Libsyn Directory

Ep 275 The 7 Profitable Parts of a Business with James Brown

Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond

Release Date: 06/21/2025

Ep 302 The Financial Model Every 7–8 Figure Business Needs for Predictable Profit with Salvatore Tirabassi

Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond

The Financial Model Every 7–8 Figure Business Needs for Predictable Profit with Salvatore Tirabassi Most business owners don’t lack data. They lack clarity. They have a P&L, a balance sheet, maybe even a dashboard. But when a real decision shows up—Can I afford this hire? Should I scale marketing? Why did margins drop again?—the numbers don’t give a clear answer. That’s where growth starts to feel chaotic. In this episode of Profit Answer Man, Rocky Lalvani sits down with fractional CFO and former private equity investor Salvatore Tirabassi to unpack...

Ep 301 How to Build a Business Fortress: Liquidity, Cash Flow, and Exit Readiness with David Barnett

Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond

How to Build a Business Fortress: Liquidity, Cash Flow, and Exit Readiness with David Barnett Build a Business Fortress: Why Liquidity Beats Leverage and Most Businesses Never Sell Most owners assume the big payoff will come when they finally sell the business. The hard truth is that roughly 80 percent of small businesses listed for sale never actually sell as going concerns. The real payoff is in the years of ownership: the cash flow you extract, the wealth you build outside the business, and the resilience you create so you can survive the next punch in the face. In this...

Ep 300 The Referable Client Experience with Stacey Brown Randall

Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond

The Referable Client Experience with Stacey Brown Randall Most business owners say they want more referrals. Very few are actually drowning in them. The default strategy is to do good work, hope people notice, and maybe ask for introductions when things get slow. In this episode of Profit Answer Man, I sit down again with referral expert and author Stacey Brown Randall to talk about why that approach does not work and how to build a truly referrable client experience. Stacey has spent years helping small business owners generate referrals without asking, without incentives, and...

Ep 299 How to Build a Business You Can Actually Sell with Saul Cohen

Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond

How to Build a Business You Can Actually Sell with Saul Cohen Most business owners say the same thing: “I want to grow as big as I can.” But when you press them on what they really want—time freedom, a great income, flexibility with their family—they’re actually describing a lifestyle business, not a high-growth scale-up destined for a huge exit. In this episode of Profit Answer Man, Rocky Lalvani talks with Saul Cohen, an accountant and advisor who helps ambitious entrepreneurs grow through acquisition and prepare for a successful exit. Together, they unpack the...

Ep 298 From Chaos to Cash Flow: How Business Owners Can Scale with Less Stress with David Forster

Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond

From Chaos to Cash Flow: How Business Owners Can Scale with Less Stress with David Forster “Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.” If you’re stuck reacting all day, this episode with David Forster hands you the blueprint: clarify roles, codify the 80%, install scorecards that measure what matters, and make Profit First automatic so cash is where you need it—when you need it. In This Episode, You’ll Learn: Why “boring, repeatable systems” beat heroics—and how to build them for people who crave structure. The clarity–consistency–accountability trio: what...

Ep 297 Profit First with Megan Schwan

Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond

Profit First with Megan Schwan Most owners chase revenue and wonder why cash keeps disappearing. In this episode, Rocky sits down with Megan Schwan—CEO of Sidekick Accounting and a certified Profit First Professional—to unpack the simple systems that turn chaos into cash: clean books, pricing discipline, expense sweeps, and a short list of actionable KPIs. If you want fewer surprises and fatter reserves, start here. In This Episode, You’ll Learn: Why “good books” are your #1 tax saver—and the foundation for pricing and fraud control. How Profit First creates...

Ep 296 Simple Numbers, Big Profits with Greg Crabtree: How to Scale Without Debt or Chaos

Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond

Simple Numbers, Big Profits with Greg Crabtree: How to Scale Without Debt or Chaos Most business owners chase revenue—and lose sight of profit. In this episode of Profit Answer Man, Rocky Lalvani sits down with Greg Crabtree, author of Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits, to cut through the noise and talk about what really drives a successful business. A self-described “recovering accountant,” Greg shares how data—not opinions—can transform how entrepreneurs see their numbers, make decisions, and grow sustainably. If you’ve ever felt like your financial reports...

Ep 295 How to 4X your Revenue in 4 Years with Alexis Sikorsky

Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond

How to 4X your Revenue in 4 Years with Alexis Sikorsky Most business owners dream about growth, but few know how to scale without chaos. In this episode of Profit Answer Man, Rocky Lalvani talks with Alexis Sikorsky, a strategic advisor who helps founders scale fast and exit strong. Alexis doesn’t speak from theory—he built and sold his own Switzerland-based software company, New Access, in a $100M+ private equity deal. He learned firsthand what it takes to go from exhaustion to exponential growth—and how the right strategy, mindset, and systems can help you 4X your revenue...

Ep 294 Scale Smarter: Use EOS to Add Another Zero with Rick Benton

Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond

Scale Smarter: Use EOS to Add Another Zero with Rick Benton When business growth starts to feel like chaos, it’s time to add structure. EOS (the Entrepreneurial Operating System) gives you a clear roadmap to align people, processes, and profit — but when you combine it with the right financial systems, that’s when the real transformation happens. In this episode, Rick Benton, EOS Implementer and former multi-state business owner, joins Rocky Lalvani to unpack how EOS helps entrepreneurs simplify, scale, and create freedom. Together, they explore how visionaries can step...

Ep 293 From Bankruptcy to 60 Million: The Systems Behind a Successful Exit with Jason Sisneros

Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond

From Bankruptcy to 60 Million: The Systems Behind a Successful Exit with Jason Sisneros Most business owners think success means more sales and more hustle. But Jason Sisneros discovered the opposite — freedom comes from systems, not speed. After crashing three businesses and digging himself millions into debt, Jason rebuilt from scratch. Over time, he created, scaled, and sold 26 companies with 6,800 employees for more than $60 million — all without investors or partners. Today, through his company Built to Exit, he helps business owners do what he finally mastered: design a...

More Episodes

The 7 Profitable Parts of a Business with James Brown

If you think scaling a business means sacrificing your life, family, and freedom—this episode will shatter that belief.

In this week’s episode of The Profit Answer Man, we talk to James Brown, the founder of Perseverance Squared and the Business Accelerator Institute, who shares how he built an $8M law firm across four cities—without grinding 80-hour weeks. Instead, he built a business that bought back his time, gave him freedom, and funded his life purpose.

Whether you're a solo operator, multi-location service provider, or scaling a firm—this episode gives you the roadmap to do it profitably and sustainably, all while putting Profit First.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

How James went from GM assembly lines to law school to running an $8M firm.

The myth of the hustle and why "buying back your time" must be part of your strategy.
The game-changing moment Profit First reshaped how he viewed business finance.
How he systematized his firm so well, he could travel for weeks—and revenue didn’t drop.
The difference between a business owner and an operator (and how to become the former).
What you can implement today to take your hands off the wheel without crashing your business.

Key Takeaways:

Build to Exit Before You Need To. James sold his law firm at 49—not because he had to, but because he planned for it. “I never wanted to be 60 and still reviewing client files,” he said.
Profit is a Habit, Not an Event. Switching to Profit First forced him to be intentional. He stopped hoping for leftovers and started allocating profit first—literally.
If You’re the Bottleneck, You’re the Problem. The business didn't need him. That was the goal. "I designed my firm so I could leave at a moment's notice," James shared. The systems ran the business.
Business Should Fund Your Life—Not Consume It. When his son got a last-minute hockey invite in Europe, he packed up and went for three weeks. No stress. That’s the power of designing the right systems from day one.
Coaching Is a Force Multiplier. James has now helped over 450 business owners scale smarter—not harder—through his coaching and accelerator programs.

Guest Bio:

James Brown is the CEO and Founder of Business Accelerator Institute and Perseverance Squared. He launched his first business in 1994 and scaled it to $8M in revenue, eventually selling it to pursue his passion for coaching entrepreneurs. As a former fractional CEO and SLFU Program Manager, he launched Small Law Firm University and developed a marketing program generating $2M annually. James is the co-author of the best-selling book Shift Happens and holds a JD from St. Louis University and a business degree from Lindenwood University.

Conclusion: Are You Running a Business or Just Working a Job?

James’ story proves what we teach: a business should be built to give you time, money, and freedom—not steal them from you.

If you’re stuck in the weeds, constantly solving problems, and unsure where your profit is going—it’s time for a change. You don't have to build alone. We're here to help you implement Profit First, take control of your cash flow, and scale strategically.

Links:

Website: BusinessAccelerator.Institute

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/businessacceleratorinstitute

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/business.accelerator.institute/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/businessacceleratorinstitute

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@business.accelera

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Business.Accelerator.Institute

Podcast episode landing page: BusinessAccelerator.Institute/profitanswerman

Course: https://courses.businessaccelerator.institute/?am_id=ProfitAnswerMan

Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@profitanswerman

Profit First Toolkit: https://lp.profitcomesfirst.com/landing-page-page

Relay Bank (affiliate link): https://relayfi.com/?referralcode=profitcomesfirst