There comes a point where what worked before stops working…

Watching the numbers. Reacting to problems. Making decisions as they come up.

Real growth requires a different role.

The CEO role.

Today on Business by the Books, I'm breaking down the shift from managing what has already happened to leading what comes next with the help of specialized CFO services. This episode is for the owner who is ready to think bigger, plan long term, and step into the visionary role. You'll learn:

• The difference between bookkeeping and CFO support
• Why vision without structure creates chaos
• The 5-step planning framework from 10-year vision to quarterly milestones
• The key metrics CEOs track to stay focused and on plan
• Why you shouldn't carry your business alone

👉 Discover how our CFO services can transform your finances and align them with your future goals: here

• (00:00) Intro
• (1:23) Bookkeeping vs. CFO support
• (02:00) The framework you need
• (02:30) Your 10-year goals
• (02:51) Your 3-year direction
• (03:29) Your 1-year budget
• (04:51) The importance of accountability and support
• (6:12) Outro

📈 Book a strategy call with Danielle's team at Kickstart: here

👉 Check your books here

👉 Visit the Kickstart website 👉 Follow us on Instagram

Listen next:

👉 The 5 things I'd do this year if I wanted to ruin my business

👉 4 Balance Sheet Red Flags - The Risk of not Understanding your Balance Sheet

Are you working harder than ever but still feel stuck?

Your money mindset might be holding you back.

You see, the difference between a struggling business and a successful one isn't income.

It's how the CEO thinks about money.

Today on Business by the Books, we're breaking down the mindset shifts I see over and over again in the top 1% of business owners we work with. We're talking about what separates reactive financial behavior from strategic decision-making. You'll learn:

• Why playing it safe with your money is holding you back

• How successful owners put their money to work

• The mindset shifts that will push you into the 1%

🎧 Episode 262 of Business By The Books

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:29 Stop Using Your Business as a Tax Shelter
• 02:29 Treat Your Business as an Asset
• 03:25 Invest In Personal Growth
• 03:50 Buy Back Your Time
• 04:26 Build Real Liquidity
• 05:40 Play the Long Game
• 07:13 Out

Additional Resources:

📈Book a strategy call with Danielle's team at Kickstart: here

👉 Discover how our CFO services can transform your finances and align them with your future goals: here

👉 Check your books here

👉 Visit the Kickstart website

👉 Follow Kickstart on Instagram

Listen next:

👉 The 5 things I'd do this year if I wanted to ruin my business

👉 4 Balance Sheet Red Flags - The Risk of not Understanding your Balance Sheet

Most businesses don't fail overnight. They're slowly dismantled by habits that feel reasonable in the moment.

In this episode, I break down five patterns that quietly sabotage growth, from pivoting too quickly and avoiding your numbers to isolating yourself and letting old money stories drive decisions.

These habits don't always feel risky, but over time they create blind spots, emotional decision-making, and stalled progress.

If you want to lead your business with more clarity and confidence this year, this episode will help you see what needs to change and what to leave behind.

🎧 Episode 261 of Business By The Books

• Pivoting too fast stalls results (00:47)

• Avoiding numbers leads to reactive decisions (02:23)

• Isolation creates blind spots (05:56)

• Old money stories quietly run the business (10:23)

Additional Resources:

📈Book a strategy call with Danielle's team at Kickstart: here

👉 Discover how our CFO services can transform your finances and align them with your future goals: here

👉 Check your books here

👉 Visit the Kickstart website

👉 Follow Kickstart on Instagram

Listen next:

👉 4 Balance Sheet Red Flags - The Risk of not Understanding your Balance Sheet

👉 11 Lessons in 11 Years

Cash is the number one reason small businesses fail, and it usually happens quietly.

In this episode of Business By The Books, I walk you through four balance sheet red flags I see business owners ignore all the time, even when revenue and profit look strong. We talk about why the income statement alone can create a false sense of security, how debt and owner draws quietly drain cash, and what warning signs to watch for before financial stress takes over.

My goal is to help you understand what your balance sheet is actually telling you so you can take action with clarity and confidence as a CEO.

By the end of this episode, you'll have a clearer perspective on what it really means to grow into your role as CEO.

🎧 Tune in.

• Why cash is the number one reason businesses fail

• The Enron example and why revenue can hide real risk

• Red flags #1 and #2: Debt, assets, and growing balances

• Red flags #3 and #4: Owner draws, cash erosion, and stalled growth

Additional Resources:

📈Book a strategy call with Danielle's team at Kickstart: here

👉 Discover how our CFO services can transform your finances and align them with your future goals: here

👉 Check your books here

👉 Visit the Kickstart website

👉 Follow Kickstart on Instagram

Listen next:

👉 11 Lessons in 11 Years

👉 Reasonable Compensation for S Corp Owners

After 11 years in business, I've learned this: becoming a CEO isn't a finish line. It's a practice.

The lessons that shape you most don't come from perfect plans or polished systems. They come from starting before you feel ready, trusting yourself through uncertainty, asking for help, navigating loneliness, and continuing to grow even when leadership feels heavy.

In this episode, I'm reflecting on the lessons that mattered most and how they've shaped the way I lead today.

This episode is for business owners who are learning as they go and want to lead with more clarity and confidence.

We talk about:

• Why waiting for perfect almost always slows progress

• Why you don't have to do everything yourself to be a strong leader

• Why leadership can feel lonely and why support actually matters

• Why reflection and celebration are part of sustainable growth

By the end of this episode, you'll have a clearer perspective on what it really means to grow into your role as CEO.

🎧 Tune in.

Additional Resources:

📈Book a strategy call with Danielle's team at Kickstart: here

👉 Discover how our CFO services can transform your finances and align them with your future goals: here

👉 Check your books here

👉 Visit the Kickstart website

👉 Follow Kickstart on Instagram

Listen next:

👉 Reasonable Compensation for S Corp Owners

👉 Sunk Costs: The Silent Trap Sabotaging Your Goals (And How to Break Free)

Paying yourself incorrectly as an S Corp owner creates quiet IRS risk, cash stress, and year-end cleanup that many business owners don't see coming.

In this episode of Business By The Books, Danielle explains what reasonable compensation actually means, why payroll must come before owner draws, and how setting this up early can save you stress later in the year.

• What reasonable compensation means for S Corp owners

• Why underpaying yourself through payroll creates future tax problems

• The IRS rule that requires payroll before owner draws

• How paying yourself through payroll supports long-term business value

• What to do now so you're not fixing this under pressure at year-end

• Quiet IRS risk from paying yourself incorrectly

• Why business owners delay payroll and regret it later

• Reasonable compensation and owner draw rules

• Why Quarter One matters

Additional Resources:

📈Book a strategy call with Danielle's team at Kickstart: here

👉 Discover how our CFO services can transform your finances and align them with your future goals: here

👉 Check your books here

👉 Visit the Kickstart website

👉 Follow Kickstart on Instagram

Listen next:

👉 The Hidden Mistakes That Keep Your LLC Small (and How to Grow Into an S Corp)

👉 Sunk Costs: The Silent Trap Sabotaging Your Goals (And How to Break Free)

Every January, business owners set big, impressive goals for the new year… but drag last year's mistakes, sunk costs, and emotional baggage with them. It's no wonder most of these exciting goals fade away by February.

But it doesn't have to be that way! In this episode, we break down what sunk costs are, why they quietly sabotage your decisions, and how to finally break free from them. You'll learn how to identify old contractors, software, offers, and spending that no longer serve you, so you can protect your business, gain financial clarity, and make smarter, forward-focused decisions.

You'll discover:

• What a sunk cost is (00:03:46)

• How sunk costs trigger emotional attachments (00:04:47)

• How to finally break free (00:07:43)

By the end of this episode, you'll have the tools and mindset to let go of last year's financial and emotional baggage and fully step into your role as CEO in 2026.

Tune in!

Additional Resources:

📈Book a strategy call with Danielle's team at Kickstart: here

👉 Discover how our CFO services can transform your finances and align them with your future goals: here

👉 Check your books here

👉 Visit the Kickstart website

👉 Follow Kickstart on Instagram

Listen next:

👉 The Year-End Reflection Framework: The Truth About How Real CEOs Grow – Ep. 253

👉 I'm Not Setting Goals This Year — And Why You Shouldn't Either

Why do most small business owners never achieve their goals? It's rarely a lack of ambition. It's usually a lack of systems, habits, and financial leadership. This episode is about why goals alone don't create results and how a proven, repeatable financial framework builds CEO confidence.

I share a five-part monthly financial system designed to help you shift from an owner mindset to thinking like a CEO. I also talk about why bookkeeping for small businesses isn't about doing the work yourself, and why understanding your numbers matters most when money anxiety and cash flow problems push you to avoid them.

You'll learn:

• 02:10 Why systems outperform motivation in running your business

• 05:31 The monthly financial snapshot that builds clarity and confidence

• 09:40 How the five-step system supports smarter business decisions

• 15:20 Why a million-dollar business feels boring on purpose

This is a good place to start for CEOs who want to stop guessing with money and reduce financial risk. The framework has been used by thousands of business owners over the last decade, works at any revenue level, and is proven to support confident, data-driven CEO decisions.

Additional Resources:

📈Book a strategy call with Danielle's team at Kickstart: here

👉 Discover how our CFO services can transform your finances and align them with your future goals: here

👉 Check your books here

👉 Visit the Kickstart website

👉 Follow Kickstart on Instagram

Listen next:

👉 AI Won't Tell You the Truth About Your Numbers — But I Will: The Dark Side of Bad Bookkeeping

AI isn't going anywhere. But for small business owners, using it the wrong way can create financial blind spots, bad decisions, and long-term risk. This episode is about what happens when AI replaces judgment instead of supporting it, especially when it comes to your numbers. I'm joined by Carol Cox, founder of Speaking Your Brand and an early adopter of AI with a background in software development. We break down how small business owners can use AI to save time and reduce overwhelm without outsourcing financial leadership or losing clarity in decision-making.

Carol explains:

• 04:39 Where AI helps small business owners and where it creates risk

• 07:17 How AI hallucinations lead to financial blind spots

• 14:21 How to use AI in operations, marketing, and revenue without losing control

• 28:58 What fear of AI reveals about CEO confidence and leadership

If you're feeling overwhelmed by business finances, worried about making costly mistakes, or unsure how to use AI responsibly, this episode will help you make smarter decisions and protect your business financially.

Featured Guest:

Carol Cox, Founder and CEO of Speaking Your Brand

Additional Resources:

📈Book a strategy call with Danielle's team at Kickstart: here

👉 Discover how our CFO services can transform your finances and align them with your future goals: here

👉 Check your books here

👉 Visit the Kickstart website

👉 Follow Kickstart on Instagram

Listen next:

👉 AI Won't Tell You the Truth About Your Numbers — But I Will: The Dark Side of Bad Bookkeeping

If you've ever delayed looking at your numbers, dreaded a bookkeeping meeting, or felt a pit in your stomach when someone says "Let's review your finances," this episode is going to feel like a deep exhale.

In this conversation, Danielle sits down with financial advisor and partner at Orange Financial Brad Cunningham for an honest look at why entrepreneurs struggle with money clarity and why confidence doesn't come from spreadsheets. It comes from understanding your numbers and applying that knowledge to your life and your business.

Key Takeaways:

• Money Avoidance Is Emotional, Not Logistical: Most entrepreneurs avoid their financials because looking at numbers exposes vulnerability. When you understand the emotions underneath, clarity becomes much easier.

• Savings Habits Matter More Than Investment Choices: Brad explains why even the best investment strategy can't fix a poor savings rate and why behavior is the real foundation of wealth.

• Traditional Budgets Fail Because They Feel Limiting: Instead of obsessing over restrictions, focus on understanding your cash flow and aligning spending with your values and goals.

• Entrepreneurs Often "Out-Earn" Their Problems Without Solving Them: As revenue grows, lifestyle often expands at the same pace. Real financial health requires intentional guardrails.

• You Need a Money Team, Not One Money Person: Bookkeeper, tax accountant, CFO/coach, and financial advisor—each role supports a different part of your financial picture, and they should work together.

• Tax Strategies Shouldn't Sabotage Long-Term Flexibility: Saving money this year shouldn't come at the cost of future options or long-term growth.

• Clarity Creates Confidence: When you understand your numbers and the behaviors behind them, financial anxiety drops and decision-making becomes easier.

Topics Discussed:

(00:00) Intro: Brad's Background and What He Does

(02:43) Why Entrepreneurs Avoid Looking at Their Financial Data

(03:32) Fear of Financial Vulnerability and How It Impacts Decision-Making

(05:39) The Problem with "Putting the Cart Before the Horse" in Investing

(06:09) The Truth About the 4.4% Savings Rate and Why Traditional Budgeting Doesn't Work

(09:56) The Danger of Trying to "Out-Earn" Your Problems & What Will Actually Solve Issues

(11:09) The 20% Savings Benchmark for Entrepreneurs

(12:16) Danielle's Breakdown of the 4 Essential Members of Your "Money Team"

(15:16) Rethinking Tax Strategy and Future Flexibility

(18:31) Building Launch Plans for Your Children

(20:39) HSAs, 401(k)s, IRAs, and 529s: Why Context Matters

(21:50) Pitfalls with Traditional Budgets and Using a Better Method of Budgeting

(26:33) Promo: Kickstart Accounting's "Check Your Books" Service

(27:45) Pitfalls with Traditional Budgets and Using a Better Method of Budgeting

(29:44) Final Thoughts on Confidence, Clarity, and Long-Term Planning

(21:36) Outro: Like, Share and Subscribe!

Resources:

Connect with Brad | https://goorangefinancial.com/

Check Your Books | kickstartaccountinginc.com/checkyourbooks

Book a Call with Kickstart Accounting, Inc.:

https://kickstartaccountinginc.com/book-a-call/

Connect with Kickstart Accounting, Inc.:

Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/Kickstartaccounting

YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@businessbythebooks

Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/kickstartaccountinginc