Financially Fit Entrepreneur is Phil's positioning - the substance of which is about making finances easy for people using the laws his grandma taught him about budgeting with glass jars as a teenager…

Phil started off helping young couples budget their money, get out of debt and save for big life goals. Through his Grandma’s Jars 1:1 Coaching and Workshops he has helped thousands of people achieve financial security and success. But it was during his 15 years as a stockbroker and financial adviser that Phil honed his cashflow expertise and learned how to apply it to the business world.

Over the past 20 years Phil has worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs and small business owners to help them multiply their profits and create financial certainty… not to mention achieve incredible life goals.

• Phil's "Grandma's Jars" approach uses a simple system of allocating money to different purposes, modernized for digital banking
• Proper cash flow management is critical for both personal and business finances, requiring discipline and purposeful allocation
• Entrepreneurs often struggle with financial basics; getting clarity on current position and goals is an essential first step
• Regular review and adjustment of expenses, including occasional "no-spend months", helps maintain financial health

• Phil learned budgeting from his grandmother using physical glass jars for different expenses
• Evolved system from physical jars to envelopes, paper budgets, Excel, and now online apps
• Developed own software after leaving high-paying finance career to focus on teaching financial basics

• Track 5-6 key numbers monthly: revenue, salary paid to self, expenses (cost of goods + overheads), tax set aside, profit
• Use a "cascade" system to allocate funds purposefully through business and personal accounts
• Maintain 1.5-2x monthly expenses in operating account; excess flows to reserves and other purposes
• Build 3-6 months of operating expenses as a rainy day fund before major reinvestment or expansion

• Entrepreneurs often lack clarity on basic financial position and profitability
• Tendency to increase expenses as revenue grows, reducing margins and financial stability
• Discretionary spending in business often less scrutinized than personal spending
• Lifestyle inflation can trap entrepreneurs in need for high income, limiting flexibility

• Conduct regular "no-spend months" to reset expectations and identify core vs. discretionary expenses
• Review all expenses line-by-line periodically to eliminate unnecessary costs
• Align business finances with personal life goals and vision
• Build purposeful reserves to enable creativity and reduce survival-mode thinking

• Focuses on transparency and creating a safe space for entrepreneurs to face financial realities
• Uses visual tools like the "cascade" concept to make financial management more intuitive
• Emphasizes learning from past patterns to plan for future fluctuations
• Helps clients get clarity on both current position and desired outcomes.

Graham Arrowsmith

Graham founded Finely Fettled ten years ago to help business owners and...

Ben Johnson leads Particle41, which exists to strengthen your team with flexible technology. That manifests as a team of our own that is uniquely able to exceed expectations during every step of a project. In a marketplace flooded with partners who over-promise and under-deliver, Particle41 is doing things differently.

Graham, Kevin, and Benjamin introduce themselves. Benjamin shares his background as a serial entrepreneur and founder of several tech companies, including his current venture Particle 41 which provides CTO consulting, software development, and other tech services.

Benjamin discusses how Particle 41 leverages talent globally, with teams in India, Brazil, Argentina, and the US. He emphasizes the importance of finding talented individuals and building diverse, execution-oriented teams to deliver the best service to clients.

The group discusses the critical importance of focusing on customer experience and ensuring businesses have the right processes, policies, and level of maturity in place (e.g. password management, subscription management, onboarding/offboarding procedures) to operate effectively.

The group explores the ethical implications of using AI, particularly in areas like content creation where AI can reduce authenticity. They caution against defaulting to technology just because it's available, and emphasize the need to thoughtfully consider the human element.

Graham and Kevin summarize the key takeaways from the discussion with Benjamin, highlighting his passion, purpose, and experience as a serial entrepreneur. They discuss potential opportunities to collaborate, including leveraging Benjamin's expertise in areas like RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation) AI.

Graham Arrowsmith

Graham founded Finely Fettled ten years ago to help business owners and marketers market to affluent and high-net-worth customers. Graham founder of MicroYES, a Partner for MeclabsAI, which combines the world's biggest source of 10,000 marketing experiments with AI. Find Graham on LinkedIn.

Kevin Appleby

Kevin specialises in finance transformation and implementing business change. He's the COO of GrowCFO, which provides both community and CPD-accredited training designed to grow the next generation of finance leaders. You can find Kevin on LinkedIn and at kevinappleby.com

Liz Steblay's business is about mentoring professionals. She champions self-employed professionals, protecting their rights as small business owners and helping them to create the career of their dreams.

Get Liz's book here: 6keys.info

Liz Steblay discusses her own journey from corporate consultant to successful solopreneur, and the common challenges and fears that people face when considering making the leap to self-employment. She emphasizes the importance of developing confidence and a growth mindset to overcome the "FUD Monster" (fear, uncertainty, and doubt).

She explains the importance of narrowing your focus and becoming known as an expert in a specific area, rather than trying to be a generalist. She provides tips on how to identify your niche and make yourself memorable to potential clients.

Liz advises that successful solopreneurs focus on building relationships and trust with clients, rather than traditional "sales" tactics. She emphasizes the value of networking and using social media to establish yourself as an authority in your field.

Wait! You'll discover a brilliant way to get the price you want for your services. Liz shares strategies for pricing your services effectively, including using a range rather than a single rate, and considering a hybrid model that blends hourly and value-based pricing. She cautions against underpricing to win business.

Mentoring Professionals expert Liz provides the details for her book "Succeeding as a Solopreneur" and her website 6keys.info, where listeners can learn more about her work and resources for solopreneurs.

Graham Arrowsmith

Graham founded Finely Fettled ten years ago to help business owners and marketers market to affluent and high-net-worth customers. He is the founder of MicroYES, a Partner for MeclabsAI, which combines the world's biggest source of 10,000 marketing experiments with AI. Find Graham on LinkedIn.

Kevin Appleby

Kevin specialises in finance transformation and implementing business change. He's the COO of GrowCFO, which provides both community and CPD-accredited training designed to grow the next generation of finance leaders. You can find Kevin on LinkedIn and at kevinappleby.com