Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Welcome to Flawless Conversations. I'm Tamika Jones and today we're diving into how mindset can shift your life, your confidence, your purpose.
You're watching now Media Television.
Welcome to Flawless Conversations, the transformational talk show where identity meets impact.
Powerful stories are elevated and purpose driven leaders are seen, heard and celebrated. I'm your host, Tamika Jones, identity and mindset coach, 23 year Air Force veteran, registered nurse and the founder of Flawless life coaching. On this show, we don't just have conversations for entertainment.
We have conversations to heal, conversations to challenge, conversations that build legacy, conversations that remind you that your voice matters, your story matters and your purpose. Still have work to do. Today's conversation is powerful because we are talking about what every leader, every entrepreneur and every business owner needs to grow with clarity.
Financial strategy, cash flow, tax planning, and leadership under pressure.
I am honored to welcome Harsh CPA, a seasonal financial strategist with more than 25 years of experience across IRS, Deloitte and American Express.
He is a partner at my Profit Gurus where he helped mid market businesses increase profitability, strengthen cash flow and make smarter financial decisions.
This is not just a conversation about the numbers, y'.
[00:01:46] Speaker B: All.
[00:01:46] Speaker A: This is about discipline, leadership, alignment, and building a business legacy that can sustain under pressure. Harsh, welcome to Flawless Conversations.
[00:01:57] Speaker B: Tamika, thanks for having me. Yeah.
[00:02:00] Speaker A: So every business leader wants growth, right? But growth also brings that pressure. Markets shift, tax laws forever changes, cash flow tightens, and the competition continuously increases. Right when that pressure rises, leadership is revealed. So let's talk about what it takes when. With clarity.
With clarity. When the financial pressure is high.
So harsh. When an organization is under serious financial regulatory pressure.
What separates steady forward thinkers or forward thinking leaders from reactive managers?
[00:02:42] Speaker B: Well, Tamika, that's a great question. And I've seen this both as a former IRS auditor and now working with business owners every day. The biggest difference is that reactive managers focus on today's fire, while great leaders ask what caused the fire and how do we make sure it doesn't happen again?
Pressure in my mind, exposes leadership. Anyone can lead when revenue is growing, but real leadership shows up when payroll is due. Regulations, like you said earlier, are changing and margins are shrinking. I think the strongest leaders rely on data instead of emotion. They don't make decisions because they're afraid. They make decisions because they understand the numbers. They know their cash flow, customer profitability, operational bottlenecks, and even risk before they become a crisis. I remember working with a company that was only weeks away from missing payroll. Their instinct was to slash marketing and lay people off.
Instead, we analyzed the financials and discovered that nearly 40% of the services were barely profitable. By restructuring their pricing, eliminating some of the low margin work and improving collections, they dramatically improved cash flow without cutting the very people responsible for generating the revenue.
[00:04:04] Speaker A: Wow, that's amazing. And I heard you say too, being more reactive, right? And that's something in the military too that we, you know, would say as for as leaders, right, Being proactive versus reaction, don't wait for that fire to take place, right? You have that fire extinguisher and all the things ready, right? That whatever you need ready because you know it's coming, right? It's coming 100%.
And you've seen it time after time with helping businesses.
So from your background with the IRS and Deloitte and also American Express, how do leaders make smart growth decisions when the market is changing ever so quickly? And you, you basically kind of answered that too in the last question. But, but give us a little bit more information about that surely.
[00:04:55] Speaker B: So I think one mistake I see is that companies confuse activity with progress. You know, they tend to chase every new trend, every new AI tool, every marketing strategy, hoping that something works. I learned during my years at Deloitte and Ernst Young that companies consistently over perform were not necessarily the ones that had the biggest budgets. They were the ones that allocated their capital intentionally. I mean think about AI for example, right? Everyone is talking about it, but buying AI software doesn't make the business smarter. It's investing in and using AI the right way to, to reduce administrative work, improve customer response times or help management make faster financial decisions. Now that creates measurable value. And I encourage executives to ask three questions.
Will this actually increase profit? Will this improve cash flow and will this create a sustainable competitive advantage over time? If the answer isn't yes to at least one of those, then it's probably a distraction.
[00:06:01] Speaker A: It's probably a distraction. I love it. I love it because like you just said, you could have all the tools in place, but if you don't know how to utilize those tools right to those three things that you, you mentioned, then it's like you said, it's kind of pointless of having it right? Just having something, the newest trend, hopping on that newest trend, like you just stated. Wow. So how can mid market business owners balance short term cash urgency with long term physical discipline?
[00:06:29] Speaker B: You know, cash flow solves a lot of problems actually. I think discipline prevents tomorrow's problems. The healthiest companies separate operational decisions from emotional decisions. I think one technique I recommend is maintaining two Planning horizons simultaneously. The first horizon asks what has to happen in the next 90 days. The second asks, what do we want the business to be in three years? I think every decision should support both. For example, during the economic slowdown or during COVID many companies immediately started to eliminate training, technology, and some of the marketing because those expenses appeared somewhat discretionary. Ironically, those are the very investments that determine who comes out stronger when the economy improves. I work with a company that wanted to eliminate their entire marketing budget because cash is tight. Instead, what we did is we redesigned a marketing strategy to focus on some measurable return on investment rather than eliminating it altogether. They generated enough new business to stabilize cash flow without really sacrificing future growth.
[00:07:36] Speaker A: Wow. I love that.
So they didn't have to do away with the marketing because you showed them how. Yeah, how necessary it is. Right.
[00:07:45] Speaker B: Correct.
[00:07:46] Speaker A: Wow, I love that. I love that.
So from your experience teaching the next generations of leaders, what leadership habits help companies stay financially focused during all this uncertainty? Because there is a lot of uncertainty.
[00:08:04] Speaker B: That's a great question. And I think one habit that stands out above all others is successful leaders create a regular rhythm of reviewing the right numbers. It's not once a year during tax season or once a quarter, but it's every week.
At UC Berkeley, I'll tell my students that accounting isn't about debits and credits. It's about good decision making. Financial statements tell a story if a leader isn't reading that story consistently or someone else is going to end up writing the ending for them. So the most successful executives that I've worked with don't wait for surprises. They review performance indicators, cash flow projections, profitability, customer trends, and operational metrics every single week. And the rhythm creates confidence because uncertainty doesn't disappear. But when leaders have timely information, uncertainty becomes manageable instead of overwhelming. And leadership isn't about predicting the future. It's about building a business that's prepared for multiple futures. Tamika, one thing that I'm deeply committed to is using education to guide and promote women into executive leadership or into starting an entrepreneurial journey. And I know the struggles they face.
Breaking the ceiling is the Corpus thing is real. And I just really love what you offer in your Limitless Queen coaching program and hoping you can say a few words about it in case any of my students are listening.
[00:09:28] Speaker A: Okay, definitely. I definitely would give some insight on the Limitless Queens program.
We can do it at the end if you like, because I want to hear more about you. It's not about me. This is about you. But yeah, and, and you empowering the audience. Right.
In regards to business and, and marketing and cash flow and all the things. So, but yeah, that, that's, that's powerful that, that foundation that you just talked about. And you did say consistency, right. Is what people, what, what business owners need to, to do and review their, the trends and all the things. Right. But being consistent. Consistent is key. I heard you say that. You use a different word, but you said consistency.
[00:10:12] Speaker B: That's exactly necessary.
[00:10:15] Speaker A: But yeah, that foundation, building that foundation is, is key. Right. We have to build the foundation because pressure does not create performance. Right. Pressure reveals preparation. So team has clarity, systems, discipline and the courage to look at real numbers. Like you mentioned, you have to look at, look at your data. Right.
They can make decisions from wisdom instead
[00:10:38] Speaker B: of they really can. And I think, you know what, maybe your background is even more particular to this being part of the military because their precision matters and making those decisions timely and consistently, I mean, that's what really makes military organizations so functional. So, I mean, you really understand this side of it very, very well.
[00:10:56] Speaker A: Yes, yes, yes.
Thank you.
So coming up next, we are going deeper into what's needed in every growing business Harsh. The cash flow.
Cash flow. So don't go anywhere. You are watching Flawless Conversations on NOW Media tv.
We'll be right back to remind you that healing is possible, confidence is yours, and that you are flawless. This is Flawless Conversations on NOW mediatel Vision.
And we're back. I'm Tameka Jones and you're watching Flawless Conversations on NOW Media Television. Are you ready? Let's go.
You are watching flawless conversations on NOW Media tv where identity meets impact and powerful stories are elevated. Catch every episode anytime at www.on demand or on Roku or iOS or listen to the podcast version on the Now Media app. Anytime, anywhere. Stay connected to my show and every NOW Media TV show and keep watching purpose driven conversations that inspire healing, resilience, leadership and legacy. Welcome back to Flawless Conversations. I am your host, Tameka Jones and I'm here with Harish, a CPA financial strategist, advisor, partner at my profit gurus and educator.
Before the break, we talked about leading with clarity under pressure. Now I want to talk about one of the most powerful areas in business growth, cash flow optimization.
Because far too many businesses or business owners treat cash flow like something they check after the damage is already done. But strong leaders understand this. They understand that cash flow is not just a report.
Cash flow is a strategy. Cash flow is protection.
Cash flow is power.
And when your money Systems are weak. Your mission feels the pressure.
So harsh. Let's talk about what it means to engineer cash flow with intention.
So through your work at my profit guru, why should business owners see active cash flow engineering as a core part of their powerful of their growth strategy?
[00:13:32] Speaker B: Well, Tamika, that's a great question. I think one of the biggest misconceptions in business is that if sales are growing, the business must be healthy. And that's just simply not true. At my profit gurus, we tell clients that revenue is vanity, but cash is reality. You can't pay your employees, buy equipment, or seize those great opportunities with revenue that's still sitting in unpaid invoices. Now, cash flow doesn't happen by accident. It has to be engineered. That means designing money that enters the business, how long it stays there, where it actually creates your highest rate of return. I work with a business that had nearly doubled its revenue in two years, yet the owner was constantly borrowing money to make payroll. The problem wasn't sales. It was that customers were paying 60 days late, while vendor payments were 30 days early. So you had this big disconnect between the two. They were basically financing everyone else's business except their own.
By restructuring some of the payment terms, improving collections, and designing pricing, they dramatically improved cash flow without adding a single new customer. I think growth isn't simply about making more money. It's keeping more of the money that you already earn.
[00:14:50] Speaker A: I love that. I love that strategy. I love it.
So how does proactive tax planning directly impact the liquid performance of a growing company?
[00:15:00] Speaker B: Well, you know, most business owners think that tax planning is about reducing taxes only. And it's really. It's actually more about increasing cash.
Every dollar legally saved in taxes is another dollar that can be invested into hiring employees, purchasing equipment, acquiring competitors, expanding marketing, and simply just strengthening the company's balance sheet. I often tell clients that taxes are one of the largest expenses most companies have, but it's also one of the few expenses they can legally influence through planning. The important word is planning.
Once the year is over, I think many opportunities start to disappear. We've worked with companies that save well into the six figures in taxes simply by implementing some of those strategies before year end rather than right when their CPA is starting to prepare the tax returns. And the types of advanced strategies we offer are proprietary and typically save our clients between 50 to 75% of their taxes legally.
[00:16:04] Speaker A: Wow. So what I heard, again, you say is the planning, you have to be proactive versus reactive. Right?
You say for that, for the taxes and to be able to move how, you know, you need to move through the business. And also how you, you just mentioned something about how we look at taxes and how you look at it. And I do, I look at it as, oh, here, another bill. I have to, at the, you know, at the end of the year. And.
But you're saying every money earned. Right can go back into the business as, as such versus looking at it as a negative perspective. Oh, here's Uncle Sam again.
Taxes. Right. So I like how you put that.
[00:16:50] Speaker B: That's 100 correct, Tanika. And I think, you know, like, overall you're going to see that many folks, you know, they look at exactly as you explained it, they go like on April 15, they meet their tax advisor, they get their tax return done. But there's really not much planning that could be done at that point in time because most of your planning is really done in the year before, before December 31st. So that's a really key point that you've raised.
[00:17:13] Speaker A: I love that. So harsh. What mistakes do fast growing businesses make that cause them to struggle with cash even when the sales look strong? And I think you hit this earlier too. Even when the cash looks strong. Right. What mistakes do business owners make which caused them to struggle with that cash?
[00:17:35] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. And I think, I think the biggest mistake is confusing growth with profitability. I mean, I've seen companies celebrate like record revenues while quietly running out of cash.
Usually it's because every new sale requires maybe hiring people, purchasing some inventory, increasing their marketing or, you know, extending their payment terms.
I compare it to like filling a bucket with water. Right. If the water has holes, pouring in more water doesn't solve the problem. It just simply leaks faster.
So another mistake is failing to understand which customers are actually profitable. Some customers buy a lot, but they demand discounts, they require constant support, they pay very slowly and they create some operational headaches. You know, those, those folks that your customer representatives just hate working with. I'm talking about those people. On paper, they look like your biggest customers, but in reality they may be your least profitable. And smart companies don't just measure sales. They actually measure profitable sales.
[00:18:40] Speaker A: Profitable sales.
Profitable sales, not just sales. Performance and profitable sales. I love that. What is one practical step a small or mid sized, mid sized business owner can take tomorrow to begin building a stronger financial culture for their business?
[00:19:00] Speaker B: Small step, small step. And I think it's a small step, but an important one is I think it's to schedule a weekly financial leadership meeting. Even if you're the only person attending. So it's not to look at accounting reports, but to make really important business decisions.
So every week I have our clients review five key numbers. One is the cash available, the other is the cash they're expected to earn over the next 90 days. Their gross profit margin, their accounts receivable, and the profitability of your top customers. I think these five numbers tell you where your business is headed long term before the annual financial statement arise.
And at Berkeley and at Menlo College, where I teach, I often tell my students that business doesn't usually fail because they didn't receive enough. They didn't usually fail because they did it badly. It's just they didn't get enough information. They really don't have enough information to make a good decision. So you really have to have those dashboards and key performance indicators to help you really guide you in making better business decisions.
[00:20:07] Speaker A: Wow. I love it. So having that financial planning meeting once a week is key, correct? Is that what I'm hearing you say?
[00:20:15] Speaker B: That is correct. And like I said, even with yourself, because we know there's a lot of solopreneurs out there who are, you know, running their business on their own. But, you know, one really simple, really great technique is to even use AI as your partner. AI is so intelligent, right? You can open up a ChatGPT conversation or any type of cloud conversation and you can ask them questions, ask the, the model questions about better ways you can run your business, better decisions you could make. And you'd be surprised how it actually can interact and interface with you and give you really good advice. Now, of course, you know, we have to vet it with our own knowledge and bringing in experts. But nonetheless, you know, it's a great starting point, especially if you're, you know, like, don't have a really big cash flow right at this point in time, trying to conserve on a little bit of expenses that might be an opportunity to take advantage of.
[00:21:09] Speaker A: Thank you. Thank you for that. Harsh. So before we go on a break, where can people find you? Where can they connect with you?
[00:21:17] Speaker B: I think the best place is just our website. You know, we're at www.myprofitgurus.com.
we have booking links on there and you can actually have our contact information.
Would love for you to, for your audience to contact us if they have any questions.
[00:21:35] Speaker A: Yes, thank you. So after the break, we are talking about what happens when the business reaches a turning point, right?
When what worked before no longer work. We are talking about transformation without chaos. So stay with us. This is Flawless Conversations on NOW Media tv.
We'll be right back to remind you that healing is possible, Confidence is yours, and that you are flawless.
This is Flawless Conversations on NOW Media Television.
And we're back. I'm Tameka Jones and you're watching Flawless Conversations on NOW Media Television. Are you ready? Let's go.
Welcome back to Flawless Conversations. I'm Tameka Jones and today we are having a powerful conversation with Harsh Jet Hack CPA about financial systems, business growth and cash flow. Also corporate turnarounds and legacy leadership or leadership and legacy.
Now I want to shift into transformation because every, every successful business eventually reaches a moment where what got you here will not take you there. Right? That sustainability and that moment requires courage. It requires clarity, it requires structure, it requires leadership. The question is not whether change will come. The question is whether the leadership can guide that change with discipline instead of creating that chaos. Harsh.
Let's talk about what real transformation looks like when the stakes are high.
Harsh. You have witnessed large scale financial overhauls across major businesses.
Why do so many turnaround and restructuring efforts fail during their execution?
[00:23:35] Speaker B: Yeah, and I think, I think most restructurings don't fail because the strategy was wrong. They fail because of bad execution. I think leadership announces a new direction, but the incentives stay the same. Right. Employees are measured by yesterday's priorities while management is asking them to achieve tomorrow's goals. That's kind of a recipe for confusion. And I think successful turnarounds start with clarity. Everyone from the board to frontline employees need to understand three things.
It's why change is necessary, what success looks like, and what their role is in getting there. One lesson I've learned throughout my career is that uncertainty created creates rumors and rumors slow down execution. Clear communication moves the organization forward.
I often compare restructuring to changing the engine of an airplane, you know, while it's still flying. You can't stop serving customers while you're trying to rebuild your business. That's why discipline, communication, accountability matter just as much as the strategy itself.
[00:24:42] Speaker A: Yes, I agree. And also that that clarity brings buy in. Right. So if your team is clear about the mission, clear about where we going and how we're going to get there, right.
That eliminates all chaos and kind of navigate the team to one team, one mission, be on one accord with what you're doing. So yes, I definitely agree that clarity and consistency, as well as being on one accord.
How can a leadership team communicate major financial changes to boards, teams, stakeholders without creating panic or confusion? And we kind of talked about that just now as well too. So let me hear what you.
[00:25:29] Speaker B: Sure, sure. And it's interesting because, you know, I actually report to a public board and I was a treasurer on the board of an international charity. So I can tell you the worst thing leadership can do is surprise the board. The best boards, they don't expect perfection, right? They expect transparency. So when presenting difficult financial news, I recommend three parts. First is to explain the facts and what's changed. Second is to explain the impact, right. What does it mean to be financially and operationally and strategically, you know, what are the changes that are happening there? What does that impact on to be to those different areas? And third, explain the plan. Right? We want solutions. What specific actions is management going to take to fix the problem? You know, the board understands that things are going to happen, right? They understand it. But if you are not able to offer a very good solution through.
When you, when you approach the board to give them an answer, I think that's when they really struggle. And I think over time, you know, the board, if they see you following this methodology, they start to build confidence in the management team. I mean, I've seen, I've presented audits to government boards for years, and trustees are generally less concerned about hearing the bad news, but they don't want to hear bad news with no solutions attached. And I think confidence comes from really having that credible recovery plan. I think that's what they pay you for.
[00:26:52] Speaker A: I love it. I love it. And with your regulatory background, what role does compliance and trust play during the reconstructing or a tax audit?
[00:27:04] Speaker B: I think, Tamika, compliance, you know, becomes even more important during probably the periods of stress, right? That's when organizations are under a lot of pressure. There is this temptation to cut corners or delay difficult conversations.
That's exactly when trust becomes your most valuable asset. As a former IRIS auditor, I can tell you that regulators respond much more favorably to organizations that are transparent, that are cooperative, that are well documented than to organizations that appear to be somewhat disorganized or evasive. And the same principle applies to investors, lenders and employees.
Trust isn't built when everything is going well. Trust is earned by how leadership behaves when things are really difficult and not going well. I think that companies that maintain strong internal controls, they have accurate financial records, they open, they have open communication and typically navigate. They typically navigate restructuring much more successfully than those trying to solve yesterday's problems while creating new compliance risks.
[00:28:14] Speaker A: Okay, great. I love it. I love it, I love it. What is the very first diagnostic step an executive team should take when the Business feel financially stuck or either overwhelmed or just stop moving, like it said.
[00:28:32] Speaker B: You know, Tamika, I think. I think the first step is surprisingly simple.
You know, stop guessing. Right. Most struggling companies immediately ask, you know, how do we increase revenues? And the better question probably is, where is the money actually going? Right. Before making any major decision, I think leadership, leadership should complete what I call financial review. You know, looking at cash flow, looking at customer profitability, looking at operational efficiency, even pricing and tax strategy, and probably even their debt. Right. Understanding where they are with the debt issues.
And only then can leadership really identify whether the problem is revenue, whether it's margin, whether it's overhead, maybe it's operations, something going on there, pricing or something total, something totally different.
I've worked with companies, you know, that are convinced that they had a sales problem only to discover that they actually had a pricing problem or the operational efficiency problem. I think that diagnosis always comes before any type of prescription. So you need to do it almost like a doctor.
And that's as true as in business, as in medicine. Right. We. We know with doctors, you know, what they need to do before they can diagnose you. That's kind of the same approach we need to use for business.
[00:29:52] Speaker A: And even with that financial review that you mentioned, that's something that they could do during the financial planning meetings, weekly meetings that you mentioned, or is that something they need to do more regularly? Or when would that, when would they need to.
To have that financial review?
[00:30:09] Speaker B: Yeah, so we typically say that they should do it at least monthly. That should be like sort of the lowest time frame or the most minimum time frame, and they should do it independently. Then what happens is we usually meet with our clients quarterly, so that way we can go ahead and talk about what's happened during the quarter and what's expected to happen next quarter and a quarter after that. A lot of this information is based on trending, so we can see these trends going long term, short term, and we're able to sort of predict what we need to do. And you'd be surprised with all the activity going on in a business. You know, business owners have a lot on their plate, and sometimes they forget some. Maybe like when a key loan is due, like a balloon payment or something like that, and preparing for that cash flow. Having six months, eight months, to be able to do that by doing some of the planning early, that really moves them in the right direction, so they're able to react and think about those things a little bit more effectively.
[00:31:05] Speaker A: I love it. I love it. And that is such an important reminder. Because transformation, it's not just about changing the plan, changing plan after plan after plan. It's about leading people through that shift. Right? Because you're going to have to pivot when planning, right? And I believe that so strongly because in life and in leadership, we cannot step into our purpose while holding on to systems or anything that no longer serves the true assignment.
Whether it's a personal transition or a corporate turnaround, you cannot skip the work and expect sustainable transformation.
When we come back, we'll bring it together.
Everything right, Strategy, execution, leadership and legacy. More to come on Flawless Conversations.
We'll be right back to remind you that healing is possible, confidence is yours, and that you are flawless. This is Flawless Conversations on NOW Media Television.
And we're back. I'm Tameka Jones and you're watching Flawless Conversations on NOW Media Television. Are you ready? Let's go.
Welcome back to the final segment of Flawless Conversations. I am here with Harsh Jet Hat, cpa, corporate strategic advisor, financial expert, educator, published author and partner at my profit gurus.
We have talked about leading under pressure. We have talked about cash flow, we talked about transformation and re structuring. Now I want to talk about execution and legacy. Because high level strategy means nothing if the leader cannot turn insight into action.
You can have all the reports, you can have all the data, you can even have the tax strategy. But if the team cannot execute effectively, the vision stays trapped on paper. So harsh. Let's bring this flawless conversation home.
You are known for translating complex financial data into clear strategy.
What is your framework for making technical information actionable for leaders?
[00:33:25] Speaker B: I think finance becomes valuable only when it changes a decision, right? Too often executives, they'll receive like a 50 page financial report full of numbers and nobody tells them what those numbers actually mean.
Data by itself doesn't create value, but decisions do. So my framework is built around three questions. What is the data telling us?
Why is it happening? And why is the one decision? What is the one decision we should make because of it? And that's where finance becomes a strategy. I often tell my clients, don't show me 200 metrics. Show me the five numbers that will change the next five decisions.
Whether I was at the IRS or in the big four leading internal audit or even teaching at Berkeley, I've learned that simplicity isn't the absence of sophistication.
Simplicity is what remains after you've done all the hard work of understanding the complexity. So great. Financial leaders don't impress people with complicated analysis.
They create clarity that inspires confident action.
[00:34:36] Speaker A: So don't complicate it is what you're trying to say.
Okay, that's what I heard you say. So as an educator, harsh. What core lessons are most important, are most passionate about teaching? Well, let me rephrase it. As an educator, what core lessons are you most passionate about teaching the next generation of financial. Financial leaders.
[00:34:58] Speaker B: That's another great question to me, I'll tell you, like the, the biggest lesson is that accounting isn't just about the numbers. It's really about building trust. Every financial statement tells a story.
Investors rely on rely on it. Banks rely on it, employees rely on it. You know, communities rely on it. And my future leaders, you know, students aren't simply preparing financial reports.
They're really helping people make life changing decisions. And I agree, technical skills will always matter, but integrity, curiosity, communication and critical thinking are what really separates the exceptional financial leaders from the average accountants. I remind my students that, you know, artificial intelligence can, you know, automate calculations, but it can't really automate judgment. So the future belongs to professionals who ask better questions that communicate better and they affect and they help organizations make wiser decisions.
Now, as an educator myself, and I know you're an educator, I'm a fan of coaching systems and proven methods. And I was super impressed with the coaching that you do with the wordy by design program. I love what you offer in terms of the flaws methodology where you talk about facing your fears, loving yourself first, and several other cornerstones to build your authentic self. And I was hoping maybe you can say a few more words about that.
[00:36:31] Speaker A: Yeah. So my program, my worthy by design program is all about my signature flaws method, right? I help women transition from the mindset of brokenness to becoming whole and becoming who God has called her to be. Whatever that looks like for her, right?
So I walk my client through my floss method, which is f face your fears. Whatever fears you may have, I help them to overcome those fears. For me, when I went through my coaching a couple years ago, my fear was public speaking, right? So I had to change that narrative, right, That I programmed in my mind, whether it was from my mom, my environment, right? My mom growing up and she's telling me, yeah, be quiet, you don't have a voice. You know, because she grew up in the south during racism, right? During that period in time where, you know, discrimination, all the things, right? So she would tell me, right? Go to school, don't cost money, smoke, sit in the back of class, don't raise your hand, don't, don't do anything, right? And that was her paradigm. That was her belief that that's how she. How she grew up. But that was projected on me. So I grew up like, so, right? So I had to face my fear. That's f.
In my signature flaws method. And then L. Right. Love and approve of yourself, right? You can't pour into someone else from an empty cup, right? So we have to do the healing and. And love ourselves and internally, right? So whatever, however you are in inwardly is going to project outwardly, right? So you have to do the inner work, right? And I say this, and it's. It's funny, but I say this. We can dress a pig up, right? Put the makeup on. Do you know? I don't know. Put extensions, whatever, right? We could, but a pig is still a pig on the inside, right?
[00:38:22] Speaker B: Right.
[00:38:23] Speaker A: I use that analogy, but it's not a good analogy. So.
And then the A. Right. Accept and approve of your authentic self.
And sometimes we don't know who that is. So we have to dig deep and do the work to say, who is Tameka? Who am I? At the core, I'm an officer in the Air Force. I'm a nurse. All these titles and accolades and all these things means nothing. They're just labels.
I'm just a single mom.
No, no, no, no. Who is Tameka? To the core, we do that identity work, right? And then the W is work on your struggles, whatever struggles. For me, it was the public speaking, right? So work on your struggles, and then in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, you're ready to step into your purpose. And I walk my clients through that. I walk with them and I. It's so funny because I had a dream team. I still have a dream team. I have a therapist and I have a coach, right? The therapist help you unpack the shit from your past and all that stuff, right?
Unpack that stuff and your life coach help you pack that stuff up, put it in bags, and take it to the side of the curve for the garbage man to pick up and then walk with you into your future. So that's what I do with my clients, and I love it. It's my. Just like you. You the guru of finances.
I'm the guru of identity and mindset work because it's so important and it's so needed for women, right? It's so, so needed. So, so needed. So, yeah, enough about me. Enough about me.
Thank you for allowing me to share this. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. So harsh. What inspired published writings and what urgent profit Audit should executives be running right now?
[00:40:07] Speaker B: You know, what inspired me was just seeing incredibly talented entrepreneurs work harder every year, but somehow they were keeping less with the they earned. And I realized the problem really wasn't effort, right. It was visibility. And owners knew their sales, they knew their bank balance, but they didn't really understand what was driving or destroying their profitability. If I could recommend, like, one audit tomorrow, it would be, this is. You want to ask yourself, which 20% of my customers generate 80% of my profits and which customers consume the most time while producing the least return?
This single exercise actually changes the conversations immediately because sometimes the biggest opportunity isn't finding another customer, it's serving the right customers better. Profitability isn't about doing more. It's about doing more of what actually creates better value.
[00:41:08] Speaker A: Love it. I love it. I love it. I love it. I love it. Yeah, I love it. So on my show, every guest on flawless conversations, they leave our audience with the flawless fat and a flawless nugget. A flawless fat can be. Could be anything you want us to know about you. It could. It could be, I love mint chocolate chip ice cream, and I eat it every day. Something the audience want to know about you. It can be, you know, personal. It could be not personal. You love amusing parts. I don't know. It's just something we just want the audience to know a little bit more about you. And that's the flawless fact.
[00:41:47] Speaker B: Very good. Yeah. I think I'll start. I'll start with the flawless fact is, you know, I've been recently on this journey about, you know, trying to get into better health, you know, and I will tell you, I have always struggled with weight and with, you know, having that motivation, you know, because I feel like I'm a workaholic sometimes and I don't give that enough attention. But, you know, as of late, you know, I've actually done what I've done for my financial work and try to bring that back into my personal work here and really created a very, very nice plan of action that's been working effectively. And I would encourage anybody who's like me that maybe was struggling with something like weight or anything like that to really try to implement a plan and to measure it and monitor it over time. So I do feel that that's, like, maybe a fun fact, you know, for anybody to encourage them to take the next step and do better for themselves.
And I think, you know, overall, you know, I don't. I don't believe, like, the flawless legacy means never making mistakes, right Every successful leader has setbacks. And a meaningful legacy is really built by, you know, creating some value for customers, your employees, you know, your shareholders, if you have that, even the community.
And eventually every business owner asks a question like, how much money did I make? And then they'll ask, you know, what difference did I make? Right. That's probably even a better question.
And did your employees become better leaders because they went, because they, they work for you? Right. Because we're trying to give back. It's not only about ourselves here. And did your customers become more successful because of your products and your services?
Did your business strengthen the community and did you leave the company healthier than when you found it? I think when you think about financial success in these broader terms, I think that's where legacy comes into place. Right? You're really leaving your legacy.
And the biggest part is that, not the financial part, but it's the impact you leave and, you know, you help others. So I think to me, that's the real measure of leadership.
[00:43:54] Speaker A: Nice. I love it. And was that your flawless nugget? Because also a flawless nugget, something the audience can take away, a quote or a harshism or something they can put in their back pocket and use, or even give to someone, family member or co worker or their boss. Right? Something that they can take away and use.
[00:44:15] Speaker B: I will take. I will give you one quote, which is one not like, unfortunately, I'm not the one that created, but I use it all the time, which is no guts, no glory. I mean, I think part of being an entrepreneur is you've got to take risks. Being too conservative means most likely you're going to, you might not be taking into account all the ways you can win. The other thing I will leave too is that it's really important to think about coaching. You know, I think, you know, just like professional athletes who are elite in their field, they are, you know, coaching is absolutely critical and taking advantage of people like you, Tameka, makes a big difference.
[00:44:50] Speaker A: Yes. That's powerful. I love it. I love it. Where can someone find you if they would like to connect with you?
[00:44:57] Speaker B: I think the best thing is my website. It's at www.myprofitgurus.com and you can reach us there.
[00:45:06] Speaker A: Thank you. What I hope every leader takes away from today's powerful conversation is this a flawless business is not built by accident.
I heard Hari say that earlier. It's not built by accident. It's built through clarity, discipline, strength systems, and the courage to face what it is, what it's what what real is. Numbers tell a story. Cash flow tells a story. Leadership even tells a story.
And if we want to build legacy, we must be willing to lead with truth. Harsh. Thank you so much for joining me on Flawless Conversations and for giving our audience such a powerful conversation on financial clarity, cash flow, tax strategy and sustainable leadership. And to everyone, everyone's watching, remember this.
Do not be afraid to look at the numbers.
Audit the systems and ask the hard questions. Clarity is power.
Clarity is power. Whether you are leading a company, growing a business, or rebuilding your identity, or stepping into your next level, your leadership, your story and your impact still matters. I am Tameka Jones, your host of Flawless Conversations. Keep leading, keep growing, keep alive, aligning and keep becoming. We'll see you next time on NOW Media tv.
