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Master Your Numbers, Master Your Business

Running a business without understanding your financials is like flying blind. In Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits!, CPA and entrepreneur Greg Crabtree strips away the jargon, complexity, and confusion that often plague small business accounting. What you get instead is a straightforward, numbers-driven guide to unlocking real profitability and long-term growth.

Crabtree doesn’t just offer financial advice—he delivers a practical framework designed specifically for entrepreneurs and business owners who want to move beyond break-even and build a thriving operation. From rethinking labor costs to setting profit targets that actually work, this book teaches you how to use data as your most powerful decision-making tool.

Whether you’re a startup founder, freelancer, or small business owner scaling your first million, Simple Numbers will transform how you think about growth—not through hacks or hustle, but through financial clarity and operational discipline.

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Top 10 Lessons from Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits! by Greg Crabtree

1. Profit Is Not a Mystery—It’s a Discipline

Crabtree emphasizes that profit isn’t random or reserved for big companies. Clear targets, smart hiring, and disciplined cash flow management can make any business reliably profitable.

2. Owner’s Salary Must Reflect Market Value

Paying yourself fairly is essential. Treat your salary like a true business expense, not a leftover. It’s the only way to see if your business model actually works.

3. Labor Productivity Drives Profitability

Forget cutting costs—focus on increasing productivity. Crabtree introduces the Labor Efficiency Ratio (LER) to measure how effectively your team turns payroll into gross profit.

4. Stop Managing for Tax Minimization

Too many entrepreneurs make decisions based on reducing taxes rather than building value. Crabtree urges you to think like an investor, not a tax evader.

5. Build a Profit-Based Model, Not a Revenue-Based One

Growth isn’t the goal—profitable growth is. A high-revenue business with razor-thin margins will fail faster than a smaller one with disciplined profitability.

6. Set a 10% Profit Benchmark

Crabtree believes a minimum 10% pre-tax profit should be the baseline for a healthy business. Anything less is a warning sign that your model needs fixing.

7. Capital Needs to Fuel Growth, Not Fix Mistakes

Too many businesses take on debt to patch poor operations. Use capital to expand what’s working, not cover up inefficiencies or mismanagement.

8. Reinvest Strategically, Not Emotionally

Just because you have money doesn’t mean you should spend it. Crabtree advocates data-driven reinvestment strategies based on measurable returns, not gut feelings.

9. The Financial Scoreboard Should Be Simple

You don’t need complex dashboards. Track the key metrics—LER, profit margin, cash flow—and stay focused. Clarity beats complexity in business finance.

10. Numbers Tell the Truth (Even When You Don’t Like It)

The most powerful lesson? Your financials are a mirror. If you’re willing to face them honestly, you’ll make better decisions, faster—and build a business that actually lasts.

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Final Thought: Don’t Just Grow—Grow Smarter

Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits! is a must-read for entrepreneurs who want to turn confusion into confidence. It’s not a book of theory—it’s a battle-tested system for making your numbers work for you. If you’re tired of flying blind with your business finances, Crabtree hands you the compass, the map, and the formula to get where you want to go.

Whether you’re hitting your first $500K or scaling past $5M, the principles in this book can turn your financials into fuel for real, sustainable growth.