Claim OwnershipStrategy Meets Finance
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Welcome to Strategy Meets Finance, the podcast for business owners and entrepreneurs who want to start, grow, and run a business that lasts.
Most business owners struggle because they treat strategy and finance as separate. But without a clear strategy, your finances won’t support long-term growth. And without strong financial planning, even the best business ideas fall flat.
On this show, we bring both sides together—so you can grow your business with confidence, improve cash flow, increase profit, and make better decisions.
Hosted by Steve Coughran, a former CFO and founder of Coltivar, each episode shares simple tools, real examples, and practical advice from working with companies of all different sizes. You’ll learn how to set smart goals, fix money leaks, build stronger teams, and create lasting value.
285 Episodes
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Ready to see how much cash is hiding in your business? Get your free Financial Health Check now: coltivar.com/check Most business owners think they’re profitable. Most are wrong. In this episode, Steve breaks down why even companies with CPAs and clean-looking financials often misunderstand their real margins. He explains how messy books distort gross profit, lead to bad pricing decisions, and quietly drain cash. You’ll also learn why profit alone doesn’t matter, and why this one ...
Ready to see how much cash is hiding in your business? Get your free Financial Health Check now: coltivar.com/check Why do profitable businesses still run out of cash? In this episode, Steve breaks down why cash flow, not revenue or profit, is what actually keeps a business alive. He explains what free cash flow really is, why most owners misunderstand it, and how bad strategy, poor measurement, and the wrong priorities quietly drain cash. If you’re tired of stressing about payrol...
Ready to see how much cash is hiding in your business? Get your free Financial Health Check now: coltivar.com/check You probably think you have a strategy. But is it actually working? Steve breaks down how to tell if your strategy is helping you win or quietly holding you back. He explains why most teams can’t clearly explain the strategy, why the numbers don’t lie, and how profits, cash flow, and return on invested capital reveal the truth. If your business feels busy but stuck, this e...
Ready to see how much cash is hiding in your business? Get your free Financial Health Check now: coltivar.com/check Most companies track KPIs. Very few actually change behavior because of them. In this episode, Steve explains when KPIs stop helping, and why staring at dashboards doesn’t fix margin, profit, or cash flow. If your numbers keep sliding but nothing changes, this episode will show you what’s missing and how to make KPIs actually matter. _______________________________________...
Ready to see how much cash is hiding in your business? Get your free Financial Health Check now: coltivar.com/check AI and energy demand are quietly reshaping construction, and most people don’t see it yet. Steve speaks with Maja Ericksen, Executive Vice President at Mortenson, to talk about why data centers and power projects are booming, how rural builds are changing the industry, and what these shifts mean for margins, talent, and long-term careers in construction. This conversation ...
Ready to see how much cash is hiding in your business? Get your free Financial Health Check now: coltivar.com/check Mission, vision, and values aren’t the problem, but stopping there is. In this episode, Steve explains why most companies mistake dreaming for strategy, how shrinking margins are really created, and what strategy actually looks like when it’s tied to numbers, cash flow, and real constraints. If your business feels busy but stuck, this episode will change how you thin...
Ready to see how much cash is hiding in your business? Get your free Financial Health Check now: coltivar.com/check Steve breaks down why old-school strategy models don’t fully work in an AI world anymore. He explains how the real value drivers have shifted to human capital and intellectual assets, why most companies confuse planning with strategy, and how to actually pick and attack the right strategic problem in your business. _______________________________________ Disclaimer: The vi...
Ready to see how much cash is hiding in your business? Get your free Financial Health Check now: coltivar.com/check Steve sits down with Bob Logan, president of Plumbline, a $50M+ plumbing and HVAC company with over 150 techs on the road. They unpack how Bob scaled a residential service business, built a strong leadership team, deals with “poison” employees, uses numbers without a finance background, and navigates private equity in the trades. If you want to grow a plumbing, HVAC, or se...
Ready to see how much cash is hiding in your business? Get your free Financial Health Check now: coltivar.com/check Thinking about buying a business or taking over someone else’s? Before you jump in, Steve breaks down the five things he looks at every single time he evaluates a deal. You’ll learn how he analyzes revenue quality, what he looks for in financials, how he decides if a business is worth the price, and why free cash flow—not profit—is what actually matters. If you’re serious ...
Ready to see how much cash is hiding in your business? Get your free Financial Health Check now: coltivar.com/check Elevate by Design: www.ebdstudios.com Nisho: www.studionisho.com Chris Turner walked away from a secure design job with no plan, just a feeling he wasn’t in the right place. That leap led him to co-found one of Denver’s top high-end landscape design studios. In this episode, Steve and Chris talk about what really happens when you leave stability for somet...
Ready to see how much cash is hiding in your business? Get your free Financial Health Check now: coltivar.com/check What if you could make more money without adding more work, more stress, or more customers? In this episode, Steve breaks down three overlooked levers that can grow your profit and cashflow without scaling your team or chasing more revenue. You’ll learn how just small tweaks can dramatically increase your bottom line, even if you don’t want to grow right now. _____________...
Ready to see how much cash is hiding in your business? Get your free Financial Health Check now: coltivar.com/check Before you book that offsite or map out next quarter, listen to this. Steve breaks down the five mistakes that derail most “strategic planning” sessions: picking the wrong facilitator, ignoring communication styles, showing up without data, jumping to tactics before strategy, and avoiding the one real constraint hurting the business. You’ll learn a simple way to structure ...
Ready to see how much cash is hiding in your business? Get your free Financial Health Check now: coltivar.com/check Want a free scaling workshop for your business? Schedule a call now to see if you qualify: coltivar.com/schedule-your-call Most business owners spend thousands on sales and marketing, but few know if it’s actually paying off. Steve breaks down how to measure the real return on your sales and marketing spend using three simple checks. He explains how to evaluate the e...
Ready to see how much cash is hiding in your business? Get your free Financial Health Check now: coltivar.com/check Major moves and market momentum in this week’s top financial stories, including: Chipotle Stock Tanks as Young Customers Cut BackBlackRock Caught in a $500 Million Fraud ScandalMeta’s AI Spending Sparks Investor DoubtWhite-Collar Jobs Vanish as AI Takes OverGoogle’s Record Quarter Fueled by AITune in for smart commentary, sharp context, and the financial insight you need t...
Ready to see how much cash is hiding in your business? Get your free Financial Health Check now: coltivar.com/check Every business has a strategy, even if it’s not written down. The real question is whether yours is working. In this episode, Steve explains what strategy actually is, why every company needs one, and how to identify the strategic problem that’s holding your business back. He shares a simple framework for making better decisions, keeping your customer at the center, and co...
Ready to see how much cash is hiding in your business? Get your free Financial Health Check now: coltivar.com/check Major moves and market momentum in this week’s top financial stories, including: Inside Silicon Valley’s 100-Hour AI GrindTesla’s Profits Drop as Musk Bets on RobotsHome Sales Rise as Mortgage Rates EaseGrocery Prices Keep ClimbingQuantum Stocks Surge on Trump’s Tech PushTune in for smart commentary, sharp context, and the financial insight you need to lead in a changing w...
Ready to see how much cash is hiding in your business? Get your free Financial Health Check now: coltivar.com/check Most companies want to grow, but few are actually ready to scale. In this episode, Steve shares three things every business needs to do before turning on the growth engine. You’ll learn why documenting your processes can 10x your company’s value, how defining success in every role prevents chaos, and what a real sales and marketing system looks like. Steve also break...
Ready to see how much cash is hiding in your business? Get your free Financial Health Check now: coltivar.com/check Major moves and market momentum in this week’s top financial stories, including: Boomers Fall Behind on RetirementBlackstone Brings Private Equity to 401(k)sAI Data Centers Build Their Own Power PlantsSouthwest Ends Open SeatingWalmart Joins ChatGPT for AI ShoppingTune in for smart commentary, sharp context, and the financial insight you need to lead in a changing world — ...
Ready to see how much cash is hiding in your business? Get your free Financial Health Check now: coltivar.com/check Most business owners confuse strategy with planning. In this episode, Steve breaks down what strategy really means—and why getting it wrong can cost you. You’ll learn the difference between strategy and strategic planning, how to identify your company’s true strategic problem, and the six components every winning strategy needs. Steve also explains how to connect your stra...
Ready to see how much cash is hiding in your business? Get your free Financial Health Check now: coltivar.com/check Major moves and market momentum in this week’s top financial stories, including: Tariffs Rise, but U.S. Debt Tops $1 TrillionTrump Pushes Fannie Mae to Back BuildersHome Sales Slide as Prices Hit New HighPepsiCo Rebrands Lay’s Amid Snack SlowdownTune in for smart commentary, sharp context, and the financial insight you need to lead in a changing world — only on FinWeekly. ...
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