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Strategy Meets Finance

Strategy Meets Finance

Steve Coughran 315 Episodes Oct 12, 2026

Strategy Meets Finance is a podcast for business owners and entrepreneurs who want to start, grow, and run a lasting business. Host Steve Coughran, a former CFO and founder of Coltivar, explains why strategy and finance must work together for long-term success. Each episode offers simple tools, real examples, and practical advice on setting smart goals, improving cash flow, increasing profit, and building stronger teams.

Episodes

The Difference Between Making a Profit and Making Money | Ep 263
The Difference Between Making a Profit and Making Money | Ep 263 Oct 12, 2026 873 Know your numbers, fix your cash flow, and build a business that works for you. Schedule a call with us. Most business owners look at the bottom of their income statement, see a profit, and assume the business is doing well. That number ignores one of the biggest costs in the business: invested capital.In this episode Steve breaks down the difference between accounting profit and economic profit,
8 Levers of Cash Flow: The Invested Capital Levers | Ep 262
8 Levers of Cash Flow: The Invested Capital Levers | Ep 262 Oct 5, 2026 1008 Know your numbers, fix your cash flow, and build a business that works for you. Schedule a call with us. Most business owners focus all their attention on profit. But some of the biggest cash flow problems in a business have nothing to do with profit at all.In this episode Steve covers the second half of the eight levers of cash flow, the four that impact invested capital. Accounts receivable, wor
8 Levers of Cash Flow: The Profit Levers | Ep 261
8 Levers of Cash Flow: The Profit Levers | Ep 261 Sep 28, 2026 1802 Know your numbers, fix your cash flow, and build a business that works for you. Schedule a free call with us. Most business owners know cash flow matters. Very few know the specific levers that actually control it.In this episode Steve kicks off a two-part series on the 8 levers of cash flow, starting with the 4 that drive profit. He walks through each one, why the order matters, and why the lever
Are You Competing in the Right Market? Here Is How to Know | Ep 260
Are You Competing in the Right Market? Here Is How to Know | Ep 260 Sep 21, 2026 655 Know your numbers, fix your cash flow, and build a business that works for you. Schedule a free call with us. Most businesses are so busy chasing work that they never stop to ask whether they are competing in the right market in the first place.In this episode Steve digs into one of the four boxes in his strategy framework: market focus and position. He breaks down the three things you need to nai
The Simplest Business Advice Nobody Actually Follows | Ep 259
The Simplest Business Advice Nobody Actually Follows | Ep 259 Sep 15, 2026 713 Know your numbers, fix your cash flow, and build a business that works for you. Schedule a free call with us. Steve was in a wrestling class recently when the coach said something that stuck with him. Just do stuff that works.In this episode, he takes that idea into business and makes the case that most owners already know what works. They just keep getting pulled toward everything else. The new b
Everything You Know About Strategy Is Wrong | Ep 258
Everything You Know About Strategy Is Wrong | Ep 258 Sep 8, 2026 800 Know your numbers, fix your cash flow, and build a business that works for you. Start free with myColtivar. Most business owners think they have a strategy, but most of them do not...In this episode Steve gives you three quick ways to find out if your strategy is actually working, breaks down what strategy really means beyond the vision days and planning sessions, and walks through the framework h
This Financial Disability Is Killing Your Business | Ep 257
This Financial Disability Is Killing Your Business | Ep 257 Sep 2, 2026 1305 Know your numbers, fix your cash flow, and build a business that works for you. Start free with myColtivar. Most business owners think financial visibility means getting an income statement every month. It does not.In this episode Steve breaks down what real financial visibility actually looks like, why the gap between what most owners see and what they need to see is costing them money every sing
These 3 Numbers Tell You Whether Your Business Will Make It | Ep 256
These 3 Numbers Tell You Whether Your Business Will Make It | Ep 256 Aug 24, 2026 588 Know your numbers, fix your cash flow, and build a business that works for you. Start free with myColtivar. Most business owners track revenue. Some track profit. But there are three numbers that actually tell you whether your business is healthy, building value, and set up to last.In this episode Steve walks through exactly what those three numbers are, how to calculate each one, and what they ar
The Gap Between Your Strategy and Your Results | Ep 255
The Gap Between Your Strategy and Your Results | Ep 255 Aug 17, 2026 901 Know your numbers, fix your cash flow, and build a business that works for you. Start free with myColtivar. Most businesses have a strategy. They have done the offsite, built the plan, and know where they want to go.Then you look at the financials and the strategy is nowhere in the numbers.In this episode Steve breaks down exactly what is happening in that gap, why strategy without a financial con
The Moment a Good Business Starts Becoming a Great One | Ep 254
The Moment a Good Business Starts Becoming a Great One | Ep 254 Aug 12, 2026 1248 Know your numbers, fix your cash flow, and build a business that works for you. Start free with myColtivar. There is a specific moment Steve has seen over and over again inside businesses. Revenue becomes more predictable, cash flow steadies out, and the owner goes from reactive to proactive.In this episode he breaks down exactly what that moment looks like in financial terms and the five conditio
Is Your Business Really Generating Value? | Ep 253
Is Your Business Really Generating Value? | Ep 253 Aug 4, 2026 538 Know your numbers, fix your cash flow, and build a business that works for you. Start free with myColtivar.Most business owners look at profit on their income statement and assume the business is doing well. But profit and value are not the same thing.In this episode Steve breaks down why the majority of businesses are not generating returns above their cost of capital, what that actually means fo
The Problem With Your Annual Budget (And What Actually Works) | Ep 252
The Problem With Your Annual Budget (And What Actually Works) | Ep 252 Jul 29, 2026 1069 Know your numbers, fix your cash flow, and build a business that works for you. Start free with myColtivar. Every year business owners build a budget. They set targets, present the numbers, tie bonuses to it, and by March it is already wrong.In this episode Steve makes the case that a static annual budget is one of the most limiting financial tools a business can use and walks through exactly what

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