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
Release Date: 10/08/2025
Ep 305 Mid 8-Figure Exit Lessons: How to Avoid Millions in Taxes and Regret After the Sale with Nathan Collins
Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond
Mid 8-Figure Exit Lessons: How to Avoid Millions in Taxes and Regret After the Sale with Nathan Collins Find Rocky Lalvani @ or email him at Most business owners think the hardest part of selling a business is the deal. But the real danger often shows up after the sale: the taxes you didn’t plan for and the identity shift you didn’t expect In this episode of Profit Answer Man, Rocky Lalvani sits down with , a former CEO who sold his business for a mid-eight-figure exit—and then realized he wasn’t personally...
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Ep 304 From Bankruptcy at 24 to $35M: Building Profitable Business Through Discipline and Purpose with Mike Chaput
Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond
Find Rocky Lalvani @ or email him at From Bankruptcy at 24 to $35M: Building Profitable Business Through Discipline and Purpose with Mike Chaput What if the worst business failure of your life became the foundation for 26 years of unbroken profitability? At 24, Michael Chaput bought a business that went bankrupt. At 50, he runs a $35 million company that hasn't had a single unprofitable month in 26 years—not through 2008, not through COVID, not ever. In this episode, Michael shares the hard-won lessons from hitting rock bottom and how financial discipline, tough...
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Ep 303 How to Legally Pay Less Tax as a Business Owner with Former IRS Agent Carlotta Thompson
Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond
How to Legally Pay Less Tax as a Business Owner with Former IRS Agent Carlotta Thompson With Former IRS Agent Carlotta Thompson Most business owners believe high taxes are just the price of success. They’re wrong. In this episode of Profit Answer Man, Rocky sits down with former IRS agent turned tax strategist Carlotta Thompson to reveal how the tax system really works, what actually triggers audits, and how profitable business owners legally keep more of what they earn. This is not about loopholes or risky moves. It’s about understanding the rules well enough to play the...
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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...
info_outlineBuild 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, You’ll Learn:
- Why most small business owners struggle with time, team, and money—and how to regain control.
- How to build a dashboard with 3–5 KPIs that actually predict success, instead of relying on lagging P&Ls.
- The three-legged stool of systems, people, and leadership—and why systems must run the business.
- The 85/15 rule: systematize the routine, humanize the exceptions.
- How to shift from avoidance to mastery in crucial conversations with your team.
- Why recruiting should be ongoing—build a bench before you need it.
- The truth about culture: you don’t get the one you want, you get the one you deserve.
- Why you must hire for culture and train for skills, not the other way around.
- The real purpose of a small business: to fund the life of its owner.
Key Takeaways:
- Dashboards beat rear-view P&Ls: pick 3–5 KPIs owners can act on weekly.
- The 3-legged stool: systems run the business; people run systems; you lead people.
- Systematize 85% (routine), humanize 15% (exceptions). Seek system fixes, not people fixes.
- Recruit before you need it—build a bench so you can enforce standards without fear.
- Hire for culture, train for skill; most terminations are culture, not skill.
- Crucial conversations are a core leadership skill; avoidance is expensive.
- Purpose check: Your small business should serve your life. If not, change it.
Guest Bio:
John Nieuwenburg is a business coach (since 2004) who’s helped 320+ small-business owners increase profits, remove chaos, and reclaim their lives. Formerly President of BC Liquor Stores (>$3B revenue; 4,000 employees), he was named MacKay CEO Forums’ “Canada’s CEO Trusted Advisor—Small Business” in 2019. He leads W5 Coaching, applying a Socratic approach to help owners think clearly and act decisively.
Links:
https://www.facebook.com/john.nieuwenburg/
https://ca.linkedin.com/in/business-coach-canada
Conclusion:
At the end of the day, your business should exist to serve you—not consume you. As John Nieuwenburg reminds us, small businesses thrive when owners stop running by the “rear-view mirror,” build dashboards that give them clarity, systematize their operations, and lead with courage in conversations and culture. The reward? A business that creates both profit and peace of mind. If your company isn’t giving you the freedom and financial security you started it for, it’s time to make the shifts that put your life back at the center.
#ProfitFirst #SmallBusiness #CashFlow #BusinessCoach #KPIs #Dashboards #Systems #Leadership #Hiring #CompanyCulture