Money First CEO

Jaksot

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  You Don't Have a Sales Problem. You Might Have a Profit Problem. 14.09.2026 9min

  When money feels tight in business, the instinct is always the same: get more clients, chase more sales, push revenue higher. But what happens when you’re already making good money and there’s still nothing left at the end of the month? In this episode, Harman breaks down why more sales can sometimes make a profit problem worse, not better. She walks through what to actually look at instead of chasing another 10K in revenue, why your bank balance can lie to you, and the exact three-line check...
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  AI Can Read Your Numbers. But Can It Tell You What to Do With Them? 07.09.2026 10min

  AI can now read your profit and loss in seconds. It can tell you your revenue is up, your expenses have jumped, or your margins have slipped. But can it tell you what to actually do about it? In this episode of Money First CEO, host Harman Johnston tackles a question she's been hearing more and more from friends, clients and fellow business owners: if Xero and AI can now read invoices, reconcile transactions and summarise reports, do you still need a bookkeeper? As a bookkeeper herself, Harma...
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  Leadership Lessons Every Business Owner Can Learn From Profit First 31.08.2026 9min

  Most business owners think Profit First is about bank accounts. It is really about how you lead. In this episode of Money First CEO, Harman Johnston steps away from the spreadsheets for a moment to unpack something bigger: what the Profit First method teaches business owners about leadership, not just cash flow. Because the way you manage money says a lot about how you run your business. Do you plan ahead or react? Do you have systems, or does everything live in your head? Do you make decisio...
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  Should Employees Know Your Business Numbers? 24.08.2026 16min

  Should your team know how much the business makes? It’s a question most business owners think about constantly and talk about rarely, because it feels like one of those conversations with no safe answer. In this episode of Money First CEO, Harman Johnston tackles the topic head on. Not with a blanket yes or a blanket no, but with a practical middle ground that she uses in her own business, Blu Bookkeepers. Harman starts by naming the fears most owners carry. That if the team sees the revenue,...
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  Scaling a Business Without Losing Profit 17.08.2026 11min

  More revenue is supposed to feel like winning. So why do so many business owners find themselves working harder, managing more people and carrying more stress, only to end up with the same amount of money in their pocket? In this episode of Money First CEO, Harman Johnston unpacks a conversation with a client that stopped her in her tracks. The client’s revenue had grown five times over. From the outside, the business looked like a huge success. But when Harman looked at the profit, it was ex...
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  What’s Your Financial Freedom Number? 10.08.2026 15min

  Most business owners can tell you their revenue target. Very few can tell you their financial freedom number. In this episode of Money First CEO, Harman Johnston asks the question most business owners have never properly sat down and answered: not your revenue goal, not your growth target, but the actual amount of money you need coming in consistently for your life to feel genuinely free. Because here’s the pattern Harman sees constantly, including with clients at Blu doing $100,000, $150,000...
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  If Your Business Doubled Tomorrow, Would Your Finances Survive? 03.08.2026 17min

  Here’s a question worth sitting with: if your business doubled tomorrow, would you be excited, or would you quietly panic? Most business owners assume growth is the fix. More revenue, more breathing room, more freedom. But in this episode, Harman Johnston makes the case that growth doesn’t solve financial problems, it amplifies them. The businesses that fall over during rapid growth are rarely the ones with a bad product or a weak offer. They’re the ones with a financial foundation that was n...
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  How to Reward Employees Without Hurting Profit 27.07.2026 15min

  You want to look after your team. You want people to feel valued, motivated and excited to stay. But every dollar you hand out in bonuses has to come from somewhere, and if it’s coming from operating cash, you’re one quiet month away from a promise you can’t keep. In this episode, Harman breaks down why most business owners get employee rewards wrong, and walks through the exact system she runs at Blu Bookkeepers to reward her team sustainably, without the guilt, the guesswork or the pressure...
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  The Money Conversation Nobody Wants to Have With Their Partner 20.07.2026 15min

  We talk a lot on this podcast about profit first percentages and Xero reports, but this episode is about something most business owners avoid completely: the money conversation with your partner. I'm not a relationship expert or a therapist. I'm a bookkeeper and a Profit First Professional, and I've lived the tension of business money spilling into home life. In this episode I'm sharing why this conversation is so hard, what happens when you avoid it, and exactly how to have it in a way that ...
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  Small Business Budgeting Made Simple 15.07.2026 13min

  Budgeting does not need to mean a complicated spreadsheet you build once and never look at again. In this episode of Money First CEO, Harman Johnston breaks down a simple, practical approach to small business budgeting that helps you understand where your money is going, protect the money that matters and stop expenses quietly eating into your profit. Harman shares the three layers of a simple business budget, why expense creep is one of the biggest silent profit killers in small business, an...
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  How to Increase Profit Without Working More Hours 06.07.2026 12min

  Your business is busy. Revenue is coming in. But you are still wondering where the money goes. If more profit feels like it would require more clients, more work and longer hours, this episode is for you. In this episode of Money First CEO, Harman Johnston shares five practical ways service-based business owners can increase profit without adding more to their already full week. You will learn how to spot hidden expenses, review pricing with confidence, separate your cash properly, plan for h...
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  I Spent $20,000 in One Month on My Business. Here’s Why. 29.06.2026 17min

  This month Harman invested $20,000 back into her business. Not on a new car or a fancy rebrand. On four strategic investments that most business owners overlook. In this episode she breaks down exactly where every dollar went, the thinking behind each decision, and what it means to spend like a Money First CEO. If you have ever hesitated to hire a professional, avoided learning something new, or felt uncomfortable talking about money in your business, this episode is for you. What You Will Le...
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  The Business Mistakes That Cost Me Time, Money and Growth 22.06.2026 17min

  Everyone loves talking about the wins. The new clients. The revenue milestones. The growth. But what if the biggest lessons in business come from the mistakes? In this honest and personal episode of Money First CEO, Harman Johnston shares the business mistakes that cost her time, money, energy and growth during the early years of building Blu Bookkeepers. What You'll Learn: • Why waiting too long to hire can stunt business growth • The hidden...
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  Stop Doing It All: Why a Money First CEO Brings In the Experts 15.06.2026 16min

  Most business owners wear doing everything themselves like a badge of honour. But what if doing it all is the very thing holding your business back? In this episode of Money First CEO, Harman Johnston shares the lessons he learned the hard way about delegation, outsourcing, and letting go. From copywriting and branding to ads, email marketing and bookkeeping, Harman breaks down the hidden cost of DIY and why trying to save money often costs far more in lost time, lower quali...
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  EOFY Without the Panic: 7 Things Every Business Owner Should Do Before June 30 08.06.2026 12min

  End of financial year isn't about tax. It's about making better business decisions. In this episode, Harman walks you through seven practical things every business owner should do before June 30 so you can close the year with clarity and start the new one with intention. In this episode: Why EOFY is a leadership moment, not just a compliance deadline Get your books up to date so every decision is based on real numbers Chase overdue invoices (one of our clients collected ...
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  The Number Every Business Owner Should Know But Doesn’t 01.06.2026 15min

  Most business owners know their revenue. Some know how many clients they have. Very few know the one number that tells them whether their business is actually working. Their profit margin. In this episode of Money First CEO, Harman Johnston breaks down why so many business owners are operating without this critical number, even when they’re generating six figures a month. You’ll learn how to calculate your profit margin, why revenue can create a false sense of success, and how understanding t...
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  What I've Been Hearing From Business Owners This Month 25.05.2026 8min

  EOFY is coming. And right now, a lot of business owners are feeling the pressure. Not because their business is failing. Not because revenue is low. But because they still do not feel in control of their money. In this honest anniversary episode of Money First CEO, Harman Johnston shares the real conversations happening behind the scenes with business owners right now. The stress. The confusion. The “where did all the money go?” moments. If you are making decent revenue but still feel anxious...
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  Why Your Business Makes Money… But You Still Feel Broke 14.05.2026 20min

  In this episode of Money First CEO, Harman Johnston breaks down one of the biggest frustrations service-based business owners face: “Why does my business look successful… but I still feel broke?” If your revenue is growing but your bank account tells a different story, this episode explains exactly why. Harman shares: Why revenue growth alone does not create financial clarity The real reason business owners constantly feel cash flow pressure Why BAS time keeps beco...
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  If I Had to Start Again from $0… This Is Exactly What I’d Do 04.05.2026 18min

  Most business owners think growth comes first. More clients. More revenue. More momentum. But that is not what creates a stable business. In this 50th episode of Money First CEO, Harman Johnston breaks down exactly what she would do if she had to start again from zero. No audience. No clients. No reputation. Just a clean slate. This is not theory. This is hindsight from real experience. If your business is growing but still feels harder than it should, this episode will reset how you think ab...
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  The $100K Mistake: Hiring Before You’re Financially Ready 27.04.2026 17min

  Hiring feels like growth. More people. More support. More capacity. But for most service-based business owners, hiring too early is not growth. It is a profit leak. In this episode of Money First CEO, Harman Johnston breaks down the real cost of hiring before your numbers are ready and why this common decision quietly drains cash, increases pressure, and stalls momentum. If your business is growing but your bank balance does not reflect it, this is the missing piece. You will learn: Why hirin...