No Se Habla Taxes

The Emotional Side of Money No One Talks About

Send Me Your Questions! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2505300/fan_mail/new] The Emotional Side of Agency Finances We're not opening a spreadsheet in this episode. We're talking about feelings. After years of sitting across from agency founders and looking at their numbers, one thing is clear: the math is almost never the problem. The feelings about the math — that's where everything gets stuck. The fear that you're not charging enough. The avoidance that keeps you from opening your books for weeks. The pricing decisions made from anxiety instead of data. In this episode, Melissa gets into the emotional drivers that quietly run the show in your business — and what it actually looks like to move from fear-driven decisions to data-driven ones. Because the data is almost always less scary than the story your brain is telling at midnight. If any of it feels uncomfortably relatable, that means it landed the way it was supposed to. Amigas Coffee Talk | Denver Metro Thursday, May 28 | 9:00AM I'm speaking at an intimate morning event in the Denver area. We're talking identity, life transitions, and what it looks like to build a business that actually fits your life. If you're a woman building something with intention, I'd love to see you there. Spots are limited. 👉 Reserve your seat here https://www.sarineplanning.com/amigas-events-page/coffeetalkmelissaarmstrong Not sure if your business is healthy or just busy? No Se Habla Confusion is a $500 financial assessment for creative agencies on QBO doing $300K–$3M. I dig into your numbers, find the gaps, and tell you exactly where you stand. Email info@steadyhandaccounting.com [info@steadyhandaccounting.com] — subject line: No Se Habla Confusion.  Let's connect! LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/armstrongmelissacpa/ Website: https://steadyhandaccounting.com/

I'm Bad at Numbers

Send Me Your Questions! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2505300/fan_mail/new] "I'm just not a numbers person." If you've said that — or thought it — this episode is for you. In Episode 3, Melissa Armstrong gets personal. As a CPA who has spent her career helping creative founders understand their finances, she still found herself believing she wasn't on top of her own business money. It took validation from her commercial banker and her business advisors before she could let that story go. Sound familiar? This episode unpacks where the "I'm bad at numbers" belief comes from, what it's actually costing your business, and why financial confidence has nothing to do with being good at math. In this episode: — Why creative founders carry the "I'm not a numbers person" story — The difference between financial language and financial intelligence — What avoidance really costs you (and it's not what you think) — What financial confidence actually looks like — and how close you already are Amigas Coffee Talk | Denver Metro Thursday, May 28 | 9:00AM I'm speaking at an intimate morning event in the Denver area. We're talking identity, life transitions, and what it looks like to build a business that actually fits your life. If you're a woman building something with intention, I'd love to see you there. Spots are limited. 👉 Reserve your seat here https://www.sarineplanning.com/amigas-events-page/coffeetalkmelissaarmstrong Not sure if your business is healthy or just busy? No Se Habla Confusion is a $500 financial assessment for creative agencies on QBO doing $300K–$3M. I dig into your numbers, find the gaps, and tell you exactly where you stand. Email info@steadyhandaccounting.com [info@steadyhandaccounting.com] — subject line: No Se Habla Confusion.  Let's connect! LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/armstrongmelissacpa/ Website: https://steadyhandaccounting.com/

The Burn Rate Lens

Send Me Your Questions! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2505300/fan_mail/new] What happens when your biggest client goes quiet? Panic — unless you know your numbers. Melissa opens with a real client story: a smart founder, a client that went radio silent, and the one question that changed everything: what is your daily burn rate? Turns out, knowing that number is the difference between a business owner who can make strategic moves and one who's just hoping for the best. Amigas Coffee Talk | Denver Metro Thursday, May 28 | 9:00AM I'm speaking at an intimate morning event in the Denver area. We're talking identity, life transitions, and what it looks like to build a business that actually fits your life. If you're a woman building something with intention, I'd love to see you there. Spots are limited. 👉 Reserve your seat here https://www.sarineplanning.com/amigas-events-page/coffeetalkmelissaarmstrong Not sure if your business is healthy or just busy? No Se Habla Confusion is a $500 financial assessment for creative agencies on QBO doing $300K–$3M. I dig into your numbers, find the gaps, and tell you exactly where you stand. Email info@steadyhandaccounting.com [info@steadyhandaccounting.com] — subject line: No Se Habla Confusion.  Let's connect! LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/armstrongmelissacpa/ Website: https://steadyhandaccounting.com/

The Revenue Illusion - Why High Revenue Doesn't Mean a Healthy Business

Send Me Your Questions! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2505300/fan_mail/new] I have watched agency owners pop bottles over crossing $1M in revenue, post about it, make it their entire personality for a quarter, and then call me six months later because they can't make payroll. In this episode, I'm breaking down why revenue is the most celebrated and most misunderstood number in your business, and what you should actually be paying attention to instead. What We Cover * Why crossing a revenue milestone feels like winning and why that feeling can cost you * Maya's story: $1.2M in revenue, a full team, a nice office, and a cash crisis hiding underneath it all * The difference between revenue, profit, and cash flow and why confusing them is one of the most expensive mistakes you can make as a founder * Why service businesses are uniquely vulnerable to the revenue illusion * The four numbers I track with every single one of my clients:  * Gross margin by client or project * Utilization rate * Days sales outstanding (DSO) * Owner compensation This Week's Action Step I want you to pull one number you haven't been looking at. Just one. * Gross margin on your biggest client * Your days sales outstanding * Your actual owner draw vs. what you planned The truth is already living in your numbers. You just have to be willing to look. I'll be holding your hand emotionally from here. No Se Habla Confusion — $500 Financial Assessment for Creative Agencies Not sure if your business is actually healthy or just busy? That's exactly what this assessment is for. For creative agencies on QuickBooks Online doing $300K–$3M, I'll dig into your numbers, find the gaps, and give you a clear picture of where you stand and what to fix. Email info@steadyhandaccounting.com [info@steadyhandaccounting.com] with the subject line No Se Habla Confusion to get started. Amigas Coffee Talk | Denver Metro Thursday, May 28 | 9:00AM I'm speaking at an intimate morning event in the Denver area. We're talking identity, life transitions, and what it looks like to build a business that actually fits your life. If you're a woman building something with intention, I'd love to see you there. Spots are limited. 👉 Reserve your seat here https://www.sarineplanning.com/amigas-events-page/coffeetalkmelissaarmstrong Not sure if your business is healthy or just busy? No Se Habla Confusion is a $500 financial assessment for creative agencies on QBO doing $300K–$3M. I dig into your numbers, find the gaps, and tell you exactly where you stand. Email info@steadyhandaccounting.com [info@steadyhandaccounting.com] — subject line: No Se Habla Confusion.  Let's connect! LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/armstrongmelissacpa/ Website: https://steadyhandaccounting.com/

We're Back and Your Finances Are Still a Mess

Send Me Your Questions! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2505300/fan_mail/new] Season two is here, and yes, your finances are still a mess. But that's exactly why we're back. I'm Melissa Armstrong, fractional controller and the person who will tell you the financial truth your accountant was too polite to say out loud. This season we're going deep on the stuff that actually keeps founders up at night, from revenue that looks great but hides a fragile business, to the hidden cost of your best client. Short episodes, real talk, no fluff. Subscribe now so you don't miss a thing.  Let's connect! LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/armstrongmelissacpa/ Website: https://steadyhandaccounting.com/