Ep 299 How to Build a Business You Can Actually Sell with Saul Cohen
Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond
Release Date: 12/03/2025
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...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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_outline
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...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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 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 difference between chasing revenue and deliberately building assets and wealth inside your business.
In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
- Lifestyle Business vs Scale-Up: What Are You Really Building? Saul explains the critical fork in the road most owners never consciously choose. A lifestyle business is built to deliver strong income and flexibility now; a scale-up is built to reinvest profits into assets for a bigger exit later. The decisions, trade-offs, and timelines are totally different.
- Why Hustle Isn’t a Strategy—and Maturity Wins. Saul shares the story of his first business, launched in his early twenties, and how a competitor with more experience and maturity quietly built a far more valuable company. The lesson? Execution, focus, and intention beat hustle and blind optimism every time.
- How Wealth Is Really Built: Assets and the Balance Sheet. Rocky reminds us that profit is only part of the story. Real wealth shows up on the balance sheet—in assets, not just income. The problem? Most owners never read their balance sheet as a series and have no idea whether they’re actually building wealth or just spinning their wheels.
- Where Acquirers Find Hidden Profit After the Sale. When a “mediocre” business is sold, a new owner often finds profit quickly—not because they’re smarter, but because they’re less emotionally attached and more objective. Saul explains how strategic add-on acquisitions (like buying a supplier or complementary service) can boost margins, cross-sell opportunities, and overall business value.
- The Investor Mindset: Working On the Business, Not Just In It. Both Rocky and Saul emphasize the need to step out of firefighting mode, take time away from the office, and think like an investor. When you step back and ask, “What are my real opportunities and threats? Where’s the biggest payoff for my time and capital?” the path to better cash flow and a stronger exit becomes much clearer.
Key Takeaways:
- Most owners are accidentally building lifestyle businesses while pretending they’re building scale-ups.
- Wealth is created by assets, not just hustle or revenue.
- Gross margin and business model clarity matter far more than top-line bragging rights.
- Your second business will often scale faster—if you integrate the lessons from your first.
- Taking time out to think like an investor is one of the highest-ROI activities you can do.
Bio:
Saul Cohen is a chartered accountant and founder of SC Digital Advisory, a boutique firm helping business owners grow through acquisition, optimize profit, and prepare for successful exits. With more than 20 years in finance and entrepreneurship, Saul blends hands-on operational insight with deep financial acumen to help owners turn complex challenges into scalable systems. He’s advised seven- and eight-figure founders across sectors on strategy, M&A, and value creation.
Links:
https://www.scdigitaladvisory.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saulcohenuk
Conclusion:
You don’t need to copy the tech unicorns or chase a nine-figure exit to win. You just need to be honest about the kind of business—and life—you actually want, then align your decisions with that reality.
For some, that’s a highly profitable lifestyle business with strong margins, great clients, and plenty of free time. For others, it’s a focused scale-up strategy, reinvesting profits to build assets and position for a major exit.
Either way, the path runs through the same disciplines:
knowing your numbers, understanding your business model, building real assets, and learning to think like an investor, not just an operator.
If you’re ready to turn your business into a true wealth-building engine—not just a stressful job with a logo—this episode with Saul Cohen is a powerful place to start.
#ProfitAnswerMan #ProfitFirst #BusinessExit #LifestyleBusiness #ScaleUp #BusinessValuation #CashFlow #WealthBuilding #EntrepreneurMindset #FractionalCFO #FinancialClarity
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.