Built by Margin

Laurie Chen, CPA, MBA
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Built by Margin is the podcast for founders who want both profits and peace. Hosted by Fractional CFO and CPA - Laurie Chen, CPA, MBA, this podcast delivers real talk on cash flow, clarity, and scaling with soul. Whether you're chasing Series A or just want to keep what you earn, you’ll walk away with actionable insights, investor-ready wisdom, and space to breathe. Margin isn’t optional - it’s the strategy.

  1. 6D AGO

    The Power of Mindset and Strategy: Scaling an E-Commerce Brand with Sean Travis

    In episode 23 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen interviews Sean Travis, a former firefighter-paramedic turned entrepreneur and founder of Ecom for Heroes, based in Hermosa Beach, California, as he discusses the challenges he faced, including burnout and personal loss, that led him to take a leap of faith into entrepreneurship. Tune in to hear valuable insights on entrepreneurship and the intersection of passion and purpose in business. TIMESTAMPS [00:01:06] Transitioning from firefighting to entrepreneurship. [00:04:39] Teaching and coaching first responders. [00:09:56] Overcoming imposter syndrome. [00:11:41] Imposter syndrome in entrepreneurship. [00:16:01] Daily habits for creativity. [00:20:46] Financial growth and strategy. [00:23:08] Cash flow forecasting importance. [00:26:26] Client contract strategies. [00:32:49] Client contracts and communication. [00:35:01] AI's impact on business growth. [00:39:19] AI product discovery dashboard. [00:43:26] Optimizing treatment protocols with AI. [00:45:12] AI tools for business efficiency. [00:48:43] Google Gemini integration benefits. QUOTES "Believing in reminding myself daily that I am enough." -Sean Travis"You cannot find the solution with the same mindset that gave you the problem." -Sean Travis"If you're going to pick one, pick one that integrates the most with your life."-Sean Travis SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS Laurie Chen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/ Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/lauriechencpamba LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/ Sean Travis Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ecomforheroes/?hl=en   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ecomforheroes/  WEBSITES Built By Margin: https://www.builtbymargin.com/

    51 min

  2. DEC 3

    Building Trust and Community: The Secrets Behind Let Kelly's Success with Kelly Jedele

    In episode 22 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen interviews Kelly Jedele, the owner of a multi-million dollar residential cleaning company based in Austin, Texas, as she discusses her company's growth, her financial A-team, the importance of community engagement, and her unique customer acquisition strategies, including the power of word-of-mouth referrals and goodwill advertising.  Tune in to gain insights on building a profitable business while maintaining flexibility and prioritizing family. TIMESTAMPS [00:01:19] Starting a business after firing. [00:07:30] Company cars for business efficiency. [00:10:41] Biggest risks in business ownership. [00:12:34] Betting on Yourself. [00:16:32] Employee recognition and morale. [00:22:01] Tax strategy for business growth. [00:25:36] Revenue model and pricing strategy. [00:32:03] Future growth and strategy. [00:34:06] Favorite book influences life. [00:36:45] Dog ownership and rescue. QUOTES "I would say one of the biggest risks is just starting and planning." -Kelly Jedele"I truly believe looking at my employees in the eyes and recognizing them in the morning when they're here is important." -Kelly Jedele"I am just looking at what I want to do next in my life for what would warm my spirit and speak to my soul." -Kelly Jedele SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS Laurie Chen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/ Kelly Jedele Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellyjedele/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyjedele/  WEBSITES Risk Worthy: https://www.riskworthy.co/ Advanced CFO: https://www.advancedcfo.co/ Built By Margin: https://www.builtbymargin.com/

    38 min

  3. DEC 1

    Unlock High-Performance in Business and Life with Fraser Bayley

    In episode 21 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen interviews Fraser Bayley, the founder of Elite Nutrition, as he shares his incredible journey from struggling with mental health issues to becoming a sought-after performance strategist for high-achieving entrepreneurs, executives, and athletes.  Tune in for an engaging conversation that promises to bring value to your personal and professional life. TIMESTAMPS [00:02:30] Mental health transformation journey. [00:05:39] Human optimization and health. [00:09:50] Change your mindset, change life. [00:11:17] Mindset and health transformation. [00:17:09] Energy management as you age. [00:20:29] Energy management strategies for wellness. [00:23:17] Step count and movement benefits. [00:27:08] Hydration's impact on health. [00:29:15] Sleep optimization strategies. [00:33:23] Insulin resistance and ADHD connection. [00:39:00] High-level coaching and support. [00:42:10] Transformation through personalized coaching. [00:46:00] Importance of tracking KPIs. [00:47:48] Transitioning from physical to online. [00:52:25] Intuition vs. Data in Health. [00:54:54] Insights into income. QUOTES "If you can learn and master your energy, you can honestly achieve almost anything." -Fraser Bayley"You can give someone a good plan, but it's as good as their ability to integrate it into their life." -Fraser Bayley SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS Laurie Chen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/ Fraser Bayley LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fraser-bayley Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fraserbayley/   WEBSITES Risk Worthy: https://www.riskworthy.co/ Advanced CFO: https://www.advancedcfo.co/ Built By Margin: https://www.builtbymargin.com/

    55 min

  4. NOV 19

    Two Fractional CFOs Chat: How Purpose Drives Fractional CFOs with Jim Emerich

    In episode 20 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen interviews Jim Emerich, Founder of Backbone CFO, as he reflects on the invaluable lessons learned while helping others build their enterprises and emphasizes the importance of taking risks to achieve one's own entrepreneurial dreams. Tune in to learn about the challenges and rewards of starting a business and how Jim's experiences have shaped his approach to financial strategy. TIMESTAMPS [00:01:02] Entrepreneurial journey of Backbone CFO. [00:04:24] Fractional CFO services framework. [00:10:57] Simplifying client tech stack. [00:13:43] Financial roadmap for business growth. [00:17:06] Client communication frequency. [00:20:10] Faith's impact on business. [00:25:33] Starting a business risk. [00:27:31] Business scaling and reinvestment. [00:32:19] Raising the floor concept. QUOTES " So we go through a particular financial control framework, we call it. So we talk about cash, profit, people, systems, and position, and we really coach our clients in those five areas of their business on a continuous basis. Now, what becomes unique is every client has their own challenges and opportunities and issues that they're solving, right? So in that way, every client. Engagement can be a little bit different because the CFO is solving different problems, helping the client tackle different opportunities, but we're using the same framework, the same process to do it." - Jim Emerich" And you also really have to assess what the client's needs are, right? Because, you know, most construction manufacturing companies are not very tech savvy. You know, it's very different if you're working with like a software AI company, right? They might want a little bit more sophisticated system. But like for my clients, you know, it really depends on who they are, you know, how tech savvy are they? Are they fine with just Google Sheets? Are they fine with Excel or a little bit more of a cloud FP&A system like Causal or Jirav? " - Laurie Chen SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS Laurie Chen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/ Jim Emerich Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/backbonecfo/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesemerich/  Backbone CFO: https://backbonecfo.com/  WEBSITES Risk Worthy: https://www.riskworthy.co/ Advanced CFO: https://www.advancedcfo.co/ Built By Margin: https://www.builtbymargin.com/

    35 min

  5. NOV 12

    Scaling Smarter: The Future of Accounting with Joe Dunaway

    In episode 19 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen interviews Joseph Dunaway, Founder of VICI Financial, as he discusses how technology and AI are transforming the accounting landscape, allowing for more personalized and efficient services. Tune in to hear Joe’s insights on building a business with integrity and the importance of adapting to the future of accounting. TIMESTAMPS [00:01:04] Future of accounting services. [00:06:06] Investment in accounting services. [00:10:27] AI in tax planning strategies. [00:13:34] Real estate tax strategies. [00:16:10] R&D tax credit complexities. [00:21:20] Bookkeeping services offered. [00:27:06] Strategic planning in accounting. [00:28:37] Investment in accounting services. [00:32:07] Slack as a communication tool. [00:37:15] Favorite workout: box jumps. [00:40:50] Scaling smarter and harder. QUOTES "I wanted to build something that I could continue to help people, which is the core of what we do." -Joe Dunaway"Your accountant should be an investment, not a sunk cost." -Joe Dunaway“The first one to three years makes or breaks any new business." -Joe Dunaway SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS Laurie Chen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/ Joe Dunaway Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejoedunaway/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-dunaway  VICI Finance: https://www.vicifinance.com/ WEBSITES Risk Worthy: https://www.riskworthy.co/ Advanced CFO: https://www.advancedcfo.co/ Built By Margin: https://www.builtbymargin.com/

    43 min

  6. NOV 12

    Risk Worthy: Fail Fast with Laurie Chen, CPA, MBA

    In episode 18 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen shares key insights from her upcoming book Risk Worthy. — This episode shares a never-before-read excerpt on why “Fail Fast” is essential to growth. Laurie reframes failure as deliberate experimentation: define your hypothesis, read the signal, and plan the next iteration you’ll start by Monday.  QUOTES "Fail fast. It is better to experience failure than to not take any shots in life or in business, making decisions in the risk worthy framework in pursuit of the best version of yourself and your best possible future does not mean that you won't experience failure along the way." - Laurie Chen SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS Laurie Chen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/ WEBSITES Risk Worthy: https://www.riskworthy.co/ Advanced CFO: https://www.advancedcfo.co/ Built By Margin: https://www.builtbymargin.com/

    5 min

  7. NOV 12

    Risk Worthy: Minimizing Risk and Regret with Laurie Chen, CPA, MBA

    In episode 17 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen shares key insights from her upcoming book Risk Worthy. She discusses risk, regret minimization, and decisions that compound—covering practical risk tolerance (why many successful founders start as side hustles), lowering uncertainty through iteration, and using your “80-year-old self” as a filter, echoed by lessons from Jeff Bezos and Dharmesh Shah. QUOTES "You won't know all the answers, but you can move closer to the answers. You move closer to the answers by taking the action risk and minimizing regret. What would your 80 year old self say? One question that we must ask ourselves when it comes to assessing risk and uncertainty, is whether or not making the decision will lead to more regret in the long term." - Laurie Chen"We don't have to live in fear of uncertainty or live in the fear of chaos, because we do smart things to lower risk and become the best version of ourselves in the process." - Laurie Chen SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS Laurie Chen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/ WEBSITES Risk Worthy: https://www.riskworthy.co/ Advanced CFO: https://www.advancedcfo.co/ Built By Margin: https://www.builtbymargin.com/

    6 min

  8. OCT 30

    Risk Worthy: Defining Your Best Possible Future as a Founder with Laurie Chen, CPA, MBA

    In episode 16 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen shares key insights from her upcoming book Risk Worthy. She explains how to define your best possible future, focus on meaningful returns—not just quantitative returns—and take intentional steps to make your vision inevitable. She also offers a simple action prompt and invites listeners to join her early reader list. Tune in for valuable strategies to grow your business intentionally and effectively! TIMESTAMPS [00:01:18] Best Possible Future Defined. [00:05:33] Die With Zero concept. [00:07:31] Accumulating money vs. life fulfillment. QUOTES "Just knowing that I had the best possible future and that I was working towards it with intention made all the difference in the world." - Laurie Chen"Human beings are pulled forward by the future we're most committed to." - Laurie Chen"The Die With Zero theory illustrates how accumulating the most money in retirement or getting the best quantitative return on investment is not the most important result in life." - Laurie Chen SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS Laurie Chen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/ WEBSITES Risk Worthy: https://www.riskworthy.co/ Advanced CFO: https://www.advancedcfo.co/ Built By Margin: https://www.builtbymargin.com/

    9 min
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Built by Margin is the podcast for founders who want both profits and peace. Hosted by Fractional CFO and CPA - Laurie Chen, CPA, MBA, this podcast delivers real talk on cash flow, clarity, and scaling with soul. Whether you're chasing Series A or just want to keep what you earn, you’ll walk away with actionable insights, investor-ready wisdom, and space to breathe. Margin isn’t optional - it’s the strategy.

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  • Creator
    Laurie Chen, CPA, MBA
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    24
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Built by Margin
  • Show Website
    Built by Margin