Profit Leaks: 5 Hidden Places Your Mid-Market Business is Losing Money.
I’m strangely still amazed how few entrepreneurs know their numbers. I don’t mean becoming numbers driven, but rather numbers informed. To be fair I believe that accountants are stopping at simply handing business owners their numbers and walking off. Just today I met with a prospect who said she only gets annual financial statements, and her accountant “does the books” but never gives her any advice or insights.
Your numbers are telling a story and if you aren’t listening you drift.
5 areas to focus on:
- Revenue growth.
- Gross Margin growth (vs revenue growth)
- Overhead growth vs revenue growth
- Net Profit Margin
- Cashflow, cashflow, cashflow.
Understanding Your Financials: What the Balance Sheet Says About Your Future Value.
Your balance sheet is not just a historical record. It is a window into your company’s value not mere growth. It shows how effectively past profits have been reinvested to build assets that generate tomorrow’s returns. A strong balance sheet signals resilience, liquidity and room to grow. A weak one reveals strain, over-reliance on debt or under-investment in productive capacity. For high-growth entrepreneurs, the message is clear: growth must strengthen, not stretch your balance sheet. Balance Sheet numbers reveal whether your success is sustainable or simply momentum without foundation. Read it carefully; it is your financial future whispering to you today.
Stop Selling Products, Start Selling Solutions: A Value Articulation Deep Dive.
Your product is amazing. That’s exactly why no one is buying it. You’ve built something to impress yourself, not to solve a clear pain-point for others. It’s positioned as a vitamin, a nice-to-have. It needs to be positioned as a pain-killer, a must-have. Vitamins are bought with the money we have left over in the month, pain-killers are prioritised and money is found to buy them! Relatability creates demand. Your customer doesn’t care how good your thing is. They care how fast it gets them what they want. Features don’t sell, outcomes do. So you don’t need a better product you need a better message. Stop selling your product and start selling the transformation it creates.
Turnaround Tactics: Lessons Learned from Leading Two Taxing Business Rescues.
I’ve had the privilege of two business turnarounds, however I don’t wish it on anyone. Here’s my takeaways:
- Your irresponsibility today becomes somebody else’s responsibility tomorrow. As a business owner run towards the smoke before it becomes a fire. Don’t ignore that divisive employee, that product risk.
- It’s easier to keep up than to catch up. Embrace continuous daily improvements rather than overhauls and redesigns that are costly and emotionally taxing.
- Ensure you have a leadership culture, where everyone takes ownership. A boss and employee culture fosters babysitting, entitlement and people who manage but never make anything better.