Strategy Meets Finance

Strategy and Finance
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Welcome to Strategy Meets Finance, the podcast for business owners and entrepreneurs who want to start, grow, and run a business that lasts. Most business owners struggle because they treat strategy and finance as separate. But without a clear strategy, your finances won’t support long-term growth. And without strong financial planning, even the best business ideas fall flat. On this show, we bring both sides together—so you can grow your business with confidence, improve cash flow, increase profit, and make better decisions. Hosted by Steve Coughran, a former CFO and founder of Coltivar, each episode shares simple tools, real examples, and practical advice from working with companies of all different sizes. You’ll learn how to set smart goals, fix money leaks, build stronger teams, and create lasting value.

  1. 4 DAYS AGO

    I Left Home at 16 and Started a Business. Here Is What Happened Next. | Ep 229

    How much cash is hiding in your business? See if you qualify for a Free Financial Health Check  Financial Intelligence Toolkit  Steve does not talk about his personal life much. But when he does, the response is always the same: people reach out and say they could have written that story themselves. In this episode he steps back from the frameworks and the financials and shares where he actually came from. Growing up without a dad, leaving home at 16, starting a business out of his sister's garage, hitting rock bottom, and eventually finding his way to a career in finance and then to founding Coltivar. If you are new to the show this is a great place to start. If you have been here a while, this one might surprise you. _______________________________________ Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the individual Coltivar Group, LLC (“Coltivar”) personnel quoted and are not the views of Coltivar or its affiliates. Certain information contained in here has been obtained from third-party sources. While taken from sources believed to be reliable, Coltivar has not independently verified such information and makes no representations about the enduring accuracy of the information or its appropriateness for a given situation. This content is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. You should consult your own advisers as to those matters. References to any securities or digital assets are for illustrative purposes only, and do not constitute an investment recommendation or offer to provide investment advisory services. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendations. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. Please see https://www.coltivar.com/privacy-policy-and-terms-of-use for additional important information. LinkedIn | YouTube  coltivar.com

    22 min

  2. 6 DAYS AGO

    Why Contractors Keep Losing Margin Even When Jobs Go Well | Ep 228

    How much cash is hiding in your business? See if you qualify for a Free Financial Health Check  Financial Intelligence Toolkit  The job went well. The crew performed. The client is happy. And the margin still is not there? Most contractors blame the field when this happens. But in this episode, Steve makes the case that the margin was already gone before the first shovel hit the ground. It was set in pre-construction, in estimating, and in the gaps most owners never think to look at. He walks through exactly where it disappears and what it actually takes to fix it for good. If you run a contracting business and your jobs look fine but your numbers never do, this one will hit home. _______________________________________ Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the individual Coltivar Group, LLC (“Coltivar”) personnel quoted and are not the views of Coltivar or its affiliates. Certain information contained in here has been obtained from third-party sources. While taken from sources believed to be reliable, Coltivar has not independently verified such information and makes no representations about the enduring accuracy of the information or its appropriateness for a given situation. This content is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. You should consult your own advisers as to those matters. References to any securities or digital assets are for illustrative purposes only, and do not constitute an investment recommendation or offer to provide investment advisory services. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendations. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. Please see https://www.coltivar.com/privacy-policy-and-terms-of-use for additional important information. LinkedIn | YouTube  coltivar.com

    25 min

  3. 24 APR

    Cutting Costs Is the Wrong Move (Do This Instead) | Ep 227

    How much cash is hiding in your business? See if you qualify for a Free Financial Health Check  Financial Intelligence Toolkit  When the business starts struggling, the first instinct is almost always the same. Cut costs. Cut headcount. Cut marketing. Cut everything that is not essential. Steve gets it. But in this episode he makes the case that cutting costs is usually the wrong move and why doing it without a strategy can send a business into a spiral it never recovers from. He breaks down what to actually look at when your numbers are heading in the wrong direction and how to fix the real problem instead of just treating the symptoms. If you have ever been tempted to slash your way back to profitability, you need to hear this first. _______________________________________ Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the individual Coltivar Group, LLC (“Coltivar”) personnel quoted and are not the views of Coltivar or its affiliates. Certain information contained in here has been obtained from third-party sources. While taken from sources believed to be reliable, Coltivar has not independently verified such information and makes no representations about the enduring accuracy of the information or its appropriateness for a given situation. This content is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. You should consult your own advisers as to those matters. References to any securities or digital assets are for illustrative purposes only, and do not constitute an investment recommendation or offer to provide investment advisory services. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendations. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. Please see https://www.coltivar.com/privacy-policy-and-terms-of-use for additional important information. LinkedIn | YouTube  coltivar.com

    17 min

  4. 21 APR

    Your Accountant is Not Your CFO (And It's Costing You) | Ep 226

    How much cash is hiding in your business? See if you qualify for a Free Financial Health Check  Financial Intelligence Toolkit  Your books are clean. Reports come out on time. Taxes are filed. And you still don't know if you can afford that next hire, whether you should take on that big contract, or how much you can actually pull out without breaking the business. In this episode, Steve breaks down why having an accountant or controller is not the same as having a financial system and what that gap is actually costing you. He also gets into what a CFO really does, why it is so hard to promote from within, and what a real financial system looks like when it is built right. If you have been making big decisions on gut feel and hoping for the best, this one is for you. _______________________________________ Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the individual Coltivar Group, LLC (“Coltivar”) personnel quoted and are not the views of Coltivar or its affiliates. Certain information contained in here has been obtained from third-party sources. While taken from sources believed to be reliable, Coltivar has not independently verified such information and makes no representations about the enduring accuracy of the information or its appropriateness for a given situation. This content is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. You should consult your own advisers as to those matters. References to any securities or digital assets are for illustrative purposes only, and do not constitute an investment recommendation or offer to provide investment advisory services. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendations. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. Please see https://www.coltivar.com/privacy-policy-and-terms-of-use for additional important information. LinkedIn | YouTube  coltivar.com

    23 min

  5. 16 APR

    5 Numbers That Tell You the Truth About Your Business | Ep 225

    How much cash is hiding in your business? See if you qualify for a Free Financial Health Check  Financial Intelligence Toolkit  Most business owners track revenue. Some track profit. Almost none track the five numbers that actually tell you if their business is healthy, growing in value, and built to last. Steve sits down in this episode and walks you through exactly what he looks at in the first ten minutes with any business. These numbers connect together, build on each other, and will show you pretty quickly if your strategy is working or quietly costing you. If you've ever stared at a decent profit and still wondered where all the cash went, this one is going to hit close to home. _______________________________________ Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the individual Coltivar Group, LLC (“Coltivar”) personnel quoted and are not the views of Coltivar or its affiliates. Certain information contained in here has been obtained from third-party sources. While taken from sources believed to be reliable, Coltivar has not independently verified such information and makes no representations about the enduring accuracy of the information or its appropriateness for a given situation. This content is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. You should consult your own advisers as to those matters. References to any securities or digital assets are for illustrative purposes only, and do not constitute an investment recommendation or offer to provide investment advisory services. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendations. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. Please see https://www.coltivar.com/privacy-policy-and-terms-of-use for additional important information. LinkedIn | YouTube  coltivar.com

    22 min

  6. 13 APR

    What Nobody Tells You About Scaling Your Business | Ep 224

    How much cash is hiding in your business? See if you qualify for a Free Financial Health Check  Financial Intelligence Toolkit  Scaling sounds like the goal, but it’s also where a lot of businesses quietly break.  Growth doesn’t fix problems, it exposes them. If margins are tight, they get tighter. If cash flow is inconsistent, it gets worse. And if the strategy isn’t working, scaling just accelerates the damage.  This episode breaks down what no one talks about when it comes to scaling, how to know if a business is actually ready to grow, and the one metric that determines whether scaling will create value or destroy it. _______________________________________ Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the individual Coltivar Group, LLC (“Coltivar”) personnel quoted and are not the views of Coltivar or its affiliates. Certain information contained in here has been obtained from third-party sources. While taken from sources believed to be reliable, Coltivar has not independently verified such information and makes no representations about the enduring accuracy of the information or its appropriateness for a given situation. This content is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. You should consult your own advisers as to those matters. References to any securities or digital assets are for illustrative purposes only, and do not constitute an investment recommendation or offer to provide investment advisory services. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendations. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. Please see https://www.coltivar.com/privacy-policy-and-terms-of-use for additional important information. LinkedIn | YouTube  coltivar.com

    11 min

  7. 2 APR

    The #1 Struggle Business Leaders Face | Ep 223

    How much cash is hiding in your business? See if you qualify for a Free Financial Health Check  Financial Intelligence Toolkit  A lot of business owners think profit is the goal, but the real problem shows up when the cash is not there. This is one of the most common struggles leaders deal with. Steve breaks down why profit and cash flow don’t match and shares a simple way to measure how much of your profit actually turns into usable cash. Once you see this number, you’ll understand exactly where your money is getting stuck and what needs to change. _______________________________________ Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the individual Coltivar Group, LLC (“Coltivar”) personnel quoted and are not the views of Coltivar or its affiliates. Certain information contained in here has been obtained from third-party sources. While taken from sources believed to be reliable, Coltivar has not independently verified such information and makes no representations about the enduring accuracy of the information or its appropriateness for a given situation. This content is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. You should consult your own advisers as to those matters. References to any securities or digital assets are for illustrative purposes only, and do not constitute an investment recommendation or offer to provide investment advisory services. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendations. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. Please see https://www.coltivar.com/privacy-policy-and-terms-of-use for additional important information. LinkedIn | YouTube  coltivar.com

    7 min

  8. 24 MAR

    The 3 Phases Every Failing Business Goes Through (And How to Escape) | Ep 222

    How much cash is hiding in your business? See if you qualify for a Free Financial Health Check  Financial Intelligence Toolkit  Most businesses don’t fail overnight. They go through the same three phases, and most owners don’t realize what’s happening until it’s too late. It starts with a strategy that quietly stops working, then margins get squeezed, and eventually cash runs out. Steve breaks down these three phases and shows how to spot them early so you can fix the real problem before your business gets stuck in a place that’s hard to recover from. _______________________________________ Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the individual Coltivar Group, LLC (“Coltivar”) personnel quoted and are not the views of Coltivar or its affiliates. Certain information contained in here has been obtained from third-party sources. While taken from sources believed to be reliable, Coltivar has not independently verified such information and makes no representations about the enduring accuracy of the information or its appropriateness for a given situation. This content is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. You should consult your own advisers as to those matters. References to any securities or digital assets are for illustrative purposes only, and do not constitute an investment recommendation or offer to provide investment advisory services. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendations. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. Please see https://www.coltivar.com/privacy-policy-and-terms-of-use for additional important information. LinkedIn | YouTube  coltivar.com

    16 min
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About

Welcome to Strategy Meets Finance, the podcast for business owners and entrepreneurs who want to start, grow, and run a business that lasts. Most business owners struggle because they treat strategy and finance as separate. But without a clear strategy, your finances won’t support long-term growth. And without strong financial planning, even the best business ideas fall flat. On this show, we bring both sides together—so you can grow your business with confidence, improve cash flow, increase profit, and make better decisions. Hosted by Steve Coughran, a former CFO and founder of Coltivar, each episode shares simple tools, real examples, and practical advice from working with companies of all different sizes. You’ll learn how to set smart goals, fix money leaks, build stronger teams, and create lasting value.

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