Season 3 Episode 28: You Have Contraints In Your Business, You Just Don't Know What They Are

Oct 31, 2025

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What do you do when you're bleeding cash as a business? Raise more money? Start letting people go? The real question is, do you even know you're bleeding money? Adam Callinan, Founder & CEO of Pentane, works with businesses each day to solve exactly these kind of financial problems. At BottleKeeper, a brand he started with his cousin that eventually sold to PE, Adam got really good at knowing his numbers and making the right decisions based on that knowledge. That's what lead to several million dollars in sales in the first 3 years with only 4 employees.

The secret? Adam knew his Contribution Profit. Net Profit minus your Fixed Expenses gets you Contribution Profit and it's the key to knowing the revenue you need to generate, and at what cost to minimally hit break even. The problems occur when you don't know your numbers at all or you're unwilling to change things once you do know them. Grab a calculator and let's start cranking.

The Longer Game (@thelongergame) is a podcast focused on leaning into the trends and advancements in retail so brands see a clearer path to success across ALL channels. We’re looking at retail in a whole new way, looking to better understand the future of retail. It’s Retail Reimagined. Sharing hope about the future. No one channel can a business sustain. Go omni-channel.

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Adam Callinan is the founder of Pentane, an advanced version of the system he used to earn more than $60M in profitable revenue with just 4 employees and 0 investors at his prior eCommerce company. Adam previously co-founded BottleKeeper, a bootstrapped eCommerce brand that achieved $8m in revenue in just its third year, with 0 employees. BottleKeeper later appeared on Shark Tank and was acquired in 2021 by Wind Point Partners/RTIC Outdoors, marking Adam’s second exit. Adam lives in Montana, writes for INC, and hosts the Growth Mavericks podcast, in addition to being a husband, dad, and avid outdoorsman.

You can find them at...

Website: https://pentane.com

Find them on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adammcallinan/

Find them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adam_callinan/

Find them on Facebook: /adam_callinan

Michael Maher, the host, would love to connect with you. Reach out to him at…

Email: michael@thinkcartology.com

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/immichaelmaher

This podcast is sponsored by Cartology and Podcastify Me.

Cartology is a customized done-for-you service agency that helps brands accelerate growth and get profitable on the Amazon marketplace. They work directly with brands to create strategy and then go right out and execute it. Want to find out more?

Website: https://thinkcartology.com

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Podcastify Me is designed to help coaches of all kinds enter the podcasting space with minimal lift for them. And, inviting past, current and future clients to your show as part of your marketing and sales process sets you apart from your competition, in a time where podcasting is really gaining popularity.

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