Strategy Meets Finance

Strategy and Finance
Strategy and Finance
  • 4.8 (23)
  • Investing
  • Updated Weekly

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. 1d ago

    How to Move Fast and Build a Competitive Advantage | Ep 265

    Know your numbers, fix your cash flow, and build a business that works for you. Schedule a call with us. Margins are getting squeezed from every direction, and most companies are reacting too slowly to keep up. Often the people slowing things down are the very leaders who should be driving the change. In this episode Steve explains why so many businesses are stuck moving slow, how a profitable income statement can still hide a business that is destroying value, and why financial visibility can be both a roadblock and a crutch. Then he walks through three fixes you can start on today, including an uncomfortable thought experiment that changes how you look at your overhead. If your business feels like it is working harder just to stay in place, 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

  2. Oct 19

    Your Team Doesn't Know What Winning Looks Like. Here's How to Fix It. | Ep 264

    Know your numbers, fix your cash flow, and build a business that works for you. Schedule a call with us. Ask one of your direct reports to name the three to five things that define success in their role. If the answer is vague, you have a clarity problem, and it is costing you more than you think. In this episode Steve shares the moment as a CFO that showed him how broken the typical review process is, and why job descriptions alone leave your team guessing. He walks through how to turn responsibilities into specific success measures, how to use them in one-on-ones, and how to tie every role back to the one metric that tells you whether your strategy is working. If your team is busy but you still feel frustrated with the results, 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

  3. Oct 12

    The Difference Between Making a Profit and Making Money | Ep 263

    Know your numbers, fix your cash flow, and build a business that works for you. Schedule a call with us.  Most business owners look at the bottom of their income statement, see a profit, and assume the business is doing well. That number ignores one of the biggest costs in the business: invested capital. In this episode Steve breaks down the difference between accounting profit and economic profit, why invested capital changes the whole picture, and how looking only at the P&L can lead you to reward the wrong things. He also shares what showed up when he mapped economic profit across hundreds of construction companies, and what that means if you're in the majority. If your bonuses, growth decisions, and KPIs only look at the P&L, this one will change what you measure. ______________________________________ 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

  4. Oct 5

    8 Levers of Cash Flow: The Invested Capital Levers | Ep 262

    Know your numbers, fix your cash flow, and build a business that works for you. Schedule a call with us.  Most business owners focus all their attention on profit. But some of the biggest cash flow problems in a business have nothing to do with profit at all. In this episode Steve covers the second half of the eight levers of cash flow, the four that impact invested capital. Accounts receivable, work in progress, accounts payable, and capital expenditures. These are the levers that explain why a business can be profitable and still run out of cash. If you have not listened to part one yet, start there 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

  5. Sep 28

    8 Levers of Cash Flow: The Profit Levers | Ep 261

    Know your numbers, fix your cash flow, and build a business that works for you. Schedule a free call with us.  Most business owners know cash flow matters. Very few know the specific levers that actually control it. In this episode Steve kicks off a two-part series on the 8 levers of cash flow, starting with the 4 that drive profit. He walks through each one, why the order matters, and why the lever most owners reach for first is usually the one with the least upside. Part two covers the four invested capital levers that most business owners overlook entirely. _______________________________________ 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

  6. Sep 21

    Are You Competing in the Right Market? Here Is How to Know | Ep 260

    Know your numbers, fix your cash flow, and build a business that works for you. Schedule a free call with us.  Most businesses are so busy chasing work that they never stop to ask whether they are competing in the right market in the first place. In this episode Steve digs into one of the four boxes in his strategy framework: market focus and position. He breaks down the three things you need to nail to get it right, your offer, your ideal customer, and your playing field, and why getting the analytics behind each of them matters just as much as the gut feeling you have been going off of. It is one of the most important strategic decisions a business can make and most owners have never done it deliberately. _______________________________________ 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. Sep 15

    The Simplest Business Advice Nobody Actually Follows | Ep 259

    Know your numbers, fix your cash flow, and build a business that works for you. Schedule a free call with us.  Steve was in a wrestling class recently when the coach said something that stuck with him. Just do stuff that works. In this episode, he takes that idea into business and makes the case that most owners already know what works. They just keep getting pulled toward everything else. The new brand, the shiny tool, the flavor of the day. Meanwhile the real constraint sits there unsolved and the business stays stuck. So what does doing stuff that works actually look like? Steve breaks it down. _______________________________________ 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

  8. Sep 8

    Everything You Know About Strategy Is Wrong | Ep 258

    Know your numbers, fix your cash flow, and build a business that works for you. Start free with myColtivar.  Most business owners think they have a strategy, but most of them do not... In this episode Steve gives you three quick ways to find out if your strategy is actually working, breaks down what strategy really means beyond the vision days and planning sessions, and walks through the framework he has spent decades developing and just put into a book. If your team cannot agree on what your strategy is in two sentences, this one is worth your attention. _______________________________________ 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

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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.

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