Ep 278 How Storytelling Can Drive Your Profits with Seth Donlin
Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond
Release Date: 07/14/2025
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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
info_outlineHow Storytelling Can Drive Your Profits with Seth Donlin
Why Visibility ≠ Growth—And How It’s Quietly Costing You Profits
Most business owners think the next breakthrough in revenue will come from ads, funnels, or more hustle.
But what if the real opportunity is getting in front of someone else’s audience—without spending a dollar on ads?
In this episode of Profit Answer Man, we expose the costly visibility gap most owners don’t realize is bleeding their business. Seth Donlin shares why chasing attention isn't enough—and how strategic podcast guesting can generate inbound leads, higher trust, and profit-rich conversations.
The GAP Framework:
GAP – Business owners invest heavily in visibility, but not all attention converts. They spray money across ads, content, and social without ever becoming trusted in a specific space. This “spray and pray” method burns cash and time.
ALTERNATIVE – Many default to building their audience one follower at a time, ignoring the leverage of podcast guesting—a proven method to build instant credibility with zero ad spend.
PROFIT PLAN – Use Seth’s approach to land curated podcast appearances where your audience already exists. Create content that scales your voice, authority, and cash flow—while fixing your visibility-to-revenue bottleneck.
In This Episode You’ll Learn:
- How podcast guesting builds trust faster than any cold pitch or paid ad ever could.
- The three types of audiences—and how to find the ones that convert.
- Why owning your message (through storytelling) is the most profitable marketing move.
- How to get in front of thousands without building your own audience.
- The silent sales advantage of “borrowed trust” from podcast hosts.
Key Takeaways:
- Marketing ≠ Monetization – Many owners show up everywhere but never become memorable anywhere.
- You Can’t Afford to Be a Commodity – Without a unique story, you’re just noise.
- Podcast Guesting Isn’t PR—It’s Pipeline – Done right, it’s one of the highest-ROI lead sources for service businesses.
- You're Missing Buyer-Ready Audiences – The average podcast listener is a high-intent decision-maker. You just need the right pitch and positioning to reach them.
Guest Bio: Seth Donlin
Seth Donlin is a marketing and communications coach with over 20 years of expertise in storytelling and strategic brand-building. He’s the founder of Awen A/F, a boutique agency helping coaches, consultants, and fractional executives grow their authority and client base by tapping into borrowed audiences—primarily through podcast guesting tours.
He’s helped clients leverage this “earned stage” to generate demand, build trust, and grow without the grind of ads or algorithm-chasing.
Links:
Website: sethdonlin.com/rocky
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethdonlin/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seth.donlin/?hl=enm
Ready to Fix Your Profit Leaks?
If your sales are up but your calendar’s still empty… if you’ve been seen but not sought out… it’s time to explore your visibility-to-profit gap.
#ProfitFirst #BusinessGrowth #CashFlowFix #SmartScaling #RevenueLeaks #ProfitClarity #OwnerPay #StrategicFinance
Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@profitanswerman
Sign up to be notified when the next cohort of the Profit First Experience Course is available!
Profit First Toolkit: https://lp.profitcomesfirst.com/landing-page-page
Relay Bank (affiliate link): https://relayfi.com/?referralcode=profitcomesfirst
Profit Answer Man Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/profitanswerman/
My podcast about living a richer more meaningful life: http://richersoul.com/
Music provided by Junan from Junan Podcast
Any financial advice is for educational purposes only and you should consult with an expert for your specific needs.
#profitfirst