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 guardrails, gut-checks overspending, and builds real reserves.
• The expense analysis that finds instant profit (and all those "I thought I canceled" subs).
• The handful of KPIs to watch: break-even, month-end bank balance trend, gross & net margins, plus 1–2 lead metrics.
• Why owners must read the balance sheet (AR, debt, cash) to explain the "profit but no cash" mystery.
• S-Corp myths vs reality: costs, payroll, compliance, and when it doesn't save you a dime.
• The mindset gap: let data overrule fear and emotion—especially in weird markets.

Key Takeaways:

• Clean books first; dashboards second. Messy inputs = misleading decisions.
• Profit First is a behavior system that forces lean ops and automatic reserves.
• Trim subscriptions and non-ROI spend quarterly. Every line needs a purpose.
• Track few, not many: break-even, margin, cash trend, and one lead indicator.
• Entity choice is strategy—don't elect S-Corp on hype; do the math.

Bio:

Megan Schwan is the CEO and Founder of Sidekick Accounting Services, a national, virtual accounting firm working to change the statistic that 8 out of 10 small businesses fail. For over a decade, Megan and her team have educated 1000's of owners on their business accounting and taxes in order to create sustainable and successful businesses. Being in the accounting industry for over 2 decades, Megan has seen and experienced plenty of businesses' red flags and triumphs.

Links:

Website: www.sidekick-accounting.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meganmschwan/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mmschwan/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mompreneurof4/

Conclusion:

Revenue is loud. Cash is quiet. Use Profit First to build guardrails, clean up the books so pricing and KPIs tell the truth, and revisit entity and expenses with a strategic eye. A 20-minute weekly review beats a 20-hour crisis. Start small; stay disciplined; let the numbers lead.

#ProfitFirst #CashFlow #Bookkeeping #SmallBusiness #KPIs #PricingStrategy #Entrepreneurship #CFO #TaxPlanning #BusinessSystems

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.