The Advisor Group, LLC

07/21/2026

Most people think you hire a CFO after your business becomes successful.

I think you've been acting as one since the day you opened your doors.

Every time you decide whether you can afford to hire someone, survive a slow season, raise your prices, or pay yourself, you're making CFO decisions.

The question isn't whether you're the CFO.

The question is whether you're thinking like one.

I wrote about the difference between reacting to problems and preventing them in my newest article.

If you're a business owner, I'd love to hear what you think after reading it.

https://theadvisorgroupllc.substack.com/p/every-business-owner-is-an-accountant

07/20/2026

One of the biggest mistakes I see business owners make isn't charging too little.

It's ignoring the pricing system they worked so hard to create.

Every business owner builds a pricing guide with a clear mind. They calculate costs, estimate their time, account for overhead, and determine what their expertise is worth.

Then a prospect says...

"That's a little more than I was hoping to spend."

Suddenly, the pricing guide becomes a suggestion instead of a system.

Here's the thing—I don't believe discounts are bad.

I give discounts.

But I don't give them because a conversation became uncomfortable.

I give them because they're an investment.

If I'm offering a discount, I should be able to answer one question:

What return am I expecting?

A longer contract?

More referrals?

Entry into a new market?

Those are business decisions.

"I don't want to lose the sale."

That's an emotional decision.

In my latest article, I explore why pricing isn't just about what your clients pay—it's about how you make decisions as a business owner.

Read it here:
https://theadvisorgroupllc.substack.com/p/when-your-pricing-stops-meaning-something

How do you decide when a discount makes sense?

07/10/2026

Most people think scope creep is about clients asking for too much.
I think it’s about something else.
It’s about two businesses growing while their agreement stays exactly the same.
One more request usually isn’t the problem.
Neither is the second.
The problem is when the work changes...but the economics don’t.
Healthy business relationships should evolve.
Healthy agreements should evolve too.
That’s the idea behind my newest article:
Why Good Business Relationships Become Unprofitable
Read the full article through the link in my bio.
How does your business handle changing expectations?
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BusinessRelationships Profitability TheAdvisorGroup

07/01/2026

Most people think a CFO starts with numbers.

I don't.

When I meet with a business owner for the first time, I don't immediately ask for a Profit and Loss Statement or a Balance Sheet.

Instead, I ask questions.

Why did you start this business?

What does success look like to you?

What would have to happen for you to say, "I made it"?

The reason is simple.

Financial statements tell me where your business has been.

They don't tell me where you want it to go.

Imagine two business owners with identical financial statements.

One wants to build a company to sell in ten years.

The other wants to work four days a week and spend more time with family.

Should they have the same financial strategy?

Absolutely not.

The destination determines the strategy.

That's why I believe a CFO's job isn't to maintain the past.

It's to shape and guide the future.

If we don't know where you're trying to go, every recommendation about hiring, pricing, cash flow, profitability, or growth is just a guess.

I wrote about this in my newest article, **The First Questions Your CFO Should Ask**.

Read it here:
https://theadvisorgroupllc.substack.com/p/the-first-questions-your-cfo-should

After you've read it, I'd love to hear your answer to one question:

Why did you start your business?

Why financial statements are not the first place a CFO starts

06/26/2026

Feeling overwhelmed doesn't always mean you need another employee.

One of the most common conversations I have with business owners starts with, "I think it's time to hire."

Sometimes they're right.

But many times, the business doesn't have a staffing problem.

It has a systems problem.

Before adding another salary, I look at the processes, the margins, and how work is being delegated.

I've seen businesses become more profitable without adding a single employee simply because they fixed the way the business operated.

That's what my newest article is about.

If you've ever felt overwhelmed in your business, I'd love to know:

What was the biggest thing that finally gave you some breathing room?

06/25/2026

Why CFOs evaluate more than profit margins

06/24/2026

Most business owners think the first step to becoming profitable is increasing sales.

I disagree.

The first step is admitting that you are not profitable.

That sounds obvious, but it is harder than most people realize.

Many owners confuse hard work with profit.

They are busy.

They are serving customers.

There is money in the bank account.

Everything looks fine on the surface.

Then debt starts growing.

The owner cannot consistently pay themselves.

The business feels like it is working harder without getting ahead.

Before we talk about raising prices, cutting expenses, or growing revenue, we need to answer a more important question:

What does it actually cost to provide your products or services?

If you do not know that answer, profitability is mostly a guess.

That is the topic of my newest article.

The goal is not to sell more.

The goal is to sell more of the right things.

06/17/2026

Most business owners do not need another app.

They need to use the ones they already have.

Every new problem seems to come with a new subscription.

A scheduling tool.

A project management platform.

A video meeting app.

A file sharing service.

Individually, these expenses do not seem like a big deal.

Together, they can quietly drain hundreds or thousands of dollars from your business every year.

As a CFO, one of the first places I look for opportunities to improve cash flow is the technology stack.

Not because software is bad.

Because duplicate subscriptions, forgotten renewals, and underused features add up quickly.

Before you add another monthly expense, ask yourself:

Does this tool make money?

Does it save meaningful time?

Does it reduce risk?

Does it improve the client experience?

If the answer is no, it may be time to reevaluate.

The good news is that many businesses already own tools that can solve the problems they are trying to fix.

Sometimes the fastest way to improve profitability is not finding new revenue.

It is making better use of what you already have.

What is one software subscription you are paying for that you probably are not using to its full potential?

- the Advisor, LLC

Why a CFO looks at your software subscriptions before recommending new tools