(Anti-)Crisis Management
An interim team inside your business: we stabilize cash, negotiate with banks, and drive growth
(Anti-)crisis management in an interim management format: the JB Solutions team takes management positions inside the company and assumes control of cash and processes. The core of the team is financial, with HR, lawyers, and accounting joining as needed. We work to international turnaround standards: a 13-week cash flow forecast, quick wins within the first 30 days, negotiations with banks and creditors. Projects run from six months. The only fixed fee is the diagnostic: 500,000 KZT excluding VAT; the rest is a monthly retainer plus a reward for concrete results.
When you need this
Recurring cash gaps: not enough money for payroll and suppliers
Revenue is growing but there is no profit, and it is unclear why
Debt is growing faster than the business, and the bank is asking questions
Control is lost: decisions are made blindly, without numbers
A company after rapid growth: processes did not keep up with scale
You want to prevent a crisis before it happens
What's included
- Diagnostic: where the business loses money and control, a prioritized risk map
- 13-week cash flow forecast: the main liquidity management tool, updated weekly
- Quick wins in the first 30 days: stopping non-essential spending, prioritizing payments, collecting receivables
- Work with banks and creditors: debt restructuring, repayment schedule, rebuilding trust
- Built processes: budgeting, payment approvals, management reporting
- A financial model for the path to growth with scenarios and KPIs
- A weekly owner's report: numbers, trends, decisions
Process
We review cash, debt, margins, and processes. We build the first version of the 13-week cash flow forecast.
We stop the losses: payment control, freezing non-essential spending, collecting receivables, negotiating with banks and creditors.
We build the system: budget, reporting, payment and procurement procedures. The client's team learns to work by the new rules.
We shift focus from survival to growth: a growth plan and KPIs. We hand management to the client's team or stay on as an external CFO.
Pricing
Diagnostic: a fixed 500,000 KZT excluding VAT. Ongoing work: a monthly retainer plus a results-based reward. Target metrics, retainer size, and the bonus formula are fixed in the contract after the diagnostic. Projects run from six months.
The interim format: how it differs from consulting
A classic consultant writes a report on 'how things should be' and leaves. An interim team takes management positions inside the company and is responsible for execution: implementing processes, verifying they work, adjusting. This is the format used by international turnaround firms like Alvarez & Marsal and AlixPartners, adapted to the scale and budget of Kazakhstani SMBs.
The first priority is always cash: while there are cash gaps, no strategy works. First we stabilize payment discipline, then build the system, then the growth plan.
The 13-week cash flow forecast
The core tool of international turnaround practice. A week-by-week forecast of inflows and payments for the quarter ahead: you can see in which week payroll money runs short, which payment can be shifted, and when a bank tranche is needed.
The forecast is updated weekly. It is a discipline that returns control to the owner: decisions are made on numbers, not gut feel. The same document becomes the basis for bank negotiations: the lender sees the company is being managed and becomes open to restructuring.
Why the 'anti' is in brackets
Crisis management is needed when the problem has already hit: cash gaps, debt, lost clients. Anti-crisis is when you see warning signs and want to avoid the point of no return.
The methods are the same: diagnostics, cash control, building processes. The difference is that preventive work costs less and happens without losses. Hence the brackets: we work in both modes.
Typical causes of crisis in SMBs
- Mixing personal and business money: the real picture is invisible
- Growth without processes: the company grew, but management stayed manual
- Prices not revised for years, margin eaten by inflation
- Receivables uncontrolled: clients pay whenever they like
- Loans plug operational holes instead of funding growth
- Books are kept for the tax office, not for management
FAQ
- How is this different from management accounting?
- Management accounting is a tool: reports and numbers. (Anti-)crisis management is working with the business as a whole: cash, processes, risks, decisions. Accounting is part of it but not the whole.
- Will you negotiate with the bank and creditors instead of me?
- Together with you. We work with all parties: banks, creditors, suppliers, clients. We prepare the position: the 13-week forecast, a restructuring plan, repayment and payment schedules, and we take part in the negotiations. Counterparties see the company is professionally managed, and that changes the tone of the conversation.
- How long does the work take?
- Projects run from six months. Diagnostic 1–2 weeks, stabilization 1–2 months, then building processes and moving to growth. Afterwards, optionally: ongoing support as an external CFO.
- How is the price structured?
- Three components. Diagnostic: a fixed 500,000 KZT excluding VAT. Ongoing work: a monthly retainer covering the team's work. A results bonus: tied to specific targets, such as closing cash gaps, reducing debt load, or reaching target margin. Metrics and the formula are fixed in the contract after the diagnostic.
- Do you guarantee results?
- We guarantee transparency: every week you see what was done and what changed in the numbers. Results also depend on the owner's readiness to make decisions, including hard ones.
- The business is not in crisis yet, but there are warning signs. Too early?
- Quite the opposite, it is the best moment. Preventive work is cheaper and faster: processes are built without the pressure of burning debt. Start with a diagnostic.
- Do we need to give you access to our bank accounts?
- No. We work with statements, accounting data, and reports. All payments are made by your team; we set the rules and monitor compliance.
Discuss your task
We respond within 1 business day