Oct. 27, 2025

Powerful Business Strategies - Business and Cash Flow Forecast

Powerful Business Strategies - Business and Cash Flow Forecast

This week's Powerful Business Strategies segment with Michael Barbarita of Next Step CFO is Imagine, having a business GPS that not only shows you where you are right now, but predicts exactly where you'll be in 6 months, 12 months, even 18 months from today. A GPS that answers questions like: "Can I afford to hire that manager?" "What happens if sales drop 20%?" "When is the best time to expand?"

Click Here to Subscribe to The Adventures of Pipeman for PERKS, BONUS Content & FREE GIVEWAYS! 

Take some zany and serious journeys with The Pipeman aka Dean K. Piper, CST on The Adventures of Pipeman also known as Pipeman Radio syndicated globally “Where Who Knows And Anything Goes.”  
 
Would you like to be a sponsor of the show?
Would you like to have your business, products, services, merch, programs, books, music or any other professional or artistic endeavors promoted on the show?
Would you like interviewed as a professional or music guest on The Adventures of Pipeman, Positively Pipeman and/or Pipeman in the Pit?
Would you like to host your own Radio Show, Streaming TV Show, or Podcast?   PipemanRadio Podcasts are heard on Pipeman Radio, Talk 4 Media, iHeartRadio, Pandora, Amazon Music, Audible, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and over 100 other podcast outlets where you listen to Podcasts.

The following are the different podcasts to Follow, Listen, Download, Subscribe:
•The Adventures of Pipeman
•Pipeman Radio
•Pipeman in the Pit – Music Interviews & Festivals
•Positively Pipeman – Empowerment, Inspiration, Motivation, Self-Help, Business, Spiritual & Health & Wellness

Click Here to Subscribe for PERKS, BONUS Content & FREE GIVEWAYS!

Follow @pipemanradio on all socials & Pipeman Radio Requests & Info at www.linktr.ee/pipemanradio

Stream The Adventures of Pipeman daily & live Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays at 1PM ET on W4CY Radio & Talk 4 TV

Download, Rate & Review the Podcast at The Adventures of Pipeman, Pipeman Radio, Talk 4 Media, iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, YouTube & All Podcast Apps.

WEBVTT

1
00:00:04.639 --> 00:00:12.519
Hi, you have done to censure wow for you young.

2
00:00:19.679 --> 00:00:21.719
This is the pipe Man here on the adventures of

3
00:00:21.719 --> 00:00:25.760
Pipe Man W four c Y Radio once again in

4
00:00:25.839 --> 00:00:32.520
the positively pipe Man mood with our resident expert. And

5
00:00:32.600 --> 00:00:34.439
I think, you know, last week, I think I kind

6
00:00:34.439 --> 00:00:38.119
of screwed that one up. So I think better this

7
00:00:38.280 --> 00:00:42.600
week and I did it right. But more importantly, this

8
00:00:42.719 --> 00:00:46.119
guest that we have really does it right for your business.

9
00:00:46.439 --> 00:00:51.560
So let's explore some more powerful business strategies with Michael Barbarita.

10
00:00:52.039 --> 00:00:54.200
Thank you for having me again, Deane. I appreciate it,

11
00:00:54.799 --> 00:00:57.600
you know my pleasure. Yeah, you know, one of the

12
00:00:58.479 --> 00:01:01.640
this one today we're gonna talk about as a financial strategy,

13
00:01:02.119 --> 00:01:07.280
and business owners have a hard time grasping this one.

14
00:01:07.879 --> 00:01:11.439
Now it's something I do with every single one of

15
00:01:11.439 --> 00:01:15.560
my clients because it helps It helps them so much

16
00:01:15.840 --> 00:01:19.560
in a decision making process because you see, a CFO

17
00:01:19.760 --> 00:01:24.879
is forward looking, where most of the financial people like

18
00:01:24.959 --> 00:01:29.359
CPAs and bookkeepers and so forth, they're historical. They're mostly

19
00:01:29.480 --> 00:01:32.560
telling you what happened, where a CFO it tells you

20
00:01:32.840 --> 00:01:37.040
what looks like is going to happen. And one of

21
00:01:37.079 --> 00:01:42.480
the tools that we use, and that a strategic business

22
00:01:42.519 --> 00:01:47.439
owner needs to have is a business and cash flow forecast.

23
00:01:48.480 --> 00:01:53.599
And I've got some benefits and reasons why the business

24
00:01:53.640 --> 00:01:57.640
and cash flow forecast is. It's just it helps why

25
00:01:57.680 --> 00:02:02.799
it helps you make better business decisions because it helps

26
00:02:02.840 --> 00:02:07.840
you identify the ramifications of your decision. It tells you

27
00:02:07.879 --> 00:02:11.599
the ramifications of your decisions before you make it, and

28
00:02:11.680 --> 00:02:15.879
so but all the strategic advantages that it has I'm

29
00:02:15.879 --> 00:02:19.960
going to go through, but business owners don't necessarily grasp

30
00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:23.159
it for some reason, and despite the fact that I'm

31
00:02:23.199 --> 00:02:25.599
able to convince every one of my clients eventually to

32
00:02:25.639 --> 00:02:28.560
have one and they thank me for it afterwards. Because

33
00:02:29.240 --> 00:02:34.280
an it's an ongoing blueprint. It's an organic, ongoing, dynamic,

34
00:02:34.400 --> 00:02:38.439
ongoing blueprint. So the first benefit is with a business

35
00:02:38.439 --> 00:02:42.840
and casual forecast, you actually discover the most successful business

36
00:02:42.879 --> 00:02:46.599
model you can have. The forecast reveals your business's true

37
00:02:46.639 --> 00:02:50.319
potential and it shows you the most efficient way to operate.

38
00:02:50.360 --> 00:02:53.000
It's like having X ray vision into your business model.

39
00:02:53.919 --> 00:02:57.199
And so when you can discover the most effective business

40
00:02:57.199 --> 00:03:00.520
model you can have, because it's not necessarily the business

41
00:03:00.520 --> 00:03:07.520
model you have now, and when we propose strategy implementation,

42
00:03:08.240 --> 00:03:11.479
we show you what it looks like financially through our forecasting,

43
00:03:11.680 --> 00:03:17.000
that's another big advantage. Another advantage is it's a competitive

44
00:03:17.039 --> 00:03:19.879
advantage through knowledge. When you know your numbers and understand

45
00:03:19.879 --> 00:03:23.080
your business model, and you're knowing and you have a

46
00:03:23.120 --> 00:03:26.240
good grasp of what's going to happen, you're far ahead

47
00:03:26.280 --> 00:03:30.439
of your competitors who are operating on gut instinct and hope.

48
00:03:30.879 --> 00:03:34.599
So that's another benefit. The third benefit is something that

49
00:03:34.639 --> 00:03:37.159
business owners relate to the most out of all the

50
00:03:37.199 --> 00:03:40.800
benefits that I offer with the with the forecast, and

51
00:03:40.840 --> 00:03:46.840
that is the can I answering? The can I afforded? Question? Yeah,

52
00:03:46.879 --> 00:03:48.479
that's the question I get the most. You know, can

53
00:03:48.479 --> 00:03:51.039
I afford a new truck? Can I afford a new manager?

54
00:03:51.599 --> 00:03:55.199
Can I afford a new location, a new product line?

55
00:03:56.319 --> 00:03:59.400
The forecast gives you accurate answers and shows you the

56
00:03:59.479 --> 00:04:04.479
risk of thenociated with any of those investments, So and

57
00:04:04.479 --> 00:04:09.280
and and it has provided so much clarity for business

58
00:04:09.280 --> 00:04:14.879
owners who are just unsure. It just that when they're unsure,

59
00:04:15.680 --> 00:04:19.360
at best, they're on the fence. But when they we

60
00:04:19.360 --> 00:04:21.319
can kick them over the fence one way or the

61
00:04:21.319 --> 00:04:25.120
other with the with the with the tool that we

62
00:04:25.279 --> 00:04:28.399
use the business and cash flow forecast. It's like a

63
00:04:28.439 --> 00:04:30.759
breath of fresh air for them because they're not stressing

64
00:04:30.800 --> 00:04:34.639
over these decisions. They see how it will work and

65
00:04:34.680 --> 00:04:38.720
they have confidence because the forecast is essentially their their

66
00:04:38.800 --> 00:04:41.079
view of what the future will happen. Especially on the

67
00:04:41.079 --> 00:04:46.399
top line. It's also a risk assessment and opportunity discovery tools.

68
00:04:46.399 --> 00:04:51.000
So the forecast tells you both. Uh, you know what

69
00:04:51.040 --> 00:04:54.639
the risk are and what the opportunities are. It shows

70
00:04:54.720 --> 00:04:57.839
you what investments make sense and which ones could cause

71
00:04:57.920 --> 00:05:01.800
problems down the road. And it tells you when it's cloudy,

72
00:05:02.120 --> 00:05:06.160
not when it's raining, which is very important for business

73
00:05:06.199 --> 00:05:10.879
owned to really grasp and understand because we're able to

74
00:05:10.959 --> 00:05:16.240
identify for our clients when it's cloudy, when things are

75
00:05:16.560 --> 00:05:20.439
just start where I start to question, make I start

76
00:05:20.480 --> 00:05:25.040
to develop more questions for the business owner. UH. That

77
00:05:25.160 --> 00:05:31.040
gets them thinking about the risks uh, but also the

78
00:05:31.120 --> 00:05:35.600
opportunities because it's also an opportunity UH a tool discovery,

79
00:05:35.720 --> 00:05:42.279
opportunity discovery tool. Next, it's cash requirements. Okay, you'll you'll

80
00:05:42.279 --> 00:05:46.560
see the needs of cash requirements well in advance, so

81
00:05:46.639 --> 00:05:50.240
they have time to secure funding or you know, maybe

82
00:05:50.279 --> 00:05:53.439
you want to self fund it. But whatever, whatever reason,

83
00:05:53.920 --> 00:05:57.000
whatever way you want to go, it's telling you in

84
00:05:57.120 --> 00:06:01.160
advance that you're probably going to need more money in

85
00:06:01.240 --> 00:06:04.240
a couple of months, and a year, in ten months,

86
00:06:04.240 --> 00:06:10.120
whatever whatever. The forecast says. Another advantage of forecast is

87
00:06:10.160 --> 00:06:14.360
it's a resource planning for growth or control or contraction.

88
00:06:14.800 --> 00:06:17.720
You know, at what sales level do you need more people,

89
00:06:18.160 --> 00:06:21.600
what sales level do you need more equipment? You know,

90
00:06:21.680 --> 00:06:25.199
the forecast tells you exactly when to make these critical decisions.

91
00:06:26.399 --> 00:06:29.360
So it's it's really and I've only gone through half

92
00:06:29.360 --> 00:06:33.160
of the benefits, but it's really just those benefits alone

93
00:06:33.839 --> 00:06:39.639
makes it worthwhile to have your CFO prepare these these forecasts.

94
00:06:41.199 --> 00:06:43.720
There is it. There isn't a Fortune five hundred company

95
00:06:43.759 --> 00:06:46.879
in the world that doesn't do a forecast, even I

96
00:06:46.879 --> 00:06:48.439
should say Fortune ten thousand.

97
00:06:48.839 --> 00:06:51.199
I don't know how you could run any business without

98
00:06:51.199 --> 00:06:51.920
a forecast.

99
00:06:52.240 --> 00:06:54.839
Yeah, I mean, you've got to know where you're headed.

100
00:06:55.079 --> 00:06:58.240
It's just and you've got to you've got to understand

101
00:06:58.240 --> 00:07:01.120
the risk and opportunities. You got to understand if you're

102
00:07:01.120 --> 00:07:05.199
going to need more people or more equipment, and that

103
00:07:05.519 --> 00:07:09.639
The other advantage of the forecast is multiple what if scenarios,

104
00:07:09.720 --> 00:07:12.680
so you could even right in front of your eyes,

105
00:07:13.240 --> 00:07:15.120
you could say, Okay, this is what it looks like

106
00:07:15.120 --> 00:07:18.680
if sales drop twenty percent, or what if you lose

107
00:07:18.720 --> 00:07:20.800
your if you lost your biggest customer, what does that

108
00:07:20.879 --> 00:07:24.079
look like? Or on the other hand, what if you

109
00:07:24.120 --> 00:07:27.000
get that large contract. What does that look like? You know,

110
00:07:27.040 --> 00:07:30.040
it's not all negative, it's also positive. There are what

111
00:07:30.120 --> 00:07:34.800
if scenarios for everything. Yeah, and so it helps you

112
00:07:34.879 --> 00:07:37.319
plan for multiple what if scenarios so that you are

113
00:07:37.319 --> 00:07:43.360
prepared for anything. And then it optimizes staffing decisions. So

114
00:07:43.959 --> 00:07:46.040
if you ever wonder if you have too many people

115
00:07:46.120 --> 00:07:49.279
or too few people, the forecast shows the optimal number

116
00:07:49.279 --> 00:07:51.600
of people that you need and where they should fit

117
00:07:51.639 --> 00:07:56.519
in the organization. That's another big advantage because staffing is

118
00:07:57.360 --> 00:08:02.160
could be a nightmare, especially if you have over five people. Yeah,

119
00:08:02.199 --> 00:08:05.480
and then it's the forecast is also the basis for

120
00:08:05.519 --> 00:08:09.680
the strategic plan. It gives the company direction. It builds

121
00:08:09.680 --> 00:08:13.680
your confidence because you have that direction. So it it

122
00:08:13.680 --> 00:08:17.120
it helps with the strategies that we that we help

123
00:08:17.160 --> 00:08:21.639
you implement because we could see what that looks like financially,

124
00:08:22.079 --> 00:08:24.839
because a lot of I'll call them coaches. I hate

125
00:08:24.920 --> 00:08:28.720
using that word. By the way, Dean, we're strategists and.

126
00:08:28.959 --> 00:08:31.120
I'm not a fan of that word at all because

127
00:08:31.480 --> 00:08:35.120
the most overused word ever, and most of the people

128
00:08:35.159 --> 00:08:39.240
that call themselves coaches don't even have the certification that

129
00:08:39.519 --> 00:08:43.279
there are or even realize that there are certifications for

130
00:08:43.519 --> 00:08:48.679
experts that are actually doing that. And also, you know,

131
00:08:49.039 --> 00:08:51.879
one is coaching without implementation.

132
00:08:51.559 --> 00:08:53.759
Like right, that's right, I mean it has.

133
00:08:53.720 --> 00:08:54.679
To go hand in hand.

134
00:08:55.159 --> 00:08:57.440
Absolutely, And just so you know, Dean, I don't know

135
00:08:57.519 --> 00:08:59.480
if I've ever said it on the show. I am

136
00:08:59.480 --> 00:09:02.960
a CERTI of five profit coach, which means I have

137
00:09:03.639 --> 00:09:09.000
been have gone through rigorous training because like you said,

138
00:09:09.039 --> 00:09:12.559
there's many coaches out there that you know, just really

139
00:09:12.559 --> 00:09:15.480
don't know how to grow a small business. And so

140
00:09:15.840 --> 00:09:20.840
we go, we went through a real rigorous training to

141
00:09:21.000 --> 00:09:25.480
prove to earn the certification that proves that we can

142
00:09:25.600 --> 00:09:30.399
help implement implement strategy. That's and so that's why I

143
00:09:30.399 --> 00:09:32.120
get away from the word coach. So that's why I

144
00:09:32.120 --> 00:09:34.879
don't call you know, that's why I don't talk about

145
00:09:35.039 --> 00:09:38.440
being a certified profit coach. That is the terminology, that

146
00:09:38.559 --> 00:09:44.440
is the certification. But we help implement UH strategy and

147
00:09:44.440 --> 00:09:50.200
that's why I call it strategic implementation, and so the yeah,

148
00:09:50.240 --> 00:09:53.600
so the other thing is critical metrics. The forecast helps

149
00:09:53.639 --> 00:09:56.559
you identify the critical metrics in the business, and metrics

150
00:09:56.559 --> 00:09:59.679
are financial parameters that evaluate the performance and productivity of

151
00:09:59.679 --> 00:10:03.000
a busines. And it's easier for the business owner to

152
00:10:03.120 --> 00:10:07.600
understand four or five critical metrics than it is for

153
00:10:07.679 --> 00:10:10.360
them to read financial statements and understand what those are

154
00:10:10.399 --> 00:10:15.080
telling them, even though as a CFO my job, one

155
00:10:15.120 --> 00:10:19.240
of my jobs is to give the story that the

156
00:10:19.279 --> 00:10:23.080
financial statements are telling the business owner, but the critical

157
00:10:23.240 --> 00:10:29.159
metrics helps them understand it better. So that's the other

158
00:10:29.240 --> 00:10:32.759
thing that the forecast does. It helps identify those critical metrics.

159
00:10:34.639 --> 00:10:36.799
And the other thing is is I mentioned earlier that

160
00:10:36.879 --> 00:10:39.559
the forecast isn't something we just prepare and throw in

161
00:10:39.600 --> 00:10:43.559
a drawer like most business owners do. You know, they

162
00:10:43.600 --> 00:10:49.720
call it a budget. What we do. Our forecasting is dynamic,

163
00:10:49.799 --> 00:10:55.559
which means it's always ongoing. It's a constant tool that

164
00:10:55.679 --> 00:10:59.919
gets updated with actual results. And once those actual results

165
00:11:00.039 --> 00:11:03.080
are updated, the forecast rolls forward and you're able to

166
00:11:03.080 --> 00:11:09.759
better understand what's going on. And then finally, capacity limitations

167
00:11:10.559 --> 00:11:14.679
understanding what your capacity limited. You know, every business has

168
00:11:15.200 --> 00:11:19.360
capacity limits, and what the forecast will do is will

169
00:11:19.399 --> 00:11:22.159
tell you when you reach your capacity, so you might

170
00:11:22.200 --> 00:11:25.399
have to make additional investments in order to grow. Maybe not,

171
00:11:26.759 --> 00:11:34.480
but at least it helps identify capacity limitations. So those

172
00:11:34.519 --> 00:11:38.080
are the benefits of forecasting. And I got to tell

173
00:11:38.080 --> 00:11:44.480
you it's it's hard to it's hard to talk about

174
00:11:44.720 --> 00:11:49.440
or market business and cash flow forecasting. I'm usually able

175
00:11:49.480 --> 00:11:54.039
to convince my prospects and clients once I have an

176
00:11:54.039 --> 00:11:57.799
opportunity to go through those benefits, because you just can't.

177
00:11:57.879 --> 00:12:00.360
It's just it's just too difficult to go through those

178
00:12:00.399 --> 00:12:02.879
benefits or to talk about those benefits in a very

179
00:12:03.639 --> 00:12:07.639
very compact way that business. Because business all hate numbers

180
00:12:07.639 --> 00:12:09.360
to begin with. So if I talk about a business

181
00:12:09.399 --> 00:12:12.320
a cashul forecast, it's like turning off a switch in

182
00:12:12.360 --> 00:12:12.879
their brain.

183
00:12:13.320 --> 00:12:17.080
And like I said, like I've said before, they you know,

184
00:12:18.000 --> 00:12:19.960
they don't want to know a lot of times, and

185
00:12:20.360 --> 00:12:24.679
they think ignorance is bliss. But you know what forecasting

186
00:12:25.039 --> 00:12:25.679
is bliss?

187
00:12:25.960 --> 00:12:28.799
Right, we gotta you gotta do it, you really got

188
00:12:28.840 --> 00:12:31.639
to do it, and so and and so it's part

189
00:12:31.679 --> 00:12:34.279
of our program. So because As you know, we're both

190
00:12:34.399 --> 00:12:39.919
CFOs and strategic implementation specialists, and so we combine both

191
00:12:39.960 --> 00:12:45.080
the financial with the strategy. So when we implement the strategy,

192
00:12:45.240 --> 00:12:49.120
we understand the financial reorifications of that strategy. And that's

193
00:12:49.159 --> 00:12:51.320
what makes it advantageous to work with us.

194
00:12:52.759 --> 00:12:54.240
And how do they work with you?

195
00:12:54.440 --> 00:12:57.360
But okay, well, they would go they would go to

196
00:12:57.399 --> 00:13:01.120
my website, next step CFO dot net. They would be

197
00:13:01.120 --> 00:13:03.639
able to download a free copy of my book called

198
00:13:03.679 --> 00:13:06.679
Powerful Business Strategies. And then they would also if they

199
00:13:06.679 --> 00:13:09.639
go to the contact page, which was is NEEXTSTEPCFO dot nets,

200
00:13:09.720 --> 00:13:13.080
forward slash contact or just click the contact page when

201
00:13:13.080 --> 00:13:16.720
you're on the website, they would be able to schedule

202
00:13:16.759 --> 00:13:20.159
a book interview. There's nothing to buy, leave your wallets

203
00:13:20.159 --> 00:13:26.960
at home. It's sixty minutes on zoom. And by the way,

204
00:13:26.960 --> 00:13:29.519
the reason why we do it is we're constantly updating

205
00:13:29.759 --> 00:13:34.480
our book with different versions, and it's sixty minutes on zoom.

206
00:13:34.559 --> 00:13:36.639
I present a strategy from the book and then I

207
00:13:36.759 --> 00:13:39.399
ask you if the strategy, if a business owner were

208
00:13:39.399 --> 00:13:42.240
to implement that strategy, what the impact would be to

209
00:13:42.320 --> 00:13:45.120
a business owner in your industry. Then I documented for

210
00:13:45.200 --> 00:13:49.200
the book but I promise you this. You will learn

211
00:13:49.600 --> 00:13:53.480
business and financial strategies that your competition isn't doing. And

212
00:13:53.480 --> 00:13:55.600
that's why it's so valuable for a business owner to

213
00:13:55.639 --> 00:13:56.559
go do a book interview.

214
00:13:57.279 --> 00:14:02.200
Oh yeah, it's key. You know, you have to be

215
00:14:02.480 --> 00:14:06.360
not only aware of your competition, but you have to

216
00:14:06.440 --> 00:14:10.879
do things that they're not doing, because that's what separates

217
00:14:10.919 --> 00:14:13.799
you from the pack. And that's what separates you from

218
00:14:13.799 --> 00:14:14.120
the pack.

219
00:14:14.320 --> 00:14:16.720
That's right, that's what we're all about. That's what we're

220
00:14:16.759 --> 00:14:20.039
all about Dan doing what your competition isn't doing.

221
00:14:20.360 --> 00:14:23.399
There it is so thanks once again for wealth of

222
00:14:23.440 --> 00:14:28.840
information and for giving us some powerful business strategies. And

223
00:14:29.559 --> 00:14:33.000
I implore all our listeners reach out to you see

224
00:14:33.000 --> 00:14:36.679
what Michael has to say. You won't be sorry because

225
00:14:36.720 --> 00:14:39.639
it will help your business immensely. And thank you Michael

226
00:14:39.720 --> 00:14:43.080
for once again being on the adventures of Pipeline Pipeline.

227
00:14:44.120 --> 00:14:48.879
Thank you for listening to the Adventures of Pipemin on

228
00:14:49.600 --> 00:14:52.759
w for c UI Radio.