Ep 284 Freedom by Design: How to Build a Profitable Business That Serves Your Life with Michael Walsh
Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond
Release Date: 08/26/2025
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...
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Ep 292 Maximizing Business Value: Lessons from 800+ Deals with Matt Uhler
Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond
Maximizing Business Value: Lessons from 800+ Deals with Matt Uhler The Cash Discipline That Saves—or Sells—Your Business Most companies don’t go under because they lack revenue. They go under because they run out of cash. And the worst part? It doesn’t happen overnight. It happens slowly… then suddenly. One month, you’re profitable. The next, you’re panicking over payroll and wondering what went wrong. In this episode, I sit down with Matt Uhler—a business broker and owner who’s evaluated over 2,500 companies, completed 800+ transactions,...
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Ep 291 Build a Business That Serves Your Life (Not the Other Way Around) with John Nieuwenburg
Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond
Build a Business That Serves Your Life (Not the Other Way Around) with John Nieuwenburg Small business owners are great technicians—but often underpowered CEOs. Coach John Nieuwenburg breaks down why most owners feel squeezed by time, team, and money—and how to fix it. We cover building a simple, real-time dashboard (so you stop driving by the rear-view mirror), the “three-legged stool” of systems-people-leadership, recruiting a bench before you’re desperate, plus hiring for culture over skills. The goal: a business that funds—and fits—your life. In This Episode,...
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Ep 290 The Next Level Revenue Formula with Kyle Mealy
Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond
The Next Level Revenue Formula with Kyle Mealy Business growth doesn’t have to be complicated. In this episode of Profit Answer Man, I welcome back Kyle Mealy, Fractional Chief Revenue Officer and author of The Next Level Revenue Formula. Kyle has helped small businesses double their top line and, in many cases, 10x their profit by applying simple math to sales and marketing. We dive into the new world of GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), niching through the “Snow Globe Economy,” and the power of his Revenue Cascade framework. This isn’t abstract theory—it’s...
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Ep 289 Scorecards, Not Gut Calls: How to Run Profitable Weeks with Austin McMillan
Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond
Scorecards, Not Gut Calls: How to Run Profitable Weeks with Austin McMillan Build a Profitable Business Buyers Can’t Resist Most business owners dream of selling one day—but the reality of what buyers actually pay can be sobering. In this episode of Profit Answer Man, Rocky sits down with Austin McMillan, founder of Flywheel Financial, to break down how investors truly evaluate businesses, why contractual revenue beats hype, and how Profit First and a handful of simple ratios can transform your company into a business worth buying. Key Lessons from the...
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Ep 287 How Small Businesses Beat Big: Profit Lessons from McKinsey to Main Street with Sri Kaza
Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond
How Small Businesses Beat Big: Profit Lessons from McKinsey to Main Street with Sri Kaza Most small business owners feel like underdogs—limited resources, endless responsibilities, and constant pressure just to keep up. But what if those very constraints were the secret to outpacing billion-dollar corporations? That’s exactly what Sri Kaza, former McKinsey consultant and now small business advocate, reveals in his book Unconventional and in our latest conversation on the Profit Answer Man podcast. After years advising Fortune 500s and later scaling and selling...
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Ep 288 Your P&L Is Lying—Here’s What to Track with Laresa McIntyre
Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond
Your P&L Is Lying—Here’s What to Track with Laresa McIntyre Stop Chasing Revenue: How Fractional CFOs Clear the Financial Fog Most business owners measure success by one thing: revenue growth. The problem? Revenue isn’t cash—and it doesn’t always translate into profit. In this episode of Profit Answer Man, I sat down with Laresa McIntyre, founder of Rockbridge CFO, to uncover the blind spots that keep owners stuck in financial fog. Laresa brings over 15 years of CFO experience and now helps service-based businesses scale smarter with fractional CFO...
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Ep 286 The Profit Pitfalls Most Business Owners Miss with Lisa Hennigar
Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond
The Profit Pitfalls Most Business Owners Miss with Lisa Hennigar Most business owners don’t lose profit because of one big mistake — it’s usually a thousand tiny leaks. From not knowing your why, to ignoring customer service, to failing to track the right numbers, the truth is this: profit slips away quietly while you’re busy working hard. In this episode of Profit Answer Man, I sit down with Lisa Hennigar, Vice President of Franchise Development at ERA Group and a nationally recognized franchise strategist with over 22 years in the industry. Lisa has worked with everyone...
info_outlineFreedom by Design: How to Build a Profitable Business That Serves Your Life with Michael Walsh
Most entrepreneurs start their journey with the dream of freedom—yet many quickly find themselves trapped by the very businesses they built. Revenue grows, responsibilities pile up, and the joy of entrepreneurship fades into overwhelm.
In this Episode of the Profit Answer Man, I sat down with Michael Walsh, founder of the Walsh Business Growth Institute and author of Freedom by Design, to unpack how business owners can create companies that support—not suffocate—their lives.
Michael has spent over 30 years guiding business owners through the predictable “danger zones” of growth. His message is clear: profit and freedom come when you design your business around your life, not the other way around.
Key Insights from Michael Walsh:
- Business Must Serve Life, Not Just Profit. Too many owners chase revenue milestones—$1M, $5M, $10M—only to find bigger problems waiting at each stage. Michael warns: if profit is your only motivator, satisfaction will always elude you. The companies that thrive long-term are those designed to support the owner’s life and impact. Reflection: Is your business structured to fuel your life’s goals—or is your life revolving around your business?
- Growth Brings Predictable “Danger Zones”. Michael outlined the common revenue milestones where owners hit walls: $1M–$1.2M → the “zone of hell” where you’re too big for DIY systems but too small to afford enterprise solutions. $5M and $10M → structures and systems must evolve or growth stalls. $12M–$20M → the toughest chasm, where people complexity and outdated processes collide. Takeaway: Each new level requires reinventing systems, structures, and leadership—not just “working harder.”
- Systems Alone Don’t Scale—People Do. Rocky and Michael both love spreadsheets, but Michael cautions: numbers tell the story, but people drive the result. A well-designed business empowers its people to excel rather than constraining them with rigid systems. Reflection: Are your processes freeing your team to use their strengths—or boxing them in like cogs in a machine?
- Freedom Comes from Teamwork, Not Control. Michael stresses that leaders must shift from command-and-control to building intelligent ecosystems. True management is about helping people think, thrive, and work together. When teams are supported—not micromanaged—2+2 can equal 6. Question: How much time do you spend training people how to work together, not just what to do?
- The Future Belongs to the Creative Business Owner. AI is transforming the business landscape, but Michael warns that owners who outsource thinking to machines lose their edge. The next era isn’t the Information Age—it’s the Age of Creativity. Those who combine human insight with AI tools will thrive. Action Step: Don’t fear AI—learn to use it as a creative partner to free you up for high-value problem solving.
Key Takeaways:
- Profit Alone Won’t Bring Fulfillment. Chasing revenue milestones without purpose leads to burnout. Businesses built around life goals—not just profit—create more satisfaction and sustainability.
- Growth Has Predictable “Danger Zones”. Each revenue milestone ($1M, $5M, $10M, $20M) comes with hidden challenges. Systems, structures, and leadership must evolve at every stage, or growth will stall.
- Systems Must Support People—Not Control Them. Processes should free your team to use their strengths, not box them in like cogs. Businesses thrive when systems empower people to excel.
- Freedom Comes Through Teams, Not Micromanagement. Leaders must shift from command-and-control to cultivating intelligent ecosystems. Strong teamwork multiplies results and creates freedom for owners.
- The Next Age is Creativity, Powered by AI. AI won’t replace entrepreneurs—but those who creatively combine human judgment with AI tools will have a massive advantage in the years ahead.
About Michael Walsh:
Michael Walsh is the founder of the Walsh Business Growth Institute and author of Freedom by Design: The Business Owner’s Guide to Grow, Make an Impact, and Find Joy Again. For over 30 years, he has helped business owners in Canada, the U.S., and Europe scale profitably by aligning their companies with their life goals.
Links:
Website: http://www.walshbusinessgrowth.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-walsh/
Conclusion:
Freedom in business isn’t about hitting the next revenue milestone—it’s about designing a company that grows with you, supports your lifestyle, and empowers your team. Michael Walsh reminds us that profit follows purpose, systems must evolve with scale, and people—not spreadsheets—ultimately drive success. As the business landscape shifts into the age of creativity, those who align vision, systems, and people while leveraging tools like AI will unlock both profitability and freedom.
Your business should give you life, not take it away. The choice to design it that way is yours.
Richer Soul Ep 440 The AI Driven Leader with Geoff Woods: https://richersoul.com/?s=Geoff+Woods
#ProfitFirst #BusinessGrowth #FinancialFreedom #SmartScaling #EntrepreneurLife #BusinessStrategy #LeadershipMatters #CashFlowFix #PurposeDrivenBusiness #CreativeEntrepreneur
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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.
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