The Simple Weekly Habit That Transformed This CEO’s Business – Ep. 250
Business By The Books with Danielle Hayden
Release Date: 11/25/2025
4 Balance Sheet Red Flags - The Risk of not Understanding your Balance Sheet
Business By The Books with Danielle Hayden
Cash is the number one reason small businesses fail, and it usually happens quietly. In this episode of Business By The Books, I walk you through four balance sheet red flags I see business owners ignore all the time, even when revenue and profit look strong. We talk about why the income statement alone can create a false sense of security, how debt and owner draws quietly drain cash, and what warning signs to watch for before financial stress takes over. My goal is to help you understand what your balance sheet is actually telling you so you can take action with clarity and confidence as a...
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11 Lessons in 11 Years
Business By The Books with Danielle Hayden
After 11 years in business, I’ve learned this: becoming a CEO isn’t a finish line. It’s a practice. The lessons that shape you most don’t come from perfect plans or polished systems. They come from starting before you feel ready, trusting yourself through uncertainty, asking for help, navigating loneliness, and continuing to grow even when leadership feels heavy. In this episode, I’m reflecting on the lessons that mattered most and how they’ve shaped the way I lead today. This episode is for business owners who are learning as they go and want to lead with more clarity and...
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Reasonable Compensation for S Corp Owners
Business By The Books with Danielle Hayden
Paying yourself incorrectly as an S Corp owner creates quiet IRS risk, cash stress, and year-end cleanup that many business owners don’t see coming. In this episode of Business By The Books, Danielle explains what reasonable compensation actually means, why payroll must come before owner draws, and how setting this up early can save you stress later in the year. You’ll learn: What reasonable compensation means for S Corp owners Why underpaying yourself through payroll creates future tax problems The IRS rule that requires payroll before owner draws How paying yourself through...
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Sunk Costs: The Silent Trap Sabotaging Your Goals (And How to Break Free)
Business By The Books with Danielle Hayden
Every January, business owners set big, impressive goals for the new year… but drag last year’s mistakes, sunk costs, and emotional baggage with them. It’s no wonder most of these exciting goals fade away by February. But it doesn’t have to be that way! In this episode, we break down what sunk costs are, why they quietly sabotage your decisions, and how to finally break free from them. You’ll learn how to identify old contractors, software, offers, and spending that no longer serve you, so you can protect your business, gain financial clarity, and make smarter, forward-focused...
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I'm Not Setting Goals This Year — And Why You Shouldn’t Either
Business By The Books with Danielle Hayden
Why do most small business owners never achieve their goals? It’s rarely a lack of ambition. It’s usually a lack of systems, habits, and financial leadership. This episode is about why goals alone don’t create results and how a proven, repeatable financial framework builds CEO confidence. I share a five-part monthly financial system designed to help you shift from an owner mindset to thinking like a CEO. I also talk about why bookkeeping for small businesses isn’t about doing the work yourself, and why understanding your numbers matters most when money anxiety and cash flow problems...
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How to Use AI Without Creating Financial or Operational Risk
Business By The Books with Danielle Hayden
AI isn’t going anywhere. But for small business owners, using it the wrong way can create financial blind spots, bad decisions, and long-term risk. This episode is about what happens when AI replaces judgment instead of supporting it, especially when it comes to your numbers. I’m joined by Carol Cox, founder of Speaking Your Brand and an early adopter of AI with a background in software development. We break down how small business owners can use AI to save time and reduce overwhelm without outsourcing financial leadership or losing clarity in decision-making. Carol explains: 04:39...
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Beyond the Budget: The Hidden Psychology of How Entrepreneurs Think About Money – Ep. 254
Business By The Books with Danielle Hayden
If you’ve ever delayed looking at your numbers, dreaded a bookkeeping meeting, or felt a pit in your stomach when someone says “Let’s review your finances,” this episode is going to feel like a deep exhale. In this conversation, Danielle sits down with financial advisor and partner at Brad Cunningham for an honest look at why entrepreneurs struggle with money clarity and why confidence doesn’t come from spreadsheets. It comes from understanding your numbers and applying that knowledge to your life and your business. Key Takeaways: Money Avoidance Is Emotional, Not...
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The Year-End Reflection Framework: The Truth About How Real CEOs Grow – Ep. 253
Business By The Books with Danielle Hayden
Most entrepreneurs skip reflection altogether. They’re busy, tired, and ready for a fresh start. But if you don’t pause to reflect, you repeat the same mistakes. You carry old habits into a new season. You build goals on top of unclear patterns. Reflection is where leadership starts. It’s where clarity lives. It’s simple, but not easy. In this episode, Danielle walks you step-by-step through the Year-End Reflection Framework built into the Kickstart system. It’s the tool that helps you understand what worked, what didn’t, and where you can step more fully into your CEO role next...
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Why Most Entrepreneurs Stay Stuck (and the Framework That Fixes It) – Ep. 252
Business By The Books with Danielle Hayden
Most entrepreneurs stay stuck for one simple reason: they do bookkeeping for taxes, not for leadership. They record their numbers, send them to the accountant, hope the IRS is happy… and then cross their fingers the rest of the year. But, you can’t lead a business with guesses, gut feelings, or your bank balance alone. In this episode, Danielle Hayden, reformed corporate CFO and founder of Kickstart Accounting, Inc., covers the same systems she used as a corporate CFO in boardrooms with top executives and brings them to entrepreneurs through Kickstart’s 3-step framework, so you can...
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AI Won’t Tell You the Truth About Your Numbers—But I Will: The Dark Side of Bad Bookkeeping – Ep. 251
Business By The Books with Danielle Hayden
If you’ve ever thought, “My books are fine,” because you’re using QuickBooks’ automations or have uploaded your QuickBooks file into ChatGPT for analysis, this episode is your wake-up call (delivered with love!). Bad bookkeeping covered up by pretty software dashboards or people-pleasing AI chatbots hides real problems. This week, Danielle Hayden, CEO and founder of Kickstart Accounting, Inc., gets honest about one of the biggest dangers facing entrepreneurs today: the false sense of confidence created by messy books, automation, and AI “insights” built on inaccurate...
info_outlineWhat if one simple weekly habit could completely transform the way you manage your business? In this conversation, Danielle sits down with Cathi Nelson, CEO and founder of The Photo Managers, to talk about how she went from overwhelmed and unsure about her finances to confidently running a thriving business.
Cathi shares how a weekly review of her numbers, consistent support from her Kickstart Accounting money team, and small, sustainable financial habits helped her make smarter decisions. She went from saying, “I’m just not a numbers person,” to hiring her first full-time employee and planning big investments for growth without having to “make it work” as she went along.
Key Takeaways:
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Small, Consistent Habits Lead to Big Financial Confidence: By reviewing her numbers weekly, Cathi turned what used to feel overwhelming into a manageable, empowering routine.
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Understanding Your Cash Flow Means Planning, Not Panicking: Cathi now knows her lean months in advance, sets aside funds, and avoids financial surprises.
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Your Numbers Can Guide Smart Hiring Decisions & Retain Great Team Members: Using her reports, Cathi confidently brought on new team members and offered well-deserved raises without second-guessing if she could afford it.
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A Simple Report Brings Big-Picture Clarity: Categorizing her income into four main revenue streams helped Cathi understand which parts of her business drive the most profit.
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You Don’t Need to be a “Numbers Person”: Let go of the shame around financial knowledge! Being the CEO of your business doesn’t mean doing it all; it means creating systems and support that let you shine in your zone of genius.
Topics Discussed:
(00:00) Intro: Cathi’s Background and Her Business, The Photo Managers
(01:59) Why She Used to Feel “Lost” Looking at Her Financials—and What Changed
(03:35) How the Weekly Habit of Reviewing Her Numbers Helped Her Business
(06:39) The Power of Having a Consistent Bookkeeping Team Behind Her
(09:00) Promo Break: Kickstart Accounting’s “Check Your Books” Service
(10:16) Simplified Reports That Give a High Level Overview & Not Being In Spreadsheets
(11:53) How Using Her Numbers Helped Her Hire and Give Raises with Confidence
(15:46) The Mindset Shift That Ended Her Imposter Syndrome Around Money
(19:13) Outro: Connect with Kickstart Accounting and Share Your Story on Business by The Books
About Our Guest:
Cathi Nelson is the founder and CEO of The Photo Managers, a growing global community of entrepreneurs who help families and businesses organize and preserve their photos, videos, and memories. She’s a champion for small business owners who are building legacy-driven, profitable companies.
Connect with Cathi:
The Photo Manager | https://thephotomanagers.com/
Tell Your Story on Business by The Books | KickstartAccountingInc.com/BBB
Resources:
Check Your Books | kickstartaccountinginc.com/checkyourbooks
Book a Call with Kickstart Accounting, Inc.:
https://kickstartaccountinginc.com/book-a-call/
Connect with Kickstart Accounting, Inc.:
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/Kickstartaccounting