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Welcome to my blog.



 Welcome to my blog where I will share insights on various business topics and issues.

My name is Dan Elliot and I am a professional accountant who has also served as a military aircraft mechanic, a volunteer emergency services responder, and combined these experiences managing forprofit and not-for-profit entities. From these experiences I will address topics such as accounting and finance, contracting and procurement, human resource management, and business operations topics such as business continuity planning and quality assurance. 

Please follow my blog for important information for managing your organization and visit my website http://forwardlookingbusinesssolutions.com/  to access the courses and books I have written. As well, please connect with me on Linkedin at http://linkedin.com/in/danielwelliot .

My first post of this series will start with addressing key differences between being an employee versus an employer. Let’s get started.

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Span of Control

How many people can you manage effectively? Although some textbooks will say you can effectively manage 5-7 employees, reputable ones will then qualify this with lengthy discussions on why this does not even qualify as a guideline. Last week I had a client initiate a discussion about whether or not to create and staff a new director position; during the conversation, he told me he was not certain he needed the position as other than his own assistant, a receptionist, and the accounting and human resources managers, he only had four other direct reports, and they were all strong managers. For those counting, this adds to eight which is on the outside of the theoretical formula. The reality is, one person can effectively manage many people if they are all the same profession, performing similar tasks, have similar competencies, and are working in the same location; but what about situations where each is a different profession with different roles, and at different work locations? For ex...
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Serving the public is a business

  The nonprofit and public service sectors are often misunderstood when it comes to their place in the business world and the transferability of the skills of those who work in the industry. When most people think of the term ‘business’ they associate it with buying, making, or doing something with the intention of selling it and turning a profit which they will either reinvest into another earning endeavor, or spend on either a life sustaining need, or a frivolous want. Businesses normally require an investor of sorts who uses either their own money or that of others, to purchase the necessary infrastructure and materials, and hope it ends well otherwise they are in trouble. However, there is another type of business which although does not include an investor who aims to earn a profit, still participates in making or doing something, the activities of which have financial implications. This is the nonprofit and public sector.  So, why do I consider nonprofit a ‘business?’ Si...
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Admin Allocation - 10% is a Myth

This week I am revisiting how Administrative Costs are allocated to the various programs of a nonprofit organization, and this is where the science versus art of accounting collide. Most program funders articulate a maximum percentage for administrative services typically at 10%. What can vary is what they consider as Administration versus Program Delivery. For example some will consider Information Technology as administrative costs where others consider it program delivery. Liability Insurance is another example. Some will allow 12% versus 10% but consider certain costs to be included in administration where others consider the same as program costs. Then there is accommodation costs: some are power users of office, service, and reception space, where others are not. This leads me to accounting school where we covered what are called Cost Drivers. Cost Drivers are factors which drive costs: for example square feet may drive janitorial cost where cubic feet may drive heating costs. Nu...
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