If you’re a small business owner, a founder, or a CEO, there’s one big question I’m sure has echoed in your mind – ”How much should I pay myself?” 

It’s a delicate balance between personal income and business growth.

I’m Jason Andrew – chartered accountant, business owner, and yes, a financial voyeur – and you’re listening to Stark Naked Numbers.

It’s the podcast that strips down the numbers of business, investing, and wealth creation to help you become a better entrepreneur and investor, and ultimately build your net worth. 

In today’s episode, I’m going to take you back to where it all began – eight years ago, when SBO Financial was just an idea. I’ll walk you through the insights drawn from my own financial history and the trajectory of my own business. And we’ll also confront that old query: just how much should you put into your own pockets?

Links:

Subscribe to Stark Naked Numbers on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you get your pods.  

Want the secrets the other accountants won’t give you? Follow Jason Andrew on LinkedIn.

To learn more about uncovering your financials, unlocking your cash and unleashing your cash, visit starknakednumbers.com.

Show Notes:

(01:59) - FAQ from Founders: How much should I pay myself as a CEO?

(03:52) - What to expect in your early years, and Jason’s journey of embracing minimal living

(06:18) - Understanding how your business’s evolution aligns with your changing lifestyle

(07:54) - Drawing a salary vs. Opting for dividends

(10:33) - The reality of the ‘Instagram CEO’ Lifestyle

(14:52) - How to find the sweet spot of taking from your company without overdoing it

(16:18) - Why paying yourself enough to sustain your minimum viable lifestyle is crucial

(20:51) - The potential dangers of excessive optimism

(22:38) - Navigating the maturity phase of your business (and paying yourself like a boss)

(23:17) - Juicing up your CEO salary with dividends and not falling into the greed trap

(25:55) - Learn how the profit-first approach safeguards your cash flow

Have you ever wondered how the magic of buying a business actually happens?

I’m Jason Andrew, and this is Stark Naked Numbers. It’s the podcast that strips down the numbers of business, investing and wealth creation to help you become a better entrepreneur and a better investor, and ultimately build your net worth. 

In this episode, I unravel the step-by-step process of acquiring a business, and reveal the nitty-gritty of how these deals go down. Whether you’re a seasoned investor or considering your first venture into business ownership, this one’s a must-listen.

Links:

Subscribe to Stark Naked Numbers on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you get your pods.  

Want the secrets the other accountants won’t give you? Follow Jason Andrew on LinkedIn.

To learn more about uncovering your financials, unlocking your cash and unleashing your cash, visit starknakednumbers.com.

Show Notes:

(01:18) - Understanding mergers and acquisitions

(02:35) - The five key phases of the business buying process 

(06:49) - Fixed price vs. multiple of profit pricing strategy – which one works best?

(08:39) - Buying shares vs buying assets – what’s the smarter choice?

(11:40) - Navigating the intricacies of working capital

(14:25) - What does exclusivity in deals actually mean?

(14:50) - Why structuring your deal is just as important as price

(16:41) - Exploring the three most common forms of deal structuring

(34:33) - Post acquisition – Strategies for managing existing staff

(36:08) - The four types of due diligence every buyer should perform

(40:41) - What’s involved in the legal phase of the acquisition process?

(45:41) - How to run your new business

To bootstrap or not to bootstrap – that is the question.

Is it better to build a business from the ground up without any outside funding, or to take the sweet venture capitalist money and run? 

I’m Jason Andrew, and this is Stark Naked Numbers. It’s the podcast that strips down the numbers of business, investing and wealth creation to help you become a better entrepreneur and a better investor, and ultimately build your net worth. 

This episode, I’m joined by Alex Ghiculescu. Alex is one of the co-founders of Tanda, a self-funded SaaS success story that builds best-in-market workforce management and wage compliance software.  

We debate the pros and cons of taking outside money – because just quietly, I think they’re leaving money on the table by not doing it. 

Links: 

Keep up with Alex’s newsletter at ghiculescu.substack.com. 

Subscribe to Stark Naked Numbers on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you get your pods.  

Want the secrets the other accountants won’t give you? Follow Jason Andrew on LinkedIn.

To learn more about uncovering your financials, unlocking your cash and unleashing your cash, visit starknakednumbers.com.

Show Notes: 

(00:45) Alex and Tanda’s backstory, from a uni pub to a SaaS success story doing eight figures in annual recurring revenue  

(03:48) Why Alex and his co-founders chose to bootstrap from day one 

(13:28) The pros and cons of taking money from outside investors 

(21:21) How Tanda responded when one of their closest competitors raised over $100 million 

(26:42) Why building a profitable business is like building a muscle 

(29:11) How Alex and his co-founders, who are all equal on the cap table, make decisions about money 

(32:55) How Tanda’s founders balanced building a business with survival, and how they decided what to pay themselves 

(38:11) How to incentivise staff when stocks are off the table 

(43:29) How the founders of Tanda got involved in the fruit trade 

(47:57) If Tanda sold tomorrow, what would Alex do instead? 

(54:00) The dirty truth about the AFR Rich List 

(57:27) How Alex rediscovered his spark by working on his newsletter

Hope you’ve got some loose change handy, because it’s time to find out what it takes to run a successful vending machine business. 

I’m Jason Andrew, and this is Stark Naked Numbers. It’s the podcast that strips down the numbers of business, investing and wealth creation to help you become a better entrepreneur and a better investor, and ultimately build your net worth. 

A guilty weekend pleasure of mine is scouring the web for businesses to buy. It’s a mostly harmless vice – but it does lead me down some interesting rabbit holes. Like the time I seriously considered buying a vending machine business.

Join me to explore the economics of how vending machines make money – because they could just be the nice little earner you’ve been looking for. 

Links: 

Subscribe to Stark Naked Numbers on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you get your pods.  

Want the secrets the other accountants won’t give you? Follow Jason Andrew on LinkedIn.

To learn more about uncovering your financials, unlocking your cash and unleashing your cash, visit starknakednumbers.com.

Show Notes: 

(0:34) Why scouring business broker websites is my guilty weekend pleasure, and why more people should consider investing in businesses instead of property. 

(3:16) How I found myself on the precipice of buying a vending machine business 

(6:10) What I learned about the vending machine industry 

(8:38) My tragic vending machine backstory 

(11:08) The pros and cons of owning a vending machine business 

(15:47) What is the moat? What gives a vending machine business a durable competitive advantage? 

(17:57) My final decision. To vend or not to vend? 

It’s an unpopular opinion, but I believe more people should buy a business instead of starting from scratch. 

I’m Jason Andrew, and this is Stark Naked Numbers. It’s the podcast that strips down the numbers of business, investing and wealth creation to help you become a better entrepreneur and a better investor, and ultimately build your net worth. 

In this episode I’m joined by Pete Seligman. Pete is a search investor – he helps aspiring business owners find good businesses and gives them a great future through acquisition, growth and a successful exit. 

Pete’s experience is unique, as he’s one of the rare folks who has personally acquired, operated and sold a number of small- to medium-sized businesses. 

He tells us how he does it, and what he looks for in a great business – so you can go out and find yours. 

Links: 

Subscribe to Stark Naked Numbers on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you get your pods.  

Follow Pete Seligman on LinkedIn and at peteseligman.com.au. 

Want the secrets the other accountants won’t give you? Follow Jason Andrew on LinkedIn.

To learn more about uncovering your financials, unlocking your cash and unleashing your cash, visit starknakednumbers.com.

Show Notes: 

(1:15:) - What is a search fund, and how did Pete get involved in the industry? 

(7:17) - Why would you buy a business instead of starting one from scratch? 

(13:51) - What are the characteristics of a great business for a search investor? 

(25:26) -The best business Pete has had an interest in, and why 

(31:37) - How do you value a business? 

(39:01) - How do you manage conflict with the previous owner? 

(51:05) - How hands-on does a search investor need to be in the business? 

(1:07:30) - How does Pete invest his personal net worth? 

(1:10:44) - How to get involved in search investing 

Have you ever wondered how venture capital funds make money – and what it takes to start one? 

I’m Jason Andrew, and welcome to Stark Naked Numbers. It’s the podcast that strips down the numbers of business, investing and wealth creation to help you become a better entrepreneur and a better investor, and ultimately build your net worth. 

In this first episode, I’m joined by someone near and dear to my heart – and very important to my net worth. Rowan Grant from Arbor Capital is a recovering accountant turned entrepreneur and VC, and he’s also my business partner. 

Join us to find out how VCs make money, what they actually do on a daily basis, and why I think Nick Crocker is the Keanu Reeves of Australian start-ups. 

Links: 

Subscribe to Stark Naked Numbers on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Follow Rowan Grant on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Want the secrets the other accountants won’t give you? Follow Jason Andrew on LinkedIn.

To learn more about uncovering your financials, unlocking your cash and unleashing your cash, visit starknakednumbers.com.

Show Notes: 

(02:15) - What does a VC actually do? 

(08:52) - Why choose to be a VC? 

(13:39) - How do VCs actually make money? 

(18:33) - What makes a business a unicorn, and why do people go hunting for them? 

(30:52) - Should you invest in a business or the people behind the business? Are you betting on the founder or the business model? 

(36:11) - Why Nick Crocker is the Keanu Reeves of Australian start-ups

(44:59) - How easy is it to start a VC fund? Can anyone become a VC? 

Every number tells a story. 

The problem is that for most people, your finances are an overwhelming, over-complicated mystery that you’ve just never had the time or the energy to unpack. 

I’m here to help you with that. 

Hi. I’m Jason Andrew – chartered accountant, business owner and financial voyeurist – and this is Stark Naked Numbers. 

It’s the podcast that strips down the numbers of business, investing and wealth creation to help you become a better entrepreneur and a better investor, and ultimately build your net worth. 

We’ll explain financial concepts with real, practical examples; we’ll break down successful – and unsuccessful – businesses to find out what makes them tick; we’ll get leading business people to share their strategies with us; and we’ll unpack high-profile deals and transactions, digging into the digits and details behind the headlines. 

For our first episode, we’ll be joined by Rowan Grant, a recovering accountant turned entrepreneur and VC, who’ll explain how venture capital funds actually make money – and what it takes to start one. 

To make sure you don’t miss it, subscribe to Stark Naked Numbers on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast app of choice now. 

Want the secrets the other accountants won’t give you? Follow Jason Andrew on LinkedIn.

To learn more about uncovering your financials, unlocking your cash and unleashing your cash, visit starknakednumbers.com.