Crystal's Blog

There is a clear pattern in healthy, well-led businesses. If you retain great talent, it is not because you constantly negotiate pay, delay raises, or try to get more output for less money. You retain...

Most business owners say they want a long-term vision. A business they can grow into, pass down, or eventually sell. A company that supports their life instead of consuming it.

But many of those same...

There is a strange chicken-and-the-egg problem when it comes to building cash reserves. When business is slow, there is not enough money to save. When business is good, we finally are able to catch up...

The Power of the Reschedule: Your Business Does Not Need You Available 24/7

I used to think having awesome customer service meant that I was available all the time, no matter what was happening in my...

Financial leadership is one of the most misunderstood responsibilities of being a CEO. Many business owners assume it means being good at math, loving spreadsheets, or watching every dollar like a haw...

Resilience And Grit In Rebuilding: How I Survived

Two years ago, I thought one of my businesses was going to go belly up. Bankrupt. Doors closed.

I had failed to oversee (let go of) an employee corr...

Here’s Exactly How To Transfer Your Income Every Two Weeks

For most business owners, it feels easier to use one bank account. Money comes in, bills get paid, payroll gets processed, and whatever is l...

7 Steps to Calculate Your Average Monthly Burn Rate

Your business could stop making money today or a client could be very late on paying their invoices. How much would you need every month to stay op...

Here’s Exactly the Process Every Small Business Owner Needs to Know About Tax Liability

Tax liability can feel unnecessarily complicated when you own a business. You have federal taxes, state taxes, ...

One checking account forces every dollar to compete for the same space. Payroll sits next to tax money. Your emergency fund sits next to your marketing budget. Profit gets mixed in with operating cash...

 Most business owners start with a sales goal:

"I want to hit $500,000 this year."

"I want to become a million-dollar business."

"I'd love to double my revenue."

This is how we all learned about f...

 If you've ever looked at another business owner's prices and wondered, "How can they charge that much?" you're not alone.

Pricing is one of the hardest parts of running a business because most entre...