About Mark Dolfini: Mark Dolfini is a Life and Business Strategist, U.S. Marine veteran, and bestselling author of The Time-Wealthy Investor 2.0. As the founder of Strategic Boardroom LLC, he helps entrepreneurs and business owners regain control of their calendars, design businesses that serve their lives, and break free from the trap of constant busyness. Drawing on his background in accounting, commercial lending, property management, and real estate investment, Mark blends practical systems with deep personal insight to help clients achieve true freedom and fulfillment. His work centers on helping high-performing leaders reconnect with their purpose, their families, and the vision that inspired them to start their business in the first place.

In this episode, Ryan and Mark Dolfini discuss:

• How to read a balance sheet and what “liquid assets” really signal about your cash health
• Why increases in cash can be misleading if you’re also taking on more debt
• The importance of comparing percentages, not just dollar amounts, across your P&L
• What “growing broke” means—and how it happens even when revenue increases
• How quarterly reviews reveal trends that yearly statements often hide

Key Takeaways:

• Cash growth doesn’t always mean the business is getting healthier. Mark and Ryan break down how increased payables or new debt can artificially inflate the cash balance and create a false sense of security.
• Looking only at dollar amounts can lead you astray; percentages reveal the real story. By comparing the cost of sales, payroll, marketing, and overhead as a percentage of revenue, business owners can instantly see whether efficiency is improving or declining.
• “Growing broke” happens when revenue rises but efficiency falls. Even a small percentage drop in net profit margin can have massive long-term consequences⁠—especially if the business has taken on debt that must be serviced.
• Quarterly (or even monthly) reviews help you spot seasonality, inefficiencies, and early warning signs before they become bigger problems. This is especially critical for industries like construction, where certain quarters naturally perform differently.
• Sometimes declining margins simply mean you didn’t raise prices enough. If costs rise and pricing doesn’t keep pace, profitability erodes quietly—and quickly—without business owners realizing it.

“That's exactly how companies scale, is that they can scale well, if they keep a lid on their cost, they're tracking their things, and they know at that point it's a math problem”. — Mark Dolfini

Connect with Mark Dolfini:

Website: https://strategicboardroom.com/

Book: The Time-Wealthy Advantage: http://strategicboardroom.com/NetProfit/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markdolfini/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mark.dolfini/

Schedule your free 1:1 Profit Breakthrough Session with Ryan here: https://go.oncehub.com/profit

Connect with Ryan Kimler:

Net Profit CFO Home Page: www.netprofitcfo.com

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: www.facebook.com/rkimler

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ryankfinancialclarityllc/

LinkedIn NPC Company: https://www.linkedin.com/company/netprofitcfo/

LinkedIn FC Company: https://www.linkedin.com/company/financial-clarity-llc/

Show notes by Podcastologist Andy Santiago

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.