Ep 279 The Purpose of Business is to Make Money with David Schomer
Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond
Release Date: 07/24/2025
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_outlineThe Purpose of Business is to Make Money with David Schomer
Why Scaling an E-Commerce Brand Can Bankrupt You (Unless You Fix This First)
The Hidden Cost of Growth Nobody Talks About
It’s every entrepreneur’s dream: launch a brand, grow revenue, and finally fire your boss. David Schomer lived that dream—scaling a pet supply company on Amazon before going full-time in e-commerce. But what most business owners don’t realize (until it's too late) is that scaling too fast without financial structure can choke your cash flow and starve your business of profit.
You can hit record sales and still be broke. The reason? You're playing the wrong financial game.
Too many business owners confuse top-line growth with bottom-line success. David learned the hard way—and then rewired his entire approach using Profit First principles.
In This Episode You’ll Learn:
- Why Profit First changed the game for David’s business—and how he applied it to multiple brands.
- How he scaled a side hustle while working a full-time consulting job (without burning out or going broke).
- The mindset shift from “revenue chaser” to strategic operator—and why most e-commerce brands don’t survive that jump.
- Where most Amazon and e-comm sellers leak cash—and what to do instead.
- How to build a business that supports your life (not the other way around).
Key Takeaways: The Costly Blind Spots Killing Profit
- Revenue ≠ Profit. Most sellers obsess over revenue milestones. But as David puts it, “If you’re not reading Profit First, you’re leaving money on the table.”
- No Capital = No Exit. David delayed launching a business after college because he didn’t have capital. But later learned you don’t need investor money—you need smarter cash flow systems.
- Growing Without Guardrails. David scaled his Amazon brand before implementing Profit First—and the stress of staying ahead of vendor payments nearly broke the business.
- The Risk of Ignoring Financial Education. With a background in M&A and fraud investigations, David understood numbers. Yet even he struggled with cash flow until he embraced simple, behavior-based money management.
Guest Bio: David Schomer
David Schomer is the CEO of Build Grow Scale, an e-commerce conversion optimization company, and the host of the Firing The Man podcast. He started his entrepreneurial journey selling pumpkins at 12, then worked in M&A, fraud investigation, and business valuation before launching multiple successful private label brands. With over 300 SKUs across Amazon, Etsy, Shopify, Walmart, and more, David brings street-smart financial experience and digital scale savvy to today’s business owner.
Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FiringTheMan/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/firingtheman/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCidVyf9RjDBFK8RTlERaq0Q
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@firingthemanpodcast
Conclusion: What’s Your Profit Leak?
David’s story is proof that financial clarity—not just product-market fit—is what separates hobby businesses from real wealth builders. If your e-commerce brand is growing but your bank account is shrinking, it’s time to get strategic.
#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