In this episode of The Valisights Podcast, host Albert Ramos sits down with Ed Patton, Founder and CEO of PattonTrender, to unpack one of the biggest challenges facing SMBs today: financial confusion.

With decades of experience advising small and mid-sized businesses, Ed has developed a breakthrough framework — The 5 Elements® of Financial Fundamentals — designed to give decision-makers fast, clear, and actionable financial insight without relying on jargon-heavy GAAP reports or overly complex dashboards.

In this episode, Ed breaks down:

• Why most SMBs are “flying blind” when it comes to financial visibility

• The 10-Second Rule™ and how it drives faster, smarter decisions

• Why traditional cash flow statements fail leadership teams

• The concept of Foundation Cash Flow and Foundation Capital

• How to translate financial data into business reality, not just reports

You’ll also hear Ed’s take on Valisights and how AI-powered platforms like CashIQ and TrendSights help finance teams move from static reporting to real-time clarity — empowering advisors and CFOs to become trusted strategic partners.

If you’re a Fractional CFO, Controller, or advisor supporting growing businesses — this is a must-listen.

Want to be on the show or learn more about Albert Ramos? Book a call with him ⁠here⁠

→ Book a free Valisights demo at ⁠Valisights.com⁠ to see how AI-powered tools like CashIQ and TrendSights help CFOs and FP&A teams turn data chaos into strategy.→ Follow Albert on LinkedIn and visit ⁠www.StrategoIntel.com⁠

About the Host — Albert RamosAlbert Ramos is the Founder of Stratego Intel Consulting, a boutique Fractional CFO firm built for fitness, wellness, hospitality, and longevity brands. Stratego specializes in fixing broken cash flow, rebuilding financial systems, and delivering AI-powered FP&A solutions for operators scaling from $1M–$50M.

Albert’s experience spans the HALO space (Health, Active Lifestyle, Outdoors) — including Alchemize House, Fitizens Holdings, Plunge House, Relentless Brands, Life Time Athletic, Orangetheory, Planet Fitness, The Well NY, 24 Hour Fitness, and Gold’s Gym International.

Through Stratego, Albert helps founders and finance leaders:

• Build investor-ready financials and raise capital confidently

• Fix cash flow leaks and optimize working capital

• Forecast with AI-powered dashboards for clear decision-making

• Support M&A and roll-ups with clean, reliable unit economics

Albert has led $200M+ P&Ls, managed 200+ stores, and guided teams of 3,000+ employees, blending financial precision with AI innovation to help companies scale sustainably.

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