Mike Michalowicz shares the microphone with Danielle and responds to questions from listeners just like yourself. Listen in to understand his innovative, time-tested approaches to successfully managing a business in the zone of permanent profitability.  Furthermore, Mike delves into the importance of enlisting a Profit First-Certified Accountant, Bookkeeper or Coach.. Stay tuned until the end of this episode for an exciting announcement Mike will share.   IN THIS EPISODE: [00:39] Question One. Should I add a retirement account to my hidden account, and how to set up a retirement account [05:40] Question Two. Can I make an exemption to Profit First [07:35] Question Three. What is the owner's pay? Is it the CEO's salary, and why is the allocation 50% [10:07] Question Four.  Do shareholders of a business all get compensated the same [12:05] Question Five. Can you skip the profit and tax accounts at your primary bank and transfer from income to profit hold and tax hold at my inconvenient bank [15:06] Wild card questions for Mike regarding working with a Profit First Bookkeeper [20:49] Mike celebrates that Profit First is in 28 languages now   KEY TAKEAWAYS:  Over 50% of businesses don’t last five years. Profit First Accountants and Coaches are in different towns than the client because they are industry-based, not location-based.  To effectively implement the Profit First System, adhering to each step is crucial. If you find yourself making exceptions, you are not following the Profit First principles.   ABOUT THE HOSTS:   Danielle Mulvey is a former flight attendant-turned-entrepreneur and owns multiple businesses doing $50 million in annual revenue. She is one of the exclusive, select group of Mastery-Certified Profit First Professionals worldwide and the go-to “HOW TO IMPLEMENT” workshop facilitator for Profit First and WSJ Journal best-selling author Mike Michalowicz following his keynote speeches. Danielle is currently running multiple businesses, from start-ups to mature businesses with 10-year plus track records and revenues ranging from $1M to $40 million in annual revenues and is a certified numbers geek about Profit First, leveraging the DIY cash management system for small business to achieve maximum profitability. She can personally guide business owners to achieve maximum profitability based on her 25 years of experience as an entrepreneur who has been there and done that.   Additionally, Danielle authored the book The Rapid Read™ Guide to The 5-Star Employee Rating System™ and is currently collaborating with Wall Street Journal best-selling author Mike Michalowicz on his new book, to be released in Q1 2024, titled ALL IN: How Great Leaders Build Unstoppable Teams. Mike Michalowicz is an entrepreneur and New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling author of Profit First, The Pumpkin Plan, SURGE, Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, Clockwork, Fix This Next and Get Different. BusinessWeek called Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, a business cult classic. His books have been translated into twenty-eight languages, and Mike has had the privilege to speak on stages worldwide because of his passion for connecting with entrepreneurs.   As the founder of Profit First Professionals, he empowers accountants, bookkeepers, and business coaches with the tools and techniques to maximize client profitability, allowing them to uplevel from being one of the 83% of small businesses operating check-to-check and struggling to be profitable to becoming one of the 17% of thriving and highly valuable businesses with cash in the bank to correlate to profitability. Mike also co-founded the business growth consultancy Provendus Group and has successfully founded, built, and sold two technology service-based companies. He is passionate about sharing his experiences and advice with entrepreneurs and sits on formal and informal advisory boards while maintaining relationships with angel and early-stage investors. RESOURCES: Danielle Mulvey - Website