THE Profit First Podcast

Profit First: Why Does Business Feel So Hard Right Now?

Description: In this episode, Stephen talks about why business feels so tough at the moment, from the cost of everything going up to the general mood in the country, and why you're far from alone if you're feeling it. He shares a simple pen and paper exercise to separate what you can't control from what you can, and how to make things 1% better before the week is out. Why around 80% of UK businesses are struggling on some level, and why it feels more like 90 to 95% right now Don't kick yourself

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Profit First — Profit Buys Back Your Time

In this episode, Stephen talks about a different kind of plan: not a business plan, but a personal plan for what your business is meant to do for your life. The key question is simple: what needs to change in the next three years so you're no longer the one doing everything yourself? - Why being the person who knows and does everything is rarely sustainable - The danger of believing "it has to be me" - Why Stephen uses a three-year timeframe instead of six months - A personal example from his o

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Profit First — The £5k Growth System

In this episode, Stephen Edwards introduces the £5k Growth System: a simple three-pillar approach used with clients to improve profit, cash and freedom. The focus in this shorter version is on the first pillar: getting the financial foundations right so better decisions become possible. - Why many businesses become a “cash-eating monster” as they grow - The thinking behind the £5k Growth System and where the results come from - Why more turnover does not automatically mean more cash in the bank

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Profit First — Why Business Is A Long Game

In this episode, Stephen talks about why running a business is a long game, and why so many owners feel unsuccessful even when they are making real progress. It is a practical reminder to stop judging yourself only by this month’s bank balance or turnover figure. - Why cash and bank balances do matter, but never tell the whole story - How Profit First gives you a clearer scoreboard through separate pots for profit, tax, VAT and owner’s pay - The danger of having no defined “success number” and

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Profit First — Are You Optimising The Wrong Thing?

This week, Stephen looks at a hard truth many owners need to hear: sometimes the problem is not effort, discipline or even budgeting. Sometimes the business model itself is the issue, and no amount of optimisation will fix a structure that is fundamentally working against you. - Why Profit First is such a strong foundation for owner-managed businesses, especially under £1 million turnover - The two main reasons Profit First can fail in practice: lack of discipline and a broken business model -

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Profit First — How to Win At Business Like Pacman

This week’s episode is a simple one: stop treating your business like something you have to improvise every day. I talk about why I’ve been quiet for a few weeks, why time away from the business matters more than most owners admit, and what a little Pac-Man machine taught me about strategy, systems and profit. - Why the podcast and newsletter paused when a key team member left - The risk of building workflows that depend too heavily on one person - Why taking time off is not a luxury for busine

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What Is Profit First? A Simple System to Take Control of Your Finances

Welcome to This Week’s Profit First Accountant Newsletter! Estimated Read Time: 8 Minutes It’s Stephen Edwards from Gro Profit First Accountants, and welcome to this week’s Profit First Accountant Newsletter. Introducing The Gro Academy Welcome to The Gro Academy—this is your introduction to Profit First. Now, this is designed for two types of people. Firstly, if you’re completely new to Profit First, the aim is that by the end of this, you’ll clearly understand what it is, why it matters, an

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Why Working Harder Isn’t the Answer to Scaling Your Business

Welcome to This Week’s Profit First Accountant Newsletter! Estimated Read Time: 4 Minutes Hi Everyone, It’s Stephen Edwards from Gro Profit First Accountants, and welcome to this week’s Profit First Accountant Newsletter. This week, I want to talk about why working harder isn’t the answer and how focusing on the vital few can completely transform your business. Most business owners think the answer is simple: work harder, work longer, and success will follow. And to be fair—there is a time and

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Achieve Business Freedom: Work Less & Earn More By 2026

Welcome to This Week’s Profit First Accountant Newsletter! Estimated Read Time: 4 Minutes Watch the Full Video here It’s Stephen Edwards from Gro Profit First Accountants, and welcome to this week’s Profit First Accountant Newsletter. A lot of business owners start their journey because they want more freedom — more time, more flexibility, and more control over their lives. But what often happens is the opposite. The business grows, the workload increases, and suddenly the owner becomes the mo

Cashflow Problems? It Might Not Be What You Think

Welcome to This Week’s Profit First Accountant Newsletter! Estimated Read Time: 7 Minutes Watch the full video here. It’s Stephen Edwards from Gro Profit First Accountants, and welcome to this week’s Profit First Accountant Newsletter. “I’ve Got a Cashflow Problem…” This week’s newsletter is based on a real coaching conversation with a business owner. The business is growing.Revenue is up.The team is bigger.The numbers are larger than ever before. But cashflow feels tight. There’s pressure ar

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Growing Too Fast? Here’s What Most Business Owners Miss

Welcome to This Week’s Profit First Accountant Newsletter! Estimated Read Time: 4 Minutes Hi Everyone, It’s Stephen Edwards from Gro Profit First Accountants, and welcome to this week’s Profit First Accountant Newsletter. This week, I want to bring it back to real-world Profit First stories — straight from the fire. I’ve recently been working with a business that had grown to nearly £1 million in revenue. They built a team of over a dozen people. On the surface, everything looked like success.

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The Single Most Important First Step in Profit First

Welcome to This Week’s Profit First Accountant Newsletter! Estimated Read Time: 5 Minutes Hi Everyone, It’s Stephen Edwards from Gro Profit First Accountants, and welcome to this week’s Profit Accountant Newsletter. This week, I want to share two things with you. First, a very practical Profit First action you can implement immediately.Second, a powerful mindset shift inspired by Steve Jobs that could transform how you spend your time as a business owner. Let’s start with the practical. If you’

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Profit First: Building a Business That Unlocks Freedom

Hi Everyone, It’s Stephen Edwards from Gro Profit First Accountants, and welcome to this week’s Profit First Accountant Newsletter. This week I want to talk about something that rarely gets discussed properly in business — time away, boundaries, and rewarding yourself without guilt. I’ve just come back from a short break, and it really brought something into sharp focus for me. I speak to a lot of business owners, across all industries, and one pattern comes up again and again:   They are exhaus

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Creating your 2026 Business Plan: 8 Essential Questions to Ask Yourself

Welcome to This Week’s Profit First Accountant Newsletter! Estimated Read Time: 8 Minutes Hi Everyone, It’s Stephen Edwards from Gro Profit First Accountants, and welcome to this week’s Profit First Accountant Newsletter. As we head into Week 3 of 2026, there’s still plenty of time to step back and build a business plan that gives you clarity, direction, and a way to measure real progress. Too often, planning gets neglected because people think it needs to be perfect or take too long. But a rou

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How Predictability (and a Boring Business) Fuels Growth

Welcome to This Week’s Profit First Accountant Newsletter! Estimated Read Time: 3 Minutes Hi Everyone, It’s Stephen Edwards from Gro Profit First Accountants, and welcome to this week’s Profit First Accountant Newsletter. As 2025 wraps up, I want to share something that’s resonated deeply with me this year and will shape my approach for 2026. Every year, I choose a theme—a guiding principle that keeps me grounded and focused through all the ups and downs. And honestly, I find it much more effec

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Double Your Target, Double Your Impact: Unlock the Mindset That Fuels Profit and Freedom

This Week’s Profit First Accountant Newsletter! Estimated Read Time: 4 Minutes Hi Everyone, It’s Stephen Edwards from Gro Profit First Accountants, and welcome to this week’s Profit First Accountant Newsletter. Are You Aiming Too Low? Time to Double Your Target This week, I want to talk about a powerful mindset shift—doubling your income target and the real value behind it. At a recent mastermind with about a dozen business owners, one woman shared her income goal. While I won't reveal the e

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Tweaks, TAPs & Takeaways: Inside Our First Live Session

This Week’s Profit First Accountant Newsletter Estimated Read Time: 5 minutes Hi everyone, It’s Stephen Edwards from Gro Profit First Accountants, and welcome to this week’s Profit First Club Newsletter! This week, I hosted our first Profit First Live Drop‑In Session—a more relaxed Q&A format to give business owners direct support. We had a great turnout with two attendees, Tom and Gary, who shared valuable insights into their Profit First journeys. Whether you’re just getting started or fine‑t

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The GRO Model: How to Build a Business That Pays You First

This Week’s Profit First Accountant Newsletter Estimated Read Time: 3 minutes   Hi everyone, It’s Stephen Edwards from Gro Profit First Accountants, and welcome to this week’s Profit First Accountant Newsletter! Key Topics Covered: The GROW Model: A Blueprint for Smarter Finances The Three Pillars: Foundations, Profit, and Wealth How to Get a Guaranteed £2–5k in Tax Savings Building a Business That Works for You Most business owners are putting in the hours, taking on the risk, but n

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Step 1 of the Profit First Blueprint: Mastering Your Mindset for Profit First Success

This Week’s Profit First Accountant Newsletter Estimated Read Time: 6 minutes   Hi everyone, It’s Stephen Edwards from Gro Profit First Accountants, and welcome to this week’s Profit First Accountant Newsletter! Watch the full video here This week we’re diving into Step 1 of the Profit First programme—and it's not what most people expect. Before we open spreadsheets or create new bank accounts, we need to start with something far more important: mindset and I want to challenge you with a fundame

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3 Proven Strategies to Grow Your Business

This Week’s Profit First Accountant Newsletter Estimated Read Time: 5 minutes   Hi everyone, It’s Stephen Edwards from Gro Profit First Accountants, and welcome to this week’s Profit First Accountant Newsletter! This week we’re cutting through the noise around business growth and zeroing in on three simple but powerful levers to grow your business: Get more customers Increase average transaction value Increase purchase frequency This is all about simplifying how you think about growth so

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