No Se Habla Taxes

Melissa Armstrong, CPA
  • 5.0 (36)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Welcome to No Se Habla Taxes—the podcast for creative agency owners who are done guessing about their numbers and ready to actually understand them. I'm Melissa Armstrong, CPA and fractional controller, and I will tell you the financial truth your accountant was too polite to say out loud. Every episode, we get into the real operational finance stuff: cash flow chaos, pricing mistakes, hiring decisions, and the messy money moments that nobody talks about but every founder lives through. If you're running a marketing or creative agency in the $500K to $5M range and your revenue looks great on paper but something still feels off, this show is for you. No fluff. No spreadsheet worship. No finance speak for the sake of it. Just plain English answers to the questions keeping you up at night. Because the numbers don't lie. Let's go find out what yours are saying.

  1. 4D AGO

    The Revenue Illusion - Why High Revenue Doesn't Mean a Healthy Business

    I have watched agency owners pop bottles over crossing $1M in revenue, post about it, make it their entire personality for a quarter, and then call me six months later because they can't make payroll. In this episode, I'm breaking down why revenue is the most celebrated and most misunderstood number in your business, and what you should actually be paying attention to instead. What We Cover Why crossing a revenue milestone feels like winning and why that feeling can cost youMaya's story: $1.2M in revenue, a full team, a nice office, and a cash crisis hiding underneath it allThe difference between revenue, profit, and cash flow and why confusing them is one of the most expensive mistakes you can make as a founderWhy service businesses are uniquely vulnerable to the revenue illusionThe four numbers I track with every single one of my clients: Gross margin by client or projectUtilization rateDays sales outstanding (DSO)Owner compensationThis Week's Action Step I want you to pull one number you haven't been looking at. Just one. Gross margin on your biggest clientYour days sales outstandingYour actual owner draw vs. what you plannedThe truth is already living in your numbers. You just have to be willing to look. I'll be holding your hand emotionally from here. No Se Habla Confusion — $500 Financial Assessment for Creative Agencies Not sure if your business is actually healthy or just busy? That's exactly what this assessment is for. For creative agencies on QuickBooks Online doing $300K–$3M, I'll dig into your numbers, find the gaps, and give you a clear picture of where you stand and what to fix. Email info@steadyhandaccounting.com with the subject line No Se Habla Confusion to get started. No Se Habla Confusion: $500 Financial Assessment for Creative Agencies Not sure if your business is actually healthy? That's exactly what this assessment is for. For creative agencies on QuickBooks Online doing $300K–$3M, I'll dig into your numbers, find the gaps, and give you a clear picture of where you stand and what to fix. Email info@steadyhandaccounting.com with the subject line No Se Habla Confusion to get st Let's connect! LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/armstrongmelissacpa/ Website: https://steadyhandaccounting.com/

    12 min

  2. SEASON 2, EPISODE 15 TRAILER

    We're Back and Your Finances Are Still a Mess

    Season two is here, and yes, your finances are still a mess. But that's exactly why we're back. I'm Melissa Armstrong, fractional controller and the person who will tell you the financial truth your accountant was too polite to say out loud. This season we're going deep on the stuff that actually keeps founders up at night, from revenue that looks great but hides a fragile business, to the hidden cost of your best client. Short episodes, real talk, no fluff. Subscribe now so you don't miss a thing.  Let's connect! LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/armstrongmelissacpa/ Website: https://steadyhandaccounting.com/

    2 min

  3. 11/12/2025

    Year-End Panic Mode

    Welcome to No Se Habla Taxes—the podcast where a CPA does her own bookkeeping and occasionally procrastinates just like the rest of you.  I’m Melissa Armstrong: fractional controller, solo practice owner, and financial translator for founders who’d rather binge Netflix than reconcile a bank statement.  And today’s episode? Ohhh boy. I have a confession...  ✋🏼 The Confession  I always tell my clients: stay on top of your books, do your monthly closes, don’t fall behind.  Welp.  I fell behind.  Like... months behind.  Between client projects, life chaos, and general “I’ll get to it later” energy, I opened QuickBooks in November only to realize I hadn’t reconciled a single account since July.  Cue the panic. Dozens of uncategorized transactions. A PayPal balance that looked... sus. An Amazon charge that could’ve been printer ink or cap food.  Oh—and did I mention I’m a CPA?  🧠 The Real Talk  Falling behind doesn’t make you a bad business owner—it makes you human.  But when months pile up:  🔍 Your memory fades 😰 Your stress spikes 💸 Your decisions get fuzzy That’s when Year-End Panic Mode hits—and that’s what we’re unpacking today.  💡 This Episode Includes:  My very real bookkeeping meltdown (it’s fine, everything’s fine) 6 practical steps to get caught up without spiraling A shoutout to my network (hi, Amanda from Element Eight!) How to stop the chaos and start fresh—today ✅ Free Resource: The Catch-Up Checklist  Feeling the pressure of year-end catch-up? I’ve got you. Grab my free Catch-Up Checklist—the exact steps I used to dig out of my bookkeeping mess.  📥 Download it here  🎧 If This Sounds Familiar...  You’re not lazy. You’re building something. Sometimes the back end gets messy.  Let’s clean it up—without shame, without overwhelm, and with coffee (and maybe a croissant).  Subscribe to No Se Habla Taxes wherever you listen, and remember:   Stay scrappy, stay smart, and don’t let your Amazon orders haunt you in April.  Let's connect! LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/armstrongmelissacpa/ Website: https://steadyhandaccounting.com/

    9 min

  4. 10/29/2025

    The Subscription Graveyard

    Welcome back to No Se Habla Taxes — the podcast where a CPA does her own bookkeeping... and finds financial skeletons in her closet.  I’m Melissa Armstrong: fractional controller, solo practice owner, and your favorite financial translator for founders who’d rather invest in growth than leak money on duplicate apps.  And today? I’m here with a confession that might sound familiar...  💀 I discovered a subscription graveyard lurking in my books — two Canva accounts, duplicate Zoom charges, a forgotten Dropbox, and more.  It started as a simple month-end review in QuickBooks Online… and ended in a digital horror story.  In this episode, I walk you through:  ✨ How I realized I was paying twice for the same tools   ✨ Why these “just $15” charges quietly wreck your budget   ✨ A simple, CPA-approved audit method to catch and cancel the chaos   ✨ The real cost of cluttered expenses — beyond the dollars  You’ll also meet my incredible VA, Nicole Leon of El Leon Virtual Assistants, who helps founders get out of the weeds with emotionally intelligent support. (Trust me, she’s a lifesaver.)  And yes — I’m giving you a step-by-step system to run your own Subscription Audit, including:  📌 How to pull and categorize your charges   📌 Spotting duplicates like a financial detective   📌 Ruthlessly cutting the noise   📌 Setting a quarterly reminder so it never happens again  💡 Bonus Tip: I even shout out a virtual card trick that makes cancelling sneaky subscriptions a breeze.  If you’ve ever said “It’s only $15, what’s the big deal?” — this one’s for you.  🎧 Listen now to clean up your own subscription graveyard.   📥 Grab my free Subscription Audit Checklist here.   💬 DM me or tag me if this episode helped you cancel just one zombie charge.  Until next time — stay scrappy, stay smart, and cancel that extra Canva account.  Let's connect! LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/armstrongmelissacpa/ Website: https://steadyhandaccounting.com/

    8 min

  5. 10/15/2025

    Bank Feed Betrayal

    🎙️ Episode: Bank Feeds Betrayal  Welcome to No Se Habla Taxes—the podcast where a CPA does her own bookkeeping and sometimes gets betrayed by QuickBooks itself.  I’m Melissa Armstrong, fractional controller, solo practice owner, and financial translator for founders who’d rather wrestle with client work than with their bank feeds.  And today’s confession?   I trusted QuickBooks’ little green “Add” button a little too much… and for three whole months, it lied to me.  ✨ Adobe as meals & entertainment.   ✨ Zoom living under telephone expense.   ✨ Contractor payments sitting in Ask My Accountant.  On the surface? My books looked tidy.   In reality? They were misleading, messy, and costing me clarity.  In this episode, I’ll share:  🚨 Why blindly trusting bank feeds is dangerous for your business 🧐 How miscategorized expenses distort your P&L (and your decisions) 💡 Five practical fixes: rules, memos, reconciliations, and more 🛑 Why “QuickBooks told me to” isn’t a valid IRS defense Plus—you’ll meet Marta Spirk, a speaking coach and TEDx speaker helping women entrepreneurs turn their business into a stage for authentic visibility.  If you’ve ever hit “Add” in QuickBooks just to get it over with, this episode is for you. Clean books mean clean decisions—and messy books cost you more than time.  🎧 Listen in for today’s confession, a few hard-earned lessons, and tips to stop your bank feed from betraying you.  📥 Want my free Bank Feed Cleanup Cheat Sheet? Grab it here  👉 Don’t forget to subscribe to No Se Habla Taxes wherever you listen, and stay scrappy, stay smart, and double check those Adobe charges.  Www.martaspirk.com Www.instagram.com/martaspirk Www.youtube.com/martaspirk Www.linkedin.com/in/marta-spirk    Let's connect! LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/armstrongmelissacpa/ Website: https://steadyhandaccounting.com/

    9 min

  6. 10/01/2025

    Budgeting with Feelings: How FOMO Blew Up My Budget

    Welcome to No Se Habla Taxes, the podcast where I—a CPA and fractional controller—do my own bookkeeping and confess my way through the chaos so you don’t have to feel alone in yours.  In this episode, I get very real about budgeting—specifically, the emotional kind. Not the kind that lives in a pristine spreadsheet, but the one that has to account for things like impulse buys, last-minute trips, and yes, a serious case of professional FOMO.  Here’s what you’ll hear:  💸 The story of how I budgeted for one conference… and ended up attending two   📉 Why the problem wasn’t the money—but the scramble afterward   🧠 How emotional spending shows up in business (hello, “treat yourself” tax write-offs)   🛠️ My 3-step approach to building a solopreneur-friendly budget that actually works   💰 Why every founder needs a “FOMO Fund”—and how to set one up  👥 Plus, in our new segment From My Network, I’m shouting out the brilliant Lori Young—offer strategist and holistic business coach. Don’t miss her Offer Confidence Toolkit!  🎁 Freebie Alert: Want a solopreneur-friendly budget template? Grab my Budgeting Starter Kit via the link in the show notes.  📣 CTA:   If this episode made you feel seen, hit subscribe, share it with a fellow business owner, and leave a review. And remember—budgeting isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being honest. Future You will thank you.  🎧 Subscribe to No Se Habla Taxes wherever you listen.  🔗 Budgeting Starter Kit  The Offer Confidence Toolkit is your go-to gut check for your offer…with a major upgrade. Now featuring an AI-powered tool + downloadable checklist, this dynamic duo walks you through 10 intentional questions to uncover whether your offer is truly aligned, marketable, and ready to sell, or where it needs a quick tune-up. https://www.onamissionbrands.com/offer-checklist   Let's connect! LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/armstrongmelissacpa/ Website: https://steadyhandaccounting.com/

    9 min

  7. 09/17/2025

    “Your Business is Not Your ATM: How I Pay Myself (and Why It Matters)”

    If you’ve ever found yourself transferring money from your business account to your personal one “just this once,” this episode is for you.  I get this question all the time—“How do I pay myself from my business the right way?” And honestly? It’s one of the most misunderstood parts of being a solopreneur.  In this episode of No Se Habla Taxes, I’m walking you through:  ✨ Why your business account is not your personal piggy bank  ✨ The real danger of treating your biz like your backup wallet  ✨ How I (a single-member LLC) pay myself consistently and cleanly every month  ✨ The system I use in QuickBooks Online to automate my owner distributions—without the chaos  And because I love a good workflow, I’ve got a free step-by-step guide for you:  📥 Download “How I Pay Myself Like a Pro” here: https://steadyhandaccounting.myflodesk.com/xf47l1ku5f  So if you’re ready to stop playing ATM roulette with your business account and start paying yourself like the grown-up CEO you are, this episode is your permission slip.  👀 Want more behind-the-scenes confessionals and clean bookkeeping systems?  👉 Subscribe to No Se Habla Taxes wherever you listen, and follow me for updates on my upcoming DIY bookkeeping mentorship program.  Let's connect! LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/armstrongmelissacpa/ Website: https://steadyhandaccounting.com/

    6 min

  8. 09/03/2025

    "Distributions, Temptations, and That Sneaky Credit Card Clock"

    In this episode of No Se Habla Taxes, I’m confessing something that every solo business owner has probably thought about: giving yourself a raise the moment new money hits the bank.  But before I could celebrate my new client wins with a little extra payout, I had to pump the brakes and take a hard look at what’s actually smart for my business right now.  We’re talking about:  💸 Why I pay myself via distributions (not salary) as a single-member LLC 🧾 How that 0% interest credit card I’ve been floating is about to turn into a pumpkin 💰 The unglamorous magic of setting aside cash for taxes and emergencies 🙅🏽‍♀️ Why “just because you can” doesn’t mean “you should” — especially when it comes to paying yourself This isn’t about being stingy. It’s about making intentional money moves as the CEO of your business—even if you’re the only one on payroll.  ✨ Bonus reality check: If you’re not saving at least 25% of your net income for taxes… this one’s for you.  📥 Subscribe to No Se Habla Taxes and get more behind-the-scenes financial confessions, smart bookkeeping tips, and permission to not have it all figured out.  Until next time: watch that credit card clock, save your receipts, and pay yourself like the boss you are.  Let's connect! LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/armstrongmelissacpa/ Website: https://steadyhandaccounting.com/

    6 min
See All (16)

Trailers

5
out of 5
36 Ratings

About

Welcome to No Se Habla Taxes—the podcast for creative agency owners who are done guessing about their numbers and ready to actually understand them. I'm Melissa Armstrong, CPA and fractional controller, and I will tell you the financial truth your accountant was too polite to say out loud. Every episode, we get into the real operational finance stuff: cash flow chaos, pricing mistakes, hiring decisions, and the messy money moments that nobody talks about but every founder lives through. If you're running a marketing or creative agency in the $500K to $5M range and your revenue looks great on paper but something still feels off, this show is for you. No fluff. No spreadsheet worship. No finance speak for the sake of it. Just plain English answers to the questions keeping you up at night. Because the numbers don't lie. Let's go find out what yours are saying.

Information

  • Creator
    Melissa Armstrong, CPA
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Melissa Armstrong
  • Show Website
    No Se Habla Taxes