Profits on Purpose

Nate Littlewood

Welcome to the Profits on Purpose Podcast! New episodes weekly.

  1. 5d ago

    He Sold His 8-Figure Business, Then Had To Buy It Back | Jim Umlauf, 4Knines

    How Does Your Brand Stack Up? Download our FREE eCommerce Hidden Profit Audit Template here: https://www.futurereadycfo.com/hidden-profit-audit-free-template Most founders sell and walk away. Jim Umlauf sold 80% of 4Knines, kept 20%, and watched revenue fall roughly 75% under the new owners. Then he came back in to save the business he had built. Jim is the founder of 4Knines, an eight figure eCommerce brand run today by three full-time employees. In this episode he walks through the full arc: building it, selling most of it, the things that crept up on the business once he stepped back, and what it took to rebuild after the decline. Thirteen years in, he has no intention of stopping at twenty. ● Why selling your business is not the finish line most founders think it is● What changed inside the company once the original operator stepped back● How Jim rebuilt revenue after the decline, and what he did differently● Running an eight figure eCommerce brand with three full-time people● What the OEM relationship with Ford did for the brand's credibility● How Jim thinks about valuation, ownership and what he is building toward Guest: Jim Umlauf, Founder, 4KninesWebsite: https://4knines.com/LinkedIn (personal): https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-u/LinkedIn (company): https://www.linkedin.com/company/4knines/ I hope you enjoyed this episode!Give it a like, share, and subscribe to not miss the content coming your way weekly.– Nate and the Profits on Purpose podcast team Connect with Nathan Littlewood on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanlittlewood/Visit the Future Ready CFO website here: https://www.futurereadycfo.com/Join the Future Ready Newsletter here: https://www.futurereadycfo.com/newsletter Listen to Profits on Purpose on these podcast platforms: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1h3U1cG0zhaSwqa8f2UFXIApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profits-on-purpose/id1826982087Amazon Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profits-on-purpose/id1826982087 #profitsonpurpose #nathanlittlewood #futurereadycfo #sellingyourbusiness #businessvaluation #ecommercefounder #cpgbrands #founderexit #businessexit #exitstrategy #ecommercebusiness #financeleadership #cfoinsights #purposeledbusiness #scalingforimpact #financialstrategy #businessowner #entrepreneurmindset #businessstrategy #cforole Welcome to the Profits on Purpose podcast, where we explore the journeys of purpose-led founders and the financial strategies that help them survive and thrive. Host Nate Littlewood sits down with eCommerce and CPG founders to unpack the real-life tension between a brand's mission and the practical realities of generating profit.

    He Sold His 8-Figure Business, Then Had To Buy It Back | Jim Umlauf, 4Knines
  2. Sep 23

    What Your Agency Isn't Telling You About AI | LimeLight Marketing LLC | Brandee Johnson

    How Does Your Brand Stack Up? Download our FREE eCommerce Hidden Profit Audit Templatehere: https://www.futurereadycfo.com/hidden-profit-audit-free-templateAI agents can now run SEO campaigns, manage paid media and produce work that used to take a team months, all in a single day. So why are so many eCommerce and CPG brands still paying agencies the old way?Brandee Johnson, founder and CEO of Limelight Marketing, has spent the last year rebuilding her agency from the ground up around AI. In this episode she shares what happens when amarketing agency runs on a combination of AI agents and human experts, from the tasks she now hands to AI without a second thought, to the ones she refuses to give up. ● Why the traditional model of selling hours or fixed deliverables is breaking down● How agentic systems are shrinking feedback loops from months to days● The tasks that should always stay with a human, no matter how good the AI gets● Why proprietary data will decide which brands pull ahead as AI adoption spreads● What it really costs, in hours and years, to build an in-house AI system from scratch Guest: Brandee Johnson, Founder & CEO, LimeLight MarketingWebsite: www.limelightmarketing.comLinkedIn (personal): https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnsonbrandee/LinkedIn (company): linkedin.com/company/limelight-marketing-llc I hope you enjoyed this episode! Give it a like, share, and subscribe to not miss the content coming your way weekly. – Nate and the Profits on Purpose podcast team Connect with Nathan Littlewood on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanlittlewood/Visit the Future Ready CFO website here: https://www.futurereadycfo.com/Join the Future Ready Newsletter here: https://www.futurereadycfo.com/newsletter Listen to Profits on Purpose on these podcast platforms: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1h3U1cG0zhaSwqa8f2UFXIApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profits-on-purpose/id1826982087Amazon Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profits-on-purpose/id1826982087 #profitsonpurpose #nathanlittlewood #futurereadycfo #financeleadership #cfoinsights #purposeledbusiness #scalingforimpact #financialstrategy #purposeledprofit #missiondrivengrowth #sustainablebusiness #businessleaders #entrepreneurmindset #financialclarity #scalingbusinesses #ethicalentrepreneurship #businessstrategy #impactfulleadership #cforole #executivethinkingWelcome to the Profits on Purpose podcast, where we explore the journeys of purpose-led founders and the financial strategies that help them survive and thrive. Host Nate Littlewood sits down with eCommerce and CPG founders to unpack the real-life tension between a brand's mission and the practical realities of generating profit.

  3. Sep 16

    The 3 Customer Types Your P&L Is Hiding | Digital Retail Strategy, LLC | Arnold Sookram

    How Does Your Brand Stack Up? Download our FREE eCommerce Hidden Profit Audit Template here:https://www.futurereadycfo.com/hidden-profit-audit-free-templateMost founders chase growth by counting new customers, but this episode makes the case that the metric hides more than it reveals. Arnold Sookram, who has spent over two decades inside customer economics at Starbucks, Xbox, DirecTV, Microsoft, Backcountry.com and AT&T, joins the show to unpack what actually separates a profitable customer from a costly one.Arnold walks through the practical starting point for any founder without a dedicated analytics team: separating new customers from returning ones, understanding the true cost of servicing and retaining each group, and building towards a real customer profit and loss statement. He also draws on lessons from Starbucks Rewards and free-to-play gaming economics to explain why not every customer is worth the same to a business, and whatto do about the ones who are worth far more than others. • Why new versus returning customers is the first segmentation any founder should build• What Starbucks Rewards reveals about turning customers into loyal advocates• The “whales, dolphins and minnows” framework from gaming and how it applies to e-commerce• Why growth in customer count can mask a drop in profitability• The first practical step towards a real customer P&L with limited data and no analytics team Arnold Sookram, Founder & Managing Director, Digital Retail Strategy, LLCLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/arnoldsookramWebsite: digitalretailstrategy.com Want to know if your business is as profitable as it should be? Download our FREE eCommerce Hidden Profit Audit Template here: https://www.futurereadycfo.com/hidden-profit-audit-free-template I hope you enjoyed this episode! Give it a like, share, and subscribe to not miss the content coming your way weekly. – Nate and the Profits on Purpose podcast team Connect with Nathan Littlewood on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanlittlewood/Visit the Future Ready CFO website here: https://www.futurereadycfo.com/Join the Future Ready Newsletter here: https://www.futurereadycfo.com/newsletter Listen to Profits on Purpose on these podcast platforms: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1h3U1cG0zhaSwqa8f2UFXIApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profits-on-purpose/id1826982087Amazon Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profits-on-purpose/id1826982087 #profitsonpurpose #nathanlittlewood #futurereadycfo #financeleadership #cfoinsights #purposeledbusiness #scalingforimpact #financialstrategy #purposeledprofit #missiondrivengrowth #sustainablebusiness #businessleaders #entrepreneurmindset #financialclarity #scalingbusinesses #ethicalentrepreneurship #businessstrategy #impactfulleadership #cforole #executivethinkingWelcome to the Profits on Purpose podcast, where we explore the journeys of purpose-led founders and the financial strategies that help them survive and thrive. Host Nate Littlewood sits down with eCommerce and CPG founders to unpack the real-life tension between a brand's mission and the practical realities of generating profit. I hope you enjoyed this episode! Give it a like, share, and subscribe to not miss the content coming your way weekly. – Nate and the Profits on Purpose podcast team Connect with Nathan Littlewood on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanlittlewood/Visit the Future Ready CFO website here: https://www.futurereadycfo.com/Join the Future Ready Newsletter here: https://www.futurereadycfo.com/newsletter Listen to Profits on Purpose on these podcast platforms: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1h3U1cG0zhaSwqa8f2UFXIApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profits-on-purpose/id1826982087Amazon Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profits-on-purpose/id1826982087 #profitsonpurpose #nathanlittlewood #futurereadycfo #financeleadership #cfoinsights #purposeledbusiness #scalingforimpact #financialstrategy #purposeledprofit #missiondrivengrowth #sustainablebusiness #businessleaders #entrepreneurmindset #financialclarity #scalingbusinesses #ethicalentrepreneurship #businessstrategy #impactfulleadership #cforole #executivethinkingWelcome to the Profits on Purpose podcast, where we explore the journeys of purpose-led founders and the financial strategies that help them survive and thrive. Host Nate Littlewood sits down with eCommerce and CPG founders to unpack the real-life tension between a brand's mission and the practical realities of generating profit.

  4. Aug 26

    Why He Said No to 9x EBITDA – Then Bought the Company Anyway | Morro Capital | Joel Gandara

    How Does Your Brand Stack Up? Download our FREE eCommerce Hidden Profit Audit Template here:https://www.futurereadycfo.com/hidden-profit-audit-free-template Most founders go all in on one brand. Joel Gandara went the other way, building a portfolio of 14 e-commercewebsites and more than 20 designer menswear brands at once, buying businesses through relationships rather than auctions, and folding them into shared infrastructure years before anyone called it an aggregator model.In this episode, Joel and Nate talk about how he learned to sell, how he read a P&L to find value a headline valuation missed, and why he stepped back from a growing business at 39 to move into coaching. It's a conversation about risk, relationships, and knowing when enough is enough. In this episode you'll learn:l Why Joel turned down a 9x EBITDA valuation, then bought the company two years later on his own termsl How reading a P&L line by line reveals costs a headline multiple hidesl Why a handwritten note outperforms most sales tacticsl What changed on a single bike ride that led Joel to step back from his business at 39 Connect with Joel Gandara:joelgandara.com | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelgandara/ Want to know if your business is as profitable as it should be? Download our FREE eCommerce Hidden Profit Audit Template here: https://www.futurereadycfo.com/hidden-profit-audit-free-template I hope you enjoyed this episode! Give it a like, share, and subscribe to not miss the content coming your way weekly. – Nate and the Profits on Purpose podcast team Connect with Nathan Littlewood on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanlittlewood/Visit the Future Ready CFO website here: https://www.futurereadycfo.com/Join the Future Ready Newsletter here: https://www.futurereadycfo.com/newsletter Listen to Profits on Purpose on these podcast platforms: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1h3U1cG0zhaSwqa8f2UFXIApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profits-on-purpose/id1826982087Amazon Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profits-on-purpose/id1826982087 #profitsonpurpose #nathanlittlewood #futurereadycfo #financeleadership #cfoinsights #purposeledbusiness #scalingforimpact #financialstrategy #purposeledprofit #missiondrivengrowth #sustainablebusiness #businessleaders #entrepreneurmindset #financialclarity #scalingbusinesses #ethicalentrepreneurship #businessstrategy #impactfulleadership #cforole #executivethinkingWelcome to the Profits on Purpose podcast, where we explore the journeys of purpose-led founders and the financial strategies that help them survive and thrive. Host Nate Littlewood sits down with eCommerce and CPG founders to unpack the real-life tension between a brand's mission and the practical realities of generating profit.

  5. Aug 19

    Your Retention Problem Started Before They Bought | Feals | John Narducci

    How Does Your Brand Stack Up?Download our FREE eCommerce Hidden Profit Audit Template here:https://www.futurereadycfo.com/hidden-profit-audit-free-template Retention is often talked about as what happens after someone buys, but John Narducci argues the real story starts much earlier. As former Retention Marketing Manager at hemp and wellness brand Feals, John explains why the promise a brand makes in its acquisition ads directly shapes how long a customer sticks around, and why chasing a lower cost per acquisition can quietly cost far more on the back end. John also walks through the three-bucket forecasting model he built to give Feals daily and weekly visibility into acquisition spend, and shares the most common reason subscription customers cancel, which has far less to do with the product than most brands assume. ● Why acquisition messaging, not just retention tactics, sets the ceiling on how long a customer stays● The three-bucket model (subscription, repeat, new customer) Feals used to forecast towards EBITDA● Why chasing a lower CAC can quietly double payback time on the wrong cohort● The most common, and most avoidable, reason subscription customers cancel● Why Feals holds the line on site-wide discounting outside Black Friday and 4/20 John NarducciLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-narducci-b30540185/I hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, a like, follow or subscribe helps more founders find the show. I hope you enjoyed this episode! Give it a like, share, and subscribe to not miss the content coming your way weekly. – Nate and the Profits on Purpose podcast team Connect with Nathan Littlewood on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanlittlewood/Visit the Future Ready CFO website here: https://www.futurereadycfo.com/Join the Future Ready Newsletter here: https://www.futurereadycfo.com/newsletter Listen to Profits on Purpose on these podcast platforms: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1h3U1cG0zhaSwqa8f2UFXIApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profits-on-purpose/id1826982087Amazon Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profits-on-purpose/id1826982087 #profitsonpurpose #nathanlittlewood #futurereadycfo #financeleadership #cfoinsights #purposeledbusiness #scalingforimpact #financialstrategy #purposeledprofit #missiondrivengrowth #sustainablebusiness #businessleaders #entrepreneurmindset #financialclarity #scalingbusinesses #ethicalentrepreneurship #businessstrategy #impactfulleadership #cforole #executivethinkingWelcome to the Profits on Purpose podcast, where we explore the journeys of purpose-led founders and the financial strategies that help them survive and thrive. Host Nate Littlewood sits down with eCommerce and CPG founders to unpack the real-life tension between a brand's mission and the practical realities of generating profit.

  6. Aug 12

    I Fired a Billion-Dollar Customer. Here's Why | Spartan Logistics | Steve Harmon

    How Does Your 3PL Stack Up? Download our FREE eCommerce Hidden Profit Audit Template here: https://www.futurereadycfo.com/hidden-profit-audit-free-template Steve Harmon, CEO of Spartan Logistics, brings over 30 years of logistics experience to help eCommerce and CPG founders make one of the highest stakes decisions in their business: choosing the right 3PL partner. Steve explains the warning signs that you've outgrown your current logistics provider, what founders need to know before requesting 3PL quotes, and why the cheapest provider is rarely the best choice. He also reveals why location and fit can drive logistics costs, why your local warehouse manager may matter more than technology, how AI is transforming logistics analysis, and why open communication can make or break a long term partnership. 🔹 How to Spot When Your 3PL Is Quietly Hurting Growth🔹 The Data Founders Need Before Requesting 3PL Quotes🔹 Why Location Can Beat Price in Logistics Costs🔹 The Local Manager Factor Behind 3PL Performance🔹 The Critical KPIs Every eCommerce Founder Should Demand🔹 How AI Is Reshaping 3PL Selection and Freight Analysis🔹 Why Open Communication Makes or Breaks 3PL Partnerships Connect with Steve Harmon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-harmon-04a7864/Spartan Logistics: https://www.spartanlogistics.com/ I hope you enjoyed this episode! Give it a like, share, and subscribe to not miss the content coming your way weekly. – Nate and the Profits on Purpose podcast team Connect with Nathan Littlewood on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanlittlewood/Visit the Future Ready CFO website here: https://www.futurereadycfo.com/Join the Future Ready Newsletter here: https://www.futurereadycfo.com/newsletter Listen to Profits on Purpose on these podcast platforms: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1h3U1cG0zhaSwqa8f2UFXIApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profits-on-purpose/id1826982087Amazon Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profits-on-purpose/id1826982087 #profitsonpurpose #nathanlittlewood #futurereadycfo #financeleadership #cfoinsights #purposeledbusiness #scalingforimpact #financialstrategy #purposeledprofit #missiondrivengrowth #sustainablebusiness #businessleaders #entrepreneurmindset #financialclarity #scalingbusinesses #ethicalentrepreneurship #businessstrategy #impactfulleadership #cforole #executivethinkingWelcome to the Profits on Purpose podcast, where we explore the journeys of purpose-led founders and the financial strategies that help them survive and thrive. Host Nate Littlewood sits down with eCommerce and CPG founders to unpack the real-life tension between a brand's mission and the practical realities of generating profit.

  7. Aug 5

    He Launched His Product for $10,000 and Landed a Trader Joe's Deal | Land Lovers | Jon Gabayzadeh

    How Does Your Brand Stack Up? Download our FREE eCommerce Hidden Profit Audit Template here: https://www.futurereadycfo.com/hidden-profit-audit-free-template Jon Gabayzadeh has spent over twenty years building his own CPG brands, most recently Simply Eggless, before stepping into a different kind of role this year: hired CEO of Land Lovers, a company he did not found. In this episode he breaks down the real difference between founder and CEO thinking, why he chose cash compensation over equity in this role, and how he consistently brings new products to market for less than ten thousand dollars. Jon walks through the zero to one process in detail: finding white space opportunities like the GLP-1 wave, the financing tools that let him retain equity instead of raising capital, and the high margin thresholds he looks for before committing to a product. He also shares the mistakes that taught him to watch margins above everything else, and why chasing volume without profitability is a recipe for disaster. Why Jon took a cash-only CEO role instead of holding equityHow to launch a CPG product for under $10,000The financing options that let founders avoid raising capitalWhat gross margin threshold Jon looks for before backing a productThe biggest mistake he sees founders make with cash flow Connect with Jon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-gabayzadehLand Lovers: www.lovelandlovers.com Want to know if your business is as profitable as it should be? Download our FREE eCommerce Hidden Profit Audit Template here: https://www.futurereadycfo.com/hidden-profit-audit-free-template I hope you enjoyed this episode! Give it a like, share, and subscribe to not miss the content coming your way weekly. – Nate and the Profits on Purpose podcast team Connect with Nathan Littlewood on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanlittlewood/Visit the Future Ready CFO website here: https://www.futurereadycfo.com/Join the Future Ready Newsletter here: https://www.futurereadycfo.com/newsletter Listen to Profits on Purpose on these podcast platforms: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1h3U1cG0zhaSwqa8f2UFXIApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profits-on-purpose/id1826982087Amazon Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profits-on-purpose/id1826982087 #profitsonpurpose #nathanlittlewood #futurereadycfo #financeleadership #cfoinsights #purposeledbusiness #scalingforimpact #financialstrategy #purposeledprofit #missiondrivengrowth #sustainablebusiness #businessleaders #entrepreneurmindset #financialclarity #scalingbusinesses #ethicalentrepreneurship #businessstrategy #impactfulleadership #cforole #executivethinkingWelcome to the Profits on Purpose podcast, where we explore the journeys of purpose-led founders and the financial strategies that help them survive and thrive. Host Nate Littlewood sits down with eCommerce and CPG founders to unpack the real-life tension between a brand's mission and the practical realities of generating profit. I hope you enjoyed this episode! Give it a like, share, and subscribe to not miss the content coming your way weekly. – Nate and the Profits on Purpose podcast team Connect with Nathan Littlewood on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanlittlewood/Visit the Future Ready CFO website here: https://www.futurereadycfo.com/Join the Future Ready Newsletter here: https://www.futurereadycfo.com/newsletter Listen to Profits on Purpose on these podcast platforms: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1h3U1cG0zhaSwqa8f2UFXIApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profits-on-purpose/id1826982087Amazon Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profits-on-purpose/id1826982087 #profitsonpurpose #nathanlittlewood #futurereadycfo #financeleadership #cfoinsights #purposeledbusiness #scalingforimpact #financialstrategy #purposeledprofit #missiondrivengrowth #sustainablebusiness #businessleaders #entrepreneurmindset #financialclarity #scalingbusinesses #ethicalentrepreneurship #businessstrategy #impactfulleadership #cforole #executivethinkingWelcome to the Profits on Purpose podcast, where we explore the journeys of purpose-led founders and the financial strategies that help them survive and thrive. Host Nate Littlewood sits down with eCommerce and CPG founders to unpack the real-life tension between a brand's mission and the practical realities of generating profit.

  8. Jul 29

    Your Distributor Isn't Trying to Screw You. That's Actually the Problem | Socratic CPG | John Henry Behrens

    How Does Your Brand Stack Up? Download our FREE eCommerce Hidden Profit Audit Template here: https://www.futurereadycfo.com/hidden-profit-audit-free-template John Henry Behrens spent years writing the deduction policies at KeHE, then had to live inside them once he moved to the brand side. In this episode he explains why your distributor should be understood as a bank rather than a box mover, why roughly nine and a half out of every ten deductions on a statement are legitimate, and how to tell the difference between a fee worth disputing and one worth leaving alone. He also shares how founders can turn a distributor's sales team into a free extension of their own, and a real example of a brand that grew a third of its business this way.Why your distributor should be treated as a bank, not a box moverThe real reason behind most deduction statement chargesHow to tell a legitimate deduction from one worth disputingTurning your distributor's sales team into a free extension of your own Connect with John Henry on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhbehrensiii/ I hope you enjoyed this episode! Give it a like, share, and subscribe to not miss the content coming your way weekly. – Nate and the Profits on Purpose podcast team Connect with Nathan Littlewood on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanlittlewood/Visit the Future Ready CFO website here: https://www.futurereadycfo.com/Join the Future Ready Newsletter here: https://www.futurereadycfo.com/newsletter Listen to Profits on Purpose on these podcast platforms: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1h3U1cG0zhaSwqa8f2UFXIApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profits-on-purpose/id1826982087Amazon Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profits-on-purpose/id1826982087 #profitsonpurpose #nathanlittlewood #futurereadycfo #financeleadership #cfoinsights #purposeledbusiness #scalingforimpact #financialstrategy #purposeledprofit #missiondrivengrowth #sustainablebusiness #businessleaders #entrepreneurmindset #financialclarity #scalingbusinesses #ethicalentrepreneurship #businessstrategy #impactfulleadership #cforole #executivethinkingWelcome to the Profits on Purpose podcast, where we explore the journeys of purpose-led founders and the financial strategies that help them survive and thrive. Host Nate Littlewood sits down with eCommerce and CPG founders to unpack the real-life tension between a brand's mission and the practical realities of generating profit.

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Welcome to the Profits on Purpose Podcast! New episodes weekly.