Best Steve Coughran Podcasts (2025)

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Financial and Economic News: October 23, 2025 11:18

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7h ago11:18

11:18

Not sure what your numbers are telling you? Get a free review: coltivar.com/financial-review Major moves and market momentum in this week’s top financial stories, including: Inside Silicon Valley’s 100-Hour AI Grind Tesla’s Profits Drop as Musk Bets on Robots Home Sales Rise as Mortgage Rates Ease Grocery Prices Keep Climbing Quantum Stocks Surge o…

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Want to Scale Your Business? Do These 3 Things Right Now | Ep 193 14:17

3d ago14:17

14:17

Not sure what your numbers are telling you? Get a free review: coltivar.com/financial-review Most companies want to grow, but few are actually ready to scale. In this episode, Steve shares three things every business needs to do before turning on the growth engine. You’ll learn why documenting your processes can 10x your company’s value, how defini…

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Financial and Economic News: October 16, 2025 12:11

7d ago12:11

12:11

Not sure what your numbers are telling you? Get a free review: coltivar.com/financial-review Major moves and market momentum in this week’s top financial stories, including: Boomers Fall Behind on Retirement Blackstone Brings Private Equity to 401(k)s AI Data Centers Build Their Own Power Plants Southwest Ends Open Seating Walmart Joins ChatGPT for…

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What Is Strategy In Less Than 5 Minutes | Ep 192 4:39

10d ago4:39

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Not sure what your numbers are telling you? Get a free review: coltivar.com/financial-review Most business owners confuse strategy with planning. In this episode, Steve breaks down what strategy really means—and why getting it wrong can cost you. You’ll learn the difference between strategy and strategic planning, how to identify your company’s tru…

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Financial and Economic News: October 9, 2025 9:03

14d ago9:03

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Not sure what your numbers are telling you? Get a free review: coltivar.com/financial-review Major moves and market momentum in this week’s top financial stories, including: Tariffs Rise, but U.S. Debt Tops $1 Trillion Trump Pushes Fannie Mae to Back Builders Home Sales Slide as Prices Hit New High PepsiCo Rebrands Lay’s Amid Snack Slowdown Tune in…

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What Makes a Great CFO (and How Owners Can Tell) with Tim Anderson | Ep 191 32:12

15d ago32:12

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Not sure what your numbers are telling you? Get a free review: coltivar.com/financial-review Learn more about Ready Electric: readyelec.com What separates a good CFO from a great one? Steve sits down with Tim Anderson, CFO of Ready Electric, to talk about what it really takes to lead the financial side of a business. They unpack how the CFO role ha…

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3 Finance Skills That Separate Successful Leaders from the Rest | Ep 190 13:48

17d ago13:48

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By Steve Coughran

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Financial and Economic News: October 2, 2025 11:13

21d ago11:13

11:13

Not sure what your numbers are telling you? Get a free review: coltivar.com/financial-review Major moves and market momentum in this week’s top financial stories, including: OpenAI Hits $500B Valuation OpenAI Launches TikTok-Style Video App Meta to Use AI Chats for Ads AI Spending Reaches Bubble Territory Tesla Delivers Surprise Rebound Tune in for…

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#142: The Future of Insurance: Bitcoin-Denominated Policies with Zac Townsend 30:46

22d ago30:46

30:46

In this conversation, T.J. van Gerven and Zac Townsend explore the innovative concept of Bitcoin-denominated life insurance policies. Zac explains how these policies can serve as a hedge against inflation and currency risk, while also providing tax benefits. The discussion covers the differences between permanent and term life insurance, the target…

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Listen to This If You’re Ready to Change Your Life | Ep 189 25:38

25d ago25:38

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Not sure what your numbers are telling you? Get a free review: coltivar.com/financial-review If you’ve ever felt stuck, ashamed, or on the edge of giving up, you’re not alone. Steve opens up with his raw and uncut transformation story—from growing up broke, hitting rock bottom with bad habits and toxic relationships, to rebuilding his life and busi…

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What is Strategy in Business? | Ep 188 30:28

1M ago30:28

30:28

Not sure what your numbers are telling you? Get a free review: coltivar.com/financial-review Profit benchmarks for the construction industry: coltivar.com/benchmarks Most business owners confuse strategy with planning. They make to-do lists, call it a strategy, and wonder why results don’t stick. In this episode, Steve breaks down what business str…

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Financial and Economic News: September 18, 2025 11:35

1M ago11:35

11:35

Not sure what your numbers are telling you? Get a free review: coltivar.com/financial-review Major moves and market momentum in this week’s top financial stories, including: Nvidia Gives Intel a $5B Lifeline Fed Cuts Rates With More Likely Ahead The Truth About Mortgage Rates What It Takes to Afford a $1M Home Meta Bets on Glasses as the Future of …

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From $10M to $50M: Strategy and Clarity Behind Timberline One’s Growth | Ep 187 30:46

1M ago30:46

30:46

Want to grow your business? Download your free roadmap today: coltivar.com/growth Learn more about Timberline One: timberlineone.com Most landscape companies stall out at a few million in revenue. Timberline One didn’t. In less than a decade, they scaled from $10 million to $50 million, and they’re still growing. Steve talks with CEO Judd and Chief…

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Financial and Economic News: September 11, 2025 12:11

1M ago12:11

12:11

Want to grow your business? Download your free roadmap today: coltivar.com/growth Major moves and market momentum in this week’s top financial stories, including: Stocks Rally as Fed Cut Nears Job Growth Revised Sharply Lower Mortgage Rates Hit 11-Month Low Oracle Signs $300B Deal with OpenAI Saudi Arabia Bets Big on Solar Tune in for smart comment…

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Join Me for Strategy Meets Finance 2:22

1M ago2:22

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Follow Strategy Meets Finance: podcast.coltivar.com Big announcement: join Steve on his new podcast, Strategy Meets Finance. This is where strategy and finance finally come together, giving founders the clarity and tools to scale without chaos, strengthen cash flow, and build companies that last. Steve’s mission is to move past theory and deliver p…

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Part 11: Lever #7 – Strategy | Cash Flow 20:48

1M ago20:48

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This is Part 11 of Steve Coughran’s book Cash Flow. Steve covers the seventh lever of cash flow: strategy. He explains why profit is just the result of a good strategy, how ROIC is the scoreboard that proves whether your strategy is working, and the two main paths to long-term competitive advantage: differentiation or cost leadership. LinkedIn | Yo…

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Part 12: The Cash Flow Scorecard | Cash Flow 8:11

1M ago8:11

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This is Part 12 of Steve Coughran’s book Cash Flow. Steve introduces the Cash Flow Scorecard—a simple framework to diagnose where your business is leaking cash across the seven key levers. By scoring each area, you can pinpoint constraints, prioritize fixes, and build a roadmap for stronger free cash flow and long-term value. LinkedIn | YouTube col…

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Part 13: The Cash Flow Playbook | Cash Flow 8:35

1M ago8:35

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This is Part 13 of Steve Coughran’s book Cash Flow. Steve introduces the Cash Flow Playbook—a step-by-step plan to apply the seven levers, use the scorecard, and build a resilient, cash-generating business. He shows how to prioritize the right levers, implement changes, track progress, and create a company that thrives in any economy. LinkedIn | Yo…

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Part 14: The Cash Flow Formula for a Thriving Business | Cash Flow 8:43

1M ago8:43

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This is Part 14 of Steve Coughran’s book Cash Flow. In the conclusion, Steve shares the personal lessons and turning points that shaped his obsession with cash flow. He emphasizes why business leaders have a fiduciary duty to master it, how cash flow fuels stability, growth, and community impact, and why discipline—not just profit—ultimately determ…

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What is Strategic Finance and Why Should You Care | Ep 186 20:52

1M ago20:52

20:52

Want to grow your business? Download your free roadmap today: coltivar.com/growth Free Financial Pro course: coltivar.com/byfiq Why do so many businesses fail even when they have a plan and solid financials? Steve breaks down the concept of strategic finance and why connecting your strategy to your numbers is the key to survival and growth. He shar…

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Part 9: Navigation | Building Margin for Construction 21:42

1M ago21:42

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This is Part 9 of Steve Coughran’s book Building Margin. Learn how strong companies adapt without chaos—installing a build–measure–learn–adjust loop, using check-ins, and acting on leading signals to make calm, timely course corrections that protect margin. LinkedIn | YouTube coltivar.comBy Steve Coughran

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Part 10: Margin | Building Margin for Construction 6:20

1M ago6:20

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This is Part 10 of Steve Coughran’s book Building Margin. Steve brings the framework full circle, showing that margin is more than profit—it’s power. He explains how financial, operational, and leadership margin create the space to scale with clarity, stability, and conviction, turning chaos into confidence and giving owners the freedom to build bu…

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Part 10: Lever #6 – Risk | Cash Flow 9:30

1M ago9:30

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This is Part 10 of Steve Coughran’s book Cash Flow. Steve unpacks the sixth lever of cash flow: risk. He explains how uncertainty lowers valuation multiples and raises the cost of capital, the biggest risks that scare investors, and the steps business owners can take to de-risk their company and build more stable, predictable cash flow. LinkedIn | …

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Part 6: Lever #2 – Price | Cash Flow 11:15

1M ago11:15

11:15

This is Part 6 of Steve Coughran’s book Cash Flow. Steve unpacks the second lever of cash flow: price. He explains why price is the most powerful driver of profitability, how perceived value determines what customers will pay, and how businesses can raise prices confidently without losing customers. LinkedIn | YouTube coltivar.com…

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Part 9: Lever #5 – Capital | Cash Flow 16:32

1M ago16:32

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This is Part 9 of Steve Coughran’s book Cash Flow. Steve introduces the fifth lever of cash flow: capital. He explains why EBITDA isn’t cash flow, how invested capital and ROIC reveal whether a business is creating or destroying value, and the hidden cash traps in receivables, inventory, and CapEx that often strangle growth. LinkedIn | YouTube colt…

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Part 8: Lever #4 – Operating Expenses | Cash Flow 10:13

1M ago10:13

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This is Part 8 of Steve Coughran’s book Cash Flow. Steve explains the fourth lever of cash flow: operating expenses. He shows why cutting costs blindly destroys value, how to eliminate waste without hurting growth, and the smart ways to optimize overhead while protecting employees, customers, and long-term strategy. LinkedIn | YouTube coltivar.com…

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Part 7: Lever #3 – Cost of Goods Sold | Cash Flow 12:46

1M ago12:46

12:46

This is Part 7 of Steve Coughran’s book Cash Flow. Steve covers the third lever of cash flow: cost of goods sold (COGS). He explains why lowering COGS directly boosts profitability, how throughput matters more than margins, and the strategies businesses can use to cut waste, improve labor efficiency, and increase cash flow without sacrificing quali…

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Part 2: Why Another Book? Why Now? | Building Margin for Construction 26:20

1M ago26:20

26:20

This is Part 2 of Steve Coughran’s book Building Margin. Steve explains that contractors don’t have a hustle problem—they have a capacity problem. He explains how nonstop noise, rising complexity, and AI-era demands crush leaders without structural margin, and introduces a framework built for construction to create space, clarity, and sustainable s…

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Part 3: The Margin Crisis | Building Margin for Construction 41:29

1M ago41:29

41:29

This is Part 3 of Steve Coughran’s book Building Margin. Steve unpacks the margin crisis, showing how it creeps in quietly through strategic drift, profit erosion, and liquidity crunch. He explains why top-line growth can hide real problems, why confusion is more costly than competition, and how clarity and alignment are the foundation for protecti…

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Part 4: Money | Building Margin for Construction 55:18

1M ago55:18

55:18

This is Part 4 of Steve Coughran’s book Building Margin. Steve shows contractors how to reclaim financial margin by focusing on free cash flow over paper profit—calculating gross margin and break-even revenue, using the four profit levers (pricing, COGS, overhead, volume), and tracking simple efficiency metrics (LTGP:CAC, ROL, ROIC) to stop leaks a…

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Part 6: Rhythm | Building Margin for Construction 30:14

1M ago30:14

30:14

This is Part 6 of Steve Coughran’s book Building Margin. Steve explains why most strategies fail not from bad ideas but from lack of rhythm. He shows how Coltivar helps contractors install a cadence of structured review that keep teams focused, accountable, and moving in sync so strategy turns into execution. LinkedIn | YouTube coltivar.com…

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Part 8: Insight | Building Margin for Construction 31:12

1M ago31:12

31:12

This is Part 8 of Steve Coughran’s book Building Margin. Steve shows how to turn data into decisions—closing the visibility gap, shifting from lagging to leading indicators, and building a culture where estimating, field, and finance interpret the same KPIs. The focus: track free cash flow first, use a tight KPI set, and run “insight sprints” so ac…

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Part 5: Lever #1 – Volume | Cash Flow 20:24

1M ago20:24

20:24

This is Part 5 of Steve Coughran’s book Cash Flow. Steve introduces the first lever of cash flow: volume. He explains why selling more only creates value if it’s profitable, how to fix weak sales and marketing systems, and how the revenue flywheel drives sustainable growth without burning cash. LinkedIn | YouTube coltivar.com…

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Part 5: Alignment | Building Margin for Construction 44:22

1M ago44:22

44:22

This is Part 5 of Steve Coughran’s book Building Margin. Steve shows how most contractors stall from misalignment, not lack of effort. He explains the Coltivar Strategy Blueprint and how to tie strategy, incentives, and execution rhythms together so teams row in the same direction and build real margin. LinkedIn | YouTube coltivar.com…

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Part 7: Growth | Building Margin for Construction 27:08

1M ago27:08

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This is Part 7 of Steve Coughran’s book Building Margin. Steve reframes growth as a margin-first, systems-led discipline—not a volume push. He shows how to set a safe growth ceiling with ROIC, say no to low-value work, install simple systems to scale, and keep growth aligned with purpose so the business gets stronger, not just bigger. LinkedIn | Yo…

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Part 4: Two Ways to Measure Firm Value | Cash Flow 17:38

1M ago17:38

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This is Part 4 of Steve Coughran’s book Cash Flow. Steve breaks down the two main ways businesses are valued: the income approach, based on free cash flow, cost of capital, and growth, and the market approach, based on EBITDA multiples. He explains why understanding both is critical, how multiples impact valuation, and what really drives the worth …

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Part 1: Let’s Cut to the Chase | Building Margin for Construction 32:10

1M ago32:10

32:10

This is Part 1 of Steve Coughran’s book Building Margin. The introduction shows why contractors struggle with thin profits and cash flow, the trap of chasing volume over margin, and why systems—not hustle—create sustainable, profitable construction businesses. LinkedIn | YouTube coltivar.comBy Steve Coughran

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Part 3: What Creates Value in a Business? | Cash Flow 12:34

1M ago12:34

12:34

This is Part 3 of Steve Coughran’s book Cash Flow. Steve reveals what truly creates value in a business: generating more cash flow than the cost of your investments. He explains return on invested capital (ROIC), why growth without strong returns destroys value, and how to measure whether your business is actually creating or burning cash. LinkedIn…

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Part 2: The Cash Flow Mindset | Cash Flow 9:42

1M ago9:42

9:42

This is Part 2 of Steve Coughran’s book Cash Flow. Steve explains why profit doesn’t protect a business from failure and why free cash flow is the real survival metric. He breaks down how to calculate free cash flow, why it matters more than revenue or profit, and how companies with strong cash flow thrive in any economy. LinkedIn | YouTube coltiva…

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Part 1: The Foundation of Great Companies | Cash Flow 21:47

1M ago21:47

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This is Part 1 of Steve Coughran’s book Cash Flow. Steve lays the foundation of why so many businesses struggle with cash even when they look profitable on paper. He explains the stages of a hidden cash flow crisis, why free cash flow matters more than revenue or profit, and introduces the seven levers that determine a company’s value. LinkedIn | Y…

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How SBA Financing Really Works When Buying a Business with Sean Goggins | Ep 185 32:10

2M ago32:10

32:10

Want to grow your business? Download your free roadmap today: coltivar.com/growth This week, Sean Goggins, SBA Commercial Loan Officer at Cadence Bank, joins Steve Coughran to break down how SBA loans really work when buying a business. They cover how much cash you actually need, when seller financing helps, what banks look for in cash flow, and th…

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Financial and Economic News: September 4, 2025 13:05

2M ago13:05

13:05

Want to grow your business? Download your free roadmap today: coltivar.com/growth Major moves and market momentum in this week’s top financial stories, including: Fed Faces Political Turmoil Ahead of Cuts Buffett Bets on Build-to-Rent Housing Gap and Old Navy Enter the Beauty Market Kraft Heinz Splits Up to Refocus Strategy Elliott Targets PepsiCo …

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Why Businesses Stall Between $1M–$3M and How to Scale Past It | Ep 184 16:04

2M ago16:04

16:04

Want to grow your business? Download your free roadmap today: coltivar.com/growth Most businesses stall between $1M and $3M in revenue. Cash gets tight, profit disappears, and owners feel stuck doing everything themselves. In this episode, Steve Coughran explains why the “death zone” happens and what you need to change to push through it. If your c…

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128: Business Strategy Fails—The 2 Mistakes That Kill Growth 10:41

2M ago10:41

10:41

Want to grow your business? Download your free roadmap today: coltivar.com/growth Most leaders build strategies focused on growth—but forget the one thing that actually sustains it: capital. In this episode, Steve reveals the two most common reasons strategies fail, and why execution alone won't save you. You’ll learn why most plans fall flat, how …

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Where Business Owners Should Start to Learn Finance | Ep 183 17:15

2M ago17:15

17:15

Want to grow your business? Download your free roadmap today: coltivar.com/growth Get free tools to grow your company, smarter: coltivar.com/tools Sign up for the free Financial Pro course: coltivar.com/byfiq If you had to start from scratch and get smarter with money fast, where should you begin? In this episode, Steve Coughran breaks down the thr…

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Financial and Economic News: August 28, 2025 12:44

2M ago12:44

12:44

Want to grow your business? Download your free roadmap today: coltivar.com/growth Major moves and market momentum in this week’s top financial stories, including: Nvidia’s “New Normal” Still Looks Strong Venture Debt Firms Tilt Toward Bigger, Later-Stage Deals Cracker Barrel Retreats After Logo Backlash AI’s Big Leaps Are Slowing—And That Might Be …

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127: How Great CFOs Create Value Beyond the Numbers with Brad Collins 44:31

2M ago44:31

44:31

Want to grow your business? Download your free roadmap today: coltivar.com/growth What does it take to be a truly strategic CFO in today’s construction industry? In this episode, Steve sits down with Brad Collins, CFO of Barrett Industries—a regional construction leader and part of global infrastructure giant Colas. They dive deep into how finance …

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How Fast Can You Grow Your Business Without Going Broke? | Ep 182 11:30

2M ago11:30

11:30

Want to grow your business? Download your free roadmap today: coltivar.com/growth Growing fast feels exciting—but grow too quickly without enough cash and you’ll find yourself in big trouble. In this episode, Steve breaks down the simple formula every business owner needs to know: how to figure out the maximum speed your company can grow before you…

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126: How to Know If Your Strategy Is Actually Working 14:37

2M ago14:37

14:37

Want to grow your business? Download your free roadmap today: coltivar.com/growth Most business owners say they have a strategy. But is it actually creating value? Or is it just a poster on the wall? In this episode, Steve breaks down the 3 types of companies when it comes to strategy—and how most end up stuck in the middle, grinding hard without g…

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How to Read an Income Statement for Business Owners | Ep 181 22:40

2M ago22:40

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Want to grow your business? Download your free roadmap today: coltivar.com/growth Levers of Profit Calculator: coltivar.com/levers-of-profit-calculator Most business owners look at their income statement but don’t really know what it’s telling them. In this episode, Steve breaks it down so you can see where profit is really made and where it’s slip…