Testimonials

If you are looking to establish a new business or bring your current business to the next level and are looking for guidance, Larry is your guy. When my business was just an idea scribbled on a piece of paper Larry helped point me in the right direction to get things started and he has mentored me through every step of this process of developing my business. His strategic development knowledge, financial expertise and cash flow management system created a solid foundation on which to grow and succeed beyond our wildest dreams. I owe a great deal of my success to Larry and consider him one of the most valuable members of the STO-N-SHO team.

– Mike McKinney, CEO, SHO-N-STO

I met Larry in the Spring of 2013 and have been working with him consistently since that time. We are an 18 years old retail operation with multiple store locations and have experienced the excitement, challenges and issues an expanding business enterprise can bring. Through Larry’s help we have been able to dramatically improve critical areas of our operations which has increased cash our flow, decreased our debt and improved our profit margins through a better managed inventory purchasing procedure using an his Open-to-Buy Inventory Purchasing system.

Larry is a great advisor and listener with the patience and art of explaining concepts, numbers and reports until we understand them completely and how to use them. He has an ability to not only understand problems and issues, but how to develop both short and long-term solutions. He not only sees the whole picture but also understands the intimate details necessary to resolve the issues confronting us. Larry is a strategically minded thinker, which as allowed us to plan and execute to achieve our goals and continually increase the strength of our company both financially and operationally.

Larry is easy to work with, honest with his advice and has a very positive attitude. And he is always available and very responsive whenever we reach out to him between meetings. We are so grateful for the opportunity to work with Larry and appreciative for what he has done for us. He has made us excited again about the future of our business.

If you have the chance to work with Larry I’d highly suggest taking the opportunity to do so.

– Carrie Hunter, Owner, Zen Island

Larry has been our business advisor for over a year now, and we feel like we’ve hit the lottery. His warmth, kindness, positivity and generosity combined with his deep knowledge and understanding of how to make businesses succeed has given us a huge advantage. As a growing business, we’ve had countless questions about cash flow, management and business strategy and he is always available to provide great insight and advice. He’s a wonderful communicator and has a way of explaining complex financial concepts so that non-Finance majors can understand them. He truly cares about us and our business, and because of his help we’ve doubled our revenue last year and are on track to do the same this year.

– Kevin Painchaud and Patty Benson, Owners, Your Bar Stools, Inc., Good Stores, Inc

Larry’s help with cash flow, budgeting and Open-to-Buy inventory purchasing has helped our businesses immensely. Being able to make real time adjustments has given us more control of our cash and ability to forecast our needs. And along with Larry’s excellent business advice comes his enthusiasm, support and encouragement! I have many business owner friends who have worked with Larry and we joke that we always feel better after having a meeting with Larry.

– Linnaea Holgers James, Owner, Artisans Gallery and Agency

We have had the great privilege to have Larry Hebert as our Mentor this past year. He has helped our company grow in a way we couldn’t have imagined. His knowledge of business and finance far surpassed what we know. We have been growing at a steady pace without any mentoring and we were “stuck” in a position not knowing what direction to jump into next. He has helped push us along in the right direction and his confidence in us helped boost us to the next level. We value his opinion and advise in every sense of the word. We wouldn’t be where we are today had he not come into our lives. Everyone on our team respects him in the highest degree.

We are looking forward to our continued relationship with Larry.

– Maria Neu, Co-Founder/President, Hip & Chick Organiks

We have created 3 businesses and purchased one in the last 18 years. One meeting with Larry and I thought “if only we had worked with him from the beginning…”, our financial situation would be drastically different as well as the control we would have in our lives.’ Just speaking with him and listening to his experiences and knowledge on all things business, I felt my stress dissipate. He clearly explains how most of the anxiety we as business owners feel is universal and there is a way to put practices in place so that we are free to useour energies on other things ( such as getting your life back). He has been so patient with us and I truly feel there is light at the end of the tunnel as we are beginning to run our businesses and not our businesses running us. His advice is invaluable and we will be forever grateful.

– Wendy Melrose, Owner, Bunny’s Home and Garden

We started working with Larry just as we opened our home decor and gift boutique and we are so grateful we had the opportunity to start our business off on such a good foot! He gave us the tools to manage a business successfully such as excel sheets he designed for our “open to buy” and a “cash flow” sheet that have been immensely helpful. He is a retail specialist and his knowledge and expertise have helped shape our business. We honestly can’t say enough great things about Larry! We feel like our steady growth and success is largely due to his guidance and the tools he has provided for us.

–Leilani Kanter, Owner, Botanic And Luxe

I have worked with Larry as a consultant since 2015 and he has helped my small business immensely. Larry is well versed in all critical aspects of running a business, understanding margins and financials, cash flow management, inventory issues, and strategic planning. He facilitated the introduction of my product to a large international brand, which is now carrying my product and he helped negotiate and understand their strict requirements. I wouldn’t be working with and expanding into larger corporate buyers without his expertise in the corporate world. His desire to help small local businesses succeed is admirable and that is what motivates him. He is a pleasure to work with and I consider him an integral part of my business.

Julie Roller, Founder/CEO, The Active Towel

Larry has very strong business knowledge and has assisted me from the initial startup and planning phase through my recent relocation to a major retail shopping area in Los Gatos, CA. His impressive background in strategic planning, operations and sound financial management has allowed me to make prudent decisions that have greatly benefitted my store. His “Cash Flow Management System” has been especially helpful in forecasting my cash needs each month and has given me the ability to identify issues before they occur so I can have a solution well before any situation unfolds. He also introduced me to the Open-to-Buy inventory system to ensure I purchase only what I need to support my sales goals and don’t tie up capital needed to operate the store.

Larry spends a lot of time listening to business owner’s needs and developing solutions for any issue that arises. By working together in assessing potential problem areas and tailoring tools to combat them, Larry has given me the confidence to succeed and create a thriving retail business. Having created a strong foundation for my store and financial control, I can now focus on opportunities before me to grow it even further.

If you have the opportunity, I’d highly recommend working with Larry whether you are starting a business, taking it to the next level or experiencing issues that are impeding your progress. He has the tools and knowledge to get you where you want to go and is a super guy.

– Kate Springmeyer, Owner, French Theft Lingerie

Larry helped us set up our business and continues to help us now. His expertise and attention to detail are very helpful and much appreciated. Whether he is setting up our cash flow spreadsheet, the open-to-buy inventory purchasing system, or sharing bits of wisdom from his many years as a retail store owner, he’s always focused on what’s best for our store. We don’t know what we would do without him!

Hannah Stubblefield, Owner, Wonderland Toys

Larry is a Consummate Professional. He has been instrumental in the growth of our business since 2014.
I consider Larry as my business coach. He has so much knowledge and breaks down the intense complicated tasks into bite size pieces. He’s got great connections in the business community and partners us with the most professional business partners for our needs.

His cash flow management system has been a great help in controlling our cash needs and expenditures. It’s the first time I’ve been able to accurately forecast my cash needs, feel I have financial control and be proactive rather than reactive if an issue arises.

Larry has a great sense of humor. Nothing is too big or too small for him to handle.Feel like he’s got our back.

– Wendi Strong, President, Drapery Enterprises

Larry is the ultimate professional. He has tremendous acumen and the ability to see the “big picture” as well as the intimate details of a business. He is positive and energetic, yet realistic and steady in setting expectations and executing on the set plan. He is a multi-level thinker who is awesome with the financial aspect of starting and managing a company from the launch phase through operating profitably. Larry has an outgoing personality, is confident in his abilities and is very easy to work with. He also possesses a great network of people locally as well as in the United States, which has been very beneficial to me. Larry has advised and encouraged me through the hardest parts of starting my new business by developing a strategic plan, setting goals, targeting customers, finding a US manufacturer and developing cash flow and P/L forecasts. He is also very responsive to any inquiries and always available to assist when needed. Larry is someone who leads by example by being very proactive with the utmost integrity. I respect Larry greatly and appreciate his wisdom in all aspects of business. If you have the opportunity to work with Larry in any capacity, consider yourself very fortunate. He’s one of a kind.

– Valerie Freer, President/CEO, Indeegear

Larry has been a great resource for our business. When we turn to him for advice and mentoring, his experience and knowledge of finances, cash flow and business operations, gives us confidence that what he so generously shares with us is useful, practical, sound and has been very helpful in expanding our company.”

Doug Brouwer, CEO, EKM Metering, Inc

I’ve been working with Larry Hebert since 2014. During the last three years he’s taught me how to manage cash flow, understand inventory, COGS, create an Open-to-Buy and basically how to understand my business from a financial perspective. He 100% understands the retail end of the business from his personal history as a brick and mortar owner and his vast experience. Larry explains his points and reasoning clearly so anyone, including myself, can understand financials and cash flow. He goes over any questions I have until I’m able to understand and does it with patience. I was able to expand into a new space and sales have increased by 32% in the last year due much to his guidance and financial forecasting. Larry has become a friend, advisor and most of all a life long mentor.

– Dyane Villalobos, Owner, Childish Santa Cruz

I have been working with Larry for a three years and can honestly say the odds of my business being as successful as it is would be slim without Larry’s sound advice and support. My company has been open for five years and with his help in determining and monitoring cash flow and guidance in developing a creative business model, I’ve been able to navigate all the highs and lows that is part of running a business. He’s been a great mentor and friend.

– Cheri Chase, Owner, Smooth Body Lounge

Since we began working with Larry Hebert, we have been incredibly encouraged by his advice, support, and knowledge of the financial industry. We have been working with him for about six months and he’s made us feel at ease from the very start. He has been instrumental in improving our cash flow, reducing our debts and creating forecasting models to plan our cash in advance to remedy issues prior to their occurrence. Larry has been involved in every aspect of our financial situation. And we have been amazed at how far above and beyond he has gone to help our business. He answers emails, texts and phone calls immediately, and is available anytime we have a question. We could not be happier that we found Larry to help us improve our financial and cash flow situation.

– June Hoffman, Owner, Hoffman’s Downtown

Larry has been there for me at all hours of the day to discuss any issue I am dealing with. He takes the time to genuinely reflect on the particulars of your situation and provide wisdom and steps for taking action. I feel like he could also be called a business therapist! Starting your own business, especially as a first time owner, can be a uniquely challenging experience. With Larry at your side, you can feel confident that you have caring, dedicated, and trustworthy support to get you through it all

– Keara Connor, MAEd, Founder/Teacher, Kaiwa Art and Play Space

Larry is the best at what he does; he is business savvy, caring, and a friend. He’ll throw a combination curve ball from his sporting career, retail experience, and overall life wisdom to complement your passion of what you’re doing in business. I cannot elaborate on how much knowledge he has, however, your daily sweat and tears from running a business are greeted with brainstorming solutions, compassion, and understanding. Larry will answer your questions and topics that you prepared for the meeting, but he will also open avenues of new discussions and dialogue for novel ideas to catapult your business potential. Larry’s a numbers guy and it’s a nice touch to enrich our creative brains with a mathematical outlook to earn more profit in the future. Larry will provide a friend quality of extreme honesty, so do your homework. I guarantee Larry will reduce your stress of negative energy and replace that with a renewed sense of solutions and a prosperous future in a business world that’s scary as hell! Thank you, Larry, for your service!

– Collin Jesberger, M.Ed., Owner , TSC Academics

Larry has been a key advisor for the Cabrillo College Small Business Development Center since 2012. Larry is extremely knowledgeable, and has a particular talent for seeing what is not readily visible to business owners. He has greatly increased our clients’ profitability and is highly regarded for his acumen, kindness and efficiency. He is invaluable to our organization.

Teresa Thomae, Director, Small Business Development Center

I call Larry at critical turning points when I need to review my thinking and make sure my plans are sound. A patient and active listener, Larry lets me lay everything out and usually raises some new issues. Fleshing things out in their fullest, my take-aways are these new ideas, better plans for executing the vision, and confidence that I’m on the right track. Experience, perspective, humility and humor, caring…

– Eric Rupp, President/CEO, Venture Associates