Behind Closed Books

In this episode of Behind Closed Books, Craig Sheets speaks with finance leader Justin Norton about the importance of data integrity, financial reporting systems, and decision-making in modern organizations.

Justin explains why strong financial processes must exist before organizations can rely on dashboards, KPIs, or AI tools. Without accurate data, even sophisticated analytics systems can lead leaders toward poor decisions.

The conversation explores how accounting teams support CFOs and executives by delivering reliable financial information, and how organizations can improve reporting systems to better support strategic decisions.

Craig Sheets interviews Sammie Denham about building a global career in dance and creative direction.

From cruise ship productions to Olympic-level aquatic shows, Sammie shares the creative challenges, financial realities, and business strategies behind a sustainable performance career.

A powerful episode for artists, entrepreneurs, and anyone building a creative business.

Shipping costs went from $6,000 to $30,000 for a few pallets.

That is not a headline. That is a margin crisis.

This is the operational reality behind global sourcing.

You’ll learn:

What supply chain management actually involves

How sourcing from Germany and South Korea affects margin

Why ocean and air freight exploded during COVID

Why unpredictable rate changes destroy forecasting

Why building a reserve fund saved the business

If you run a product-based company, this episode will sharpen how you think about inventory, pricing, and risk.

In this episode, Ray Bazzi shares a candid look at leadership, discipline, and what it takes to build a company that can scale without losing focus or integrity.

Ray reflects on his entrepreneurial journey, including the pressures that come with growth, the importance of making deliberate decisions, and how leadership responsibilities evolve as organizations become more complex. The conversation explores capital discipline, accountability, and the systems leaders must build to support people as companies grow.

Rather than emphasizing speed or hype, this discussion centers on long-term thinking — how founders and executives can create durable organizations through structure, clarity, and consistency. Ray also speaks openly about the trade-offs leaders face and the realities many underestimate when scaling a business.

This episode is for leaders who are focused on sustainable growth, strong foundations, and building organizations that last.

00:00 – Episode introduction

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Most businesses waste money on marketing before proving product-market fit. Dan Brown, lifelong entrepreneur and founder of Lead Navigators AI, shares the framework that saved him after losing $30K on a failed social network—and how to identify your ideal customer profile (ICP) before spending a dollar on ads.

What You'll Learn:

✅ The Five Whys analysis using ChatGPT to define your ICP

✅ Why "appeal to everyone = appeal to no one" kills marketing

✅ Tripwire offers: Getting customers into your funnel for free

✅ Product-market fit testing for under $200 with ads

✅ B2B vs B2C distribution channels (and when to use each)

✅ The pixel that identifies 80% of anonymous website visitors

✅ Why Dan plans 190 of his 200 employees to be AI agents

✅ How to interview target customers for free product validation

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction to Dan Brown

01:26 - How Small Businesses Acquire New Clients Through Marketing

03:38 - Step Zero: Define Your ICP Before Marketing

06:46 - Appeal to Everyone = Appeal to No One

08:46 - Starting Specific: Sub-Niche to Broad Market

11:19 - Know Your Customer (KYC): Understanding Buyer Language

12:03 - Tripwire Offers: The "Book for Free, Pay Shipping" Strategy

14:00 - The 4 Ps of Marketing Still Relevant Today

15:26 - Ogilvy's Rolls-Royce Ad: Pattern Interrupt Marketing

17:10 - Everything is a Sale (Even Dinner with Your Wife)

17:50 - How to Obtain Client Lists and Create Interest

22:20 - B2C vs B2B Distribution Channels Explained

24:12 - Price Sensitivity in B2C vs Phone Calls in B2B

26:07 - Small Businesses Have the Advantage Now (Contrarian View)

29:22 - Personalization Beats Big Brand Spending

32:18 - Being Nimble: Small Business Competitive Advantage

33:15 - Beyond the List: Value Proposition Documents

34:06 - The Pixel: 80% Website Visitor Identification

36:54 - $30K Social Network Failure: Product-Market Fit Lesson

39:16 - Test with $200 in Ads Before Building the Product

40:36 - Interview Your Target Market for Free Validation

43:48 - AI as the Hottest Trend: Futureproofing Your Business

44:12 - Goal: 190 of 200 Employees Will Be AI Agents

47:18 - Growing Up in Montreal: Big Family, Upper Middle Class

49:19 - Boarding School in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

53:29 - Building Lifelong Connections in Small Settings

57:57 - Montreal: The Europe of Canada

1:00:21 - Three Businesses: Virtual Staging, Done-For-You Marketing, Lead Navigators AI

1:03:49 - How to Connect with Dan Brown

Connect with Dan Brown:

LinkedIn: @whoisDanBrown

Email: [email protected]

Dan's Three Businesses:

Virtual Staging SaaS: Realtors upload unstaged images, software adds furniture/décor for listings

Enterprise Growth (Done-For-You B2B Marketing): Grow pipeline, prospect actively, book sales calls

Lead Navigators AI: Website pixel identifies 80% anonymous visitors, resolves to full contact info

Related Topics: #MarketingStrategy #LeadGeneration #ProductMarketFit #ICP #B2BMarketing #B2CMarketing #AIinBusiness #StartupMarketing #CustomerAcquisition #MarketingAutomation #WebsitePixel #ConversionOptimization

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Discover how private money lending is revolutionizing real estate investment! In this episode of Behind Closed Books, host Craig Sheets sits down with Dustin Lauer, Chief Production Officer at Landmark Capital, to discuss private lending, hard money alternatives, and investment property financing strategies.

What You'll Learn:

✅ Private money lending vs. traditional bank financing

✅ Current interest rates and loan terms (starting at 5.5%!)

✅ How to qualify without income verification

✅ The importance of LLCs for rental property protection

✅ Investment strategies in today's mature market

✅ Fix-and-flip financing options

✅ Rental property cash flow requirements (DCR explained)

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction to Dustin Lauer

01:26 - Why Choose Private Money Over Banks?

06:08 - DTI vs. DCR: Understanding the Difference

09:43 - Hard Money vs. Private Lending Terms

14:24 - Competitive Interest Rates (5.5% Floor Rate!)

17:20 - Qualification Requirements for Private Loans

24:25 - Partnering Strategies for New Investors

27:39 - Mature Market Investment Opportunities

34:00 - Airbnb Risks and Short-Term Rentals

38:45 - Cost Segregation and Tax Benefits

45:17 - Dustin's Background and Career Journey

55:25 - How to Contact Landmark Capital

About Our Guest:

Dustin Lauer brings 16+ years of experience in private lending and real estate finance. As Chief Production Officer at Landmark Capital, he specializes in helping investors, builders, and real estate entrepreneurs secure financing for investment properties, renovations, and ground-up construction projects.

Key Takeaways:

💰 Private lending rates are now competitive with conventional loans

🏗️ Construction draws are processed in 1-2 days vs. 3-4 weeks with banks

📊 Debt Service Coverage Ratio (DCR) is key for rental financing

🤝 Partnership opportunities exist for combining experience and capital

🏘️ Focus on properties below median home values for better absorption

Connect with Dustin Lauer:

Website: lendmarq.com

LinkedIn: Dustin Lauer

Related Topics: #PrivateLending #RealEstateInvesting #HardMoneyLoans #InvestmentProperty #RealEstateFinance #FixAndFlip #RentalProperty #LandmarkCapital #RealEstateInvestor #PropertyFinancing #CommercialRealEstate #RealEstateTips

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👍 LIKE if you found this valuable!

💬 COMMENT with your real estate investing questions!

📤 SHARE with fellow investors!

About Behind Closed Books:

Behind Closed Books reveals the financial decisions that shape business success. Host Craig Sheets brings you unscripted conversations with business owners and experts about turning points, hard calls, and the numbers that drive growth.

#BehindClosedBooks #RealEstate #Investing #BusinessPodcast #Finance

When you’ve known someone for 15+ years, you get to skip the small talk and get straight into what actually matters.

Today, Mike Koslik joins me for a real conversation about what it actually takes to build something on the internet. He is the creator of Comic Book Corner 2.0, a long-time head tennis pro, and someone who has built an online community brick by brick.

It’s not a highlight reel—it’s the part most people never talk about: the work, the trade-offs, and the choices that compound over time.

Key Discussion Points

00:00 – Mike Koslik joins the show

02:10 – How two friends of 15+ years ended up in totally connected worlds

05:42 – Building a YouTube channel in a niche you think no one cares about

09:30 – Community, live streams, and why people show up

13:55 – The real economics of YouTube: ads, memberships, super chats

21:20 – Short-form vs. long-form: how creators actually get paid

25:08 – Behind the curtain: filming, editing, schedule, burnout

31:44 – The tax + financial side creators ignore

39:12 – Comics as assets, speculation, and the crash after COVID

45:50 – Consistency, imposter syndrome, and starting before you're “ready”

51:30 – How tennis and teaching shaped Mike Koslik’s communication style

57:10 – Growing up, identity, and the experiences that shape who you become

01:05:20 – What Mike would tell anyone who wants to start creating

01:10:48 – Closing thoughts

Before you head out, help this conversation reach the people who need it:

👍 Hit Like if this gave you something real to think about

🔔 Subscribe so you don’t miss the stories that happen behind the numbers

💬 Comment with your biggest “aha” moment, I’d love to hear it

🔗 Share this with someone who's on the edge of starting their own thing

#BehindClosedBooks #MikeKoslik #ComicBookCorner #YouTubeGrowth #ContentCreatorLife #OnlineBusiness #CreativeEntrepreneur #CommunityBuilding #SmallBusinessOwners #AuthenticConversations #Podcast #CreatorEconomy

Payroll is more than just cutting checks. Are there more details you should know?

In this episode of Behind Closed Books, host Craig Sheets sits down with Jenn Rush from Heartland Payroll Solutions, one of the nation’s top payroll experts. Together, we uncover the real stories and critical insights behind modern payroll—from compliance to credits you probably didn’t know existed.

Here’s what we cover:

The truth about “No Tax on Tips” and overtime pay

How to stay compliant with new immigration & hiring laws

Why even small teams need written job descriptions & handbooks

How to claim the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) and save up to $9,600 per hire

Why growing beyond 50 employees is not a risk — it’s an opportunity

Real-world payroll mistakes that could cost your business big

This episode gives you practical ways to protect your business, maximize savings, and stay one step ahead of compliance.

About Our Guest

Jennifer Rush

Employee Management Solutions Specialist, Heartland Payroll Solutions

📩 [email protected]

🌐 heartland.us

About Behind Closed Books: A podcast where business owners and experts reveal the financial decisions that shape success. Real stories. Real lessons. Real business.

📌 Subscribe for more insights that help you run smarter, stay compliant, and build a business that lasts.

#PayrollTips #SmallBusiness #BusinessPodcast #Entrepreneurship #HRInsights #TaxCredits #LegalCompliance #PayrollSolutions #WorkOpportunityTaxCredit #BehindClosedBooks

Welcome to the first episode of Behind Closed Books — the podcast that reveals the real stories hidden within the numbers.

Hosted by Craig Sheets, founder of Crestville Accounting, this series dives deep into the lessons, challenges, and truths that small business owners experience beyond the balance sheet. In this kickoff conversation with Nick, Craig shares the personal story behind his passion for numbers — and why every number tells a story about the life of a business.

Discover why accounting isn’t just about debits and credits — it’s about understanding what drives growth, what causes decline, and how smart financial insight can change the trajectory of your business.

⏱ Timestamps:

00:00 – Welcome to Behind Closed Books

01:22 – The meaning behind the show’s title

03:05 – Craig’s journey from family business roots to accounting

06:48 – Why every number tells a story

10:21 – How small businesses can uncover what’s really behind their books

14:37 – Common financial blind spots for growing companies

18:04 – Why storytelling matters in accounting

21:25 – The mission behind Crestville Accounting

24:50 – Closing thoughts: seeing your business beyond the numbers

📢 Call to Action:

If you’re ready to understand the story behind your numbers, subscribe to Behind Closed Books and join the conversation.

Follow Crestville Accounting for more insights on building financially confident businesses.

Behind Closed Books is where raw business stories meet real financial turning points. It is not about glossy success; it is about the breakdowns, pivots, and gut-punch lessons that came from finally paying attention to the numbers. Each episode delivers unfiltered insight from entrepreneurs and advisors who have faced the hard calls and came out sharper.

This show brings on bold founders, sharp consultants, and those who have been deep in the trenches of business chaos and clarity. They unpack what actually moved the needle and what nearly broke it. If you think accounting is boring, you have not heard these stories.