From Subfloors To Cash Flow: A CPA’s Journey To Profitable Small Business | Marika Ponton The Small Business Safari podcast

From Subfloors to Cash Flow: A CPA’s Journey to Profitable Small Business | Marika Ponton

2M ago 52:52

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Marika Ponton, CPA and founder of Profit Truths, shares how she built, sold, and pivoted her way to helping business owners find clarity, profit, and calm. From Big Four beginnings to entrepreneurial coaching, Marika reveals how small business owners can master their numbers, reallocate marketing spend, and finally take control of cash flow.

🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube:
The Small Business Safari on YouTube
💡 GOLD NUGGETS (Key Moments)

Big Four lessons that translate to small business grit
Why networking beats waiting for franchise leads
Subfloor to sales: detailed quotes as a differentiator
Selling while you’re the rainmaker and still getting value
Financials that tell a story buyers trust
Marketing spend benchmarks by industry and region
Fixing gross profit before chasing net profit
Judgment-free coaching and honest KPI dashboards
Cash flow tactics, payroll timing, and owner salary
Benchmarking, reallocating ad spend, and growing margin

🔗 Guest Links

Marika Ponton – Profit Truths
• Website: https://profittruths.com
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marikaponton
🌍 Follow The Small Business Safari

• Instagram | @smallbusinesssafaripodcast
• LinkedIn | Chris Lalomia
• Website | chrislalomia.com
From the Zoo to Wild is a book for entrepreneurs passionate about home services, looking to move away from corporate jobs. Chris Lalomia, a former executive, shares his path, discoveries, and tools to succeed as a small business owner in home improvement retail. The book provides the mindset, habits, leadership style, and customer-oriented processes necessary to succeed as a small business owner in home services.

Chapters

1. Cold Open: No Politics, Big Egos (00:00:00)

2. Welcome to Small Business Safari (00:01:02)

3. Starting From the Floor: Foundation Metaphor (00:01:39)

4. Meet Marika: Corporate Refugee to Franchisee (00:03:50)

5. Bubble Tea Meeting & Early Advice (00:06:10)

6. Big Four Lessons: Grit and Learning Fast (00:07:45)

7. Flooring 101: Subfloors and Real-World Training (00:09:10)

8. Why Networking Beats Waiting for Leads (00:11:10)

9. Selling When You’re the Rainmaker (00:12:55)

10. Financials That Tell a Story (00:14:35)

11. Women in a “Man’s World” and Differentiation (00:17:00)

12. Detailed Quotes as a Sales Advantage (00:20:25)

13. Office Angels: Outsourced Help That Scales (00:22:25)

14. Afford It or Skip It: Avoid Vanity Spend (00:24:10)

15. Infrastructure vs. Revenue: Finding Balance (00:26:15)

16. Exiting to Care for Family (00:28:05)

17. Buying a Friend’s Business: Hard Truths (00:29:25)

18. Pivot to Profitability Coaching (00:31:15)

19. DIY Exits: Selling Your Own Business (00:33:10)

20. Where Profit Leaks: GP Before NP (00:35:05)

21. Spend More, But in the Right Places (00:36:35)

22. Benchmarking with Industry Data (00:38:15)

23. Judgment-Free Financial Coaching (00:40:25)

24. Goals, Freedom, and Delivering Hard News (00:42:15)

25. Cash Flow Anxiety and Payroll Reality (00:44:25)

26. Practical Cash Tactics with Trades (00:46:25)

27. Finding Marika: ProfitTruths and LinkedIn (00:48:05)

28. Lightning Round: Books, Home, Service (00:49:15)

29. DIY Disaster: Frozen Pipes and Floods (00:52:25)

257 episodes