THE Profit First Podcast

Description: In this episode, Stephen tackles an objection he hears most weeks about Profit First: surely I can only cut my expenses so much? He explains why that's both true and not true, why black and white thinking keeps owners stuck, and how one client went from two sites to one and added £200,000 of profit. The objection Stephen hears most weeks, and why Profit First can sound too good to be true Why it's true with your current thinking, but not the only way Blind spots, and why every owner needs a sounding board Could a £300k business making £30k profit get to £60k? The personal trainer test A client story: two sites to one, 13 team members to nine, profit up £200,000 The three pillars: finance foundations, profit improvement and wealth maximisation Why Profit First forces you to adapt and evolve Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to the Profit First podcast 00:15 An objection Stephen hears most weeks 01:03 Surely I can only cut my expenses so much? 01:26 True and not true: thinking in grey areas 02:36 Blind spots and challenging your thinking 03:07 From £30k to £60k profit 03:57 The personal trainer test 04:28 Client story: two sites to one, profit up £200k 04:58 The three pillars 05:56 Profit First forces you to adapt Links mentioned: £5K Growth Model webinar: https://wearegro.co.uk/gro-model-5k Gro Academy: https://wearegro.co.uk/academy Book a free meeting: https://wearegro.co.uk/free-meeting Read the newsletter: https://wearegro.co.uk/blog/surely-i-can-only-cut-my-costs-so-much Keywords: profit first, cutting costs, small business, UK business owners, mindset, profit improvement, accountant

Description: In this episode, Stephen talks about why business feels so tough at the moment, from the cost of everything going up to the general mood in the country, and why you're far from alone if you're feeling it. He shares a simple pen and paper exercise to separate what you can't control from what you can, and how to make things 1% better before the week is out. Why around 80% of UK businesses are struggling on some level, and why it feels more like 90 to 95% right now Don't kick yourself: the pressure owners carry for their team, their mortgage and HMRC A season for everything, and why Stephen's firm is spending more on marketing, not less The two column exercise: what I cannot control and what I can do about it Why "cash flow problems" is too general, with examples on HMRC payment plans, 60 day terms and deposits Simple actions to take this weekend Weekly bookkeeping and a monthly look at your numbers The triple S strategy: state, story, strategy How this links to Profit First and planning 90 days, one year and three years ahead Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to the Profit First podcast 00:17 Why does business feel so hard right now? 01:04 80% of businesses are struggling, and you're not alone 02:38 Don't kick yourself, there's a season for everything 03:55 Why we're spending more on marketing this year 04:23 Focus on the controllables: the two column list 05:44 Be specific about cash flow 06:49 What can I do to make it 1% better this week? 07:39 You can control how you run your finances 08:40 The triple S strategy: state, story, strategy 09:29 How this links to Profit First Links mentioned: £5K Growth Model webinar: https://wearegro.co.uk/gro-model-5k Gro Academy: https://wearegro.co.uk/academy Book a free meeting: https://wearegro.co.uk/free-meeting (Last episode's notes linked https://www.growprofitfirstaccountants.co.uk for the webinar. I've used the wearegro.co.uk link from the newsletter signature. Stephen to confirm which is current.) Keywords: profit first, cash flow, small business, UK business owners, mindset, bookkeeping, accountant

In this episode, Stephen talks about a different kind of plan: not a business plan, but a personal plan for what your business is meant to do for your life. The key question is simple: what needs to change in the next three years so you're no longer the one doing everything yourself? - Why being the person who knows and does everything is rarely sustainable - The danger of believing "it has to be me" - Why Stephen uses a three-year timeframe instead of six months - A personal example from his own business: being hands-on with webinars, marketing and sales while still planning to step out of the process - How Profit First is about more than paying yourself more money - Why profit is what allows you to hire the right people and buy back your time - The difference between money freedom, time freedom and peace of mind - The three pillars of the Grow system: strong foundations, profit improvement and wealth maximisation Links mentioned: - 5K a month webinar: https://www.growprofitfirstaccountants.co.uk

In this episode, Stephen Edwards introduces the £5k Growth System: a simple three-pillar approach used with clients to improve profit, cash and freedom. The focus in this shorter version is on the first pillar: getting the financial foundations right so better decisions become possible. - Why many businesses become a “cash-eating monster” as they grow - The thinking behind the £5k Growth System and where the results come from - Why more turnover does not automatically mean more cash in the bank - The first pillar: finance foundations - Why bookkeeping must be up to date weekly or fortnightly, not months behind - The importance of real-time numbers, trends and visibility - How separate bank pots for tax, VAT, owner’s pay and profit reduce nasty surprises - Why knowing your numbers improves confidence in sales, leadership and decision-making Links mentioned: - Video/webinar version and resources: check the website resources/blog section - Stephen’s book: How to Build a Business That Runs Without You - Email Stephen: [email protected]

In this episode, Stephen talks about why running a business is a long game, and why so many owners feel unsuccessful even when they are making real progress. It is a practical reminder to stop judging yourself only by this month’s bank balance or turnover figure. - Why cash and bank balances do matter, but never tell the whole story - How Profit First gives you a clearer scoreboard through separate pots for profit, tax, VAT and owner’s pay - The danger of having no defined “success number” and constantly moving the goalposts - A simple football analogy for measuring progress properly - Why most businesses are struggling on some level, even the successful ones - Growing pains in real businesses: team changes, structural changes and losing clients during transition - Why building a business that can run without you is harder than it looks - The importance of zooming out and measuring progress over years, not just months Links mentioned: - Email Stephen: [email protected] - Book: How to Build a Business That Runs Without You - Profit First resources from Gro Profit First Accountants

This week, Stephen looks at a hard truth many owners need to hear: sometimes the problem is not effort, discipline or even budgeting. Sometimes the business model itself is the issue, and no amount of optimisation will fix a structure that is fundamentally working against you. - Why Profit First is such a strong foundation for owner-managed businesses, especially under £1 million turnover - The two main reasons Profit First can fail in practice: lack of discipline and a broken business model - The fitness analogy: having the plan is one thing, actually following it is another - Why some owners are trying to optimise something that should really be redesigned - The “old car” metaphor: when do you stop pouring money into a model that keeps breaking down? - A useful question to ask yourself: if you started again next week, what would you do differently? - Why changing markets, buyer behaviour and AI make strategic thinking more urgent than ever - How ideas from outside your industry can help you spot blind spots and rethink your positioning Links mentioned: - Blue Ocean Strategy - Profit First by Mike Michalowicz - Contact Stephen: [email protected]

This week’s episode is a simple one: stop treating your business like something you have to improvise every day. I talk about why I’ve been quiet for a few weeks, why time away from the business matters more than most owners admit, and what a little Pac-Man machine taught me about strategy, systems and profit. - Why the podcast and newsletter paused when a key team member left - The risk of building workflows that depend too heavily on one person - Why taking time off is not a luxury for business owners - Protecting the real asset in the business: your energy, clarity and focus - How to start taking time away if a full week feels unrealistic - The Pac-Man story: effort versus strategy - Why many owners are still making financial decisions on instinct alone - How Profit First helps you learn the rules of the game and stop winging it Links mentioned: - Grow Academy: https://wearegro.co.uk - Email Stephen: [email protected]

Welcome to This Week’s Profit First Accountant Newsletter! Estimated Read Time: 8 Minutes It’s Stephen Edwards from Gro Profit First Accountants, and welcome to this week’s Profit First Accountant Newsletter. Introducing The Gro Academy Welcome to The Gro Academy—this is your introduction to Profit First. Now, this is designed for two types of people. Firstly, if you’re completely new to Profit First, the aim is that by the end of this, you’ll clearly understand what it is, why it matters, and how it can genuinely improve your business. Secondly, if you’ve decided to work with us, or you’re about to, then this is your starting point. We’ll be implementing this with you step by step, but what I want to do here is give you some quick wins so you can get started straight away. Either way, there’s value here. Because the reality is, most business owners don’t necessarily have a knowledge problem—they have a structure problem. They might be generating revenue, they might even be growing, but there’s no clear system behind the money. And that’s where things start to fall apart. That’s exactly what Profit First is designed to fix. The Story Behind Profit First Profit First comes from a book by Mike Michalowicz. He built and sold a successful business for millions and believed he had the formula cracked. But when he reinvested into multiple businesses, everything went wrong. He lost the money. There’s a moment he talks about where his daughter gave him her piggy bank because things had got that bad. And that’s when he stepped back and asked: Where do business owners actually go wrong with money? What he discovered was simple but powerful: Turnover is vanity, profit is sanity. Just because your revenue is growing doesn’t mean your business is healthy. What Is Profit First? We’re all taught the same formula: Sales – Expenses = Profit On paper, it makes perfect sense. But in reality, what happens is: Expenses come first Profit comes last And when profit comes last, it often doesn’t happen at all. Profit First flips that: Sales – Profit = Expenses Now, at first, this can feel a bit unrealistic or even too simple. But if you think about it logically—especially if you were starting a business from scratch—it actually makes perfect sense. If your goal is to earn £40,000 and you expect to generate £100,000 in revenue, then naturally you’d say: That leaves £60,000 for expenses. That’s Profit First in action. The Real Problem (And Why Most Businesses Struggle) One of the biggest issues is behaviour. If you’ve got £10,000 sitting in your bank account, it feels like you can spend £10,000. So what happens? Costs expand Spending increases Profit disappears This is why so many businesses—despite decent revenue—are still struggling with cash flow. In fact, the majority of businesses are surviving on some level, and cash flow is usually the core issue. Profit First addresses this by putting structure and boundaries around your money. How Profit First Works (The Envelope Concept) A simple way to understand this is the envelope system. If you had £500 personally, you might split it into envelopes for: Rent Food Bills Spending Savings Each pound has a job. <...

Welcome to This Week’s Profit First Accountant Newsletter! Estimated Read Time: 4 Minutes Hi Everyone, It’s Stephen Edwards from Gro Profit First Accountants, and welcome to this week’s Profit First Accountant Newsletter. This week, I want to talk about why working harder isn’t the answer and how focusing on the vital few can completely transform your business. Most business owners think the answer is simple: work harder, work longer, and success will follow. And to be fair—there is a time and place for that. In the early days of building a business, I did exactly that. I was working 60-hour weeks, saying yes to every opportunity, doing whatever it took to pay the bills and get things off the ground. That level of effort can get you moving. But it won’t get you scaling. At some point, working harder stops being the solution—and starts becoming the problem. The Ceiling You Don’t See Coming I hit this myself when the business was around 30–40% of the size it is today. Everything went through me. Every client, every decision, every problem. And that’s when I realised:I’d built a business that depended entirely on me. That creates a ceiling. To grow, I had to: Build a team Empower people Let go of control Not everyone liked it. Some clients even left. But it was necessary to create a business that could actually scale—and support the life I wanted. The Game-Changer: Trivial Many vs Vital Few Here’s the real shift. As a business owner, you’ve got endless options: Books to read Podcasts to listen to Ideas to implement Projects to start It’s overwhelming. But the truth is: Not everything is equally important. You need to distinguish between: The Trivial Many – the majority of tasks that feel productive The Vital Few – the small number of actions that actually move the needle This is where the Pareto Principle comes in. If you’ve got 10 key projects: 2 of them will likely drive 80% of your results And those few activities?They can be up to 16x more impactful than the rest. Why Most Business Owners Stay Stuck The problem isn’t lack of effort. It’s lack of focus. Trying to do everything leads to: Burnout Overwhelm Slower progress Whereas focusing on the vital few leads to: Faster results Better decisions More clarity How to Identify Your Vital Few If you’re not sure where to start, here’s a simple structure: 1. Define Your Vision What does your 3-year future look like? What needs to happen for you to feel successful? 2. Break It Down What needs to happen in the next 12 months? Then the next 90 days? 3. Focus Weekly What are the few key actions this week that actually move you closer to that vision? That’s how strategic business owners operate. A Simple Mindset Sh...

Welcome to This Week’s Profit First Accountant Newsletter! Estimated Read Time: 4 Minutes Watch the Full Video here It’s Stephen Edwards from Gro Profit First Accountants, and welcome to this week’s Profit First Accountant Newsletter. A lot of business owners start their journey because they want more freedom — more time, more flexibility, and more control over their lives. But what often happens is the opposite. The business grows, the workload increases, and suddenly the owner becomes the most overworked person in the company. Instead of having freedom, they feel trapped. So the big question becomes: How do you build a business that allows you to work less while still earning more? The answer lies in building the right systems and structure so that the business does not depend on you for every decision. The Real Goal of Business Ownership The real goal of business ownership isn’t just revenue growth. It’s about building a business that supports your life — not one that consumes it. Many entrepreneurs believe they need to be involved in everything for the business to succeed. But in reality, that creates a bottleneck. When the owner is the bottleneck: Every decision needs their approval Progress slows down Growth becomes limited To achieve real freedom, the business must be able to operate effectively without the owner being involved in every detail. The Four Stages of Building a Business That Runs Without You A useful way to think about this is as a progression through four stages. Stage 1: Build the Foundation Before anything else, the fundamentals must be clear. This includes having a clear vision, understanding your numbers, defining your values, and creating the right team structure. Without these foundations, growth becomes chaotic rather than strategic. Stage 2: Build the Business Systems Once the foundation is in place, the next step is building systems. This includes: A scorecard to track the key numbers that show if the business is healthy A marketing system that consistently generates leads Strong financial management, including profitability and pricing Profit First plays a key role here because it helps you stay in control of your finances and ensure the business is actually profitable. Stage 3: Remove Yourself as the Bottleneck One of the biggest shifts happens when the owner stops being involved in everything. This often involves hiring an operations manager or implementing systems that allow the business to run smoothly day to day. Instead of focusing on delivery and operations, the owner can start focusing on higher-value activities such as strategy, leadership, or growth. Stage 4: Business and Life Freedom This is the ultimate outcome. When the right systems, team, and financial structure are in place, the business can operate successfully without constant involvement from the owner. Freedom might look different for everyone. For some people it means taking extended time off.For others it means working fewer hours or focusing only on the parts of the business they enjoy. But the key point is this: You have the choice. Profit First Tip of the Week Do you have a clear financial dashboard? Your Profit First accounts give you a r...