In this episode of Fiscally Awesome, Hiline CEO Matt Gardner sits down with multi-time founder Eli Portnoy to explore how customer obsession directly drives financial success. As the CEO of BackEngine and veteran of three successful companies, Eli reveals why most businesses are flying blind when it comes to understanding their customers—and how that ignorance costs them real money.

What You'll Learn:

• Why customer sentiment is a leading indicator of financial performance
• How "going quiet" is actually your biggest churn warning sign (not complaints!)
• Why setting up finance infrastructure on day one saves you massive pain later
• The AI revolution that's finally making customer intelligence scalable
• Real examples of how customer feedback directly impacts revenue and retention

Related Links:

• BackEngine: https://www.backengine.com/
• Connect with Eli Portnoy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eliportnoy/
• Connect with Matt Gardner on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattgardnercpa/
• Book mentioned: "The Hard Thing About Hard Things" by Ben Horowitz: https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Thing-About-Things-Building/dp/0062273205
• Hiline x Digits: https://www.hiline.co/services/real-time-accounting

About Fiscally Awesome
Want to unfu*k your finances? Fiscally Awesome is produced by Hiline, where we make small business finances stress-free so you can focus on building a great company. Visit our website or connect with us on LinkedIn to learn more.

Hosted by Matt Gardner, CEO and Co-Founder of Hiline. New episodes drop every other Thursday.

• The surprising origin story of how a college painting franchise led to a parking lot empire
• Real financial challenges that nearly bankrupted a now-successful company
• Why managing solely from your bank account is a recipe for disaster
• How to avoid the tax burden trap that catches most new business owners
• The critical importance of financial forecasting and budgeting
• What makes franchisees succeed or fail from a financial perspective
• How private equity partnerships can accelerate business growth

• EverLine Coatings and Services - Learn more about franchise opportunities
• Hiline - Financial operations platform for growing businesses
• Traction by Gino Wickman - The essential EOS implementation guide
• The Great CEO Within by Matt Mochary - Recommended resource for growing CEOs
• Red Iron Group - Private equity partner supporting franchise growth

About Fiscally Awesome
Want to unfu*k your finances? Fiscally Awesome is produced by Hiline, where we make small business finances stress-free so you can focus on building a great company. Visit our website or connect with us on LinkedIn to learn more.

Hosted by Matt Gardner, CEO and Co-Founder of Hiline. New episodes drop every other Thursday.

In this episode of Fiscally Awesome, Hiline CEO Matt Gardner connects with Mark Shepherd, founder of Gathr, a thriving community platform for UK founders, investors, and service providers.

Mark shares his entrepreneurial journey from selling boat photos at 16 to building a 10,000-member strong business community. He breaks down the UK startup scene and why community is the backbone of success.

Check out this episode to learn:

🔹 Why UK founders look to expand to the US (and the hidden pitfalls)

🔹 The truth about "growth at all costs" versus sustainable business building

🔹 How Gathr connects founders with vetted service providers who truly understand tech

🔹 Mark's unfiltered advice for early-stage entrepreneurs

Plus, discover Mark's surprising past and his post-Gathr dream that combines his passion for food with supporting underrepresented talent!

🔗 RESOURCES:

🔸 Get connected with Gathr: www.joingathr.com

🔸 Learn how Hiline supports companies expanding to the US: https://www.hiline.co/services/us-expansion

About Fiscally Awesome
Want to unfu*k your finances? Fiscally Awesome is produced by Hiline, where we make small business finances stress-free so you can focus on building a great company. Visit our website or connect with us on LinkedIn to learn more.

Hosted by Matt Gardner, CEO and Co-Founder of Hiline. New episodes drop every other Thursday.