we were seeking but also provided additional tools that will enhance our ability to manage our organization well into the future. In particular, the spreadsheets:
Allow us to manipulate the thousands of probable combinations of key factors for our business on a single screen, immediately reporting the affect on Net Present Value for any period up to ten years out. Allow tremendous flexibility in building and refining forecasts at the level of detail we choose at the time. Provide a link between forecasts and actual performance as a means for tracking the variance and sharpening our forecast model.
My experience is that the very power of spreadsheets can, far too often, lead to costly mistakes. The ability of spreadsheets to track numerous detailed calculations and maintain the relationships between those calculations is certainly a powerful tool. This same ability however can hide a simple mistake that renders the entire spreadsheet useless.
The work George does carries a high degree of confidence that is key to the value he provides. Working with our staff George meticulously tested each new calculation against predetermined results, reasonability and each component's effect on summary calculations (such as NPV and Cash Flow).
George has provided us with detailed supporting spreadsheets that track all the components of each calculation in an easily understandable manner. There are no "behind the scenes" calculations. This gives us not only the ability to decipher his calculations and verify their accuracy but also the ability to make changes at all levels.
It is obvious that George has fine-tuned his abilities from his experience with a variety of clients. As our business evolves I suspect we will again seek George's help in sharpening our ability to guide our organization.
James Griffin
CEO, Ann Arbor Alive.com
106 E. Liberty Ann Arbor MI USA 48104
(734) 761-6874 info@annarboralive.com