Your gut says you're fine. Your numbers say otherwise. Or the numbers look steady and something still feels off. Both happen more than you'd think, and neither means you're doing it wrong.
Most business owners either react to every number that shifts or ignore the data entirely and run on gut feeling alone. Neither one is leadership. And both will cost you something over time.
Today on Business by the Books, Danielle Hayden breaks down the tension between instinct and information that every business owner eventually faces. After 11 years of sitting inside business financials with clients, Danielle shares why the goal was never to choose between your gut and your data, and how the Start, Stop, Continue framework helps you use both to make real decisions as a CEO.
You'll learn:
- Why relying on instinct alone leads to emotional decisions, and why data alone can cost you your vision
- How financial tools like the healthy percentage worksheet work as a guardrail, not a rulebook
- What the Start, Stop, Continue framework is and how to use it when reviewing your numbers
- Why there is no universal formula for running a business, and what to do instead
- What it actually looks like to step into your CEO role when the numbers are in front of you
👉 Discover how our CFO services can help you make confident decisions from your own numbers: kickstartaccountinginc.com/CFO
Key Takeaways:
00:00 When Gut and Numbers Don't Agree
00:20 Business Is Art and Math
00:42 What a Fitness Tracker Taught Me
01:12 What We Hear on Financial Review Calls
02:28 Healthy Percentage Worksheet: Guardrail, Not a Rule
03:42 The Start, Stop, Continue Framework
05:06 Leading With Data and Vision as a CEO
Ready to get clear on what your numbers are actually telling you?
✨Download The Ultimate Dashboard for Business Owners for FREE here
📈 Book a strategy call with Danielle’s team at Kickstart: here
👉 Check your books here
👉 Visit the Kickstart website
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