News

Dear Business Owner,

I hope this message finds you and your team safe and
healthy.

Thank you for clicking through to learn more about stabilizing and preparing your business to weather an economic downturn. Please read through to the end.

As a business analyst, I am seeing several critical
indicators that will have a substantial impact on privately held companies such
as yours and mine. Cogent Analytics has always been in service to the small
business community and the business owners who work every day in the aspiration
of building companies across the country. 

In keeping true to our purpose, Cogent Analytics has made
the strategic decision to shift standard operations and be more proactive
during these uncertain times.  We have
readied ourselves to ensure our clients have access to the best support and
guidance possible to help safeguard, plan and prepare their business for the
current environment we find ourselves in.

Cogent Analytics is aggressively working with clients, to
quickly identify areas of exposure to revenue and scalability, and to ensure a
fiscally prudent approach in the coming days.

These times have led to uncertainty in a variety of areas.
As we wait to see what support and/or correction packages come from our State
and Federal Governments, it is absolutely critical to prepare and implement
what is required to best position your company for long term stability and to
avail yourself of any government support.

In that vein, we are advising business owners to prepare as if a recession were inevitable.  When dealing with the unknown of what’s ahead, it is important to identify factors within your business that you can know and prepare for. Some areas to focus on in your business are:

• Objective Input on Difficult Decisions
• Sustainability of Cash Position
• Threshold of Best & Worst Case
  Cash Reserves
• Critical Staffing Adjustments
• Strategic Product/Revenue Analysis
• Examination of Alternative Revenue
  Sources
• Fixed Assets Management
• Supply Chain Impacts Both Up and Down
  the Supply Chain
• Payables Prioritization
• Accelerated A/R Strategies
• Strategic Debt Structure Analysis
• Capitalization Guidance
• Risk Mitigation
• Business Viability Utilizing the
  Altman Z-Score
• Potential Business Value Inhibitors
  and Value Management

Lack of recession preparation and planning was the most
important indicator identified during the ’09 downturn as the largest
contributor to privately held business failure. Most companies took actions too
little and most often too late. Now is the time for every entrepreneur to ask
themselves what immediate steps can be accomplished to ensure appropriate
adjustments are taken, and when they should be taken.

The organizations that are prepared are the ones that will lead the way to the next round of growth.

We have fully committed our entire team toward meeting this
challenge head on in support of the American entrepreneur.  You are not alone. Although times may seem
uncertain, it is our counsel to you to take control of the outcomes as best you
can, and develop a clear path for you, your business, and the respective
families you are responsible for.

Please feel free to tour our website or reach out direct and we will discuss how you can prepare your business for what’s ahead:

(336) 665-8164; info@cogentanalytics.com; or fill out the contact form below

Thank You and Best Regards,

Rob Braiman

CEO, Cogent Analytics

To Our Congress, House and Senate Leaders,

I am the
senior partner and CEO of Cogent Analytics. 
We are a small to mid-market business management consulting firm
operating in 25 states, which has been consistently ranked as one of the
fastest-growing privately held firms over the last four years, documented in
Inc. 500/5000. Our sole mission is to represent Entrepreneurs and their
companies in areas of Business Development, Human Resources, Operations
Management, and Financial Performance; all in the spirit of improving their
bottom lines and creating a healthier environment for the small business
community.

I write this
today out of great concern for some of the initiatives that have been proposed
in the last couple of days.  I laud the
effort and am in full support of any initiative which clearly benefits the
American worker while also being mindful that Entrepreneurs and small
businesses are the highest risk group in a tough economy.  There appear to be proposals that conflate
the protections for employees with purported help for the businesses. Offering
small business owner loans but then tethering to employment retention or wage
standard seems counter-intuitive. The results are conflicting, and the reality
will see no business standing for workers to go back to once the storm abates.

Case in
point: If I am a small business owner operating on slim margins with standard
healthy debt levels, I’m most often operating on limited cash once sating the
obligations to tax and debt service. If I then have a new world order in which
my immediate revenues drop by 50% or more and my receivables, which I was
counting on for goods I produced or sold 30-60 days ago, don’t come in, I am
immediately in a position of a full failure. 
The cycle is compounded as my receivables are my customers’ payables,
which they can’t afford either for the same reason I can’t afford mine.

Further, the
direct cost side of my business is comprised of predominantly manpower and
material, and must be adjusted.  If I, as
an entrepreneur, cannot adjust these direct costs, I will be forced to default
on immediate traditional debt as well as any additional fixed costs I have as
obligation (i.e., rent, lights, insurance, etc.).  In this model, entrepreneurs are faced with a
circumstance that regardless of how much relief is provided, there is no
separation between grants to maintain employment or wage levels and grants to
cover other fixed obligations to keep the business open. We must have a
solvency litmus on SG&A, and indirect costs or the business will fail, and,
by virtue of unintended consequences, put the employees out of work regardless.

If we are
willing to keep payroll rolls solvent through grants to entrepreneurs, the next
portion of the conversation must consider that 941 tax, as well as withholding
from employees, would put an undue burden on the amount of relief that would
actually end up in the employee pockets. Functionally we would be loaning
taxpayer dollars to subsidize additional tax being paid into the system.
Structurally this would have a number of adverse effects where good intentions
were the goal.

I am more
than happy to speak to this should you choose. I can appreciate that in our
current environment, we are working toward expedient solutions for the American
public, I can only hope that through this relief process, we don’t end up with
painful 20/20 hindsight.

Respectfully,

Robert D. Braiman

Principal, Managing Director

Cogent Analytics

Greensboro, North Carolina – September 2, 2019 The Triad Business Journal Fast 50 Awards revealed that COGENT ANALYTICS is No. 14 on its annual Triad Fast 50, 2019; the most prestigious ranking of the area’s fastest-growing private companies.

Almost 500 people
gathered at Congdon Hall on the campus of High Point University to celebrate
the Triad Business Journal’s 2019 class of Fast 50 winners.

Cogent joins the ranks of among the areas’ most elite high growth companies.
To be eligible, companies must be
private, for-profit companies with U.S. headquarters based in the Triad. They
must also have completed three full fiscal years, with at least $2 million in
revenue in 2018. The accounting partner, Smith Leonard,
verified and ranked the nominated companies using a formula that considers both
dollar and percentage growth.

“I am honored every day to be serving the American small business
owner,” says Rob Braiman, CEO and Managing Member of Cogent Analytics. “We are
genuinely passionate about helping small businesses succeed which in turn
improves the lives of the owners and families and strengthens the communities
in which they live. This first time ranking of 14 is a testament to our
commitment to deliver solid solutions to business owners with integrity and
transparency.”

Robin Braiman, CFO, Cogent Analytics states further, “I am proud
to call the Triad area my home and headquarters of our business. This area
fosters business growth and has great institutions of learning which nurture a
vast pool of talent; and, equally important, it affords us, our family and our
employees a great quality of life.”

Cogent Analytics is a business management
consulting firm based in Greensboro, North Carolina that is recognized as an
Inc. 5000 honoree 3 years in a row, a Triad, NC Fast 50 Growth Company and
holds an A+ Rating with the Better Business Bureau. Cogent provides powerful
solutions with integrity and transparency to privately-held businesses
throughout the United States. Cogent partners with clients to identify areas of
financial opportunity, improve organizational efficiencies, increase profit and
accelerate leadership goals. Visit www.CogentAnalytics.com or

CONTACT: Lori Huffman, Director of Marketing,
(336) 665-8154, lhuffman@cogentanalytics.com for more information

NEW YORK, August 14, 2019 – Inc. magazine today revealed that COGENT ANALYTICS  is No. 2085 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy’s most dynamic segment—its independent small businesses. Microsoft, Dell, Domino’s Pizza, Pandora, Timberland, LinkedIn, Yelp, Zillow, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000.

“I am honored every day to be
serving the American small business owner, says Rob Braiman, CEO and Managing
Member of Cogent Analytics. We are genuinely passionate about helping small
businesses succeed which in turn improves the lives of the owners and families
and strengthens the communities in which they live. This ranking for a third
year in a row is a testament to our commitment to deliver solid solutions to
business owners with integrity and transparency.”

Not only have the companies
on the 2019 Inc. 5000 (which are listed online at Inc.com, with the top 500
companies featured in the September issue of Inc., available on newsstands August 20) been very competitive
within their markets, but the list as a whole shows staggering growth compared
with prior lists. The
2019 Inc. 5000 achieved an astounding three-year average growth of 454 percent,
and a median rate of 157 percent. The Inc. 5000’s aggregate revenue was $237.7 billion
in 2018, accounting for 1,216,308 jobs over the past three years.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000,
including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by
industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000.

“The
companies on this year’s Inc. 5000 have followed so many different paths to
success,” says Inc. editor in chief
James Ledbetter. “There’s no single course you can follow or investment you can
take that will guarantee this kind of spectacular growth. But what they have in
common is persistence and seizing opportunities.”

The annual Inc. 5000 event
honoring the companies on the list will be held October 10 to 12, 2019, at the
JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa in Phoenix, Arizona. As always, speakers
include some of the greatest innovators and business leaders of our generation.

Cogent Analytics is a business management consulting firm based in Greensboro, North Carolina that is recognized as an Inc. 5000 honoree 3 years in a row and holds an A+ Rating with the Better Business Bureau. Cogent provides powerful solutions with integrity and transparency to privately-held businesses throughout the United States. Cogent partners with clients to identify areas of financial opportunity, improve organizational efficiencies, increase profit and accelerate leadership goals. Visit www.CogentAnalytics.com or email Marketing@CogentAnalytics.com for more information.   

At Cogent Analytics, we never stop looking for ways to improve your business and neither should you. So, check out some of our other posts for helpful business information:

April 17, 2019 – Greensboro, NC – Cogent Analytics, a business management consulting firm, is celebrating its five-year anniversary this month. Listed on the Inc 500 and Inc 5000 for two consecutive years, and on target to make the list for a third time this year, the company has been in hyper-growth mode since its inception.

Greensboro, North Carolina – August 16, 2018 – Cogent Analytics, has made it onto the Inc 5000 list of fastest growing companies in the country for the second year in a row.  Of the tens of thousands of companies that have been ranked on this exclusive list, only one in three have made the list two times.  After only four years, Cogent Analytic’s industry disruptor approach has proven to be the key to outstanding growth and steady success in the business management consulting industry.  Showing a 212% 3 year growth and ranking #197 in the Business Products and Services category in Inc. 5000, Cogent continues to excel.

“This ranking reflects our absolute commitment to deliver solutions to business owners with integrity and transparency.  Our ultimate goal is to build sustainable, long-term relationships with our clients to help them achieve new levels of success.” Says Rob Braiman, Principal and Managing Member of Cogent Analytics.  “When we started Cogent, we wanted to consult differently than our competitors. We keep our clients first and adhere to a strict code of ethics. By partnering long term, we can dramatically transform businesses and impact the lives of the owners, employees, families and the communities where they live” adds Braiman.

Partnering primarily with privately-held business on the East Coast and Mid-West regions of the United States, Cogent is steadily expanding across the country.  Cogent Analytics’ approach to clients is to provide the third leg to the business stool which includes the fundamental needs of a lawyer, an accountant, and a business advisor. As the strategic business advisor, Cogent Analytics empowers clients to strengthen their businesses, overcome challenges, and engineer profit to ensure the long-term, continuous health of the organization.

Braiman adds, “Through our initial discovery process, we partner with our clients to identify areas of opportunity, then, present our findings and offer solutions.  With our consulting services, we will work one on one with our clients to implement the solutions with high standards of integrity and transparency. The on-going relationship with our clients is key, as it fosters new levels of success in the lifecycle of a business.”  Cogent works with business owners in a variety of industries including manufacturing, contracting, wholesale/distribution, transportation, engineering/architectural/design, and technology.

Cogent Analytics is a business management consulting firm based in Greensboro, North Carolina that is recognized as an Inc. 5000 honoree 2 years in a row and holds a A+ Rating with the Better Business Bureau. Cogent provides powerful solutions with integrity and transparency to privately-held businesses throughout the United States. Cogent partners with clients to identify areas of financial opportunity, improve organizational efficiencies, increase profit and accelerate leadership goals. Visit www.CogentAnalytics.com or email Marketing@CogentAnalytics.com for more information. See more Cogent Analytics News here.

Greensboro, North Carolina – August 1, 2018 – The rapid growth of Cogent Analytics spurred the release of their official corporate video.  Last year, Cogent Analytics was ranked #233 on the Inc 500 list of fastest growing companies in the country and #5 in North Carolina. The interest and demand for the company’s services has prompted the release of a comprehensive corporate video explaining just how the company is a disruptor in the business management consulting industry and how they have helped small businesses achieve new levels of success.

“This video outlines our absolute commitment to our clients and shows how we deliver powerful solutions to business owners with integrity and transparency.  Through our initial discovery process, we identify where we can bring value and transformation to companies. Then, with our consulting services, we work with our clients to implement the solutions to the highest standards. Our ultimate goal is to build sustainable, long-term relationships with our clients to help them succeed throughout the life of their business.” Says Rob Braiman, Principal and Managing Member of Cogent Analytics.

“When we started Cogent, we wanted to consult differently than our competitors. We keep our clients first and adhere to a strict code of ethics. We believe by partnering long term, we can dramatically transform businesses and impact the lives of the owners, employees, families and the communities where they live” adds Braiman.

Cogent Analytics continues to experience wide growth as the results they have achieved for their clients spreads in the market. Cogent’s approach to small businesses is to provide the third leg to the business stool which includes the fundamental needs of a lawyer, an accountant, and a business advisor. As the strategic business advisor, Cogent Analytics empowers clients to strengthen their operations, overcome challenges, and engineer profit to ensure the long-term, continuous health of the organization.

Cogent Analytics is a business management consulting firm based in Greensboro, North Carolina that is ranked consecutively on the Inc 500 list of fastest growing companies in the country and holds a A+ Rating with the Better Business Bureau. Cogent provides powerful solutions with integrity and transparency to privately-held businesses throughout the United States. Cogent partners with clients to identify areas of financial opportunity, improve organizational efficiencies, increase profit and accelerate leadership goals. Visit www.CogentAnalytics.com or email Marketing@CogentAnalytics.com for more information.

Rob and Robin Braiman sat down with Kathy Ireland to discuss how their approach of service to others has created growth for the company. This is a short segment for the full interview that airs on Fox Business Network and Bloomberg News.

Cogent Analytics featured on Worldwide Business with kathy ireland® on Fox Business to discuss the next generation of strategic business consulting. Learn more about how Cogent Analytics delivers powerful solutions to the small business owner and bring the better tools of management, organization and profitability through integrity and transparency. Small Businesses make up for 99.7% of the United States. Braiman focuses everyday on how to inspire the small business owner to achieve greater goals and focus on higher margins of revenue. 

---

At Cogent Analytics, we never stop looking for ways to improve your business and neither should you. So, check out some of our other posts for helpful business information:

Greensboro, North Carolina – October 16, 2017 – Cogent Analytics, through the Cogent Cares initiative, sponsors the Fall 2017 Trailablaze Challenge to benefit the Make-A-Wish Central and Western North Carolina through a 28.3 mile hike in the terrain of the Foothills Trail.

Greensboro, North Carolina – August 16, 2017 – Cogent Analytics, ranks 233 on the 2017 Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing private companies in America. Cogent receives this honor after three years of successful growth in the business management consulting industry.

Bret Tubergen, Regional Vice President (RVP) at Cogent Analytics, to launch a series on thought-leadership for small business owners during the summer of 2017.

Cogent Analytics is proud to announce the favorable outcome in the dismissed litigation regarding the civil case brought from HCMM, Inc, Concepta Business Solutions, LLC and Plaintiffs in early 2016