OUR TEAM

Jim Downes

Jim Downes

FOUNDER & CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Affiliations:

  • Registered Certified Public Accountant
  • Association for Corporate Growth
  • American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
  • Certified Turnaround Professional

A veteran outsourced Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and financial advisory, Jim Downes has served business owners and management teams for over 20 years. He has worked with more than 200 companies, specializing in fractional CFO activities and as a CTP (Certified Turnaround Professional).

Jim began his career as a Certified Public Account at Plante Moran CPAs, the 14th largest CPA firm in the US. Beginning as a part-time CFO before becoming a full-time Vice President, Jim helped launch his first outsourced accounting client, Urban Science, an automotive technology/consulting firm in 1985. During his tenure, the company grew from less than $1 million to over $50 million in annual sales, winning the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2001.

Jim founded the Acumen Group, committed to providing part-time CFO services and financial advice to middle market and privately held businesses in 2001. In 2007, he joined BBK, an international turnaround consulting firm as Director. During the Great Recession, he positively transformed numerous businesses facing financial distress and severe cash shortages.

Jim relocated to California in 2009 to open BBK’s Los Angeles office. When KPMG acquired the company in 2014, he was named Director of Restructuring and Turnaround Services for the West Coast. At the same time, he also became a nationally certified turnaround professional (CTP). Recently, Jim completed the training to become a Professional Implementer of the EOS (Entrepreneur’s Operating System). Jim is certified in Revenue Science and the CRO Thinking methodology through his training with the Revenue Game LLC.

Jim’s unremitting passion for working with business owners seeking to build great companies led him to open Blueprint CFO in 2019. A forward-looking strategist, Jim and his team provide a competitive advantage over typical CFOs. Leveraging data, they go beyond the numbers to make their clients ever more profitable.

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Valuation Planning

Blueprint CFO will work with executive leadership to determine shareholder value, and run various models to determine estimated company valuation. Together, we will determine milestone objectives to increase shareholder value and track company performance in relation to these targets. We will review your company’s organic and acquisition growth options to create shareholder value, and emphasize tax planning to optimize shareholder value upon a sale or purchase. We can also focus on Initial Public Offering (IPO) Planning and Readiness.

Analytics & Business Intelligence

We believe that being data-driven is key to profitability. As such, we can help you create meaningful dashboards and scorecards for your business, analyzing performance against key performance indicators and other factors. Our profitability reporting and analysis tools will help drive business decision-making and provide insights into trends, predictions, results, and potential strategic direction moving forward.

Goal Setting & Tracking

Our team can partner with company leadership to establish goals and objectives for the company, for both the short and long term. Additionally, we will help leaders develop meaningful Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to track and measure results.

Insurance & Tax Planning

Blueprint CFO can work with businesses to review insurance needs and requirements, as well as plan for taxes and R&D credits.

Human Resources

We can assist your HR department with employee benefits planning, and can also perform compensation studies to ensure best practices are implemented across the business.

Accounting & Finance Support

Whether you have an internal team in place or need more hands-on assistance, Blueprint CFO can oversee and advise your accounting and finance department. From preparing general ledger transaction entries to completing month-end closes, forecasting to crafting financial statements, developing customized reporting packages to implementing more effective software, Blueprint CFO can bring you everything from a supportive junior or senior accounting team, all the way to high-level strategic CFO consulting.

Mergers & Acquisitions

Blueprint CFO can partner with company leadership to improve strategic business plans and assist with the development of organizational growth strategy. We can also create financial reporting packages and proformas for capital raises, investments, acquisitions and/or banking requirements, and provide due diligence on company-focused deals.

Financial Planning

We can prepare, create and/or review financial statements. This includes providing trend analysis, developing cash flow projections, and tracking operational and financial performance, with insight into budget and forecast variances.

Banking Services

Our team can help your company to establish high-level banking relationships, and offer expert advice and support when it comes to sourcing bank loans, etc. Additionally, we can review and determine the optimal capital structure for refinancing or a liquidity event.

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