What if the biggest part of your business... the one bringing in the most revenue... turns out to be one of the least profitable?

That's the money moment Derek Fredrickson, founder and CEO of The COO Solution, is working through right now. And he was honest enough to talk about it while he's still in the middle of it.

In this Cash Flow Confessions episode, Stephanie sits down with Derek, who has spent more than 16 years as a fractional COO helping companies grow and scale. He shares how he realized his highest revenue service line wasn't his most profitable one, and what it took to shift from chasing revenue to actually protecting profit. A big part of that? Something a lot of owners skip. He started tracking his own time to see where it was really going.

Derek also walks through the simple planning framework he uses to keep his business pointed in the right direction, why every number in your business needs an owner, and how he finally got out of his own way to free up his time and grow his margin.

If you've ever assumed your busiest, biggest revenue stream is your best one, or you've felt like you're stuck running the day to day instead of leading, this conversation will give you a clearer way to look at your numbers and your role in the business.

Real talk about cash flow, profit, and the difference between being busy and being profitable.

Learn more about Derek and take his free fractional COO quiz on his website: https://thecoosolution.com/

We want to hear from you! Send us a message.

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My name is Stephanie Smith, owner of New Light Financial Solutions, and we help business owners walk the one clear path to generating more cash in their business. To learn more, visit us online at https://newlightfs.com/

Sign up for our newsletter for more great tips on how to keep the cash flowing in your business: https://newlightfs.com/newsletter/

Need help generating more cash in your business? Book a right fit call with us today: https://newlightfs.com/rightfit

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Want to be a guest on Getting to the Bottom Line: Conversations to help business owners maximize revenue, profit, and cash flow? Send Stephanie Smith a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/newlightfs

Looking to be on more podcasts this year? Check out PodMatch: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/newlightfs

One month you have a steady paycheck coming in. The next, it's gone... and the small business you've been building on the side suddenly has to carry everything.

In this solo episode of Cash Flow Confessions, Stephanie Smith, owner of New Light Financial Solutions, gets honest about her own money moment. Last year she was laid off from the corporate job that had been her family's main income. Her husband Kris had left his job years earlier to be a stay-at-home dad, so overnight the business went from a growing side venture to the thing that had to pay the bills. It was always the plan for her to work in the business full time. It just happened a lot faster than she was ready for.

Stephanie walks through exactly what she and Kris did to steady the ship. First, they went line by line through their spending and cut every expense that wasn't earning its keep, from software they weren't using to subscriptions they'd forgotten about. Then they doubled down on what was already working to bring in revenue, including the YouTube channel that quietly sends them most of their clients. She also talks about getting back out to networking events, meeting local business owners after a recent move, and how leaning on her faith kept her out of panic mode.

If you're a business owner facing a sudden drop in income, an unexpected expense, or a season where cash is tight, this one is for you. It's a real, encouraging look at how to protect your cash flow, tell the difference between needs and wants, and come out the other side with a stronger, leaner business.

We want to hear from you! Send us a message.

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My name is Stephanie Smith, owner of New Light Financial Solutions, and we help business owners walk the one clear path to generating more cash in their business. To learn more, visit us online at https://newlightfs.com/

Sign up for our newsletter for more great tips on how to keep the cash flowing in your business: https://newlightfs.com/newsletter/

Need help generating more cash in your business? Book a right fit call with us today: https://newlightfs.com/rightfit

---

Want to be a guest on Getting to the Bottom Line: Conversations to help business owners maximize revenue, profit, and cash flow? Send Stephanie Smith a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/newlightfs

Looking to be on more podcasts this year? Check out PodMatch: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/newlightfs

Have you tried using AI in your business, but it's felt like more effort than payoff?

You're not alone. A lot of business owners jump in, sign their team up for a tool, and then wonder why they're not seeing the traction they hoped for. In this episode of Getting to the Bottom Line, Stephanie sits down with Jason Van Orden, who helps business owners use AI to grow their revenue and reclaim their time. Jason started one of the first business podcasts, spent years in the business top 10, and has worked with more than 10,000 entrepreneurs. Today he draws on his background as a software engineer to build custom AI systems that handle operations, marketing, and client work.

Jason breaks down the five things that separate business owners who get real return from AI from the ones who just spend money on a fancy chatbot. He shares how to find the one high-friction process worth starting with, why giving AI the right context matters just as much as it does with a new hire, and how one of his clients started sending proposals faster, winning more work, and feeling more confident doing it.

If you've been curious about AI but weren't sure where to begin, or you've dabbled and want to actually see it move your bottom line, this conversation gives you a simple place to start. Jason's biggest takeaway just might change how you think about the whole thing: start treating your AI like a team member.

→ Free Claude quick-start guide and workshop: JasonVanOrden.com/claude
→ Learn more or connect with Jason: JasonVanOrden.com

We want to hear from you! Send us a message.

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My name is Stephanie Smith, owner of New Light Financial Solutions, and we help business owners walk the one clear path to generating more cash in their business. To learn more, visit us online at https://newlightfs.com/

Sign up for our newsletter for more great tips on how to keep the cash flowing in your business: https://newlightfs.com/newsletter/

Need help generating more cash in your business? Book a right fit call with us today: https://newlightfs.com/rightfit

---

Want to be a guest on Getting to the Bottom Line: Conversations to help business owners maximize revenue, profit, and cash flow? Send Stephanie Smith a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/newlightfs

Looking to be on more podcasts this year? Check out PodMatch: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/newlightfs

You land the work. You put your head down and deliver it. And a few months later you look at the bank balance and think... where did all the money go?

In this episode of Cash Flow Confessions, Stephanie sits down with Trevor Stevenson, an executive coach and experience designer who's spent two decades in leadership development, to talk about what he calls the cash flow roller coaster. It's the up and down so many solopreneurs and entrepreneurs know too well: hustle to get clients, then get so buried in delivering the work that the selling stops and the cash dries up.

Trevor gets honest about the season when he was heads-down coaching and facilitating, not paying attention to the bank balance, and hit the end of a program with nothing left to pay himself or the electric bill. He shares what's actually helped him even the ride out: time blocking his calendar, building in accountability with other business owners, protecting time for self care, and catching the fear-based, scarcity thinking that pushes us to just "work harder" when that's not the answer.

If you're a business owner living the feast-or-famine cycle, this conversation is a real look at why it happens and simple ways to bring more consistency to your revenue and your cash flow. It's practical, encouraging, and honest about how the money side and the mindset side are connected.

Connect with Trevor:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevor-bryce-stevenson/
- Trevor's website: https://www.consciouslead.life/

We want to hear from you! Send us a message.

---

My name is Stephanie Smith, owner of New Light Financial Solutions, and we help business owners walk the one clear path to generating more cash in their business. To learn more, visit us online at https://newlightfs.com/

Sign up for our newsletter for more great tips on how to keep the cash flowing in your business: https://newlightfs.com/newsletter/

Need help generating more cash in your business? Book a right fit call with us today: https://newlightfs.com/rightfit

---

Want to be a guest on Getting to the Bottom Line: Conversations to help business owners maximize revenue, profit, and cash flow? Send Stephanie Smith a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/newlightfs

Looking to be on more podcasts this year? Check out PodMatch: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/newlightfs

You made the Inc. 5000. You grew 40% in a year. On paper, business looks great. So why does it feel like there's no money left at the end of the month?

In this episode of Cash Flow Confessions, Stephanie sits down with Tom Malesic, founder of EZSolution in Lancaster, PA, and a certified EOS implementer. Tom built a company that grows fast, doing IT support, cybersecurity, and digital marketing for small businesses. But for years he chased top line revenue growth without watching what he actually kept. The result? A lot of income, not a lot of profit.

Tom gets honest about the moment it clicked: staring at a profitability number on his scorecard week after week until he decided he was done tolerating it. He talks about the mindset shift from revenue to profit, why he trimmed a bloated payroll, how separating cost of goods finally showed him what was actually making money, and why he keeps a big cash cushion so he never has to pass on a good opportunity.

If you're a business owner who's great at selling but unsure how much you're really keeping, this conversation is for you. It's a real talk about profit margins, cash flow, knowing your numbers, and learning to be a better CFO for your own business.

We want to hear from you! Send us a message.

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My name is Stephanie Smith, owner of New Light Financial Solutions, and we help business owners walk the one clear path to generating more cash in their business. To learn more, visit us online at https://newlightfs.com/

Sign up for our newsletter for more great tips on how to keep the cash flowing in your business: https://newlightfs.com/newsletter/

Need help generating more cash in your business? Book a right fit call with us today: https://newlightfs.com/rightfit

---

Want to be a guest on Getting to the Bottom Line: Conversations to help business owners maximize revenue, profit, and cash flow? Send Stephanie Smith a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/newlightfs

Looking to be on more podcasts this year? Check out PodMatch: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/newlightfs

What if the thing keeping your profit stuck isn't your pricing or your marketing, but the fact that you're still doing everything yourself?

In this episode of Getting to the Bottom Line, Stephanie sits down with Kirsten Graham, who helps business owners increase profit and improve cash flow through strategic outsourcing. Kirsten and her business partner Jeanne interview, vet, hire, and train virtual assistants who work directly for their clients, mostly coaches, consultants, authors, and real estate agents who want to grow through podcasting, YouTube, or guesting on other people's shows.

Kirsten breaks down why "I need to know how to do it before I can hire someone to do it" is one of the most expensive beliefs a business owner can hold onto. She shares a real story about a client who landed a new customer simply because she had video content up online, and she walks through the actual math on why paying someone a few dollars an hour to free up your time is one of the best investments you can make in your business.

If you've ever felt like you're the bottleneck in your own company, or you've put off starting a podcast or YouTube channel because you don't have the time to manage it, this conversation will change how you think about delegating. It's a real look at what it takes to build a business that grows your revenue and your cash flow without demanding every hour of your day.

Learn more about Kirsten:
- Kirsten Graham's business coaching site: https://sixfigurebusinesscoaching.com/
- Free guide, "Double Your Income With a Marketing VA": https://outsourcingforbosses.com/

We want to hear from you! Send us a message.

---

My name is Stephanie Smith, owner of New Light Financial Solutions, and we help business owners walk the one clear path to generating more cash in their business. To learn more, visit us online at https://newlightfs.com/

Sign up for our newsletter for more great tips on how to keep the cash flowing in your business: https://newlightfs.com/newsletter/

Need help generating more cash in your business? Book a right fit call with us today: https://newlightfs.com/rightfit

---

Want to be a guest on Getting to the Bottom Line: Conversations to help business owners maximize revenue, profit, and cash flow? Send Stephanie Smith a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/newlightfs

Looking to be on more podcasts this year? Check out PodMatch: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/newlightfs

Most new business owners start the same way: funding the business out of their own pocket, putting expenses on personal credit cards, and figuring out the rest as they go. What they don't realize is that every dollar spent on a personal card is a missed opportunity to build something that could actually help the business grow.

In this episode of Cash Flow Confessions, Stephanie talks with Antwon Person, founder of Skillful Brands and a 22-year U.S. Army veteran, about the financial challenge that caught him off guard when he first launched his business. Antwon was hustling, working hard, but running everything through his personal credit with no real business credit to show for it. And he didn't know what he didn't know.

Antwon shares how connecting with a mentor changed everything. He walks through the step-by-step process of structuring a business the right way so it shows up as a real business to lenders, including getting a physical business address, a proper business phone number, and a Dun & Bradstreet account. From there, it was a matter of building business credit the same way you build personal credit: starting small, paying consistently, and working your way up to business loans and lines of credit.

He also shares something a lot of business owners miss: not every business credit card actually builds your business credit. Some still report to your personal profile. If you're putting in the work to build business credit, knowing the difference matters.

Whether you're just getting started or have been in business for years and still have everything on personal cards, this episode is a practical, no-fluff conversation about how cash flow, credit, and business structure are all connected.

We want to hear from you! Send us a message.

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My name is Stephanie Smith, owner of New Light Financial Solutions, and we help business owners walk the one clear path to generating more cash in their business. To learn more, visit us online at https://newlightfs.com/

Sign up for our newsletter for more great tips on how to keep the cash flowing in your business: https://newlightfs.com/newsletter/

Need help generating more cash in your business? Book a right fit call with us today: https://newlightfs.com/rightfit

---

Want to be a guest on Getting to the Bottom Line: Conversations to help business owners maximize revenue, profit, and cash flow? Send Stephanie Smith a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/newlightfs

Looking to be on more podcasts this year? Check out PodMatch: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/newlightfs