The Modern CEO Podcast

You had a great launch. Clients signed. Revenue is booked. Then, two weeks later, cash feels tight. Nothing went wrong, but it sure didn't feel fine. Here's what we need to know as business owners: profitable businesses can still have cash flow problems. They're not the same thing. In this episode, we're breaking down the difference between a timing problem and a profitability problem, why growth creates cash strain even when everything is working, and simple ways to build predictability without overhauling your entire business. This is the last episode in our three-part series, and it brings the cash flow dilemma all together.

You're making more than ever, yet somehow it still feels tight. You're not alone, and there are a few tweaks you can make to get a handle on this. In this episode, we're tracing exactly where money disappears as a business grows: the subscriptions you forgot about, the contractor costs that crept up, the expenses that started feeling "normal" but really aren't. Plus, how to spot your own money leaks without becoming a CFO or living in a spreadsheet. If you've ever looked at your revenue and thought "this should feel better than it does," this episode is for you.

You hit six or seven figures and expected to feel the shift. More revenue, more breathing room, right? Wrong. Instead, the money felt like it just... disappeared somewhere between the invoice and your bank account. Sound familiar? In this episode, we're talking about the invisible revenue leaks draining profit from businesses that should feel more financially solid than they do. From unpaid "invisible work" that quietly eats your margins, to inefficient systems that cost you every single time, to how to restructure without blowing up client relationships — this one is practical and eye-opening. If your revenue is growing but your bank account doesn't feel like it, start here.

This isn't an episode about pushing harder, powering through, or finally finding your motivation. If you've been told you just need more discipline to get your big project done, this is the opposite of that. I'm walking you through the exact approach I use when something feels massive, and I have no idea where to begin — the easy-to-hard method. I'll show you how it actually looks in real life, using my own book launch as the proof: 47 things on a list, zero clue where to start, and the tiny, almost-too-easy first step that got the dominoes falling. We'll get into why we tend to reach for the hardest thing first, why that's the reason we stall, and the two bits of research that explain why starting small isn't avoidance — it's strategy. If you've got a launch you keep circling, an offer you've been meaning to build, a hard conversation you keep pushing off, or a to-do list so long it's become background noise in your brain — this one is for you. You're not stuck because it's too hard. You're stuck because you started at the wrong end. Let's fix the order.

This isn't an episode about which apps to download. It's about what it actually looks like to build a communication system that works - across time zones, across roles, across a business that's always moving.   Amber, Joanna, and Lilly have run their company without internal email for years. In this episode, they break down how they've set up Slack to function as a central hub for everything: team communication, sales notifications, customer service escalations, login codes, and more. They share the channels they love (including a dedicated sales celebration channel that fires during live webinars), the culture norms they've developed around emojis and follow-ups, and the automations that make it all feel effortless.   If you're a business owner drowning in email threads, bouncing between platforms, or watching important messages disappear into the void - this conversation will give you real, practical ideas you can put to work right away. Whether you use Slack or not, the principles here translate. One communication hub. Clear norms. And a team that actually knows what's happening.

This episode isn't about communication theory. It's not a framework you have to go home and figure out how to apply. This is us, mid-work, showing you the exact words we use when something goes sideways — when creative feedback is vague, when a deadline is at risk, when someone's overwhelmed and needs the team to jump in. It started with a message from someone in our community after the last episode. She said what we do is book-worthy — and asked us to get even more specific with the language. So Amber, Joanna, and Lilly sat down with actual scenarios and real-life examples, including a few moments that happened in the 48 hours before we hit record. You'll hear the Delegation Solution framework in action, why the positive sandwich is still on the table, and the behind-the-scenes story of Joanna saying "our list" in a Slack message — and what Amber made of it. This one is for the business owner who already knows communication is important, but wants to hear what it actually sounds like when a team does it well. The specifics are here. Come take what works.

Jacqueline Snyder — fashion designer, founder of The Product Boss, and advisor to over 100,000 product-based business owners — joins Amber for a conversation that starts with five words: Everything is breaking, nothing is working. That was 2025. The fires were literally burning around Jacqueline's LA home. The tariffs were wrecking her community. And she was up through the night building webinars that broke even, month after month, refusing to ask for help.   Then she collapsed at a mastermind in Texas, woke up bleeding on the hotel floor, got rolled out on a gurney past the bar, and two weeks later, lost her mom.   What came next surprised everyone, including her. By surrendering — really surrendering, not just saying the word, she had the most profitable month her business had ever seen.   This episode is for the Modern CEO who's been pushing through, doing all the things, and wondering why it still isn't working.

Working with family sounds like either a dream or a disaster. This episode is proof it can be the former — but only when the foundation is right. Amber sits down with her oldest daughter, Lilly McCue (Director of Operations and Marketing Operations at Amber McCue), and longtime business partner Joanna Tiger for a candid conversation about what it actually looks like to build a business alongside the people you love. This was recorded at the request of a client who wanted to know: how does it go? And does it really work? Spoiler: it does. But not by accident. In this episode you'll hear: How Lilly got her start — pulling quotes for Twitter at nine years old — and the quiet-quitting moment in 4th grade that set the tone for their whole working relationship Why clear roles and deep trust are the two non-negotiables for making family dynamics work in a business What "assuming positive intent" looks like when it's actually lived — not just written on a values doc The unspoken rules that hold their team together (including who's not allowed to touch the CRM) What Amber would tell any business owner considering hiring a family member — including the conversation to have before you start   If you've ever wondered whether letting your worlds collide could actually work for your business, this one's for you.

70 to 85 percent of AI projects fail to meet expectations. And after spending the last year pressure testing AI inside my own business, I think I know why: people automate before they know what good looks like. In this episode of the Right on Time podcast, I'm pulling back the curtain on the AI Clone Team I've been building in real time. These are named AI specialists, each with a specific role in my business: Callie handles content strategy, Marlo runs financial analysis, Ania organizes the newsletter, Polly manages podcast production, Susie supports social media, etc. Sixteen AI team members in total, each trained on my voice, my brand, my frameworks, and my way of thinking. I'm sharing the content pipeline workflow that turns voice memos from a random walk into organized, usable ideas. I'm walking you through the Reality Check leadership folder that catches patterns I would never spot on my own. And I'm being honest about what I'm keeping manual on purpose, because automating too early is how you scale something that isn't you. Whether you're watching the AI wave from the sidelines or you're already experimenting, this episode is a real time, behind the scenes look at how AI works inside a real business with real clients and a real team. You are right on time.   In this episode, you'll hear about: The 16 AI Clone Team members we use (and who does what) How a content pipeline turns random voice memos into organized, categorized ideas your whole team can access The Reality Check folder that helps me spot leadership patterns I'd otherwise miss Why 70 to 85% of AI projects fail, and the mistake behind it What I'm keeping manual on purpose (and why it makes the work better) Three specific places in your business where AI can give you leverage right now Why I hired a human AI consultant AND a social media manager even while building an AI team What "garbage in, garbage out" means for training AI on your voice   Links mentioned in this episode: AI Clone Team How to Clone Yourself® methodology

Your team already knows your meetings aren't working. They've known for weeks, maybe months. In this episode, I'm sharing how to redesign your meetings into decision-making machines so every person leaves with clarity, action steps, and deadlines. We cover how to right-size your meeting cadence, the rolling agenda method, why moving fast means you need more structure (not less), and how building real rapport in your meetings changes everything. Small shifts here create ripple effects across your whole company. You are right on time. Links: ambermccue.com/modernceo | ambermccue.com