I met Selim three years ago at an owner’s roundtable.
He had a team of 18.
Gross revenues were around $4 million.
The business looked solid from the outside — even admirable.
But when I asked, “How’s the cash flow?”
He winced.
“We’re doing OK… it’s just tight because we’re growing.”
That’s the story many founders tell themselves — that growth will solve the tight margins and cash crunch.
But when I dug into the numbers a few weeks later, it was painfully clear:
They were burning through cash to chase low-margin clients.
The marketing and team effort it took to land each new deal was nearly identical… whether it was a $5,000 contract or a $50,000 one.
But they were spending 80% of their time landing the $5,000 (and often less) deals — and discounting even further to win those.
Salim didn’t have a sales problem.
He had a margin starvation problem.
So we did something most owners resist:
We raised prices and fired bottom-tier clients.
The result?
Margins increased by 47%
Fewer clients, but better ones
The team went from drowning to focused
And for the first time in 6 years, Salim paid himself what he deserved.
Want to know the health of your business?
Start with your margins.
If you’re working nonstop but not seeing wealth build… you’re likely starving your business from the inside out.
Take 60 seconds and find out if you’re building a thriving business or just spinning your wheels.
Click here for the Exit Readiness Survey.
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P.S. I’m not the “systems guy,” “process guy,” or “finance guy.”
I’m the “build a valuable business” guy—so you can regain the freedom to start living your best life now and exit on your own terms later.
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