Budget Your Business

E#65: The skills that help you start a business aren’t necessarily the skills you need to grow one. After leaving corporate America, Kim Mahan learned that lesson through failure, experimentation, and more than a decade of building Maxx Potential. She joins Scott to share what she learned about testing ideas before investing too heavily, listening to customers instead of selling them your solution...

E#64: Debt isn't always a problem. Sometimes, avoiding it is what's holding your business back. Eddie DeAngelis, founder and CEO of Qualify, joins Scott to challenge the way business owners think about borrowing money and explain how debt can become a powerful tool for growth. Drawing on his own entrepreneurial journey, Eddie shares how access to capital can accelerate growth, why borrow...

E#63: At some point, you may be the person holding your business back. Bringing in a CEO can unlock the next stage of growth—or create an expensive mess if the owner isn’t truly ready to give up control. Executive search veteran Russ Bencks joins Scott to discuss how to know when it’s time, how to prepare for the transition, and what owners must do differently once someone else is running the busi...

E#62: Doing everything yourself isn’t saving your business money—it may be holding it back. Katie Santoro joins Scott to discuss when business owners should stop trying to handle everything themselves and start leveraging administrative support. Learn how the right support can free up your time, reduce the daily overwhelm, and keep you focused on the work that actually moves your business forward....

E#61: In this special “Best Of” episode of Budget Your Business, Scott pulls together insights from past guests on leadership and better decision-making for business owners. The episode explores practical frameworks for evaluating decisions, involving the right people, creating dedicated time to work on the business, and knowing when to bring in outside expertise. Business owners also share how tr...

E#60: Every growing business has a constraint—whether it's people, cash, systems, processes, or leadership. In this solo episode, Scott explains how identifying and removing the biggest bottleneck is one of the most important responsibilities of a business leader. Through real client examples, he shares a practical framework for finding constraints, measuring their impact, and building a plan...

E#59: Social media has become one of the most powerful—and cost-effective—ways for small businesses to grow their brand. In this episode, Scott sits down with Sam Anderson, founder of Enso Media Firm, to discuss why consistency beats perfection, how business owners can build trust through content, and why every company should think of itself as a media company first. Sam also shares lessons from b...

E#57: From Gut Instinct to Predictable Growth with Brittany Toler What separates companies that consistently grow from those that struggle to gain traction? In this episode, Scott Geller talks with Brittany Toler about building a business with intentional execution through EOS and the Outgrow framework. They discuss creating alignment around company priorities, building consistent sales processes,...

E#57: What does it take to keep your best leaders from leaving? In this episode, Scott Geller sits down with Devon Cury of Sasta Financial Group to discuss executive benefits and long-term incentive plans for small and mid-sized businesses. Devin explains how business owners can use customized retention strategies to reward key executives, protect company value, support succession planning, and cr...

E#56: In this episode of Budget Your Business, Scott Geller welcomes Bjarte Bogsnes, one of the leading voices behind the Beyond Budgeting movement, to challenge traditional budgeting and management practices. Throw out the old corporate and welcome a refreshing new approach for large and small businesses. They discuss why annual budgets often create unintended behaviors, how separating target set...

E#55: In this episode of Budget Your Business, Scott Geller sits down with Katy Whitehead to break down how ESOPs (Employee Stock Ownership Plans) work and why they are becoming an increasingly popular succession strategy for business owners. They discuss how ESOPs can help owners preserve company culture, reward employees, maintain independence, and create a long-term transition plan without sell...

E#54: In this episode, Scott sits down with Brant Lingle to unpack one of the most overlooked areas of business ownership: succession planning. They discuss why many owners delay or avoid these conversations, how early planning creates more options and better outcomes, and why communication with family, employees, and advisors is critical to getting it right. Brant shares practical ways to get sta...

E#53: In this episode, Scott Geller wraps up the series he conducted with banking experts. He distills conversations with bankers across community, regional, CDFI, and large institutions (via a new and unique conversation style) into one clear takeaway. He breaks down how different banks serve different stages of growth, highlights why relationships with proactive bankers matter more than most own...

E#52: In this episode, Scott sits down with Benny Bowman, a former president turned advisor who shares a real-world perspective on leadership, planning, and building a business that can outlast you. Drawing from a career that grew a company from $6M to $36M, the conversation focuses on succession planning, involving the entire organization in budgeting, and why starting with sales goals is critica...

E#51: In this episode, Scott brings in unbiased banking expert Damion McIntosh. Damion is a banking and financial systems expert who helps small business owners think more strategically about their banking relationships. The conversation goes beyond simply choosing a “big” or “small” bank and explores how owners should evaluate banks based on their business model, financial strength, industry fit,...

E#50: In this special 50th episode of Budget Your Business, Scott Geller hosts a roundtable with finance leaders:  Andrew Marianski Heather Tuason Terrye Enslow  They discuss key financial topics that small business owners should focus on as they operate their companies. The conversation covers the importance of understanding core financial metrics such as cash flow, profitability, and working cap...

E#49: In this solo episode, Scott breaks down how small business owners should rethink budgeting and planning. Traditional annual budgets still have value, but they quickly become outdated as conditions change. Instead, Scott explains the power of rolling forecasts and continuous planning—regularly updating assumptions, reviewing performance, and adjusting direction based on real data. He walks th...

E#48: This episode with Matt Paciocca explores what truly sets a community bank apart and why that difference matters for small business owners. Matt shares how New Horizon was built around old-fashioned service paired with modern, customer-driven technology by listening directly to customers and employees. The conversation highlights the value of hands-on banking relationships, where bankers act...

Digital accessibility means building a website that works for everyone—people with disabilities, seniors, and increasingly, AI. When a site is well-structured, easy to navigate, and free of technical barriers, it builds trust and removes friction that prevents people from buying. Accessibility isn’t just a compliance or “nice-to-have” issue; it directly impacts revenue because customers can’t conv...

E#46: Find Your Bank Series: CDFIs - Scott sits down with Leah Fremouw to unpack a part of the financial ecosystem most small business owners have never heard of: CDFIs, or Community Development Financial Institutions. Leah explains how CDFIs differ from traditional banks, why they exist, and how they’re designed to say “yes” in situations where banks often can’t. From small-dollar loans to layere...

E#45: In this episode, Scott sits down with Greg from ConnectivTech to talk about something every small business owner wrestles with—vendor selection, vendor management, and why choosing the wrong one can quietly drain your cashflow or derail your growth. Business owners think about their tech stack, software renewals, marketing partners, and operational vendors annually. But Scott and Greg dig de...

E#44: Find Your Bank Series: Regional Banks - Joe Ford from WinTrust represents what regional banks actually do for growing businesses and why the right bank (and banker) matters. Joe explains where WinTrust sits as a regional player with big-bank capabilities. We walk through who benefits most from a regional bank and who’s better off elsewhere. Joe shares how to find and vet a banker plus the co...

E#43: In this episode, I sit down solo to break down the world of payment processing with a behind-the-scenes look at PJ’s business. We dive into why 80–85% of small and medium-sized business revenue now comes through credit and debit cards, and what that really costs owners — roughly 3% per transaction. From interchange fees to integration with QuickBooks, NetSuite, and other systems, we cover th...

E#42: In this solo episode, Scott kicks off a new mini-series focused on one relationship every business owner has — their bank. Drawing on his background as a Federal Reserve Bank Examiner and years as a fractional CFO, Scott breaks down the different types of banks, how they’re regulated, and what business owners should know when evaluating their banking partners. He also previews upcoming episo...

E#41: In this episode of Budget Your Business, Scott dives into the financial and strategic considerations of expanding through franchising with guest Gus Iurillo. They explore how business owners can leverage franchising to scale their operations or add complementary services under separate entities — without jeopardizing profitability or paying unnecessary royalties. Gus breaks down the key fact...