No. 29 · 6 Nov 2026 · 51 min
Nobody Wants to Work for You, Part 2: Reduce Employee Turnover
Hiring someone is only the beginning. What happens on their first day and every day after determines whether they stay.
Episodes
31 episodesEvery episode, newest first
Notes, chapters and a full transcript on each one. Worksheets where an episode earned one.
No. 29 · 30 Oct 2026 · 30 min
No One Wants to Work... for You — Part 1
Every owner seems to be saying the same thing: “Nobody wants to work anymore.”
No. 28 · 23 Oct 2026 · 26 min
It’s October. Your September Isn’t Closed.
It’s the middle of October. Quick question: What did your business actually make in September?
No. 27 · 16 Oct 2026 · 36 min
Your Number Two Is Already Gone
At 3:00 in the afternoon, your operations manager of nine years walks in and gives you two weeks.
No. 26 · 9 Oct 2026 · 42 min
Profitable on Paper. Broke in the Bank.
You are working 70 hours a week, profitable on paper, and still staring at an empty bank account at 3:17 AM.
No. 25 · 2 Oct 2026 · 28 min
Owner Who Couldn't Take a Vacation
You book two weeks away, turn off your phone, and promise the family you are done working.
No. 24 · 25 Sept 2026 · 52 min
Being Irreplaceable Is a Countdown: Key Person Risk with David Todd
You go off grid for two and a half weeks, and the decisions still get made without you.
No. 23 · 18 Sept 2026 · 42 min
Your Brand Isn't Connecting: Why Brand Consistency Pays
Pull up your website, last proposal, invoice, business card, and company vehicle.
No. 22 · 11 Sept 2026 · 28 min
Your Best Year Was a Trap: Revenue Growth vs Profitable Growth
Record revenue went on the holiday-party banner. Six months later, two top employees were gone, margins were down, and the line of credit was maxed.
No. 21 · 4 Sept 2026 · 31 min
You Sell Time. That's the Problem: Scaling a Service Business
You’re booked out, billing $650 for the lawyer and $400 for the paralegal, but doubling revenue still means doubling the bodies.
No. 20 · 28 Aug 2026 · 34 min
If You're the Cheapest, That's the Problem: How to Raise Prices
Your $3 million service business is booked solid, but you’re taking home less than your lead tech.
No. 19 · 21 Aug 2026 · 25 min
You're Fixing the Wrong Thing: Why Your Business Isn't Growing
You hire the agency, buy the ads, and rebuild the funnel. Six months later, the phone is ringing, but you still can't make payroll.
No. 18 · 14 Aug 2026 · 33 min
Stop Hiring a Business Coach. Hire a Fractional CFO.
You're about to spend $200,000 on equipment because your gut says yes.
No. 17 · 7 Aug 2026 · 37 min
Fire Your Family? When a Family Member Is in the Wrong Seat
Everybody on your payroll gets evaluated except the person you can’t fire without ruining Thanksgiving.
No. 16 · 31 Jul 2026 · 52 min
The Fractional CMO Playbook: How to Hire and Evaluate One
You’re up in the middle of the night running Google campaigns while your business quietly underperforms.
No. 15 · 24 Jul 2026 · 41 min
How to Evaluate a Marketing Agency That Doesn't Know What You Make
Your agency reports an 847% return. Your bank account says 0.6 to 1.
No. 14 · 17 Jul 2026 · 30 min
Three Legs, One Wobbly: Exit Planning So You Don't Regret Selling
You engineer a clean sale, sign on the right multiple, and still end up sitting in your kitchen 18 months later wondering what comes next.
No. 13 · 10 Jul 2026 · 31 min
Should I Buy My Competitor? An Acquisition Strategy for Owners
You grew from $3M to $8M. But one path cost 12 hires, three new markets, 40 extra pounds, and nearly a marriage. The other closed on a competitor, then spent 100 days integrating and two years cleaning up surprises.
No. 12 · 3 Jul 2026 · 22 min
Your Best Customer Is Costing You Money: Customer Profitability
You keep bending over backwards for your biggest client. The late-night calls, rush jobs, discounts, and 75-day payment terms all feel like "good business."
No. 11 · 26 Jun 2026 · 30 min
I Watched a $6M Deal Die Over an $80K Working Capital Peg
You watched a $6 million deal die over an $80,000 dispute. That's just 1.3% of the sale.
No. 10 · 19 Jun 2026 · 41 min
The Buy Box, Part 2: Customer Concentration and Your Multiple
You're sitting on a $2 million business, hearing that private equity wants a $3 million EBITDA minimum, and wondering if anyone would actually buy what you've built.
No. 10 · 12 Jun 2026 · 15 min
The Buy Box: What Buyers Look For Before They Make an Offer
You bought yourself a job. Now you're wondering why no buyer is calling.
No. 9 · 5 Jun 2026 · 42 min
The Owner Dependency Trap: When You're the Bottleneck
You're approving every invoice. Every quote. Every decision.
No. 8 · 29 May 2026 · 36 min
Why EOS Won't Fix Your Cash Flow: What Your Scorecard Is Missing
You install EOS. The meetings get cleaner. The accountability chart looks great. Everybody's rowing in the same direction.
No. 7 · 22 May 2026 · 34 min
How Much Is Your Business Worth? Probably Not What You Think
In this episode of From Burnt Out to Bought Out, Jon and Ryan break down the truth about business valuation and why most owners are wildly off when estimating what their company is worth.
No. 6 · 15 May 2026 · 31 min
Your Bookkeeper Isn't Your CFO: Bookkeeper vs Controller vs CFO
In this episode of From Burnt Out to Bought Out, Jon and Ryan, joined by special guest Brian, break down the difference between bookkeepers, controllers, and CFOs and why growing businesses need more than just basic bookkeeping.
No. 5 · 8 May 2026 · 30 min
Your CPA Works for the IRS, Not You: CPA vs Tax Strategist
Your CPA’s job is to make sure the government gets what it’s owed. Your job is to make sure you don’t pay a dollar more than you legally have to.
No. 4 · 1 May 2026 · 27 min
Revenue Is a Vanity Metric: Revenue vs Profit for Business Owners
If your gorgeous $3 million company pays you less than the regional manager job you quit, you’re not building a business. You’re building the world’s biggest identity crisis — with a logo.
No. 3 · 27 Apr 2026 · 28 min
Cash First: How the Profit First Method Works, Starting at 1%
Five million in revenue. Forty-seven employees. Awards on the wall. And a 3:17 a.m. bank balance of negative $42,000, two days before payroll.
No. 2 · 17 Apr 2026 · 27 min
Nobody's Talking About Cash: How to Keep Positive Cash Flow
Your P&L says you made money. Your bank account says you didn’t. One of them is lying — and it’s the pretty one.
No. 1 · 10 Apr 2026 · 19 min
The Treadmill: Small Business Owner Burnout and How to Get Off
Eighty-hour weeks. Every decision waiting on you. Credit cards maxed to make payroll.