Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond

From Chaos to Cash Flow: How Business Owners Can Scale with Less Stress with David Forster

"Slow is smooth, smooth is fast."

If you're stuck reacting all day, this episode with David Forster hands you the blueprint: clarify roles, codify the 80%, install scorecards that measure what matters, and make Profit First automatic so cash is where you need it—when you need it.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• Why "boring, repeatable systems" beat heroics—and how to build them for people who crave structure.
• The clarity–consistency–accountability trio: what each really means in day-to-day ops.
• The 90–180 day "adoption dip" and how to push through it.
• Scorecards: tie activity → ratios → results (and stop tracking vanity metrics).
• Onboarding that sets the fence lines (and uses QR'd micro-videos for field teams).
• The "Think Like Me" cheat sheet so crews can make good calls without you.
• Profit First with Relay: reducing "move-the-money" friction to near zero.

Key Takeaways:

• Build for the 80%. Don't rewrite SOPs for one-off edge cases; keep them simple and usable.
• Adoption is a habit curve. Expect drop-off at 90–180 days; consistency wins.
• Scorecards must link effort to outcomes (e.g., calls → close ratio → sales). If it doesn't predict success, drop it.
• "Fence lines" create safety. Reward following process; improve the process when outcomes miss.
• Systemize onboarding. Use bite-size clips + QR codes; new hires set the tone for the rest.
• Cash discipline ≠ harder work. Automate allocations (Relay) so Profit First happens without willpower.

Bio:

David Forster is the founder of Systems Over Sweat and a strategic expert in business operations for home service businesses scaling past $1M - $5M in revenue. With over 20 years of experience building, scaling, and exiting service companies, David helps owners escape the chaos by fixing the processes that are quietly draining their time, profit, and energy. He's not a theorist—he's a tactician. David works with business owners to eliminate inefficiencies, simplify operations, and build scalable systems that allow the business to grow without the owner needing to be involved in every little decision. He's the guy that makes sure your operations actually operate.

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Profit First with Megan Schwan

Most owners chase revenue and wonder why cash keeps disappearing.

In this episode, Rocky sits down with Megan Schwan—CEO of Sidekick Accounting and a certified Profit First Professional—to unpack the simple systems that turn chaos into cash: clean books, pricing discipline, expense sweeps, and a short list of actionable KPIs. If you want fewer surprises and fatter reserves, start here.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• Why "good books" are your #1 tax saver—and the foundation for pricing and fraud control.
• How Profit First creates guardrails, gut-checks overspending, and builds real reserves.
• The expense analysis that finds instant profit (and all those "I thought I canceled" subs).
• The handful of KPIs to watch: break-even, month-end bank balance trend, gross & net margins, plus 1–2 lead metrics.
• Why owners must read the balance sheet (AR, debt, cash) to explain the "profit but no cash" mystery.
• S-Corp myths vs reality: costs, payroll, compliance, and when it doesn't save you a dime.
• The mindset gap: let data overrule fear and emotion—especially in weird markets.

Key Takeaways:

• Clean books first; dashboards second. Messy inputs = misleading decisions.
• Profit First is a behavior system that forces lean ops and automatic reserves.
• Trim subscriptions and non-ROI spend quarterly. Every line needs a purpose.
• Track few, not many: break-even, margin, cash trend, and one lead indicator.
• Entity choice is strategy—don't elect S-Corp on hype; do the math.

Bio:

Megan Schwan is the CEO and Founder of Sidekick Accounting Services, a national, virtual accounting firm working to change the statistic that 8 out of 10 small businesses fail. For over a decade, Megan and her team have educated 1000's of owners on their business accounting and taxes in order to create sustainable and successful businesses. Being in the accounting industry for over 2 decades, Megan has seen and experienced plenty of businesses' red flags and triumphs.

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Simple Numbers, Big Profits with Greg Crabtree: How to Scale Without Debt or Chaos

Most business owners chase revenue—and lose sight of profit. In this episode of Profit Answer Man, Rocky Lalvani sits down with Greg Crabtree, author of Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits, to cut through the noise and talk about what really drives a successful business. A self-described "recovering accountant," Greg shares how data—not opinions—can transform how entrepreneurs see their numbers, make decisions, and grow sustainably.

If you've ever felt like your financial reports are confusing or your growth isn't showing up in profit, this conversation will show you exactly where to look and what to fix.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• Why accounting data is often misleading—and how to use "simple numbers" instead.
• How to measure labor efficiency so your team drives profit, not just revenue.
• The power of gross margin as the real top line of your business.
• Why debt-free growth is possible with strong cash discipline.
• What Greg's 100-company study reveals about the real state of today's economy.

Key Takeaways:

• Gross Margin is King – Stop paying attention to revenue. Profit lives in the margin.
• Know Your Labor Efficiency Ratio – Every $1 in labor should create $2 in gross margin.
• Cash is a Strategy – Keep two months of operating expenses in the bank—your safety net for growth.
• The Economy is Shifting – Growth won't come from the market; it'll come from taking share from weaker competitors.
• Simplify Your Dashboard – If a number doesn't drive a decision, take it off the report.

Bio:

Greg Crabtree, speaker, author, entrepreneur and financial expert. Greg founded his own firm Crabtree, Rowe and Berger to focus on helping entrepreneurs build their economic engine. After being named to the INC 5000 list for 2019, Greg's firm merged with Carr, Riggs & Ingram CPA's and Advisors, a top 20 U.S. Accounting firm to help broaden their impact on the entrepreneur community. Greg serves as the Partner in Charge of the Simple Numbers Consulting unit.

In 2011, Greg's first book "Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits" shares his core principles of how to turn your business into a wealth building engine. In 2014, Greg contributed a chapter to Verne Harnish's book, "Scaling Up" on how to improve profits though labor efficiency. In 2020, Greg released his newest book, "Simple Numbers 2.0: Rules for Smart Scaling". Greg is a frequent speaker to groups like EO, Scaling Up (Gazelles), Metronomics, Bloom Growth, Vistage, ACETECH and many Mastermind groups and has presented in over 15 countries.

Greg also chairs the EO@Wharton Executive Education program for the last 7 years and serves as an EO Accelerator trainer since inception of the Accelerator program.

Both books are available on Amazon, Kindle and Audible.

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How to 4X your Revenue in 4 Years with Alexis Sikorsky

Most business owners dream about growth, but few know how to scale without chaos.

In this episode of Profit Answer Man, Rocky Lalvani talks with Alexis Sikorsky, a strategic advisor who helps founders scale fast and exit strong. Alexis doesn't speak from theory—he built and sold his own Switzerland-based software company, New Access, in a $100M+ private equity deal.

He learned firsthand what it takes to go from exhaustion to exponential growth—and how the right strategy, mindset, and systems can help you 4X your revenue in just four years.

Key Lessons from the Conversation:

• Buy, Don't Just Build: Most founders try to grow by grinding harder. Alexis shows why M&A can be a faster, smarter route when done strategically—with the right due diligence and cultural alignment.
• Don't Confuse Urgent with Important: Entrepreneurs often get stuck fighting fires instead of building vision. The CEO's real job is direction and value creation—not firefighting.
• Know What You Don't Know: Private equity buyers make money because they see what founders can't. Your blind spots could be worth millions, so get help from people who've done it before.
• Fire Yourself from the Day-to-Day: If your business can't run without you, it's not scalable—or sellable. Alexis teaches founders to identify the tasks only they can do and delegate the rest.
• Build a War Chest: Business cycles are inevitable. You need 9–12 months of cash reserves to weather storms and seize opportunities instead of scrambling to survive.

Key Takeaway:

What you don't know about your business could be costing you millions.

Clarity, cash reserves, and courage to think bigger are what separate sustainable success from burnout.

About Alexis Sikorsky:

Alexis Sikorsky is a strategic advisor to founders who are serious about scaling fast and exiting strong. With a nine-figure private equity exit under his belt, Alexis isn't speaking from theory—he's lived the entrepreneurial highs and lows across decades of company building, boardroom negotiation, and international leadership. His flagship book Cashing Out lays out the APEX methodology, a four-part framework (Assess, Plan, Execute, Exit) that demystifies the journey to private equity for founders feeling stuck or overwhelmed by growth and decision fatigue.

Alexis founded, scaled, and sold New Access, a Switzerland-based software company, ultimately closing a $100M+ exit and transitioning into a new chapter as a Special Advisor to ambitious CEOs. Today, through Sikorsky Consulting and KnightScale Partners, he works with growth-stage businesses, typically doing $5M+ in annual revenue, who want to engineer their next chapter or PE exit.

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Scale Smarter: Use EOS to Add Another Zero with Rick Benton

When business growth starts to feel like chaos, it's time to add structure. EOS (the Entrepreneurial Operating System) gives you a clear roadmap to align people, processes, and profit — but when you combine it with the right financial systems, that's when the real transformation happens.

In this episode, Rick Benton, EOS Implementer and former multi-state business owner, joins Rocky Lalvani to unpack how EOS helps entrepreneurs simplify, scale, and create freedom. Together, they explore how visionaries can step back from the whirlwind, let go of control, and finally build a business that runs on systems — not stress.

5 Key Lessons from the Conversation:

• Let Go of the Vine. Growth starts when you release control. EOS helps visionaries trust their team, delegate effectively, and stay focused on the high-value activities that drive impact.
• Weekly Scorecards > Monthly Panic. Measure what predicts the future, not what reports the past. Weekly scorecards with 5–15 KPIs give you 52 chances a year to course-correct instead of 12.
• Finance Is the Missing Gear. EOS brings clarity, but without a financial dashboard tied to gross profit and cash flow, you can hit your goals on paper and still miss in the bank account. When EOS and Profit First systems work together, growth becomes predictable and profitable.
• From Rock Bottom to Rock Foundation. The lessons you've learned — and the systems you've built — become the foundation you can always stand on. You're not starting over; you're building from strength.
• Stop Hustling, Start Delegating. Hustle culture leads to burnout. Smart owners out-delegate, not out-work. Systems and scorecards let you scale without grinding yourself or your team down.

Key Takeaway:

EOS gives you the structure; Profit First systems make sure the structure actually pays.

Together, they align your people, vision, and numbers so your business grows with ease — and adds another zero without adding more chaos.

About Rick Benton:

Rick's entrepreneurial journey started in high school when he and a friend started an event company. Dedicated to a vision of creating the most exciting and energetic experiences, the business quickly found successes that extended far beyond the local Detroit market. Fast forward a few decades and this multi-state, award winning company provided event planning, coordination, entertainment, and AV production services for national corporate, social and educational clients.

After a successful sale and exit of the business in 2018, Rick has been a teacher, a coach, and a business consultant. His superpower is his energy and passion for business, learning and growth, always challenging the existing status quo to find better solutions. He personally understands and experienced the power of EOS and how it offers freedom for entrepreneurs to break through their ceiling, clarify and achieve their vision, while improving the lives of leadership teams, employees and their families.

Rick is excited to share that EOS power with you to achieve your VISION, gain TRACTION, and build a HEALTHY, cohesive, and fun-loving leadership team.

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