Upleveling

A successful team retreat is about more than team building. It's an opportunity to reflect, improve business operations, and plan for future growth.

In this episode of Upleveling, Joy Lutz, CPA, CTP, takes you behind the scenes of Aligned CPA's annual team retreat. She shares how they use strategic planning, team feedback, and practical exercises to strengthen company culture and drive business growth.

From the Start, Stop, Continue exercise to identifying operational bottlenecks and setting long-term goals, Joy breaks down how to plan a productive team retreat that creates lasting improvements.

Whether you're planning your first team retreat or improving an existing one, this episode offers actionable strategies to help your team align, grow, and succeed.

Should you niche your business, or is narrowing your focus too risky?

In this episode of Upleveling, Joy shares Aligned CPA’s own journey toward specializing in solo and small law firms and what that decision has meant for marketing, sales, training, and growth. She breaks down the advantages of specialization, the risks of going too narrow, and a practical framework for deciding whether niching makes sense for your business.

Sometimes, building a bigger business starts with choosing a smaller market.

Q4 isn’t just about wrapping up the year. It’s your opportunity to finish strong and build momentum for what’s next. In this episode, Joy shares how she uses the final 90 days of the year to review progress, strengthen systems, evaluate clients and pricing, develop her team, set goals, and build a budget and marketing strategy for the year ahead. Learn how to use Q4 intentionally so you can walk into the new year with a clear plan for growth.

As your business grows, your role as an owner has to grow with it. What starts as simply doing the work can quickly turn into learning how to sell, market, manage finances, lead a team, and think like a CEO.

In this episode of Upleveling, we break down three roles every growing business owner needs to understand: salesperson, marketer, and CFO. We also explore how to build systems around these responsibilities, delegate them effectively, and continue developing the skills your business needs from you at each stage of growth.

What if the biggest thing holding your business back is you?

In Part 2 of “If I Bought Your Business Today,” we break down how we would audit an owner’s time, automate inefficient processes, evaluate the competition, and build a more intentional marketing strategy.

From protecting time for revenue-generating work to figuring out where your last 10 customers actually came from, this episode is about creating a business that can grow without everything depending on you.

If your business can’t run without you, it may be time to change how you’re spending your time.

What would I do if I bought your business today?

Season 2 of Upleveling kicks off with a practical look at the first moves I’d make to uncover where a business is really making or losing money. In part one, we’re digging into gross profit margin, employee production, rework, and pricing, plus the financial details many business owners overlook.

If you want a more profitable business, these are three areas worth examining this week.

This episode is a behind-the-scenes look at the key themes from a women’s leadership panel Joy recently moderated.

We dive into shifting limiting beliefs, navigating imposter syndrome, and learning how to ask for more in your career or business. We also talk about building a better relationship with money, understanding the trade-offs that come with growth, and why embracing tools like AI is no longer optional.

If you’re ready to stop waiting and start taking ownership of what you want, this episode will challenge your thinking and help you step into the next level of leadership. 

This episode of Upleveling dives into why post-busy-season burnout isn’t a discipline issue but an energy issue. Learn how to manage your energy, recognize business seasons, and build intentional recovery so you can perform at a higher level long term. 

On todays episode we talk about reframing your financials as a powerful decision-making tool. We break down the "Five Dials" of business health—including revenue trends, profit margins, and cash runway—and explain how a 30-minute monthly CEO Review can shift you from reactive to proactive leadership.

This episode breaks down some of the most impactful business books for entrepreneurs, organized by where you are in your journey, from leadership and scaling to sales, marketing, and team building. It’s not just about what to read, but when to read it, with a key reminder that growth eventually shifts from learning to execution. If you’re feeling stuck, this episode will help you focus on what actually moves your business forward.