CEO Numbers Network with Danielle Hayden

Kickstart Accounting, Inc.
  • 4.9 (32)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

Making money and understanding your finances are two very different things. CEO Numbers Network is here to close that gap. Hosted by Danielle Hayden, former corporate CFO and CEO of Kickstart Accounting, Inc., every episode breaks down the financial strategy that most business owners never had access to. Profit, cash flow, real decision-making. The kind of thinking that actually moves a business forward.

  1. 1d ago

    The CEO Strategy For Building A Full Money Team

    You have your financial statements. But do you actually know what to do with them? Most of us were taught to check our numbers after the month is already over. That's the moment I want to change for you. In this episode, I walk through the four ways business owners make decisions and why most of us default to reacting instead of planning. I share the three shifts I use in my own business. Two of them are about your numbers: using them instead of just knowing them, and looking ahead instead of only looking back. The third is about your role, moving from expert to CEO. I also break down the four roles every money team needs and share what happened when one of our clients built her ten year vision and finally felt confident enough to hire. In this episode of CEO Numbers Network, I break down why your budget alone isn't enough to guide your decisions. You will learn the four decision making styles I see most often, plus the three shifts that move you from reactive to strategic. I also walk through the four roles you need on your money team. If you have ever made a big decision off pure gut instinct or panicked after one bad month, this episode will help you build a process you can actually trust.   👉 Discover how our Tteam can help you build a budget you actually use, start here!   Key Takeaways 00:00 Four decision-making styles for CEOs 02:38 Bookkeeping and budget drive decisions 04:11 Financial whiplash kills business confidence 07:46 Build your 10-year vision first 10:26 Growing past $800K by hiring 13:32 Building a strong money team   Resources 📈 Book a strategy call with Danielle's team at Kickstart: here    👉 Check your books here  👉 Visit the Kickstart website 👉 Follow us on Instagram   Listen Next 👉 What Outgrowing Your Business Actually Looks Like 👉 The Reforecast Mistake Costing You the Rest of the Year

  2. Jul 14

    What Outgrowing Your Business Actually Looks Like

    After eleven years, we admitted the business we had on paper wasn't the business we had actually built. This episode is what outgrowing your own business actually looks like, from the inside. We rebranded Kickstart Accounting into three divisions, Kickstart Bookkeeping, Nvision CFO, and KSA Tax Partners, and in this episode I explain why, starting with the one thing I want to clear up immediately: we did not sell the business. Our VP of Operations Victoria joins me to talk through how we knew it was time to rebrand, the three financial phases every business owner moves through on the way to building real value, and why bookkeeping still has to be the foundation of every other financial decision. We also get into what a done-with-you model looks like compared to done-for-you, and why building something that can survive without you matters more than staying profitable alone. In this episode of CEO Numbers Network, Victoria and I walk through the real story behind our rebrand and what building a valuable business actually requires. You will learn the three financial phases every business owner moves through and why bookkeeping still has to be the foundation before you can build real value. If you have ever felt like your business outgrew the brand you built it under, this episode will show you what it actually takes to build something that can run without you.   👉 Discover how our CFO services can help you plan your next 10 years, not just last month: start here!   Key Takeaways 00:00 No Sale, No New Ownership 04:00 The Designer Note Behind the Rebrand 06:00 No Budget Without Bookkeeping 08:00 Envision CFO's 1, 3, and 10-Year Plans 10:00 A 10-Year Recommitment to Kickstart 11:00 Building a Business That Could Be Sold 13:00 Confirming the Same Leadership Team 15:00 Kickstart Kit and the Done-With-You Model   Resources 📈 Book a strategy call with Danielle's team at Kickstart: here    👉 Check your books here  👉 Visit the Kickstart website 👉 Follow us on Instagram   Listen next 👉 How to Audit Business Expenses Like a CFO (5-Step Method) 👉 The Reforecast Mistake Costing You the Rest of the Year

  3. Jul 7

    The Reforecast Mistake Costing You the Rest of the Year

    You made a plan back in January. By July, your business probably looks nothing like it. In this episode, I walk through mid-year financial reforecasting for small business owners, including a 3-step process for updating a budget using year-to-date data. I share the boardroom accountability standard, three questions I use to evaluate what happened, why it happened, and what to do next. I also share two real client examples, one who adjusted her plan after a team member left and one who had to build new infrastructure after hitting her revenue goal early. I explain why revising your budget mid-year is normal and does not mean you failed. In this episode of CEO Numbers Network, I break down the reforecasting tool I've used every year since my corporate CFO days to lead the back half of the year with confidence. You will learn the three-question boardroom standard, the signs that mean it's time to update your budget, and the three-step process for reforecasting your numbers. If you have ever felt like your original budget doesn't match your business anymore, this episode gives you the tool to update it without feeling like you failed.   👉 Need help re-forecasting? Discover how our CFO services can help your business for the back half of the year: here ✅ Download the Mid-Year Checklist   Key Takeaways 01:00 Why Every CEO Reforecasts 02:22 What Reforecasting Really Means 03:43 The Boardroom Accountability Standard 05:47 5 Signs To Reforecast 08:42 The 3-Step Reforecast Process 11:50 Real Client Success Stories    Resources 📈 Book a strategy call with Danielle's team at Kickstart: here    👉 Check your books here  👉 Visit the Kickstart website 👉 Follow us on Instagram   Listen Next 👉 How to Audit Business Expenses Like a CFO (5-Step Method) 👉 The Mid-Year Reset Your Business Is Begging For

  4. Jun 30

    How to Audit Business Expenses Like a CFO (5-Step Method)

    You can't grow a business you can't defend. Every line item on your P&L deserves a real answer when someone asks why it's there. For years as a corporate CFO, I learned a framework for reviewing business expenses that I now use with every Kickstart Accounting client. It is a step-by-step method for small business owners who feel like their profit is leaking somewhere but cannot see exactly where. I walk through how to pull every vendor in your business, grade each one against your actual operations, and create an action plan you can defend. By the end you will know exactly how to bring boardroom-level accountability to your business spending. In this episode of CEO Numbers Network, I break down the expense grading framework into 5 steps any business owner can execute this week. You will learn how to audit every vendor in your business and apply the A/B/C grading system that CFOs use in boardroom reviews. If you have ever felt overwhelmed looking at your P&L or signed up for subscriptions you can no longer defend, this episode gives you the framework to take ownership back.   👉 Discover how our CFO services can help you audit every expense in your business: here ✅ Download the Mid-Year Checklist: kickstartaccountinginc.com/checklist   Key Takeaways: 00:00 The CFO Boardroom Standard for Business Expenses 04:18 Step 1: Pull Every Vendor From the Last 12 Months 05:02 Step 2: The A/B/C Grading System Every CEO Needs 06:55 Step 3: Defend Every Expense Like You're Presenting to a Board 08:20 Step 4: Keep, Consider, or Cut Every Vendor 09:25 Why High Profit Margins Can Signal a Problem   Resources:  ✨Download The Ultimate Dashboard for Business Owners for FREE here 📈 Book a strategy call with Danielle's team at Kickstart: here    👉 Check your books here  👉 Visit the Kickstart website 👉 Follow us on Instagram   Listen next 👉 The Mid-Year Reset Your Business Is Begging For 👉 Balance Sheet Mistakes Draining Your Business

  5. Jun 23

    The Mid-Year Reset Your Business Is Begging For

    Everyone tells you to work on your business instead of in it. Nobody hands you the agenda for what that time is actually supposed to look like. In this episode, I walk you through the exact 90-minute midyear CEO session I have run on my own business every year for 11 years. This is a step-by-step financial review for small business owners who want to check in on their numbers before the second half of the year. I cover how the session changes depending on your financial stage, what to review on your profit and loss statement and balance sheet, how to check your tax reserve against what you have actually paid, and how to reforecast your budget for the next six months. Whether your books need a cleanup or you are casting a 10-year vision, this episode gives you the full agenda. In this episode of CEO Numbers Network, I break the session down by financial stage: foundation, empowered, and visionary. You will learn how to review your P&L and balance sheet like a CFO, how to check your payroll, owner pay, contractor W-9s, and tax reserve, and how to reforecast the back half of the year against your long-term goals. If you have ever blocked time to work on your business and ended up answering emails instead, this episode gives you the exact agenda to make those 90 minutes count.   👉 Discover how our CFO services can guide you through your midyear review: here 👉 Download the Mid-Year Checklist: kickstartaccountinginc.com/checklist   Key Takeaways 00:00 What "work on your business" actually means 00:58 Block 90 minutes. Become the CEO. 01:33 The three financial tiers explained 01:38 Foundation stage: clean books first 03:35 Empowered stage: review your P&L like a CFO 05:00 Payroll, owner pay, and contractor W-9s 07:33 The 25% tax reserve and mid-year check 08:24 Balance sheet: cash, debt, owner's draws 10:43 Visionary stage: 10-year, 3-year, 1-year 12:19 Reforecast the back half with your money team   Resources:  ✨Download The Ultimate Dashboard for Business Owners for FREE here 📈 Book a strategy call with Danielle's team at Kickstart: here    👉 Check your books here  👉 Visit the Kickstart website 👉 Follow us on Instagram   Listen next 👉 Why You're Stuck: The Three Phases Of Financial Support  👉 Building a Business Worth Selling: The 7-Step Framework

  6. Jun 16

    Balance Sheet Mistakes Draining Your Business

    How do you know if your business is actually building wealth, or just keeping you busy? The answer lives on a report most small business owners ignore: the balance sheet. I break down how to read it as a CEO, what assets, liabilities, and equity actually mean for your company, how much cash a healthy business should keep on hand, how to use debt strategically, and why owner's draws can drain long-term value. I also explain why minimizing taxes as your only financial strategy is one of the biggest mistakes I see, and what that does to your company's worth. In this episode of CEO Numbers Network, I share the four principles I use with our CFO clients to evaluate financial health. You will learn how to spot the trends that signal whether your business is gaining strength or losing it. If you have ever wondered why your business looks profitable on paper but does not feel valuable, this episode will give you the clarity you have been missing.   👉 Discover how our CFO services can help you build real long-term value: here   Key Takeaways 00:00 The Report You're Ignoring 02:45 Equity Is Your Wealth Score 03:15 The Tax Minimizing Mistake 04:43 Build a Cash Cushion 06:06 Protect Your Equity 08:24 Evaluate Every Decision   Resources:  ✨Download The Ultimate Dashboard for Business Owners for FREE here 📈 Book a strategy call with Danielle's team at Kickstart: here    👉 Check your books here  👉 Visit the Kickstart website 👉 Follow us on Instagram   Listen next 👉 Why You're Stuck: The Three Phases Of Financial Support  👉 Building a Business Worth Selling: The 7-Step Framework

  7. Jun 9

    Why You're Stuck: The Three Phases Of Financial Support

    You're not stuck because you're lazy. You're stuck because the support you picked doesn't match the stage you're actually in. In this episode, I walk through the three financial phases I've watched business owners move through over 11 years at Kickstart: Foundation (where you need clean books and visibility), Empowered (where you start using your numbers to lead), and Elevation (where you bring in forecasting and strategy). The phases aren't tied to revenue, they're tied to how you lead and how you make decisions. Once you know which phase you're actually in, you can stop chasing random financial advice and finally get the support that fits. In this episode of CEO Numbers Network, I break down what each phase looks like in real life, the signs that tell you which one you're in, and the kind of support that makes sense at each stage. You will learn how to spot the phase you're in, why DIYing the wrong solution keeps you stuck, and what financial leadership looks like once your books are no longer the bottleneck. If you have ever followed financial advice that worked for someone else but didn't move the needle for you, this episode will explain why and give you a clearer path forward.   👉 Discover how our CFO services can match the right support to the stage you're in: here   Key Takeaways 00:00 The Wrong Support Is Costing You 01:47 Phase One: Foundation, Trust Your Numbers 03:21 Phase Two: Empowered, Lead With Numbers 04:34 Phase Three: Elevation, Reports to Strategy 06:04 Find the Right Support for Your Stage   Resources:  ✨Download The Ultimate Dashboard for Business Owners for FREE here 📈 Book a strategy call with Danielle's team at Kickstart: here    👉 Check your books here  👉 Visit the Kickstart website 👉 Follow us on Instagram   Listen next 👉 Building a Business Worth Selling: The 7-Step Framework 👉 Why You're Profitable But Have No Cash

  8. Jun 2

    Why You're Profitable But Have No Cash

    You look at your financials and the numbers show a profit. You look at your bank account and the balance doesn't match. You start wondering what you're missing. Most small business owners don't realize how much their accounting method is shaping what they see on their financial statements. In this episode of CEO Numbers Network, I break down the difference between cash basis and accrual basis accounting in plain language. I explain how each method reports revenue and expenses, why that gap between profit and cash exists, and how to tell which method actually fits your business right now. I also share a recent client story about a tax accountant's well-intentioned switch to accrual that created bigger problems a year later. You will learn why your profit and your cash rarely match, how large inventory purchases can cause big monthly swings in your numbers, and why a tax saving strategy that just pushes an expense to next year isn't actually a strategy. If you have ever looked at your books and thought "wait, how am I profitable but I have no cash?", this episode will give you the clarity to understand what your financials are actually telling you. 👉 Discover how our bookkeeping services can help you choose the right accounting method for your business: here.   Key Takeaways: 00:00 Profitable But Broke? Here's Why 00:19 The Accounting Lens Shaping Your Decisions 01:30 Cash Basis Accounting, Explained Simply 01:54 Why Your Sales Don't Match Your POS 02:39 How Expenses Hit on Cash Basis 02:57 Accrual Accounting and Matching Revenue 04:37 Cash vs Accrual: How to Choose 05:23 The Real Pros and Cons of Cash Basis 07:04 What You Need Before Switching to Accrual 09:23 The Tax "Strategy" That Backfires Next Year   Resources:  ✨Download The Ultimate Dashboard for Business Owners for FREE here 📈 Book a strategy call with Danielle's team at Kickstart: here    👉 Check your books here  👉 Visit the Kickstart website 👉 Follow us on Instagram   Listen next: 👉 The Write-Offs That Are Devaluing Your Business 👉 Building a Business Worth Selling: The 7-Step Framework

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About

Making money and understanding your finances are two very different things. CEO Numbers Network is here to close that gap. Hosted by Danielle Hayden, former corporate CFO and CEO of Kickstart Accounting, Inc., every episode breaks down the financial strategy that most business owners never had access to. Profit, cash flow, real decision-making. The kind of thinking that actually moves a business forward.

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