What if, for one episode, we just… solved some stuff?

Because there’s already plenty of conversation about how tough small business is right now.

You know. You’re living it.

So in this episode, we’re doing something different.

I’m taking some of the real problems I hear from small business owners all the time and answering one very practical question:

If THAT’S the problem… where would I start?

Customers aren’t paying you on time?

You’re busy, but you’re not making enough money?

Business costs keep increasing?

You think you need to raise your prices?

You need more customers?

You desperately need another staff member — but don’t think you can afford one?

There’s a tax bill coming and the money isn’t there?

Or maybe you’re looking at the whole thing thinking…

“I don’t even know if my business is doing okay.”

We’re tackling all of it.

Not with complicated financial jargon or another 47-step strategy.

With real, workable starting points.

We’ll talk about small business cash flow, late payments and unpaid invoices, rising business costs, pricing and profit margins, staffing and capacity, tax obligations, reducing expenses, finding more customers — and why the obvious solution isn’t always the right one.

Because sometimes you don’t need to fix your entire business.

You just need to know what to look at first.

Give me the problem. I’ll give you somewhere to start.

🎧 Listen to Episode 241: Small Business Problems? Here’s Where I’d Start.

There’s a question I think a lot of business owners are quietly asking right now…

Is my business going to be okay?

Business feels heavy. Customers are taking longer to make decisions. Payments aren’t always landing when they should. Costs are high. And everywhere we turn, we seem to be hearing another story about a business struggling, closing or simply trying to hold everything together.

Even if your own business isn’t in crisis, it’s hard not to absorb some of that fear.

In this episode, I want to talk about what happens when that fear starts influencing the way we see, and make decisions in ... our own business.

We’re talking about the difference between what you’re feeling and what is actually happening, why a hard month doesn’t automatically mean your business is failing, and why you need to be careful not to borrow somebody else’s crisis.

Because somebody else’s story can be useful information.

But it isn’t your forecast.

And if there genuinely is something happening in your business that needs attention? We don’t ignore that either.

We look at it.

We understand it.

And we work out the next good decision.

This isn’t an episode promising you that everything will be okay.

It’s a conversation about getting out of the fear, getting into the information and finding your way back to some control.

🎧 If business has felt particularly heavy lately, this episode is for you.

When sales slow down, our business-owner brain tends to go straight to one place…

What else can I do?

A new offer. A new service. A new product. A new income stream. Something — anything — that might bring more money through the door.

But what if your business doesn’t actually need anything new right now?

In this episode, we’re having a very different conversation about growth. One that starts with looking at what you’ve already built before asking your business to carry something else.

We’re talking about making better use of the products, services, customers, capacity, systems and opportunities already sitting inside your business. We’ll look at why “new” can feel so tempting when things are uncertain, the hidden cost of constantly adding, and why sometimes the smartest move isn’t growth at all — it’s strengthening.

Because a quieter season doesn’t automatically mean you need to scramble and create more.

Sometimes you need to stop long enough to really see what you already have.

You don’t always need more. Sometimes you need to make what you’ve already built work better.

You're booked out. The phone is ringing. The team is flat out. Sales are coming in.

By every traditional measure, business is good.

So… where the hell is the money?

In this episode, I’m coming to you a little differently — not as a financial coach, but as a fellow business owner. Because I know how easy it is to confuse being busy with doing good business.

And they are absolutely not the same thing.

We’re talking about what can really be happening underneath all that activity — pricing that hasn’t kept up, capacity that’s stretched too far, jobs costing more to deliver than you realise, invoices taking too long to become cash, and business owners quietly filling every gap with their own time.

We’ll also talk about the difference between simply looking at your financial information and really seeing what it’s telling you.

Because sometimes the answer isn't more customers.

It isn't another $100,000 in sales.

And it definitely isn't working another ten hours a week.

Sometimes you need to stop asking, “How do we get busier?” and start asking:

“What is all this busy actually producing?”

I’ll also give you a simple Busy-to-Bank-Account Check you can do in around 30 minutes to follow the money through your business and start identifying where it might actually be getting stuck.

If your business is busier than ever but financially it still feels like you're running on empty, this conversation is for you.

🎧 Hit play and let's work out where the money is really going.

ATO payment plan? Problem moved.

Credit card? Problem moved.

Put your own money into the business? Problem moved.

Delay a supplier? Problem moved.

Don't pay yourself this month? Problem moved.

Sometimes moving a cashflow problem is exactly what your business needs. It can give you breathing room, buy you time and help you navigate a difficult period.

But here's the question...

What changed after you moved it?

Because if nothing changed underneath the problem, chances are you haven't actually solved it. You've simply handed it to your future self.

In this episode, we're having a very real conversation about the financial workarounds small business owners use every day — from tax payment plans and credit cards to finance, owner contributions and sacrificing their own wage.

None of these things automatically mean there's something wrong with your business.

But when the same problem keeps coming back, it's time to stop asking where can I find the money? and start asking:

Why do I keep needing to find it?

I'll show you a simple three-month exercise to help you identify the cashflow problems you may have been moving, find the patterns hiding underneath them, and work out what actually needs to change.

This isn't about judgement.

It's about recognising the problem while you still have choices about what you do next.

🎧 Have a listen — and then find the one cashflow problem you don't want to move again.

“It’s only 10% off…”

But what if that 10% discount actually wipes out a third of what you were going to make on the sale?

That’s the conversation we’re having this week.

Because discounting isn’t necessarily bad for business. Used strategically, it can help move stock, fill unused capacity, encourage commitment, improve cashflow or bring new customers through the door.

The problem is when discounting becomes a reaction rather than a strategy.

A customer asks for a better price. Sales are a little quiet. A competitor launches an offer. You’re worried they might say no.

So you knock a little off.

But did your costs come down too? Did the work reduce? Did the time involved suddenly become worth less?

Probably not.

In this episode, we’re looking at what a discount really costs your business, why a small reduction in price can have a much bigger impact on your margin, and how much extra you may need to sell just to get back to where you started.

We’ll also talk about when discounting can make good commercial sense, what you should be getting in return, and the questions I want you to ask before offering your next deal, package or promotion.

Because I’m not here to tell you to never discount.

I just don't want you giving away your margin accidentally.

🎧 Have a listen before you offer that next 10% off.

Can Your Business Actually Afford You?

We ask whether our business can afford a new employee, new software, a bigger space or another investment all the time.

But when was the last time you asked whether your business can actually afford you?

Because if your business only works financially because you work for free, work ridiculous hours, take whatever money happens to be left, or continually absorb the jobs the business can't afford to pay someone else to do… we need to have a conversation about whether the business model actually works.

In this episode, we're talking about the hidden “owner subsidy” that exists in so many small businesses — the unpaid time, energy and capacity business owners contribute without ever recognising it as a real cost.

We'll look at the difference between what you take from your business and what it would actually cost to replace everything you do, why growth can sometimes make the problem worse, and the uncomfortable question every business owner should be asking:

What would my business need to look like to afford me properly?

This isn't about suddenly giving yourself a massive pay rise.

It's about recognising that you are not the free resource in your business.

Because at the end of the day, your business shouldn't only work because you do — it should work for you, too.

What happens when you love what you do… but realise passion alone isn't enough to keep the business going?

In this episode, I'm joined by the wonderful Joanne Caruso from Joanne's Temple Colonics and Wellness Centre.

Joanne's journey into business is an incredibly personal one. After more than 30 years in corporate HR, and following some heartbreaking changes in her life, she made the decision at 50 to finally pursue work that meant something to her.

Three years into running her own business, though, Joanne has discovered something so many small business owners eventually do:

Being good at what you do and understanding how your business works financially are two very different things.

We talk openly about what changed when Joanne started paying closer attention to her numbers — from realising that having a buffer in the bank didn't necessarily mean she was financially secure, to understanding her cashflow, reviewing her spending and making the difficult decision to increase her prices for the first time in three years.

And I love that Joanne doesn't pretend that knowing her numbers suddenly made everything easy.

Some of it still scares her.

The difference?

Now she can plan.

She can see a quieter period coming and do something about it. She can make decisions about pricing based on what the business actually needs. And she can start thinking seriously about growth, including bringing another clinician into the business.

This is such a real conversation about the evolution that happens when we stop avoiding the numbers and start using them.

Because knowing your numbers isn't about having everything figured out.

Sometimes it's simply about finally having something to work with.

Take a listen ..

Joanne's Details below 👇🏼

How many times have you checked your bank balance today?

If you're like most small business owners... probably more than once.

We often use our bank balance as the scoreboard for our business. If there's money in the account, we feel okay. If it's looking a little tight, we start questioning everything.

But here's the truth...

Your bank balance tells you where you've been. It doesn't tell you where you're going.

In this episode, I'm cutting through the noise and challenging one of the biggest myths in small business. Forget the twenty KPIs Google tells you to track. Most business owners don't need another complicated dashboard... they simply need to understand the numbers that help them make better decisions.

I'll walk you through the five numbers I believe every small business owner should know and, more importantly, why each one matters.

We'll explore:

Because the goal isn't to become an accountant.

The goal is to become a better decision-maker.

If you've ever felt overwhelmed by reports, confused by financial jargon, or wondered which numbers actually deserve your attention, this episode is for you.

🎧 Tune in now and discover the five numbers that could completely change the way you run your business.

—

Connect with Me (Amy)

If today's episode resonated with you, I'd love to help you build greater confidence around your business finances.

💻 Learn more about my Small Business Cashflow Course

"Where's my money going?"

If you've ever found yourself typing those words into Google (or ChatGPT), you're certainly not alone.

In fact, it's one of the most common questions business owners search for.

The problem is... Google can give you thousands of possible answers, but it can't tell you what's actually happening in your business.

In this episode, we're exploring why so many business owners are searching for quick fixes, why those answers often leave us feeling even more overwhelmed, and why understanding your numbers is about so much more than simply finding another expense to cut.

We'll talk about:

After almost 30 years working alongside small business owners, I've learnt that the biggest breakthroughs don't come from finding more information—they come from asking better questions and understanding what your numbers are really trying to tell you.

If you've ever looked at your bank account and wondered where all your hard work has gone, this episode is for you.

If you'd like to understand your business finances without spending months trying to piece everything together yourself, my Small Business Cashflow Course was created for exactly that.

I've taken nearly 30 years of experience and distilled it into five practical, easy-to-follow modules designed specifically for small business owners—no accounting degree required.

Because the real shortcut isn't finding more information...

It's learning what actually matters.

Thanks for listening! If this episode resonated with you, I'd love it if you subscribed, left a review, or shared it with another business owner who might need to hear this conversation.