Beyond the Bottom Line

In this episode of Beyond the Bottom Line, Miguel sits down with Jenn Cordova, founder and creative director of Jenn Cordova Design, to talk about what it really takes to build a brand that stands out and actually sells.

Jenn shares her journey from working in-house design roles to building her own creative studio, driven by the need for more creativity, challenge, and ownership over her work. What started as freelance projects evolved into a strategy-led branding business focused on helping food and beverage brands succeed on crowded retail shelves.

The conversation dives into how great design goes far beyond aesthetics. Jenn explains why positioning, clarity, and strategy are just as important as visuals and how the most successful brands are the ones that know exactly who they are and how to communicate it quickly.

They also explore what it means to “stand out on the shelf” (literally and metaphorically), how founders can think about differentiation, and why sometimes doing the opposite, like using unexpected colors or formats, can make all the difference.

Jenn also shares her perspective on AI in design, why it’s a powerful tool (but not a replacement for strategy), and how she approaches building a client experience that evolves as her business grows.

If you're building a brand or thinking about it, this episode is a deep dive into the intersection of creativity, strategy, and entrepreneurship.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why design without strategy often falls flat
• How to think about positioning and differentiation
• What makes a product stand out on a crowded shelf
• The real journey of building a creative business (and how long it can take)
• How AI is changing the design process for better and worse
• Why creativity and structure aren’t opposites and how combining both is a competitive advantage

About Our Guest

Jenn Cordova is the Founder and Creative Director of Jenn Cordova Design, a strategy-led branding studio focused on building retail-ready food and beverage brands. She works with founders at all stages, from early concepts to established products, helping them refine their positioning, elevate their visual identity, and create packaging that stands out on the shelf and drives sales.

With a background in graphic design and years of experience working with small to mid-sized businesses, Jenn blends creativity with strategy to deliver brands that not only look good, but perform in competitive markets.

To learn more about Jenn’s work or explore potential collaborations, visit her website or connect with her on social media.

Connect with Jenn on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenncordovadesign/

Connect with Miguel on LinkedIn or reach out at [email protected]

In this episode of Under the Hood, Miguel and Ashton go behind the scenes of what it actually took to get through this year’s 4/15 deadline. From scaling the team and integrating a new acquisition to making tough calls on client fit, they break down how the firm operated at its highest capacity yet.

They talk through the decision to intentionally “churn” clients, how they structured service tiers between tax-only and advisory, and why not every client is worth keeping. Over time, they’ve learned that trying to serve everyone equally leads to worse outcomes for both the team and the clients who actually value the work.

Miguel and Ashton also share how clearer expectations, better systems, and stronger accountability across the team led to one of their smoothest tax seasons—along with why empowering the team to prioritize the right work made all the difference.

Most businesses know they need better systems. The problem is figuring out what to build, where to start, and how to make sure it actually drives results instead of creating more complexity.

In this episode, Miguel sits down with Pablo, Co-Founder of CodingIT, and Chester McLaughlin, Engineering Manager at CodingIT, to break down what it really takes to build custom software that supports growth. From identifying the right problems to solve, to structuring a development roadmap, to understanding how technology decisions impact your business long-term, this conversation walks through the full lifecycle of building and scaling internal tools.

They also share a behind-the-scenes look at how Tax Hack built its own platform, what worked, what didn’t, and how the right approach to development can unlock both operational efficiency and financial upside through the R&D tax credit.

Insights from this episode include:

• Why most businesses struggle with disconnected tools and when it makes sense to build custom software
• How to identify the right problems before investing in development
• The difference between proof of concept, prototype, and MVP (and why it matters)
• Why automation only works when processes are fully defined
• How to think about ROI before you start building
• The importance of aligning technology decisions with business outcomes
• When to outsource development vs. build in-house vs. use a hybrid approach
• What a fractional CTO does and when you actually need one
• How custom software development can qualify for the R&D tax credit
• Real case study: how one company scaled operations and generated a ~$30K tax credit through development

About Our Guests

Pablo is the Co-Founder and Head of CodingIT, where he leads software development and product strategy for companies building custom technology solutions. He has worked with startups and established businesses to design and scale platforms that drive real business outcomes.

Chester McLaughlin is an Engineering Manager at CodingIT, where he leads high-performing development teams and helps companies translate complex business challenges into scalable technical solutions.

To learn more about CodingIT or get connected with their team, reach out through Miguel directly.

Connect with Miguel on LinkedIn or reach out at [email protected]

A lot of business owners spend time trying to get everything right before they make a move. The plan, the structure, the tools, the details. But in reality, most of the progress comes from starting, learning as you go, and adjusting along the way.

In this episode, Miguel sits down with Zohaib “Zo” Peti to talk through his path from early hustles to building and scaling multiple businesses. He shares how taking action, even when things aren’t fully figured out, helped him learn faster and create opportunities that wouldn’t have come from waiting.

Zo also shares what he’s seen working with thousands of businesses. From disconnected tools to overly complicated systems, he explains where a lot of companies lose momentum and how simplifying the way you operate can make a bigger difference. He’ll also touch on how AI is starting to play a role in all of this and what that could mean moving forward.

Insights from this episode include:

• Why overthinking and “analysis paralysis” stop more businesses than lack of opportunity

• How starting before you feel ready can accelerate learning and momentum

• Why most businesses struggle with disconnected tools, systems, and operations

• How simplifying your approach can remove friction and improve execution

• Why mindset, persistence, and adaptability matter more than getting everything right upfront

About Our Guest

Zohaib “Zo” Peti is the founder of Leapify, an AI operating system designed to help businesses run more efficiently, and Lead Origin, a digital transformation and marketing agency. He has built and scaled multiple companies across e-commerce, services, and technology, working with thousands of businesses from small startups to enterprise organizations.

If you’re interested in Zo’s other companies:

LeadOrign

WithPort

SnapWeb Services

Connect with Zoe on X (Twitter): @ZOPATOLI

Connect with Miguel on LinkedIn or reach out at [email protected]

In this episode of Under the Hood, Miguel and Ashton talk about how they approach events today. From ski trips and small group settings to panels and tech week, they get into what actually makes these experiences valuable. Over time, they learned that it’s less about formal agendas and more about building real relationships, having honest conversations, and creating the kind of environment where people open up. They also share how those connections naturally turn into opportunities for all, and why some of the most meaningful insights happen outside the structured setting.

Today Miguel and Ashton discuss stories and lessons learned from events, including how it’s better to be less formal…and more relaxed and conversational.

Your checking account exists, the wires go through, and sure, there are some fees here and there, but that's just how banking works, right? Meanwhile, you’re earning 0.08% interest on idle cash, paying $25 per wire, and exposed to fraud risks you don't even know exist.

In this episode, Miguel and Renee sit down with Brandon Arvanaghi and Dustin Kamali at Meow to break down what business banking is actually costing you and how they're building an alternative around a Costco-style model that passes economics back to customers instead of extracting them. 

Other insights from this episode include:

• Why your checking account earning 0.08% instead of 5%+ means you're leaving thousands of dollars on the table every year
• The real cost of wire fees, ACH fees, and monthly maintenance fees when you're running payroll and paying vendors regularly
• How the Costco model works for banking and why Meow negotiates with partner banks to win on volume, not margin
• How to stop attackers from pulling funds even if they get your account and routing number
• Why most banks and fintechs don't innovate on economics 
• What it means when a checking account is called an "operating account" 
• How to set up wire approval workflows without paying for bill.com 
• Why switching banks takes less time than you think 

About Our Guests

Brandon Arvanaghi, CEO of Meow and former security engineer at Gemini and Mandiant. Brandon and his co-founder pivoted Meow three weeks after raising a $22M Series A, starting from scratch and eventually growing into a full business banking platform with over $1 billion in assets with a team of 12.

Dustin Kamali, VP of Business Development at Meow, leads partnerships with accountants, fractional CFOs, and other advisors helping small businesses and venture-backed companies access better business banking.

Visit meow.com to open an account or view current rate sheets 

Connect with Miguel on LinkedIn or reach out at [email protected]

In this episode of Under the Hood, Miguel and Ashton talk about how their approach to sales has evolved.  From chasing every opportunity to slowing down and figuring out if it’s actually the right fit, they get into how they open calls, why rapport matters, and what happens when sales and onboarding stay connected. It’s a candid look at how they think about selling today and why sometimes the best decision is walking away.

How to Reduce Taxes on Your Rental Properties

You bought a rental property years ago. Maybe decades ago. It’s appreciated significantly, you’ve depreciated it down to almost no basis, and now the thought of selling makes you nervous because of the tax bill. Additionally, you’re also tired of the maintenance calls, the liability, the capital expenditures that always seem to hit at the worst time.

In this episode, Miguel sits down with Ari Rubin, founder of Flock Homes, to walk through the 721 exchange. It’s a lesser-known section of the tax code that lets you contribute your property into a partnership, receive shares in return, and defer all capital gains and depreciation recapture without triggering a taxable event. Ari explains who this works for, how Flock operates at scale with over 1,100 homes, and why younger investors are using this strategy just as often as retirees.

Insights from this episode include:

• Why you can’t just retire from being a landlord, and how the 721 exchange lets you step away from management, liability, and surprise expenses while keeping your equity intact
• How the 721 exchange differs from a 1031 exchange and why it’s been used in equities for decades to diversify concentrated stock positions
• The three ongoing benefits: continued income distributions, exposure to housing market appreciation across a diversified portfolio, and ongoing depreciation from new CapEx
• How redemptions work and why taking cash out of the fund is treated as a reduction in basis (like a cash-out refi) rather than a taxable sale
• When cost segregation makes sense for rental property owners (and when it doesn’t) 

About Our Guest

Ari Rubin, Founder of Flock Homes, a platform that helps landlords exit their rental properties and transition to passive ownership through the 721 exchange, deferring capital gains while maintaining exposure to real estate income and appreciation Visit flockhomes.com to learn more .

Email Ari directly at [email protected]

Connect with Miguel on LinkedIn or reach out at [email protected]

In this episode of Under the Hood, Miguel and Ashton talk about culture at Centurion - what it looks like when it’s working and what it looks like when it’s not. They discuss a hire that forced them to rethink what really matters, why respecting people’s time is non-negotiable, and how real feedback is one of the most important ways to honor someone’s work. It’s an honest conversation about how culture shows up in the day-to-day and why it ultimately impacts the bottom line.

Most business owners have cash sitting in a checking account earning nothing. They assume treasury strategy is too complicated, too risky, or only worth it once the numbers get big enough. Meanwhile, inflation is quietly eroding their buying power every month.

In this episode, Miguel sits down with Mike Dombrowski of Rho to break down what treasury strategy actually is and how founders at any stage can start putting idle cash to work. Mike’s framing is simple - every dollar in your business is an invisible employee. If it’s sitting in a checking account earning nothing, it’s not showing up to work.

Other insights from this episode include:

• Why treasury strategy used to require a full CFO function and a Wall Street relationship and how technology has changed that
• Why being too conservative with your cash is itself a risk, and why Mike thinks of treasury as an insurance policy rather than an investment
• The investment options worth knowing, including FDIC sweep products, treasury bills, and money market funds 
• How the “reverse sweep” automates your cash flow so your operating account never runs dry without you watching it every day
• Why certificates of deposit can look attractive but leave you unable to access your cash when you need it
• How rising and falling interest rates should affect the duration of your investments, and why most small businesses shouldn’t be trying to game the rate environment
• Stacking three strategies (treasury yield, 2% cash back on business spend, and R&D tax credits) and what the combined number can look like for a $2 million business

About Our Guest

Michael Dombrowski is the Corporate Treasury Advisor at Rho - a financial platform that gives businesses of all sizes access to treasury management, business banking, and automated cash flow tools.

Visit rho.co to learn more about Rho Treasury and the full platform.

Connect with Miguel on LinkedIn or reach out at [email protected]