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Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine Hardcover – February 21, 2017

4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 8,864 ratings

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Author of cult classics The Pumpkin Plan and The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur offers a simple, counterintuitive cash management solution that will help small businesses break out of the doom spiral and achieve instant profitability.

Conventional accounting uses the logical (albeit, flawed) formula: Sales - Expenses = Profit. The problem is, businesses are run by humans, and humans aren't always logical. Serial entrepreneur Mike Michalowicz has developed a behavioral approach to accounting to flip the formula: Sales - Profit = Expenses. Just as the most effective weight loss strategy is to limit portions by using smaller plates, Michalowicz shows that by taking profit first and apportioning only what remains for expenses, entrepreneurs will transform their businesses from cash-eating monsters to profitable cash cows. Using Michalowicz's Profit First system, readers will learn that:

· Following 4 simple principles can simplify accounting and make it easier to manage a profitable business by looking at bank account balances.
· A small, profitable business can be worth much more than a large business surviving on its top line.
· Businesses that attain early and sustained profitability have a better shot at achieving long-term growth.

With dozens of case studies, practical, step-by-step advice, and his signature sense of humor, Michalowicz has the game-changing roadmap for any entrepreneur to make money they always dreamed of.
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From the Publisher

Profit is not an event. Profit is a habit. Mike Michalowicz

THREE STEPS TO PERMANENT PROFITABILITY

Image for Profit First by Mike Michalowicz. It shows a money bag turning into dollar bills.

Image for Profit First by Mike Michalowicz

Image for Profit First by Mike Michalowicz. It is a drawing of a flower in a person's palm

CHANNEL BEHAVIOR

Most entrepreneurs run their business via “login and see what you’ve got - bank balance accounting.” If you do that, too... congratulations! Profit First was made for you.

Profit First is a cash management system that works with your bank accounts. The do-it-yourself process pre-allocates money to its intended use before you spend it. When you log into your bank, you will know what money is available for what purpose.

REMOVE TEMPTATION

Just like the 401k has been the greatest personal savings mechanism in US history, Profit First leverages the same “pay yourself first” principle. First, your business will deduct its profit and transfer the money away from your primary bank to prevent the business from “borrowing from it.”

With the temptation to run your business from its profits removed, you will automatically operate your business in a fiscally sound manner.

REWARD QUARTERLY

As profit accumulates, the owner(s) of the business will take a quarterly profit distribution. The profits are not “plowed back” or “reinvested” into the business - or they should be reclassified as expenses. Instead, the profits are used to reward the owner(s).

Some businesses have debt, of course. Using the Profit First system, portions of profit distributions can be used to pay off chunks of debt, but some must remain to reward the owner(s). With Profit First, you win. Every quarter.

Image of author Mike Michalowicz

ABOUT MIKE MICHALOWICZ

After building and selling two multi-million dollar businesses, Mike Michalowicz (pronounced mi-‘kal-o-wits) started his third company and... lost his entire fortune. Then he started all over again, driven to find better ways to grow healthy, strong companies. Mike has devoted his life to the research and delivery of innovative entrepreneurial strategies to his readers.

Mike is the creator of Profit First, which is used by over one million companies across the globe to drive permanent profit. He is also the creator of Clockwork (small business systems), Fix This Next (small business strategy), Get Different (small business marketing), The Pumpkin Plan (small business growth), and All In (small business teams).

If there will ever be a patron saint for entrepreneurs, Mike Michalowicz is a contender —Simon Sinek

Mike Michalowicz is the authority on small business success

Mike Michaelowicz is a brilliant business mind. — Sally Hogshead

Fix this Next by Mike Michalowicz Cover image of Get Different by Mike Michalowicz • Clockwork revised and expanded Cover image of The Pumpkin Plan by Mike Michalowicz Cover image of ALL IN by Mike Michalowicz
Fix This Next Get Different Clockwork The Pumpkin Plan All In
Customer Reviews
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YOUR GUIDE TO ENTREPRENEURIAL SUCCESS I want to do the RIGHT things! I want to MARKET better than ever! I want to get my TIME back! I want to GROW fast and strong! I want to LEAD an unstoppable team!

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Profit First

“Quit being a slave to your own business and start making some serious money. Follow Mike’s counter-intuitive advice and put profits first.”
--VERNE HARNISH, author of
Scaling Up

Profit First is a brilliant smack-upside-the-head revelation for entrepreneurs. Most small businesses look pretty good on the outside, yet actually struggle to stay afloat. With fascinating stories and wit, Michalowicz shows how to remove your nose from the grindstone, climb out of the quicksand, and build a business that loves you back.”
—SALLY HOGSHEAD, author of
Fascinate

Profit First may arguably be one of the greatest ‘hacks’ of all time. Apply the pay-yourself-first principle to your business and watch the profits roll in.”
—CHRIS GUILLEBEAU, author of
Born for This and The $100 Startup
 
"
Profit First is a game-changer. I implemented the system into both of my businesses and increased profits by 21%. If you want to turn a profit and grow your business, you need this book."
—MICHAEL PORT, author of
Steal the Show
 
"
Profit First completely transformed how I handle business banking. I hadn't even finished the book before immediately putting a four-account distribution system in place for new income: operating expenses, owner expenses, taxes and profit. Mike's system moved me from break-even to profitable within a month. This book is a must-read for businesses large and small."
—JENNY BLAKE, author of
Pivot
 
“Twenty-five percent of small businesses have two weeks or less of cash in the bank. Seventy-five percent of businesses have a month or less of cash in the bank.
Profit First disciplines show you the roadmap to avoid becoming a statistic. This book has the potential to change the next 20 years of your small business life.”
—DAWN FOTOPULOS, Associate Professor of Business, The King’s College NYC; author of
Accounting for the Numberphobic
 
Profit First is a revelation. I only wish I knew about this system when I started my first business.”
—JOHN JANTSCH, author of
Duct Tape Marketing and SEO for Growth

“Entrepreneurs commonly confuse cash flow with profitability. Profit First makes the process so radically simple that you no longer have an excuse not to be profitable AND have cash flow!”
—GREG CRABTREE, author of
Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits

“Not only is Mike one of the most innovative small business authors of our time, his Profit First system—simple to apply and impactful in its results—can be the difference between constantly walking the financial tightrope or being predictably profitable. And a predictably profitable business is not only less stressful and more gratifying, it allows you to focus on what really matters… serving your customers!”
—BOB BURG, coauthor of
The Go-Giver and The Go-Giver Leader

"Why are so few businesses actually profitable for their owners?
Profit First turns accepted wisdom on its head and shows the real reason business owners struggle with the bottom line. This book shows you how to take home more money almost immediately."
—DORIE CLARK, author of
Stand Out

“Finance is the top headache of an entrepreneur.
Profit First is a must-read to avoid bankruptcy for great business ideas. Clever, easy to implement and absolutely effective (plus you will enjoy reading it).”
—SOFIA MACIAS, author of
Pequeño Cerdo Capitalista

“Entrepreneurs and small business advisors finally have a practical toolkit for increasing profitability! Everyone who touches the small business world should read and apply these game-changing principles.”
—JOE WOODARD, CEO of Woodard Events and Woodard Consulting

“I took the pledge and started implementing the Profit First system after reading Chapter One. By the time I was halfway through the book my business had already turned a profit.”
—BARRY MOLTZ, author of
How to Get Unstuck

About the Author

MIKE MICHALOWICZ launched and sold two multi-million dollar companies and is co-founder of Profit First Professionals, a membership organization of accountants, bookkeepers and business coaches who teach the Profit First method. He is a former columnist for The Wall Street Journal, is a popular speaker and has shared his insights on business and entrepreneurship at TEDx, creativeLIVE, INCmty and others. He is the author of The Pumpkin Plan and The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur. His columns have appeared in Entrepreneur Magazine, Open Forum, and Harvard Business Review.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 073521414X
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Portfolio; Reissue edition (February 21, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780735214149
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0735214149
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.1 x 0.81 x 9.2 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 8,864 ratings

About the author

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Mike Michalowicz
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By his 35th birthday MIKE MICHALOWICZ (pronounced mi-‘kal-o-wits) had founded and sold two multi-million dollar companies.

Confident that he had the formula to success, he became a small business angel investor… and proceeded to lose his entire fortune. Then he started all over again, driven to find better ways to grow healthy, strong companies. Mike has devoted his life to the research and delivery of innovative, impactful entrepreneurial strategies to you.

Mike is the creator of Profit First, which is used by hundreds of thousands of companies across the globe to drive profit. He is the creator of Clockwork, a powerful method to make any business run on automatic. He is the author of Fix This Next, an instant Wall Street Journal Bestseller, The Pumpkin Plan, Surge and The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur. His newest book, Get Different, teaches entrepreneurs how to creating marketing that can't be ignored.

Today, Mike leads two new multi-million-dollar ventures, as he tests his latest business research for his books. He is a former small business columnist for The Wall Street Journal and business makeover specialist on MSNBC. Mike is a popular main stage keynote speaker on innovative entrepreneurial topics; and is the author of Get Different, Fix This Next, Clockwork, Profit First, Surge, The Pumpkin Plan and The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur.

Fabled author, Simon Sinek deemed Mike Michalowicz “…the top contender for the patron saint of entrepreneurs.”

Mike is also a guest lecturer for collegiate entrepreneurial programs such as Babson, Boston College, Columbia, Copenhagen Business School, Emerson, Harvard, Penn State, Pepperdine and Princeton. His books are in the core curriculum for entrepreneur students at Pepperdine, Carnegie Mellon, Stanford University, and universities across the country. His books have been translated into over 27 languages.

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Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2022
I love efficiency! And in general an envelope system is a great way to do that...but with actual physical envelopes, it gets a little cumbersome.

This year, I implemented Profit First in my business as I read this book. It was one of the first books I read.
I love the siplicity & actionable steps that Mike provides. Some people have complained that there's nothing ground-breaking here but I tend to disagree.

Most people I've worked with as a small business systems consultant need a little help organizing most parts of their business. That includes their money. Whether they're just starting out or have been in business nearly 10 years, some haven't quite figured out how to manage the money in a way that allows them to have some left over at the end. And at the same time, removes the hassle of physical money management (envelopes and cash). Each account makes your numbers visible at a glance!!!

This book gives you a system to do just that. Turning a money gobbler into an organized set of pre-assigned buckets for each of your business dollars.

For someone who loves both numbers and systems, the Profit First method has given me both. Got to say that having the ability to actually draw a profit in the first quarter this year and KNOWING what that amount should be has been powerful! The emotional ups and downs of running your own business can be challenging. And seeing that profit account grow gives you something to look forward to as you work through the good and the rough days of owning a business!

Mike provides guidelines for how to handle the lingering questions about managing the $$ that come up for a lot of business owners. I've shared this book with multiple business owners since reading and implementing it in my own business.

If you're in a spot where you're unsure about how to organize your business finances or haven't taken a profit distribution in years, or haven't ever even had a profit to speak of, this book is a great place to get started!!

Definitely worth reading! Really glad I implemented it!
I've even started using this as a client gift during my process and systems work with clients. And so far, everyone I've sent it to has given it rave reviews as well.
9 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2023
“Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine” by Mike Michalowicz is a true game-changer. The revised and expanded edition takes an already impactful book to new heights.

Michalowicz’s approach is refreshingly straightforward and immensely practical. The concept of putting profit first fundamentally shifts the way we think about financial management, offering a roadmap to turn businesses into profitable ventures. The author’s engaging writing style makes complex financial strategies accessible to all readers.

This book is a must-read for entrepreneurs looking to revolutionize their financial approach and build a sustainable, thriving business. Michalowicz’s insights are not only enlightening but also actionable, making it an invaluable resource for anyone on the business journey. Highly recommended!
4 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2024
If accounting confuses you, if you love what you do but can't stand the paperwork and the numbers...this is your answer.

Like Mike Michalowicz says, most small- to medium-size business owners operate off "bank balance" accounting. "If there's money in the account, I'm profitable!"

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Depending on how long you've been in business, the correction could be a little painful, but the results are SO worth it.

I've never been a "numbers" guy; never understood a P&L, a balance sheet, a cash flow statement..didn't know what I was looking at and certainly didn't know what it was telling me.

But going through the exercises Mike describes were an education themselves. I'm getting better at reading and analyzing my numbers every day.

And the sheer simplicity of the entire program: take your profit first and operate on what's left. Boom. You're done.

My company doesn't have any debt, but I do need to control spending. This method is going to get me through it.

If you're just starting with your business...put this in place FIRST. If you've been in business for years but still can't make ends meet...put this in place NOW.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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JustABuyer
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for entrepreneurs
Reviewed in Canada on December 6, 2023
This book arrived in mint condition (I had purchased it as used- very good so I was nervous at first about its condition). I was happy with that.
Now, I don’t think anything I say will do this book much justice, but I will simply say- get it. If you are a business owner of any size, you need this book. It’s easy to read, relatable, uplifting and honest. It will make you a better entrepreneur than you thought possible. Get it, you won’t regret this purchase.
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JustABuyer
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for entrepreneurs
Reviewed in Canada on December 6, 2023
This book arrived in mint condition (I had purchased it as used- very good so I was nervous at first about its condition). I was happy with that.
Now, I don’t think anything I say will do this book much justice, but I will simply say- get it. If you are a business owner of any size, you need this book. It’s easy to read, relatable, uplifting and honest. It will make you a better entrepreneur than you thought possible. Get it, you won’t regret this purchase.
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Laércio Zulian Gallina
5.0 out of 5 stars Ótimo livro
Reviewed in Brazil on August 4, 2022
Ótima leitura, estimula a encarar os pequenos e médios negócios de outra forma.
One person found this helpful
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Adan Lopez Peña
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for SMB owners
Reviewed in Mexico on November 26, 2021
If you are a business owner (or are planning to be one) and think that revenue is growth, and growth is profit, you should read this.
One person found this helpful
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Mateo Eguiguren
5.0 out of 5 stars Lo comenzamos a implementar este mes en la agencia
Reviewed in Spain on April 26, 2024
El libro habla acerca de un simple sistema para separar primero el Profit, después pagarte a ti como el empleado más importante dentro de toda la compañía. Luego separar para pagar impuestos porque ese dinero no te pertenece a ti, sino al Estado y finalmente pagar los costos operativos.

Este mes lo comenzaremos a aplicar en la agencia de marketing especializada en comercio electrónico y dentro de unos meses veremos el impacto
Customer image
Mateo Eguiguren
5.0 out of 5 stars Lo comenzamos a implementar este mes en la agencia
Reviewed in Spain on April 26, 2024
El libro habla acerca de un simple sistema para separar primero el Profit, después pagarte a ti como el empleado más importante dentro de toda la compañía. Luego separar para pagar impuestos porque ese dinero no te pertenece a ti, sino al Estado y finalmente pagar los costos operativos.

Este mes lo comenzaremos a aplicar en la agencia de marketing especializada en comercio electrónico y dentro de unos meses veremos el impacto
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Shashank
5.0 out of 5 stars Changes the way you think about Business Cash Management
Reviewed in India on January 19, 2024
This book is really nice and simple to understand. The author, Mike has explained it so well and on to the point. It is detailed and guides well to make sure you manage your business cash well and you take home profit. This is my first book of Mike. I guess this will make me buy more from his collection.