Being an expert in financial analysis and strategy formulation, Ariel’s goal is to assist companies in making challenging decisions related to deferred compensation, employee benefits, buy-sell agreements, valuations, business sales, and succession planning. Having worked in the financial services industry for over a decade, he specializes in insurance and investment solutions. The firm is specialized in providing a long-run solution for executive compensation, business plan development, mergers & acquisitions, due diligence, and asset financing. His experience includes working with executives and CEOs across a wide range of industries, including hospitality, commercial real estate, trucking, insurance, manufacturing, and technology.

Ariel is also involved in family investment groups and real estate investments. The diverse range of activities that Ariel performs includes companies with e-commerce expertise, automotive distribution, management consulting, financial services, corporate travel, food concepts, and enterprise technology.

Lions Financial- The Company

Lions Financial is a financial consulting firm that provides solutions in three key areas: Business Consulting, Capital Markets, and Risk Management. The boutique firm aims to provide holistic business management solutions in partnership with the customers by collaborating with many trusted professionals.

The four specific disciplines of financial management that the firm focuses on for a business are Financial   Strategy, Organizational Structure And Processes, Communications, and Technology.

Lions Financial offers financial management strategies and processes that help companies optimize their business for long-term growth.

The Team

The team has decades of experience in financial management. The company works with institutional investors, banks, investment firms, venture capital firms, investor platforms, and capital advisory firms.

Client Base

The client base is mostly developed through referrals. Most of the clients are Corporate executives, entrepreneurs, proprietors who have family-owned businesses, and partnerships. Businesses that have completed three years or more and generate revenue from $3 million to $50 million, or when their growth is at its peak are the most desirable ones.

The industry verticals that Lions Financial has catered till now include:

Automotive and trucking, Commercial real-estate, Retail, financial services, marketing, Hospitality, Renewable Energy, Healthcare, and bio-pharmaceutical industries

Growth Path- Overcoming challenges and emerging as a market leader

Ariel expressed how the initial years were challenging as that was the learning phase for them. With time, they have created and implemented technology to create a proper process to develop more effective strategies that connect the segments well and thus deliver a better solution to the clients.

Initially, Lions Financial focused on companies that had a hard time obtaining financing. In some cases, longer-term engagements became difficult due to under funding. Later on, they tried to focus on larger companies with the capability to leverage more complex financial strategies. A good indicator to pick the companies were those that have a leadership structure demonstrating a potential for success, such as multi-generational businesses, companies with advisory boards, and companies with a successor CEO. The boutique firm also caters to companies that are being funded by venture capital and require a variety of services during their growth period.

Revolution & Evolution

Technological development has been the other name for revolution. What we can do now was unimaginable previously. Identifying the core issue, understanding the current status quo, and providing a business solution has been easier with help of technology. A successful company invests in research and development to find prospects and plans for those prospects.

Digitization has changed the industry abruptly. Due to the pandemic, many industries have adopted the online method and others have chosen the hybrid model. Financial assets, goals, and solutions have changed enormously.

Four-Step SIRE- The Execution Process

The most value-focused process that the company believes in is the Four-Step SIRE. This helps them to get into the system of the client company and understand each process to provide a better financial solution.

Survey- Gathering of the primary and secondary facts/data of the client company to assess and evaluate its business situation.

Insight – Extracting/Sieving data from the pool for tailored SWOT analysis- identifies a unique blend of skills, business value, competency, threats, and weaknesses.

Recommend- Recommending two to three best solutions while evaluating the problem to achieve their business goals.

Execution- Supports clients to achieve the desired outcome while addressing the hurdles and ensuring better results.

As part of Due Diligence, the company focuses on learning about the clients and their work processes to find where it can be improved. Understanding the business fundamentals, operations, goals, growth, competitor analysis, and business verticals is extremely important to provide an effective solution. The whole process is challenging as well as time-consuming.

Ariel and his leadership journey

As a leader, Ariel needs to prioritize the client’s needs and provide financial services to businesses throughout their different life cycles. Building an efficient team who are equally concerned and tailoring solutions that are best for clients have been vital for him.

The exchange of ideas is an effective way of communication for Ariel. Lions Financial has a flexible work system to enhance the skills of the team. The leadership team brainstorms a solution and tailors them based on the client’s requirements. This way, they collaborate with clients to provide them with different creative options, considering risk, cost, and outcome.

Ariel says, Challenges are part of the business, but one can overcome the hurdles if one chooses the team carefully. On-board specialists who can help to gain a deeper understanding of various aspects of business through their experience and expertise.

“Leadership is all about foreseeing and decision-making!”

Entrepreneur Insights

Indrani Banerjee