Services
Consulting services for strategy, performance, and transactions
ISTEFAN CONSULTING LLC provides business and management consulting to companies in the United States and international markets. Our services fall into five areas: strategy, performance improvement, transaction advisory, restructuring, and working capital. Most clients come to us with a specific decision to make, and the engagement is built around that decision rather than a standard program.
Where clients start
- Margins slipping and no clear owner of the fix
- A transaction approaching before the numbers are ready
- Cash tight even though sales look healthy
- Growth that has outrun the reporting behind it
Five service areas, and how to tell which one you need
Each area below is a working method, not a menu item. Read the descriptor on each row: the one that matches the decision in front of you is where the conversation should start. If two rows look relevant, that is common and useful, because the order of work often matters more than the label on the engagement.
Strategy and operating model
Strategy work answers where to compete and how to win, then translates that into an operating model that can deliver it. We look at your markets, customers, and cost position, then work through the choices: which segments to prioritize, what to stop doing, and what the organization needs to look like.
A services firm with distributed teams faces different design questions than a manufacturer with a single plant. Headcount structure, decision rights, reporting lines and how quickly information travels all change with the business model. The output is a short set of priorities, a sequence, and measures that show whether the plan is working.
What the work usually involves
- Segment and customer analysis before any recommendation
- A written list of what the firm will stop doing
- An operating model matched to how the business actually runs
- Measures that show progress within the first quarter
Performance improvement
When margins are under pressure, the fastest gains usually come from the operations you already control. We examine pricing, procurement, process steps, and overhead to find where value is leaking. Pricing that has drifted over years, contracts nobody renegotiated, and processes that accumulated extra approvals are common findings.
The work is hands-on. We help implement changes rather than hand over a report, because improvement plans that stay on paper do not move margins. That means sitting with the people who run the process, agreeing on the change, and checking it held a month later.
Common finding
Pricing drift
Discounts granted years ago that were never revisited, and price lists that no longer reflect the cost of serving the account.
Common finding
Unopened contracts
Supplier agreements on auto-renewal, with terms written for volumes the business no longer buys.
Common finding
Approval layers
Steps added after one bad month and never removed, each one adding days to a routine decision.
Common finding
Overhead creep
Cost that grew with headcount while revenue stayed flat, so the ratio quietly moved against you.
Diligence and readiness work runs on the same question from both sides: what will the other party ask first, and is the answer ready.
Transaction advisory and due diligence
Deals reward preparation on both sides. Buy-side due diligence covers quality of earnings, customer concentration, working capital norms, and integration risk, so the questions that matter get asked before signing rather than after.
Quality of earnings, customer concentration, working capital norms and integration risk, tested against the deal thesis rather than a template checklist.
Readiness work: cleaning up financial reporting, resolving operational issues a buyer will find anyway, and presenting the business clearly so the story holds up in a data room.
Integration and value capture support, where the gap between the deal thesis and actual results tends to show up in the first two quarters.
Restructuring and turnaround advisory
When a business is under stress, the priorities change. Cash forecasting becomes urgent, lenders want a credible plan, and management needs options that hold up under scrutiny. We work with management teams, owners, and advisers on turnaround and restructuring, including situations involving disputes or financial investigations.
Forensic accounting work fits here too: documented analysis for companies, attorneys, or investors who need an evidence-based review of what happened and what it means. The deliverable is built so it can be read by someone outside the business, because that is usually who has to act on it.
Thirteen-week cash view
A rolling short-horizon forecast that shows when cash actually tightens, not just the year-end number.
Lender-ready plan
Assumptions written out and sourced, so the plan can be challenged and still stand.
Options framing
Realistic paths with their trade-offs, including what each one costs in time and control.
Forensic review
Documented analysis for companies, counsel, or investors who need a defensible account of what happened.
Stress shows up in the ordinary places first: fewer orders, slower payments, and costs that were fine a year ago.
Working capital as a lever
Working capital is one of the most underappreciated tools in consulting. Receivables that age too long, payables paid earlier than necessary, and inventory that sits without moving all tie up cash. Improving discipline across those three areas can free cash without external financing, which matters for distressed companies and for fast-growing ones that are short on cash despite healthy sales.
We start with a clear picture of the cash conversion cycle, then target the specific accounts and processes that create the drag. That usually means a short list of accounts, a few changed terms, and a reporting habit that keeps the improvement visible after we leave.
Receivables
Invoice accuracy, terms, and follow-up discipline.
Payables
Payment timing that keeps supplier terms intact.
Inventory
What is moving, what is sitting, and what to stop buying.
Advisory for owners and smaller businesses
Small and mid-sized businesses often need something different from a large corporate engagement: practical help with growth, structure, and problem-solving rather than a long study. Owners typically want a sounding board who understands the numbers and can help make decisions faster. We work with companies in Miami and across Florida on strategic planning, operational support, and the transitions that come with growth, such as new reporting needs, added management layers, or a first serious look at succession.
A retainer usually fits when
Decisions come up regularly and you want a steady counterpart rather than a one-off study. Monthly working sessions, the same person on the other side of the table, and advice available while the question is still open.
A project fits when
There is one decision to make or one problem to solve, with a clear end point. Defined deliverables, a timeline, and a fixed fee agreed before the work starts. Hourly billing is used only when the scope genuinely cannot be defined in advance, and we say so at the proposal stage rather than discovering it later.
How engagements are structured
Scopes are defined before work starts. You know what you are paying for and what you should expect to receive. That applies whether the engagement is a fixed project, a retainer, or the rare case where hourly billing is the honest option.
Choosing the right engagement
If you are not sure which service fits, that is a normal starting point. A company worried about margins might need performance improvement, or it might need a working capital review first. A business considering a sale might need readiness work before due diligence. The initial conversation is about identifying the real problem, and the proposal follows from that.
First
A short scoping call to hear the decision you are facing and what has already been tried.
Then
A written scope: the problem as we understand it, what is in and out, the timeline, and the fee.
If it is not us
We will say so and point you toward the kind of adviser who fits better, including your own CPA or counsel.
Questions clients ask before starting
Three questions come up in almost every first conversation. If yours is different, ask it on the call.
Do you work with companies outside Florida?
Yes. We are based in Miami and work with clients across the United States and in international markets. Most of the work happens remotely, with in-person sessions when they add value, such as a kickoff, a workshop, or a lender meeting.
Can you work alongside our existing accountants or attorneys?
Yes, and we usually prefer it. We coordinate with your CPA on financial questions and with counsel on legal matters, so the work stays in the right hands. Where a question belongs to your accountant or your lawyer, we say so instead of taking it on.
How long does a typical engagement last?
Project work often runs a few months around a defined decision. Retainers run longer. The timeline is set in the proposal and adjusted if the scope changes, so the schedule stays honest rather than aspirational.
Tell us the decision you are facing
A short call is usually enough to work out which of the five service areas fits, and what a scope would look like. Reach us at +1-703-530-0266, Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, or at 321 NE 26th St, Unit 601, Miami, FL 33137.