Rueben Taylor

I had a client who ran a concrete cutting business.

He checked his bank account one day and saw $100,000 sitting there.

So he bought a new $50,000 piece of cutting equipment. For cash.

Eight weeks later he couldn't make payroll.

At the time it felt like the right call to him.

The money was there and the equipment would help him grow.

But here's what he didn't see.

That $100,000 wasn't his to spend.

It was sitting in the account because invoices had been paid in advance.

But the costs of the next eight weeks – wages, materials, loan repayments, overheads etc hadn't gone out yet.

The equipment didn't cause the problem.

The decision did.

Because the decision was based on a bank balance - not a cashflow forecast.

Here's the principle I taught him that changed things for him:

Fund an asset over the life of the asset.

A piece of equipment that lasts five years should be financed over five years.

Not paid for in cash from your operating account.

Because that cash isn't yours to spend.

It belongs to the next eight weeks of your business.

Save this - because this principle alone could save you from one of the most common and costly cash mistakes in business. 👇

Do you know your key financial numbers without having to ask your accountant?
Be honest.
Because most business owners fall into one of four categories.
1. You check the bank balance to see if things are okay.
Looking at the full financials feels overwhelming so you avoid it.
2. You look at the profit and loss occasionally.
But you couldn't tell someone your margins or break even number off the top of your head.
3. You have a reasonable understanding of your numbers.
But you don't review them consistently.
And you're not really sure which products or services make you the most money.
4. You know your gross profit margin.
You know your break even revenue.
You know exactly which products - services and clients make you the most money.
Without having to ask anyone.
Here's the question.
Which one are you right now?
And which one do you want to be?
Because the gap between checking the bank balance and truly knowing your numbers is just clarity on what to look at - and a habit of looking at it consistently.
That's exactly what the Business Independence Score reveals.
It’s free and takes just two minutes.
Comment NUMBERS below and I'll send you the link. 👇

Stop running your business on gut feel.

Your numbers already have the answer.

Here's what gut feel actually sounds like.

I think we had a good month.

I feel like margins are okay.

I reckon we're about breaking even.

I should probably look at the books but I've been flat out.

Sound familiar?

Here's the problem with gut feel.

Your gut is built on incomplete information.

It registers the busy-ness.

The phones ringing. The jobs on the board. The team turning up.

And it says - things feel okay.

But feeling okay and being okay are two very different things.

You could be flat out busy and losing money on every job.

You could feel like you're ahead - and be three months behind on your BAS.

Your gut doesn't know your gross margin.

It doesn't know if you've hit break even this week.

It doesn't know which jobs are making you money and which ones aren't.

But your numbers do.

And here's what I've seen over and over working with business owners.

The moment they stop trusting gut feel alone and start looking at their actual numbers - something shifts.

The fog lifts. The anxiety drops.

Because the truth - even when it's uncomfortable - is always better than the uncertainty.

You can't fix what you can't see.

But once you can see it - you can fix almost anything.

Stop guessing.

Start knowing.

Follow for more on your numbers this week. 👇

Stop making decisions based on your bank balance.
It's lying to you.
Here's what actually happens.
Money hits the account and you feel good.
You relax. You spend. You say yes to things.
Account looks low and then panic sets in.
You chase invoices. You hold back buying things. You make decisions from fear.
And then a payment lands and you feel fine again.
Up. Down. Up. Down. It’s a roller coaster.
Your bank balance doesn't tell you if your business is profitable.
It doesn't tell you if your margins are right.
It doesn't tell you if you've hit break even this week.
It just tells you what's sitting there right now.
And making business decisions from that number alone is like driving at night with no headlights.
The business owners who get this right don't check their bank balance and react.
They know their numbers.
They know what break even looks like every single week.
They know their margin on every key product or service.
They have a dashboard that shows them the health of their business at a glance.
And they make decisions from a place of clarity - not anxiety.
That's what this week is all about.
Follow along because knowing your numbers changes everything.

Most business owners interview one person at a time.

It's slow. It's expensive. And it rarely gives you the full picture of who you're actually hiring.

A group interview changes all of that.

Here's why it works.

You see how people show up before the interview even starts.

Are they early or late? How do they greet you at the door? How do they interact with people they've never met? Do they make eye contact? Are they engaged or are they on their phone?

All of that happens before you've asked a single question.

And it tells you more about a person than almost anything they'll say in a one-on-one interview.

Here's the framework we use with our clients.

1. Welcome and set the tone
Greet everyone. Explain how the evening will run. Make it warm but professional. The energy you bring into that room sets the tone for everything that follows.

2. Showcase your business
Give a genuine overview of your business - your story - your
values - your culture. Sell them on why they should want to work there. The right people will lean in. The wrong ones will start looking at the door.

3. Describe who you're looking for
Be honest and specific. Describe the values - the attitude - the work ethic you expect. Some people will realise this isn't for them. That's exactly what you want.

4. Walk through the responsibilities
No sugarcoating. Be real about the hard parts as well as the good parts. You want people who still want the job after hearing all of it.

5. Questions from applicants
Open the floor. How they ask questions tells you as much as the questions themselves.

6. The on the spot question - this is the most important part
Ask every single applicant - out loud - in front of the group - why do you believe you are the best person for this role?
This is where you see who has genuine confidence and self awareness - and who crumbles under a little pressure.

7. The break - this is critical
Give people the opportunity to leave if the role isn't right for them. Some will go. That's fine. Better now than three weeks into the job.

8. Application form
Have remaining applicants fill out an application form. This uncovers things a resume never will - their values, their goals and why they want this specific role.

9. Close and next steps
Thank everyone. Let them know when they'll hear back. End on a high.

Your goal throughout the entire process isn't to impress everyone in the room.

It's to excite the right people and deselect the wrong ones.

The first time feels a little daunting.

But every business owner who uses this process tells me the same thing afterwards.

They'll never go back to one-on-one interviews alone.

Save this for your next hire and follow along this week for more on building a strong team.