Growth can feel lighter when your business starts working with you, not against you.

In this episode, Al Zdenek, Executive Chair of CakeClub, breaks down why most service-based businesses struggle with profitability, cash flow management, financial planning, and sustainable growth. You learn how to manage cash flow, build cash reserves, improve pricing, make better financial decisions, and align your business goals with your personal financial goals. The focus is on profit strategy, cash flow systems, financial clarity, business growth, and building a service business that supports your lifestyle and long-term wealth.

Key takeaways:

• Cash flow is the foundation of survival. Most businesses fail because they do not track or manage cash flow properly.
• Breaking even is not enough. Break-even as covering expenses, paying yourself, and covering taxes.
• Build strong cash reserves and backup plans. Having 2 to 6 months access to lines of credit can protect your business during uncertainty.
• Pay yourself and diversify. Taking money out of your business reduces risk and increases long-term security.
• Use other people’s money strategically. Partnerships, private funding, and creative financing can support growth without draining your cash.

Tune in to the full episode of ▶️ Why Most Service Businesses Struggle to Grow Profitably with Al Zdenek.

Find more podcast episodes on our website: anderscpa.com/learn/podcasts/

Episode resources:

● Anders Virtual CFO website: anderscpa.com

● Love our content? Sign up for our newsletter: https://anderscpa.com/learn/

● Check out the Virtual CFO Playbook Course:

https://anderscpa.com/virtual-cfo-services/vcfo-playbook/

Quotes

-Al Zdenek: "Breaking even means covering expenses, paying yourself, handling taxes, and saving for the future."

-Jamie Nau: "Cash is the first thing we look at. Understanding reserves is critical for every business."

Al Zdenek is the Executive Chair of CakeClub and a seasoned entrepreneur with over 40 years of experience in wealth management and business growth. He is the bestselling author of Master Your Cash Flow and Master Your Business Cash Flow, where he teaches how to grow profitable businesses while living the life you want now.

Website: https://alzdenek.com/

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/albertjzdenek/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/albertjzdenek/

X: https://x.com/alzdenek

YT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXCYeD34e-PybZQHwIvmLCA

CakeClub

Website: https://www.cakeclubapp.com/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/people/Cakeclub/61571930199558/

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cakeclubapp/

IG:

Time is one of the most valuable assets in a service-based business. Yet many owners and teams spend most of their week searching for information, copying data, formatting documents.

In this episode, Greg Boone, CEO at Walk West, explains how artificial intelligence, AI tools, automation, and agent workflows can give business owners back nearly 80% of their time. You learn how AI transforms marketing, consulting, operations, and knowledge work by reducing manual work, improving research, accelerating analysis, and helping teams move faster with better insights. The conversation focuses on AI adoption, AI strategy, productivity, marketing technology, data analysis, AI agents, and practical ways to integrate AI into everyday business workflows.

Key takeaways:

• AI can eliminate massive time waste. Explains how knowledge workers spend 50–60% of their week searching for information.
• You can reclaim up to 80% of administrative work. AI can complete weeks of work in minutes by automating research and analysis.
• AI works best as a thinking partner. Using AI to instruct, analyze data, generate ideas, and support decision making.
• AI reveals insights hidden in your data. Businesses can analyze meeting transcripts, reports, and unstructured data.
• Training matters for AI adoption. Without guidance, employees may misuse tools or rely on basic features, leaving most of AI’s real value unused.

Tune in to the full episode of ▶️How AI Can Give You Back 80% of Your Time with Greg Boone.

Find more podcast episodes on our website: anderscpa.com/learn/podcasts/

Episode resources:

● Anders Virtual CFO by Anders website: anderscpa.com

● Love our content? Sign up for our newsletter: https://anderscpa.com/learn/

● Check out the Virtual CFO Playbook Course:

https://anderscpa.com/virtual-cfo-services/vcfo-playbook/

Quotes

-Greg Boone: "We get hyper-focused on the process of how we do things. AI doesn’t care about your process—it only cares about the outcome.”

-Jody Grunden: "Most firms struggle with growth because they rely on habits that worked when the company was smaller."

Greg Boone is the CEO of Walk West and a technology leader known for building high-performing teams that drive digital transformation. With decades of experience across leadership roles from director to CEO and advisor, Greg champions a people-first approach to business and innovation. His philosophy is simple: build great people first, and they will build a great company. Greg has led teams that served major brands including Charter, Panera Bread, Nascar, and Le Creuset while maintaining exceptional client loyalty. Today, he focuses on helping organizations leverage technology and AI to work smarter, unlock productivity, and give leaders back valuable time.

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregboone/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/greg.boone/

Walk West

Website: https://walkwest.com/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/WalkWest

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/

When leads feel inconsistent and results do not match the spend, the problem is rarely effort. The problem is visibility, measurement, and knowing what actually drives growth.

In this episode, Jeff Greenfield, CEO of Provalytics, breaks down why so many service-based businesses feel like half their marketing budget is wasted. You hear clear explanations around marketing measurement, attribution, GA4 limits, impressions versus clicks, full-funnel marketing, privacy-driven data loss, AI-driven buyer journeys, and how attention, awareness, and timing impact revenue. The focus stays on fixing what feels broken so your marketing spend works harder.

Key takeaways:

• Clicks do not tell the full story. Last-click attribution hides the real impact of awareness, impressions, and upper-funnel marketing.
• Attention comes before conversion. You learn how marketing dollars first create attention and awareness before leads.
• GA4 shows behavior, not influence. Understanding what Google Analytics actually measures helps prevent bad budget decisions.
• Impressions matter more than most teams think. Tracking impressions over time reveals patterns that clicks alone will never show.
• Better measurement protects profit. Clear attribution helps you invest in the channels that truly move revenue.

Tune in to the full episode of ▶️Why Half Your Marketing Budget Feels Wasted (And How to Fix It) with Jeff Greenfield.

Find more podcast episodes on our website: anderscpa.com/learn/podcasts/

Episode resources:

● Anders Virtual CFO by Anders website: anderscpa.com

● Love our content? Sign up for our newsletter: https://anderscpa.com/learn/

● Check out the Virtual CFO Playbook Course:

https://anderscpa.com/virtual-cfo-services/vcfo-playbook/

Quotes

-Jeff Greenfield: "Most marketing decisions break because finance and marketing are looking at two different sets of numbers."

-Jody Grunden: "Business owners worry that focusing on one offer might hurt their brand but clarity often matters more than variety."

Jeff Greenfield is the CEO of Provalytics, a privacy-first attribution platform helping marketers prove impact in a post-cookie world. With over two decades in the industry, Jeff built one of the first multi-touch attribution (MTA) platforms, driving 15–25% ROI growth for major global brands. As shifting privacy laws upended traditional tracking, he saw the need for AI-driven, compliant solutions and launched Provalytics in 2022. Today, his team empowers marketers to make smarter budget decisions with accurate, future-proof insights.

Website: https://provalytics.com/

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffgreenfield/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/provalytics/

The Creative Agency Success Show helps service-based business owners master the financial side of growth. Hosted by Jamie Nau, Director of Virtual CFO Services/ Virtual CFO, and Jody Grunden, Partner and Virtual CFO Practice Leader at Anders CPAs + Advisors, the podcast dives into essential financial strategies for scaling creative agencies.

Website: