Featured · Cash flow
How to build a 13-week cash flow forecast
A week-by-week view of cash in and out for the next quarter: what goes in it, how to build it, and the weekly habit that keeps it useful.
Read the guideGuides
Operator notes on systems and AI.
Practical guides for owners who want the business to run without them. Pick the one that matches what’s slowing you down.
Get the business off your plate
Ownership
Who owns what: org chart vs RACI
What each chart shows, what the four letters mean, how to build a RACI, and a worked example.
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Owner bottleneck
How to prepare your business to run without you for 90 days
What has to be true, what to build first, the step-out test, and how you know it is ready.
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Weekly rhythm
The weekly operating rhythm that actually runs
The agenda, the numbers to review, how to run the meeting, and how to keep it going without you.
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Delegation
How to delegate as a business owner
What to hand off first, a five-step handoff that sticks, and what to do when work comes back to you.
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Owner bottleneck
Everything still runs through me
The signs, what should stay with the owner, what to hand off first, and how to step out of the middle.
Read the guideSystems and processes
Systems
How to document a business so someone else can run it
What to write down, how to do it one process at a time, where it lives, and what good looks like.
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Operations
What operations management looks like in a small business
What it includes, what it is not, a typical week, and who should do it at your size.
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Supply chain
Vendor management for small business
What to track, choosing and onboarding suppliers, a quarterly review, and what to do when a vendor fails.
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Systems
Process mapping for small business
What to map first, how to map one process on one page, a worked example, and what to fix before you automate.
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KPIs
How to build a KPI dashboard for a small business
The KPIs a small business should actually track, an example layout, and how to build a dashboard your team checks every week.
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Systems
The 30-day systems audit
What to check, a week-by-week plan, and how to decide what to build first.
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SOPs
How to write an SOP your team actually uses
What an SOP is, how to write one step by step, real examples, and how to get your team to follow it.
Read the guideAI and automation
Automation
What to automate after the first three
Status updates, data moves, follow-ups, reports and exceptions, and how to choose the next one.
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AI tools
Claude Code for small business: what it actually builds
What it is, what it is good for, what it is not for, and how to start safely.
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AI agents
AI agents for small business: what they actually do
What an AI agent is, six jobs small businesses hand to agents today, where agents go wrong, and how to run a first one safely.
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Automation
How to automate business processes
Which processes to automate first, how AI automation fits, and a step-by-step way to automate without breaking what works.
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AI for small business
AI for small business: where it fits first
The first work worth handing to AI, what to keep with people, and how to scope a first build.
Read the guideGetting the right help
Getting help
How to tell if a project is worth paying for
What being stuck costs, how to compare it to a fixed price, and when to say no.
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Getting help
What a scoped engagement looks like
What goes in the scope, what stays out, how the work runs, and how to read a proposal.
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Hiring
What to fix before you hire more people
The signs you are hiring for the wrong reason, what to fix first, and how to tell a role is ready.
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Getting help
Consultant vs agency vs hire vs execution partner
What each one does, which stage each fits, what to ask before you sign, and the red flags.
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Fractional COO
Fractional COO vs fractional CFO: who to hire first
What each one owns, how the roles compare, which to hire first, and when you need both.
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Fractional COO
Integrator vs fractional COO
The difference between the two roles, which one fits your stage, and why many owners start fractional and hire later.
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Hiring
How to hire your first operator
What the role really is, what to look for, hire or partner, and the interview question that matters.
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COO role
What does a COO do?
What a chief operating officer owns day to day, how the role differs from the CEO, and when a growing business needs one.
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Fractional COO
How to find a fractional COO
Where to look, what to ask before you hire, the red flags, and how a good engagement is set up.
Read the guideMoney, growth and exit
Exit planning
How to clean up your numbers before you sell
What to clean, how to clean it with your accountant, what buyers ask first, and the problems that slow a sale.
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Bootstrapping
How to bootstrap a business to an exit
What it takes, how to grow on your own cash flow, the systems to build early, and how a bootstrapped business gets sold.
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Exit planning
How to sell your business: the operations side
What buyers look at first, the operations prep, a 12-month plan, and why you want more than one buyer.
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Fulfillment
What is a 3PL, and when should you use one?
What a 3PL does, in-house vs outsourcing, how 3PLs charge, and what to check before you sign.
Read the guideBook picks
Books every business owner should read
The books that shaped how we start, run and fund a business, with Joe’s take on the five worth reading first.
Free tools
Work it out, don’t just read about it.
Five working tools that run in your browser: margins, cash flow, capacity and exit readiness. Nothing to sign up for, and nothing you enter leaves your device.
Know what’s stuck already?
Skip the reading. Tell us what’s slowing the business down, and we’ll tell you what it would take to fix it.