The Ultimate FD Podcast

Joshua Keegan
  • 4.9 (18)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated weekly

ULTIMATE FD PODCAST

  1. #230 - Scott Proposki - Scaling to 8 Figures & Building Profitable Businesses

    14 hr ago

    #230 - Scott Proposki - Scaling to 8 Figures & Building Profitable Businesses

    In this episode of The Ultimate FD Podcast, I meet with Scott Proposki, a former National Geographic and White House event photographer who built his photography business to 8 Figures before losing it all in 2020. He now works with entrepreneurs and business owners to help them build businesses designed for profit rather than pure top line growth. Scott's journey is a stark one. He scaled a Santa Claus photography business across 10 locations in the US, employing 52 people at its peak, only to watch it collapse when live events shut down during the pandemic. Two years of lost Christmas seasons ended a business he describes as "a fantastic model", and it forced him to rebuild from scratch and rethink what actually makes a business survive. This episode covers the gap between revenue and profit, and why Scott believes most entrepreneurs are chasing the wrong number entirely. He shares his "highlighter exercise", a simple but brutally effective method of printing bank statements and colour coding every expense to spot money leaking out of the business. We also get into his framework for upsells, cross sells and downsells, including a memorable example about roofing shingles that shows how a single well placed question in a sales script can double the value of a deal. We get into joint ventures too, and how Scott grew his own business almost entirely through partnerships with people already talking to his ideal clients. He explains why he'd rather run a £250,000 business at 80% margin than a £1 million business at 10%, a line that sums up his whole approach to scaling with intention rather than ego. This is one for any entrepreneur who has ever felt like they're growing but somehow still stuck, working harder for a business that never seems to get easier to run. Scott's closing advice, know your gross and net profit margins before anything else, is worth the listen alone. 👉🏻 DOWNLOAD A COPY OF OUR BOOK SMALL BUSINESS BIG PROFIT FOR FREE: https://ultimate-fd.webflow.io/small-business-big-profit  👉🏻 HOW FINANCIALLY FIT IS YOUR BUSINESS? Take the Ultimate FD Acid test to find out and have a bespoke report in less than 5 minutes!!! Take the test here: https://josh-dtlqxm7w.scoreapp.com/  👉🏻 DOWNLOAD THE AUDIOBOOK OF SMALL BUSINESS, BIG PROFIT HERE: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Small-Business-Big-Profit-Audiobook/

    1 hr
  2. MAGIC MOMENTS: How Accurate Management Accounts Changed Everything

    4 days ago

    MAGIC MOMENTS: How Accurate Management Accounts Changed Everything

    Welcome back to another episode of Magic Moments ✨ In this episode I am joined by financial expert Dan Madge. We discuss the critical role of financial management in high-growth businesses. Dan delves into his experiences in transforming his company's finance function to provide accurate, real-time financial insights, a process inspired by the need to make informed decisions amidst rapid expansion.  This episode is a goldmine of insights, especially for business owners aiming to sharpen their financial strategies and achieve stable growth. Dan elaborates on the challenges he faced before partnering with Ultimate FD. His reliance on internal spreadsheets for cash flow forecasting, despite being sophisticated, highlighted the necessity for a system that integrates seamlessly with real-time banking data.  With projected revenue reaching up to 35 million, the company's substantial growth necessitated a move towards more robust financial structures. Implementing accurate management accounts and aligning cash flow forecasts with actual financial data significantly enhanced their business decision-making capabilities. Did you enjoy this Magic Moment? Click here for the full episode.

    8 min

  3. 28 Jun

    #229 - Tax Talks - The Five Tax Traps (AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT THEM)

    In this episode of The UltimateFD Podcast, I am joined by Tej Gill, a tax specialist who works with entrepreneurs across the UK, to go through five live tax traps that are hitting SME owners right now. The tax environment for UK entrepreneurs has shifted materially over the past two years, and most business owners have not fully adjusted their approach. Tej and I recorded this episode because too many people are absorbing tax hits that could have been planned around with the right advice at the right time. We work through each trap in detail. Making Tax Digital is already live for sole traders earning over £50k in revenue, with quarterly digital submissions now mandatory and the threshold dropping to £20k within two years. Dividend tax rates have crept up across all bands, and Business Asset Disposal Relief has gone from 10% to 18% since April, for anyone planning to sell a business in the next few years, the cumulative tax cost is real and worth understanding now. We also examine Substantial Shareholding Exemption, a corporate-level relief that can reduce the tax rate on a business sale to zero if the right structure is in place early enough. I share a personal example too: one proactive meeting with Tej's team saved me around 33% of my own tax bill this year, through entirely legitimate planning that I simply had not spotted until we sat down together. This episode is for entrepreneurs who are serious about protecting their profits and positioning their business for a clean exit. If your current tax strategy amounts to hoping your accountant sorts it out at year end, the practical steps Tej shares here could save you a meaningful amount of money. 👉🏻 DOWNLOAD A COPY OF OUR BOOK SMALL BUSINESS BIG PROFIT FOR FREE: https://ultimate-fd.webflow.io/small-business-big-profit  👉🏻 HOW FINANCIALLY FIT IS YOUR BUSINESS? Take the Ultimate FD Acid test to find out and have a bespoke report in less than 5 minutes!!! Take the test here: https://josh-dtlqxm7w.scoreapp.com/  👉🏻 DOWNLOAD THE AUDIOBOOK HERE: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Small-Business-Big-Profit-Audiobook/B0GJT8Q63B

    30 min
  4. MAGIC MOMENTS: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Avoiding Financial Pitfalls

    24 Jun

    MAGIC MOMENTS: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Avoiding Financial Pitfalls

    Welcome back to another episode of Magic Moments ✨ Today we delve into actionable financial strategies with Tom Woodcock, a seasoned expert in business modeling and financial planning. In this episode, discover insights that promise to turn your wealth-building strategies on their head and provide the much-needed motivation to transform your business. With financial clarity and strategic foresight provided by Ultimate FD, Tom Woodcock discusses the importance of taking initiative not just when problems arise, but also when your business is thriving. He emphasizes the value of having a clear business model in place and understanding your business metrics before you begin.  By marrying financial strategy with business goals, companies can ensure sustained growth and greater profitability. Tom explains the significance of knowing your numbers and staying disciplined with financial thresholds such as gross profits and overhead limits. These insights underscore the essence of a finance-driven business model, helping businesses avoid pitfalls and maximize efficiency and success. Did you enjoy this Magic Moment? Click here for the full episode.

    6 min

  5. 21 Jun

    EP#228 - Zombie Nation - The Stupid Sh*t Entrepreneurs Do

    In this episode of The Ultimate FD Podcast, I look at something I am seeing more and more behind the scenes of UK businesses: companies with strong top-line revenue that are not making any real money.  I call them zombie businesses.  Not dead, not thriving, just bumbling along and draining the life out of the people who run them. The timing matters. Employer National Insurance is now 15%, the national living wage has risen, corporation tax sits at up to 25%, and around 62.6% of SME invoices are being paid late. Nearly 24,000 businesses went insolvent last year, and the ones still operating are often in worse shape than the headline figures suggest. This episode examines six mistakes I see entrepreneurs make, all of which push a profitable-looking business into zombie territory. Two of the most damaging are swimming upstream (building in declining or crowded markets instead of finding a niche with room to grow) and sacrificing gross margin to win sales. Chasing top-line revenue while quietly eroding your margins is one of the fastest ways to build a business that looks impressive but pays you nothing. I also cover the psychology behind over-recruiting, the trap of spending freely when trading is good, and what happens when you take on debt without a clear repayment plan. These are not theoretical warnings. They come directly from the company finances I review every week. If your business is generating revenue but leaving you stressed about payroll, short on cash, or working excessive hours to sustain it, this episode is worth your time. I share the five financial rules every business needs to protect its margins, and set up a new methodology I will be covering over the coming weeks for taking a zombie business and turning it into a genuinely profitable one. 👉🏻 DOWNLOAD A COPY OF OUR BOOK SMALL BUSINESS BIG PROFIT FOR FREE: https://ultimate-fd.webflow.io/small-business-big-profit  👉🏻 HOW FINANCIALLY FIT IS YOUR BUSINESS? Take the Ultimate FD Acid test to find out and have a bespoke report in less than 5 minutes!!! Take the test here: https://josh-dtlqxm7w.scoreapp.com/  👉🏻 DOWNLOAD THE AUDIOBOOK OF SMALL BUSINESS, BIG PROFIT HERE: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Small-Business-Big-Profit-Audiobook/

    36 min
  6. MAGIC MOMENTS: The Power of Pricing - How to Charge What You're Worth

    17 Jun

    MAGIC MOMENTS: The Power of Pricing - How to Charge What You're Worth

    Welcome back to another episode of Magic Moments ✨ In this episode I speak with Hitesh Mistry to gain a deeper understanding of financial strategies necessary for successful business management. Hitesh shares actionable insights that can transform how business owners perceive growth and margin optimization. This episode offers valuable advice for entrepreneurs who might be unsure about their pricing strategies and cost structures. Listeners will delve into a comprehensive discussion around three top tips Hitesh advocates for any business looking to enhance their financial outlook. Centered around understanding and optimizing net margins, the episode emphasizes the importance of having a clear view of current costs and income. Hitesh encourages businesses to be honest about their financial positions and to seek expert support where needed, using his firsthand experiences as illustrative examples.  This episode is a treasure trove for those in the service industry, especially those in similar positions to Hitesh within the lettings sector. Did you enjoy this Magic Moment? Click here for the full episode.

    10 min
  7. EP#227 - Rob Balderstone - AI EXPERT EXPLAINS: 5 AI Tools That Will Transform Your Business

    14 Jun

    EP#227 - Rob Balderstone - AI EXPERT EXPLAINS: 5 AI Tools That Will Transform Your Business

    In this episode of The Ultimate FD Podcast, I speak with AI expert Rob Balderstone about the innovative landscape of artificial intelligence and its profound impacts on businesses today.  Rob, founder of Appleboar, shares his extensive experience in implementing AI solutions across industries, discussing how companies can harness these technologies to stay competitive. We delve into the distinctions between automation and AI, highlighting when and why each should be used to maximise business efficiency and productivity. Listeners will discover insights on how Rob applies AI to real-world business challenges, transforming tedious processes into streamlined workflows. He discusses some of the game-changing technologies in his stack, including Google Gemini and NotebookLM, emphasizing their potential to enhance business operations. Rob also provides an in-depth look at specific AI applications, from automating marketing tasks and refining internal processes to overcoming personal productivity hurdles. Tune in to gain valuable perspectives on AI's potential to reshape industries while maintaining a balance between leveraging innovation and ensuring reliable business outcomes. 👉 YOU CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT APPLEBBOAR HERE: https://appleboar.com 👉 YOU CAN GET IN TOUCH WITH ROB BALDERSTONE HERE: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robbalderstone 👉 DOWNLOAD A COPY OF OUR BOOK SMALL BUSINESS BIG PROFIT FOR FREE: https://ultimate-fd.webflow.io/small-business-big-profit  👉 HOW FINANCIALLY FIT IS YOUR BUSINESS? Take the Ultimate FD Acid test to find out and have a bespoke report in less than 5 minutes!!! Take the test here: https://josh-dtlqxm7w.scoreapp.com/  👉 DOWNLOAD THE AUDIOBOOK OF SMALL BUSINESS, BIG PROFIT HERE: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Small-Business-Big-Profit-Audiobook/

    1hr 1min
  8. MAGIC MOMENTS: The Secret to Reducing Financial Frustrations

    10 Jun

    MAGIC MOMENTS: The Secret to Reducing Financial Frustrations

    Welcome back to another episode of Magic Moments ✨ In this episode I sit down with Stephan Latham to uncover the insights and strategies behind managing a successful property business. This shortform episode segment distills actionable tips to enhance productivity and commercial acumen in finance departments. Stephan shares his experience in recalibrating his team to be more commercially-minded, reducing unnecessary workloads, and achieving significant cost savings. The conversation delves deeply into the intricacies of optimising cash flow, one of the biggest challenges for property businesses. Stephan emphasizes the importance of having the right people in place and ensuring teams are aligned with the company's commercial needs. He shares his journey towards leaning out business operations and strategically planning for the future, underscoring the wisdom of not overextending resources and sticking to a steady growth trajectory.  As Stephan unfolds the strategic importance of a five-year business plan, he offers listeners seasoned insights into dealing with fluctuating market conditions and leveraging debt prudently. This episode weaves through themes of resilience, strategic foresight, and the delicate balance between ambition and sustainability in business growth. Stephan's grounded perspective on growth offers valuable lessons for entrepreneurs facing similar industry challenges. Did you enjoy this Magic Moment? Click here for the full episode.

    8 min
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4.9
out of 5
18 Ratings

About

ULTIMATE FD PODCAST

Information

  • Creator
    Joshua Keegan
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    300
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2022
  • Show Website
    The Ultimate FD Podcast

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