Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great Christmas. 2 weeks ago I mentioned, we're running my cohort again Jan 19-23.

If you’ve ever looked at your financials and thought:

• “We’re profitable… so why does cash feel tight?”
• “Where did the money actually go?”
• “I know I should understand this better, but I don’t even know where to start.”

That confusion is exactly why I built Five Days to Financial Clarity. It’s a short, focused cohort where we break down:

• How money actually moves through your business
• Why profit doesn’t automatically turn into cash
• The few financial levers that matter most
• And how to walk away with a 90-day plan that improves cash, not just reports

No accounting jargon. No busywork. Just clarity and decisions.

If this resonates, use the code SMBFOS (40% off) and join us.

This next section is based on one of the concepts in the cohort, so hope you enjoy.

WHY YOUR PROFITABLE BUSINESS FEELS BROKE

You had a profitable year. The P&L looks great. Revenue’s up. Margins are solid. And yet… your bank balance is lower than it was 12 months ago. What gives?

This is one of the most common (and disorienting)experiences for business owners. On paper, you’re winning. In reality, it feels like you’re treading water. Or worse, slowly drowning.

The reason is simple, but uncomfortable: Profit and cash are not the same thing.

If you've subscribed to this newsletter for a while, I hope you already get that concept. But if you don't, it's cool... that's why we're here! And also, I promise, you're not alone.

When we don't have clarity on the differences in profit and cash, your financials will feel like they’re lying to you.

It's easy to hyperfocus on the P&L, but that doesn't reflect all cash movements.

Today, I share the other things impacting your cash and how to think about it.

​Read the article >​
​Watch the YouTube >​

A NEW WAY TO THINK ABOUT WORK

I’ve been testing a tool called Do Anything App, and it quietly broke my brain. This isn’t just another automation tool. It’s an autonomous agent. With a simple prompt, you can tell it what you want accomplished and it runs without constant prompts, clicks, or babysitting.

And here’s what surprised me most: I didn’t immediately know how to use it.

With regular AI and automation, you look for very specific tasks to accomplish. Do this research... complete this narrowly defined repeatable task.

But with agents, you are handing off an outcome for the agent to execute. The first outcome I asked for was it to run my Linkedin. I connected it, it created a posting strategy, then a schedule, and is waiting to make the next post. After each post, it analyzes the engagement and will adjust the strategy based on what it saw.

Like I said... mindblowing. I've had to shift from asking “What task can this replace?” to “What outcome can I hand off?”

And honestly? It has been hard.

I don't know what the future of work will look like, but it was the first moment that I really saw it start working and thought... wow, this is different. ChatGPT, automation, etc... all felt familiar in a lot of ways. Do they change how I do the work? Absolutely. But this? This felt like a completely different type of work.

Agents will change work not by saving hours and minutes, but by changing what you personally have to carry/do.

If you want to explore this shift firsthand, I’ve linked the app here.

PS. The guy who built it is great and is also building an insane business, Pipedream Labs. Follow him on X to see some cool stuff.

CASE STUDY: FROM CASH CHAOS TO AN $8M CONTRACT

With Bison CFO, we’ve recently niched down to intentionally serve more Security Guard and Commercial Cleaning businesses. With that focus, I’ve started building assets specifically for the challenges these businesses face.

One recent case study shows why.

A fast-growing security firm came to us with shrinking margins, slow billing, tight cash, and a maxed-out line of credit.

After fixing their cash mechanics and rebuilding pricing and overtime discipline, profits increased from under 3% to over 9%, cash stress disappeared, and the company confidently won an $8M annual contract.

If you're interested in seeing the case study, you can read it here.

If you read it, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Just reply here and share what you liked.

BE WHERE YOUR FEET ARE

During time with family over Christmas, I had two competing thoughts: this is great... but also, I'm ready to get back to work.

I also couldn’t help noticing how many moments this season were filtered through a phone. Present physically, absent mentally.

In today's world... in striving... in distraction... it's easy to always be thinking of something else. The other place you could be or thing online that might be slightly more interesting.

It’s made me think a lot about presence. Wherever you are, be there.

When you’re working, work.
When you’re resting, rest.
When you’re with people you love, don’t split the moment with everything else demanding your attention.

As we come out of this season, and thought forward to 2026, the word PRESENT revirbirated.

So, as you enter 2026 with me, two questions to consider:

• What can you learn, or what would you do differently, from your experience this holiday season?
• How can I be more present where I am? Where my feet rest.

Here's to a stellar 2026 and fewer missed moments wherever you are.

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Thanks for reading–see you next week,

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Work with me

Need more than this newsletter? You may not know, I have other ways we can work together. Check them out:

1. ​Join the 5 Days to Financial Clarity Cohort: Find profits and cash or get your money back.
2. ​Hire a Fractional CFO: We help businesses between $1-30 million in revenue use their numbers strategically.