Company Name: Mike’s Hardware & Supply
Name and Title: Lee LaFleur, Co-Owner
High School: Brother Martin High School
College: University of New Orleans
Family Members: Erin (wife), Brady (20), Abby (18)
Hobbies/Interests: Jogging, cooking, attending festivals, volunteering, being outdoors
What achievements in your business are you most proud of and how did they make a difference?
Lee: Growing our sales, our team, our footprint, along with our overall operation in a somewhat challenging industry for smaller operators.
What specific aspect of PRIME Business Advisory Solutions made you choose them as your partner?
Lee: We outgrew our old back-office setup (just me!) and knew we had to make some improvements. I met with Natalie and John to discuss our needs and went from there.
What’s your outlook for Mike’s Hardware & Supply for this year and beyond?
Lee: Several industry forecasts predict things to remain rather flat with an upward trend hopefully later this year. We’ve seen similar cycles in the past and have been striving to use this time wisely to make some improvements and catch up on things that were pushed aside during busier times. We are fortunate that we can react to market conditions easier than most. Also, there seems to be a positive outlook for the New Orleans region going forward so that should help.
How would you describe the overall experience of working with PRIME, and what aspects of their partnership would you say have been most valuable to you and your team?
Lee: PRIME Has done the following for Mike’s Hardware & Supply:
- They helped us set up a new cloud-based accounting system, and they’ve implemented better control processes around all of our accounting functions. Alaina, a Prime Consulting Manager, has been our main contact and has been a great fit for our needs. She has been very effective, engaged, efficient, and brings a wealth of knowledge that has allowed us to gain a much better feel for our accounting. They’re all so good at what they do!
- PRIME has helped us bring in an Office Administrator to assist with duties in the store and to do some of our in-house accounting work.
- They’ve been a huge help in transitioning to a new tax CPA and we’ve been working on tax strategies for our businesses.
- Working with PRIME has allowed for an additional set of eyes to help us further monitor the many moving parts of our finances. We’re busy with many other day-to-day functions of the business, so it’s been great having some professional oversight and input to help keep us on track.