Strategy Meets Finance
Steve Coughran
Welcome to Strategy Meets Finance, the podcast for business owners and entrepreneurs who want to start, grow, and run a business that lasts.Most business owners struggle because they treat strategy and finance as separate. But without a clear strategy, your finances won’t support long-term growth. And without strong financial planning, even the best business ideas fall flat.On this show, we bring both sides together—so you can grow your business with confidence, improve cash flow, increase profit, and make better decisions.Hosted by Steve Coughran, a former CFO and founder of Coltivar, each episode shares simple tools, real examples, and practical advice from working with companies of all different sizes. You’ll learn how to set smart goals, fix money leaks, build stronger teams, and create lasting value.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Sep 9, 2025 • 17min
Part 9: Lever #5 – Capital | Cash Flow
Ready to see how much cash is hiding in your business? Get your free Financial Health Check now: coltivar.com/check This is Part 9 of Steve Coughran’s book Cash Flow. Steve introduces the fifth lever of cash flow: capital. He explains why EBITDA isn’t cash flow, how invested capital and ROIC reveal whether a business is creating or destroying value, and the hidden cash traps in receivables, inventory, and CapEx that often strangle growth.LinkedIn | YouTube coltivar.com
Sep 9, 2025 • 10min
Part 8: Lever #4 – Operating Expenses | Cash Flow
Ready to see how much cash is hiding in your business? Get your free Financial Health Check now: coltivar.com/check This is Part 8 of Steve Coughran’s book Cash Flow. Steve explains the fourth lever of cash flow: operating expenses. He shows why cutting costs blindly destroys value, how to eliminate waste without hurting growth, and the smart ways to optimize overhead while protecting employees, customers, and long-term strategy.LinkedIn | YouTube coltivar.com
Sep 9, 2025 • 11min
Part 6: Lever #2 – Price | Cash Flow
Ready to see how much cash is hiding in your business? Get your free Financial Health Check now: coltivar.com/check This is Part 6 of Steve Coughran’s book Cash Flow. Steve unpacks the second lever of cash flow: price. He explains why price is the most powerful driver of profitability, how perceived value determines what customers will pay, and how businesses can raise prices confidently without losing customers.LinkedIn | YouTube coltivar.com
Sep 9, 2025 • 18min
Part 4: Two Ways to Measure Firm Value | Cash Flow
Ready to see how much cash is hiding in your business? Get your free Financial Health Check now: coltivar.com/check This is Part 4 of Steve Coughran’s book Cash Flow. Steve breaks down the two main ways businesses are valued: the income approach, based on free cash flow, cost of capital, and growth, and the market approach, based on EBITDA multiples. He explains why understanding both is critical, how multiples impact valuation, and what really drives the worth of your company.LinkedIn | YouTube coltivar.com
Sep 9, 2025 • 10min
Part 2: The Cash Flow Mindset | Cash Flow
Ready to see how much cash is hiding in your business? Get your free Financial Health Check now: coltivar.com/check This is Part 2 of Steve Coughran’s book Cash Flow. Steve explains why profit doesn’t protect a business from failure and why free cash flow is the real survival metric. He breaks down how to calculate free cash flow, why it matters more than revenue or profit, and how companies with strong cash flow thrive in any economy.LinkedIn | YouTube coltivar.com
Sep 9, 2025 • 13min
Part 3: What Creates Value in a Business? | Cash Flow
Ready to see how much cash is hiding in your business? Get your free Financial Health Check now: coltivar.com/check This is Part 3 of Steve Coughran’s book Cash Flow. Steve reveals what truly creates value in a business: generating more cash flow than the cost of your investments. He explains return on invested capital (ROIC), why growth without strong returns destroys value, and how to measure whether your business is actually creating or burning cash.LinkedIn | YouTube coltivar.com
Sep 9, 2025 • 13min
Part 7: Lever #3 – Cost of Goods Sold | Cash Flow
Ready to see how much cash is hiding in your business? Get your free Financial Health Check now: coltivar.com/check This is Part 7 of Steve Coughran’s book Cash Flow. Steve covers the third lever of cash flow: cost of goods sold (COGS). He explains why lowering COGS directly boosts profitability, how throughput matters more than margins, and the strategies businesses can use to cut waste, improve labor efficiency, and increase cash flow without sacrificing quality.LinkedIn | YouTube coltivar.com
Sep 9, 2025 • 20min
Part 5: Lever #1 – Volume | Cash Flow
Ready to see how much cash is hiding in your business? Get your free Financial Health Check now: coltivar.com/check This is Part 5 of Steve Coughran’s book Cash Flow. Steve introduces the first lever of cash flow: volume. He explains why selling more only creates value if it’s profitable, how to fix weak sales and marketing systems, and how the revenue flywheel drives sustainable growth without burning cash.LinkedIn | YouTube coltivar.com
Sep 9, 2025 • 22min
Part 1: The Foundation of Great Companies | Cash Flow
Ready to see how much cash is hiding in your business? Get your free Financial Health Check now: coltivar.com/check This is Part 1 of Steve Coughran’s book Cash Flow. Steve lays the foundation of why so many businesses struggle with cash even when they look profitable on paper. He explains the stages of a hidden cash flow crisis, why free cash flow matters more than revenue or profit, and introduces the seven levers that determine a company’s value.LinkedIn | YouTube coltivar.com
9 snips
Sep 8, 2025 • 32min
How SBA Financing Really Works When Buying a Business with Sean Goggins | Ep 185
Join Sean Goggins, an SBA commercial loan officer at Cadence Bank, as he demystifies the nuances of SBA financing for business acquisitions. He explains how much cash is truly needed and when seller financing can be advantageous. Sean highlights the vital importance of cash flow over tangible assets and outlines common pitfalls that can derail a deal. He also clarifies the roles of collateral, personal guarantees, and the significance of realistic expectations for buyers with limited resources. A must-listen for aspiring business owners!
