487 The 60‑Minute CFO: Tracy Bech on Making Business Finance Less Scary
Release Date: 07/31/2026
503 Pinks and Blues: Beyond Industrial Water Week 2026
Scaling UP! H2O
Industrial Water Week 2026 has ended, and Trace Blackmore, CWT, challenges listeners to carry its focus on learning and mentorship into the rest of the year. This Pinks and Blues episode combines reflections on IWW26 and the AWT convention with listener questions about AI and professional development. Give continued learning a place on your calendar Trace proposes a specific challenge: choose one of Industrial Water Week’s five focus areas and schedule 30 minutes to improve your understanding. Those areas are pretreatment, boilers, cooling, wastewater, and careers. ...
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502 Industrial Water Week 2026: Careers Friday
Scaling UP! H2O
Experienced water treaters carry knowledge that the next generation needs. For Careers Friday, Trace Blackmore, CWT asks them to pass it on. The Industrial Water Week 2026 finale connects industrial water treatment careers with mentorship, practical training, and curiosity. Pass on the reasoning behind the work Trace describes a mentor as someone you can call when a system presents a problem you cannot explain. Learning from another professional’s challenges, mistakes, and experience helped him solve problems and later mentor others. He also addresses professionals preparing to retire....
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501 Industrial Water Week 2026: Wastewater Thursday
Scaling UP! H2O
A wastewater inspection appeared to expose a failed treatment program—until Trace checked where the sample had been collected. For Industrial Water Week 2026: Wastewater Thursday, Trace Blackmore, CWT, connects correct sampling, water reuse, and careful troubleshooting with the decisions water treaters make every day. Check the sample location before drawing conclusions In an early-career account, a plant operator faced a threatened shutdown after an inspector’s sample produced out-of-spec results. Trace reviewed logs, spoke with the engineer, and tested two locations. The...
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500 Industrial Water Week 2026: Cooling Wednesday
Scaling UP! H2O
Cooling Wednesday brings a practical reminder: correcting a treatment problem requires understanding what caused it. For Industrial Water Week 2026, Trace Blackmore, CWT, celebrates Episode 500 with lessons on cooling tower foam, biocide feed verification, Legionella risk, and unexplained chilled water loss. Start with the feed history When a cooling tower produces enough foam to spread across the property and trigger low water shutdowns, Trace begins with the biocide feed logs. He compares the chemical remaining in the tank with calculated consumption and finds evidence of...
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499 Industrial Water Week 2026: Boiler Tuesday
Scaling UP! H2O
Boiler Tuesday is a reminder that industrial water treatment exists to protect heat transfer efficiency. For day two of Industrial Water Week 2026, Trace Blackmore, CWT, connects feedwater preparation, condensate quality, and treatment distribution to the everyday decisions that keep steam systems working. Feedwater quality sets the stage Trace starts with a practical measure of boiler performance: how much heat from the flame reaches the steam? Feedwater conditions directly affect that work. He links inadequate feedwater heating with higher chemical demand,...
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498 Industrial Water Week 2026: Pretreatment Monday
Scaling UP! H2O
is here—and Day 1 is Pretreatment Monday. In Episode 498, Trace Blackmore, CWT, opens the 2026 celebration with troubleshooting stories, returning guest greetings, and a new Detective H2O case that brings pretreatment performance into focus. Celebrate with purpose Take a photo with your favorite pretreatment equipment—a softener, RO, or filter housing—and post it with #IWW26. Then search the hashtag to connect with others doing the same work. Trace’s invitation makes the week visible and recognizes the people who keep downstream systems operating. Start with the pretreatment train At...
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497 Pinks & Blues: From Sample to Solution
Scaling UP! H2O
A controller and a handheld meter give you different readings. Before you adjust blowdown or chemical feed, how do you determine which result deserves your confidence? Reliable water treatment testing starts with understanding the sample, the system, and the equipment behind the number. In Episode 497, “Pinks and Blues: From Sample to Solution,” Trace Blackmore, CWT, answers listener questions that build on Episodes 397 and 408. He connects testing with repeatable procedures so technicians can interpret results, make informed adjustments, and explain their decisions to...
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496 Growing Through Change in Water Treatment with Mark Lewis, Part 2
Scaling UP! H2O
When a water treater can run a test but cannot yet diagnose a failing system, the next training decision matters. In Growing Through Change with Mark Lewis, Part 2, Mark Lewis of CRB Water joins Trace Blackmore, CWT, to connect training choices with work in the field. Match Training to Experience Mark sees the space between AWT’s March and November training sessions as a chance to revise material instead of repeating the same presentation. He explains how Fundamentals and Applications, Program Designs and Operations, and Technical Training serve different levels of readiness....
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495 Growing Through Change in Water Treatment with Mark Lewis, Part 1
Scaling UP! H2O
Change is unavoidable, but uncertainty does not have to control how water treatment professionals respond to it. Mark Lewis returns to share what he learned when Southeastern Laboratories was acquired by CRB Water—and how employees can remain valuable, informed, and open to opportunity during a business transition. Navigating an Acquisition from the Employee’s Perspective Southeastern Laboratories began exploring a buyer because its owners wanted to protect the company and approximately 30 employees. When CRB Water entered the picture, employees naturally wondered what...
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494 Preparing for AWT 2026: Leadership, Change, and CWT Growth with Matt Coffindaffer, Part 2
Scaling UP! H2O
A strong convention outcome starts before the first session and continues long after the exhibit hall closes. Association of Water Technologies Executive Director Matt Coffindaffer explains how deliberate preparation, wider professional relationships, and volunteer service can turn AWT 2026 into practical value for an industrial water treatment career or business. Find the Right Place to Volunteer AWT offers yearlong committee service, shorter task-force assignments, and opportunities across technical research, marketing, membership, regulatory affairs, business resources, young...
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“Our gross profit margin is truly the battle we have to win in order to win all of the downstream wars.” - Tracy Bech
Financial statements become useful when leaders can translate the numbers into decisions. Tracy Bech, founder and author of 60 Minute CFO, explains how business owners, managers, salespeople, and field professionals can develop financial fluency without becoming accountants.
Turn Financial Data into a Meaningful Scorecard
Tracy teaches finance through stories and relationships rather than isolated numbers. Revenue alone does not reveal whether a company is financially healthy. Leaders need ratios that show how efficiently the company earns money, whether it can meet its obligations, and how prepared it is to withstand adversity.
Her three foundational measures are gross profit margin, liquidity, and safety. Gross profit margin shows what remains after the cost of producing a product or delivering a service. If that margin is too low, the company may not have enough money to cover operating expenses and generate a net profit.
Liquidity compares current assets with current liabilities, revealing the company’s ability to pay its bills. Safety compares debt with equity and helps leaders understand the company’s financial resilience and capacity to obtain financing when needed.
Move From Historical Reports to Forward Planning
Tax preparation and year-end reports explain what already happened. However, financial fluency allows leaders to use that history to forecast what should happen next.
Tracy outlines three stages: learn the key ratios, understand the difference between cash and profit, and use historical results to develop forecasts. Instead of simply accepting the final score, leaders can establish financial targets and create specific marching orders for pricing, sales, expenses, hiring, and growth.
Give Teams Metrics They Can Influence
Financial planning should not remain confined to the executive team. Salespeople and technicians can provide valuable information about customer responses, operational friction, pricing, quality, rework, referrals, and service delivery.
However, Tracy cautions leaders against sharing financial information that employees cannot control. Teams benefit most from clear measures connected to their work, such as proposals won, project margins, pricing discipline, accurate service, reduced callbacks, customer reviews, and referrals.
Financial visibility also strengthens succession planning. Owners preparing to exit can improve their position by optimizing financial ratios, protecting the balance sheet, exploring future growth opportunities, and developing the next generation of leadership.
Understanding the story behind the numbers helps water treatment professionals evaluate risk, communicate priorities, and make decisions that support long-term stability.
Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge!
Timestamps
02:20 — Trace Blackmore shares what listeners can expect during Legionella Awareness Month, including a weekly series addressing Legionella and other waterborne pathogens.
03:20 — Upcoming Events for Water Treatment Professionals: Trace highlights the 2026 AWT Technical Training, taking place November 11–14 in Frisco, Texas.
05:40 — Words of Water with James
08:40 — Interview with Tracy Bech, founder and author of 60 Minute CFO and business finance educator and strategist, about making business finance less intimidating and developing financial fluency.
11:30 — Tracy explains why business finance often feels overwhelming and how simple calculations and relatable stories make financial concepts easier to understand.
13:20 — Financial performance becomes a team scorecard that helps technicians and employees understand how their work contributes to the company’s health.
16:40 — Finance terminology can create communication gaps, leaving otherwise successful owners uncertain about retained earnings, working capital, and cash flow.
21:50 — Tracy explains why profit is essential for serving customers, supporting employees, and keeping a business financially sustainable.
23:30 — Gross profit margin emerges as a critical measure because it determines whether enough money remains to cover operating expenses and generate profit.
25:50 — Liquidity and safety help leaders evaluate whether the company can pay its bills, manage debt, and withstand financial adversity.
33:10 — Tracy presents three steps toward financial fluency: learn the essential ratios, understand cash versus profit, and use historical performance to forecast the future.
35:20 — Leaders can improve execution by establishing a clear destination while allowing their teams to identify obstacles, opportunities, and necessary adjustments.
38:10 — Open-book management works best when employees receive financial metrics they understand and can directly influence.
40:00 — Field professionals affect financial results through accurate work, fewer callbacks, controlled expenses, positive reviews, and customer referrals.
41:10 — Business owners can begin improving their financial fluency by reviewing the previous month’s income statement and balance sheet and confirming that the information is accurate.
44:00 — Understanding the numbers helps leaders balance growth and stability while making informed decisions about profit, debt, equipment, and owner distributions.
47:10 — Tracy explains how owners preparing for retirement can strengthen financial performance, protect the balance sheet, and develop future leaders.
50:30 — Tracy encourages business leaders to give finance another chance, discover the story behind their numbers, and recognize financial fluency as a learnable skill.
Quotes
“Your business cannot exist without profits and you owe it to your customers and you owe it to your employees to have profits.”
“But when you get your strategies and you understand why things went the way they went, now you actually create your forecast and your marching orders.”
“The best time to plant the tree was 20 years ago, and the next best time to plant the tree is today.”
“I think that honestly, this is easier than you think.”
Connect with Tracy Bech
Email: [email protected]
Website: 60 Minute CFO
LinkedIn: Tracy Bech | LinkedIn
Guest Resources Mentioned
Grow Up Fast: Lessons from an AI Startup by Zach Rattner (Author), Rita Sus (Illustrator)
Power vs. Force: The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior by Ph.D. Hawkins, david R., M.D. (Author)
Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned
AWT (Association of Water Technologies)
AWT 2026 Annual Convention & Exposition
Scaling UP! H2O Academy video courses
Words of Water with James McDonald
Today's definition means "water loving" and refers to substances that are attracted to water. Can you guess the word or phrase?
2026 Events for Water Professionals
Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we’ve listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking HERE.
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