Three Levers to Pay Yourself More From Your Product Business
Three places your margin quietly leaks — pricing, cost of goods, and Opex. A mid-year audit for physical product founders who want to pay themselves properly.
Three Things a Mountain Reminded Me (That I Already Knew)
Three reminders from a hike up Harney Peak — the highest point east of the Rockies. None of them were new ideas. That was rather the point.
The Hidden Margin Killer in New Product Development
Work expands to fill the time available. So do product development budgets. Here’s how to stop Parkinson’s Law before it destroys your margins.
You Know What's In Your Bank Account. But Do You Know How Long It Will Last?
Most product founders check their bank balance every morning. But knowing what you have isn't the same as knowing how long it lasts. Your runway number is what determines whether your business survives.
The Margin Math That's Missing You
Your pricing spreadsheet probably looks fine. But if owner's pay isn't a line item in your unit economics, you're not pricing — you're subsidising. Here's the reframe.
The Number That Explains Why Your Business Is Profitable But You're Always Broke
Your P&L says you're profitable. Your bank account says otherwise. The cash conversion cycle is the number that explains the gap — and the three levers that close it.
You May Be Owed a Tariff Refund — Here's What to Do
If you imported goods from certain countries and paid IEEPA tariffs, you may be owed a refund. Here's how the CBP CAPE portal works and what to do with the money when it arrives.
Dear Bootstrapped Founder: That Tax Bill Means You Won
A tax bill means your business made money this year. Here's why that's worth celebrating — and how Profit First makes tax season almost boring for product founders.
Scale is Not a Strategy. It's a Cash-Eating Monster.
A founder texted: "We're up 40% this month. And we might miss payroll." Revenue is not cash. Scale without financial architecture is one of the most dangerous things you can chase in CPG.
The Financial Cadence That Keeps My Business (and Sanity) Flowing
A simple, repeatable financial management cadence that keeps two businesses running in under two hours a week — annual, quarterly, monthly and weekly rituals for product founders.
