Excuse me for being obvious. If you ride a rocking horse long enough, you’ll end up creating a rut from repeating the same motion over and over. In other words, things that don’t change stay the same. And over time, inertia makes it more and more difficult to change. Feel stuck (like you’re in a rut)? Are you ready to get out? First, you must accept two business truths. Truth 1: Everything around us is always in motion. Tasks, phone calls, emails, texts, to do lists, etc. Then to compound the problem, as time goes by, things change. The business grows (or shrinks).…

The famous economist Milton Friedman once once made this observation. This article is all about understanding how to make your business system function more effectively from a cash management point of view. There is no way we can make a pencil. Why? Well silly, think of all the skills needed between wood working, making the eraser, the lead, paint, lettering, the metal part holding the eraser. So you see, even though a lead pencil is a rather simple instrument, we can’t make one on our own. We need all the materials and equipment to do it. Your business is no different.  When looking…

  If you’re involved with our Profit First Cash Management System (PFCMS) you’ll recognize why we are asking this question.  PFCMS is intended to make sure you have the right amount of cash, in the right place, at the right time. When it comes time to make tax payments, it feels GREAT to know you’re already covered by having the cash ready. The Best Way To Eat an Elephant!! What’s the best way to eat an elephant? Most people think it’s best done a bite at a time. And that’s why we have you set up a separate bank account to collect tax. We…

As more information becomes available, it turns out that there were some definite warning signs about the submersible that imploded recently. Had the participants paid attention to certain warning signs, they might have been able to avoid the disastrous consequences that occurred. Last month we talked about business implosion. This month we’d like to talk about a few telltale warning signs you might want to be aware of. Signs, Signs, Everywhere There’s Signs… Someone should write a song about that, right? Hey, I don’t know about you, but sometimes I get annoyed with the sheer number of signs we are subjected to when driving…

  It all depends on which world you’re in… What’s that you say? That doesn’t make sense to you? Well, it might if you think about it a little. When we experience cash shortages, our behavior changes, and sometimes it’s not always for the better. Let me introduce you to two different worlds: The Cost World The Throughput World The Cost World In the Cost World, we are very focused on costs. We look at every single expense and try to reduce it. We also tend to be obsessed with allocating all costs against the production of income.  But isn’t that a smart thing to do? After all, that…

  Lots of people talk about how unique their products and services are. Many times when I listen to them, I start yawning. Boring… Why? 2 main reasons: Sellers tend to look at their offerings from their perspective. How much did this cost me to produce? What features and benefits should I offer? Sellers can be lazy. They don’t have a clear sense of their market demographics, and they don't do the market research to validate the characteristics and size of their markets. What does that mean? Well, it usually translates into sellers becoming product pushers. And when sellers do that, they make it…

Here’s an interesting fact: Every organization has 3 main functions: Sales and Marketing to generate opportunities,and close deals. Operations to produce and deliver the goods/services sold Finance/Administration for accounting, HR, and other admin functions. Knowing this allows us to understand how work flows through the company. In fact, it’s linear. It must pass through all 3 functions in that order to generate money/profit. Are you aware that every business has a bottleneck, or constraint? That is a mathematical certainty. Why? Because if your business does not have a constraint, you’d have infinite profits. And even Apple doesn’t have that (although some think they are close)... Your…

  Have you ever asked yourself this question? There are several reasons this is important: Do you like your customers? Some we really like, some we tolerate, some we dread every time the phone rings. So in other words, some customers suck up energy and some give us energy. Which can you do your very best work with? Duh… The Pie Is Usually Big Enough I love pie, don’t you? Let’s compare your market segment(s) to a pie. Every market pie has a certain size. It’s impossible to serve the entire market (or eat the entire pie). It’s too big, or at least it should…

  It’s ok, you can be totally honest with me. And I will be honest with you, too.  Most business owners hardly ever look at their financials. There are several reasons for that: The financials are not very accurate It’s difficult to read the financials because they are so messy looking It’s difficult to understand how those financial results ended up on the financials The info on the financials is too old to be useful How in the world can you implement our Profit First Cash Management System (PFCMS) without accurate financials? Answer: It’s almost impossible.  Let’s look at your financials one by one. You good with that? Let’s…

Cloud storage is now easily available to everyone.  This gives the advantage of knowing that your files are backed up and being able to access them from anywhere.  You shouldn’t be storing important files on your computer alone or on memory sticks.  But just throwing files randomly in a folder isn’t helpful either.  You need to be able to organize them so that each file’s purpose is clear without having to open it and so that you can quickly find files when you need them. To organize files well, you need both an organizing folder structure as well as a file…

Did I just get your attention? I’m very glad I did!! So by now you’re asking how in the world can I make such a bold claim. I can absolutely guarantee it. How? By implementing our “Profit First Cash Management System (PFCMS)". Have you heard of Profit First? Our friend (yes, he’s our friend) Mike Michalowicz wrote a book a few years ago called “Profit First.” I first became acquainted with Mike at a conference several years ago. I was so enthralled with his presentation that I immediately bought and read his book. Then I called up his office to see what…

    Last week I got an automated call from my credit card company.  They had noticed some strange activity on my credit card and wanted me to call to verify the details.  Their message was pre-recorded and automated (I’m feeling suspicious already - I already get several scam calls a week with pre-recorded messages), they included their address in the message (why? They’re not asking me to write to them are they? - this is public data - is this a scammer trying to give me a false sense of security with publicly available information?) and gave a phone number to…

  IMPORTANT NOTE: This article discusses Canadian Taxation matters and may not be applicable to those outside of Canada.  Personal circumstances play a significant role in determining your taxation situation and should be discussed with a tax professional to determine your unique situation.  This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute tax advice. SECOND IMPORTANT NOTE: Be careful where you get your tax advice from.  Rules in the US are quite different from rules in Canada, and most stuff you find on the internet is written from a US perspective.  Also, don’t take tax advice from a plumber!…

In school, our parents and grandparents studied the 3R’s. Do you know them? Reading, Righting, and Rithmetic. There is even a song about it called “School Days.” How about putting a more modern spin on it? 'Reading' “There are none so blind as those who will not see.” This has nothing to do with eyesight. I’m talking about your openness and desire to see what really needs to be seen in your business. It’s easy to see things like our daily tasks (Send an email, make phone calls, etc). But how good are you at reading your business? Do you have a clear picture…

  We love to focus on profit and business growth. But sometimes (for all sorts of reasons) we still need to shut down a business. This needs to be done and planned well.  It will take several months and the steps will vary based on location and situation. The following steps are designed for a Canadian incorporated business, but the general steps may be similar in other locations as well. Cease Trading. It's important to have all operations completed. If you’re still accepting orders or doing the odd job this will stretch out this process. Make sure that your website reflects your non-trading status (we recently had…

You’ve Got Problems? Whoa, Dude (or Dudette), We need to talk!! Last month we started talking about how our “Profit First Cash Management System” can help you better manage your contracting business. Now it’s time to show you some of the snakes hiding in the grass. Oh yes, there are snakes… While it sounds simple to create a few extra bank accounts and start allocating cash into them, that doesn’t mean it’s easy. There is a big difference between simple and easy, you know. Simple means that it’s doable. But sometimes it takes a lot of work to get to “simple’” And…

  Businesses tend to progress more consistently if the owner sets financial goals and makes a plan to achieve them. The new year is a natural time to decide what you want to achieve and how. With that in mind, read on to learn the steps for setting financial goals for your business for 2023. 1. Review and evaluate your 2022 goals You’ve got to see where you’re coming from to know where you can realistically go. At year’s end, review the goals you set last year and use your numbers to see how your business measured up. Whether or not you met your…

  CashFlow is the Fuel That Keeps Your Business Running For contractors, the idea of cash flow management can seem overwhelming. But with the right strategies, you can ensure that your business has the necessary funds to cover expenses and remain profitable. With Profit First, you can learn how to manage your cash flow so that you always have the right amount of cash in the right place, at the right time. In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at how Profit First can help contractors make sure their businesses stay solvent and profitable. Understanding Cash Flow Management for Contractors and Specialty…

What is always in front of you but can’t ever be seen?  Yup, the future. None of us have a crystal ball where we can clearly see the future. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be response-able to meet any challenges that are thrust upon us. Sounds simple? It is simple, but it’s not easy. Preparing for the future requires 2 things: A Plan Discipline to execute the plan First the plan  What components should be in your business plan: A 3-5 vision statement 1-year strategic objectives 90-day Rocks 3-5 year Vision Statement This is a statement of clarity. We recommend a compound sentence that covers the following: Revenue targets Market segment(s) Product/…

Few business owners enjoy breaking the news of an upcoming price increase. However, when you own a business you have to deal with ever-increasing costs. Although inflation is an unpleasant part of life, it is still part of life. Price increases are inevitable for a sustainable business. If you want to stay afloat, you’ll have to do them – and regularly. Read on for some tips on how to determine how much you should raise your prices. Company costs The type of business you run will determine how much it costs to stay in business. If you’re service-based, you will need to…