In this episode, we explore the three critical roles every business owner must master: the CEO, the CFO, and the technician.

I’m Deb, a Profit First Professional, and I often see entrepreneurs pouring all their energy into the technician role—doing the work, delivering the service—while neglecting the financial and strategic responsibilities that truly drive growth and sustainability.

This episode is your invitation to step back and evaluate how you’re spending your time. Are you leading your business, managing your finances, and delivering your service—or just surviving in the daily grind?

We’ll break down what each role really involves, and I’ll give you practical tools to start balancing your time and attention across all three—so your business can support the life you want, not drain it.

About the Podcast:

This episode of the Financially Healthy Business Podcast dives into one of the biggest barriers to sustainable success: role imbalance.

I guide you through:

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• What it means to act as the CEO (vision, strategy, alignment)
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• The true responsibilities of the CFO (cash flow, financial planning, oversight)
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• How to stay effective as the technician—without getting stuck in it
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You’ll learn how to spot where you’re overinvested, what’s missing, and how to build a weekly routine that honours all three roles. Because running a successful business means more than delivering your product—it means leading, planning, and protecting your financial future.

In just 15–20 minutes, this episode helps you move from doing to directing, with greater clarity, control, and calm.

Lead like a CEO. Think like a CFO. Deliver like a pro.

Takeaways:

• The podcast emphasizes the necessity for business owners to wear three essential hats: the CEO, the CFO, and the technician, each contributing to the overall financial health of the business.
• To avoid financial chaos, I must allocate time for strategic thinking as a CEO, even if it is just thirty minutes per week, to set clear goals for my business.
• Balancing the roles of CEO, CFO, and technician is crucial; neglecting any one role can lead to significant challenges in business sustainability.
• A practical action step includes dedicating one hour weekly to focus solely on my CFO responsibilities, thus ensuring I am actively managing my financial health.
• Understanding my financial roles can illuminate my path as a business owner and facilitate informed decision-making that supports my long-term vision.
• It is vital to regularly check key financial metrics, such as profit margins or cash flow, to maintain clarity and control over my business's financial status.

Links referenced in this episode:

• www.financiallyhealthybusiness.co.uk

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Profit First
• Accounts Ladies
• Accounts Office Academy
• Financially Healthy Business Podcast

Foreign Healthy Business Podcast for business owners who want the confidence on cash flow that supports the life they actually want to live.

I'm Deb Halliday, Profit first, professional founder of award winning accountancy practice the Accounts Ladies and the Accounts Office Academy and author of how to Build a Financially Healthy Business.

Learn how to take control of your finances, reduce stress, and grow sustainably because your business should support your life, not consume it.

Let's get started.

Hello and welcome back to the Financially Healthy Business Podcast.

I'm your host, Deb Halliday, and I'm so glad you're here with me today.

We're diving into something that can really shift how you see yourself as a business owner.

Whether you realize it or not, you're wearing three very important hats in your business.

You're the CEO, the cfo, and the technician.

Each of these roles plays a massive part in your financial health.

But most of us get stuck in just one of them, and it's usually not the one that keeps the money flowing.

So let's unpack these roles, figure out how to balance them, and make sure your business is set up for success.

Grab a notebook and let's get started.

Running a business is a bit like juggling.

You've got multiple balls in the air and dropping one can throw everything off.

Those balls are the three financial roles you play.

The CEO, the cfo, and the technician.

Let me break them down for you, because understanding these is like turning on a light in a dark room.

It gives you clarity and control.

First, let's talk about the CEO role.

This is the visionary part of you.

As the CEO, you're dreaming big, setting goals and steering the ship.

You're the one deciding where your business is headed.

Maybe it's launching a new service, reaching a new audience, or even taking a step back to work fewer hours.

The CEO asks what's next and how do we get there?

For example, a few years ago I decided I wanted my business to let me take a proper holiday every year without everything falling apart.

That was my CEO hat talking, setting a goal that shaped my decisions.

But here's the catch.

The CEO role is exciting, but it's easy to get lost in big ideas without grounding them in reality.

That's where the CFO comes in.

The CFO is your money manager, the one who looks at the numbers, makes smart decisions, and keeps the business stable.

This is the role that checks your bank balance, tracks cash flow, and asks, can we afford this or is this investment worth it?

The CFO is the one who would have Told my CEO self, great, a holiday sounds lovely, but let's make sure we've got the cash flow to cover it.

And then there's the technician, the doer.

This is you delivering the goods.

Whether you're designing websites, coaching clients, baking cakes, or whatever magic you bring to the world, the technician is hands on getting the work done.

And it's probably why you started your business in the first place, because you're good at what you do.

Now here's the problem I see all the time.

Most business owners live in technician mode.

We're so busy doing the work, answering emails, meeting deadlines, serving clients that we neglect the CEO and CFO roles.

And that's when things start to wobble.

Without the CEO, you're working hard but going nowhere.

Without the cfo, you might be making sales but still struggling to pay the bills.

I've been there myself.

Early in my business, I was so focused on delivering for clients that I didn't notice my expenses creeping up.

One day I looked at my bank account and realized I'd been working flat out, but barely breaking even.

That was my wake up call to start wearing my CFO hat.

So how do you balance these roles?

It's not about being an expert in everything.

It's about giving each role a bit of time and attention.

Let's look at how to do that for your CEO role, carve out time to think strategically.

Even 30 minutes a week can make a difference.

Ask yourself, what do I want my business to look like in six months?

Maybe it's hiring a part time assistant or hitting a revenue goal.

Write it down and make it your North Star.

One of my clients, Sarah, did this.

She set a goal to double her client base and used it to guide her marketing decisions.

That CEO focus helped her grow without burning out.

For your CFO role, you don't need to be an accountant, just consistent.

This is where you step into the habits we've talked about in previous episodes, like tracking cash flow or checking your profit margins.

A simple CFO check in might mean looking at your bank balance, reviewing what's coming in and going out, or picking one key number to track, like your owner's pay or revenue.

For example, I worked with a business owner who started tracking his profit margin weekly.

He noticed one service was barely profitable, so he tweaked his pricing and saw an extra £1,000amonth.

That's the CFO at work.

And for your technician role, keep doing what you love, but set boundaries.

So if you're spending 80 hours a week on client work, you're not leaving room for the other roles.

Try blocking out specific times for delivery, say mornings for client projects, and save afternoons for CEO or CFO tasks.

It's not perfect, but it's progress.

Your action step this week is to step into your CFO role for just one hour.

Block it out in your calendar.

Call it your CFO check in.

During that hour, do three things.

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Check your bank balance.

No judgment, just look.

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Review your cash flow, what's coming in and going out this week.

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Pick one key number to track, maybe your profit margin, owner's pay or revenue.

Write it down and check it again next week.

Stepping into these roles, even just a little, can change everything.

It's like giving your business a tune up.

You don't have to do it all at once, but start giving that CFO some love.

Your future self will thank you for it next time.

We're wrapping up season two with a 90 day plan to go from financial chaos to clarity.

It's going to be a game changer, so don't miss it.

Until then, take care and keep those hats handy.

Thanks for tuning in to the Financially Healthy Business Podcast.

If today's episode helped you take a step closer to building a business that supports your life, share it with a fellow business owner, follow the show or leave a review.

It all helps to get the message to the people that need it.

For further Support, head to ww.financiallyhealthybusiness.co.uk to find out more information on my online coaching program.

You didn't start your business just to survive.

You started it to thrive.

Till the next time.