Practical advice from people who’ve actually built businesses

Expert insights to help you build a business that serves your life, not one that consumes it, grounded in real-world experience rather than theory.

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Actual Cogent client

Finance

5 minute read

· 1 month ago

Net income vs. cash: Impact on ownership decision-making

Actual Cogent client

Wholesale & distribution

5 minute read

· 1 month ago

How small distributors can beat the big nationals

Actual Cogent client

Contractors

6 minute read

· 1 month ago

Estimating errors in construction that quietly kill margin

Profit Platform

7 minute read

· 1 month ago

Understanding the benefits of the Profit Platform®

Actual Cogent client

Quality of Life

6 minute read

· 1 month ago

Understanding the Portrait of Life®

Everlasting Fence Company. Glenside, PA. Specializing in all fence types: Wood, PVC, Chain Link, Aluminum and more. Man writing in notepad on desk.

Actual Cogent client

Quality of Life

6 minute read

· 4 weeks ago

Overwhelmed: When everything feels important

Actual Cogent client

Cash Flow

5 minute read

· 4 weeks ago

Why stagnant pricing is draining your business

Actual Cogent client

Business Development

5 minute read

· 4 weeks ago

The silent profit killer: Why raising prices is not only acceptable – it is essential

Chemical manufacturer examining chemical inventory

Actual Cogent client

Manufacturing

5 minute read

· 2 weeks ago

Inventory as a cash flow lever in manufacturing

Succession

8 minute read

· 2 weeks ago

The Silver Tsunami: Practical guidance for next-generation owners

Actual Cogent client

Hiring

9 minute read

· 1 week ago

Why most hiring problems start before the hire

Actual Cogent client

Growth planning

7 minute read

· 1 week ago

Client concentration risk: The hidden threat to stability and valuation

Three employees troubleshooting a manufacturing process

Leadership

6 minute read

· 2 days ago

ADHD within Small Businesses and why the real issue is not time

Actual Cogent client

Manufacturing

7 minute read

· 1 month ago

AI in manufacturing

Actual Cogent client

Succession

7 minute read

· 2 months ago

Why succession strategy and planning is so hard for business owners – and how to overcome it

Actual Cogent client

Marketing

7 minute read

· 1 month ago

The hidden cost of poor social media marketing for your business

Actual Cogent client

Contractors

6 minute read

· 2 months ago

Do you understand communication within your construction business?

A woman in a light blue blouse speaks with three men in a wood-paneled office filled with framed certificates and professional awards. Business transition

Actual Cogent client

Succession

7 minute read

· 2 months ago

Preparing for an internal transition vs. a third-party sale

Actual Cogent client

Quality of Life

6 minute read

· 2 months ago

Can your business survive a family crisis?

Actual Cogent client

EBITDA

9 minute read

· 2 months ago

How to understand true EBITDA

Leadership

6 minute read

· 2 months ago

Most leaders misunderstand risk management

Two workers operate a large green Guifil industrial shearing machine to cut a long sheet of brown metal in a warehouse.

Actual Cogent client

Finance

6 minute read

· 2 months ago

Does revenue growth solve most business problems?

Two women work together in a modern office, seen through a glass wall with reflections. One woman sits at a desk looking at a computer while the other stands beside her, leaning in; shelves, plants, and personal items fill the background.

Actual Cogent client

Strategy

3 minute read

· 3 months ago

Our position on the AI revolution

Two men wearing suits cross a downtown street in Greensboro NC

Life

4 minute read

· 3 months ago

An open letter from our VP of Operations

Two professionals seated at an office desk reviewing information on a laptop during a meeting, with office equipment and documents visible in the background.

Actual Cogent client

Measurement

5 minute read

· 3 months ago

Can you manage what you don’t measure?

A low-angle view of a worker with a large equipment backpack climbing a metal ladder toward a bright roof hatch in an unfinished utility space.

Actual Cogent client

Strategy

6 minute read

· 4 months ago

Taking strategic planning to the next level

Actual Cogent client

Cash Flow

6 minute read

· 4 months ago

Is business cash flow the problem?

Three men in a warehouse stand by a large teal Marmo Meccanica industrial stone-polishing machine, monitoring its progress.

Actual Cogent client

Marketing

7 minute read

· 4 months ago

A starter guide to writing successful digital content

A woman in a blue sweater sits at an office desk and looks up to engage in a conversation with a colleague standing just out of frame.

Actual Cogent client

Marketing

5 minute read

· 4 months ago

On the platform: A deep dive on LinkedIn Strategy for small & mid-size businesses

A man with short, graying hair wearing a red polo shirt sits at a wooden desk and focuses intently on paperwork and a laptop.

Actual Cogent client

Finance

4 minute read

· 4 months ago

Financial control: It’s time to master money management

Two men in white dress shirts and ties work together at a wooden desk in an office with red walls, focusing on a laptop screen. Top Business consulting firms

Actual Cogent client

Finance

4 minute read

· 4 months ago

The road to bankruptcy is paved with bad budgets and poor financial discipline

A young man in a grey hoodie and glasses gestures while speaking to a bearded man in a red shirt and black zip-up hoodie in a large industrial warehouse.

Actual Cogent client

Finance

3 minute read

· 4 months ago

Budgeting: Under-utilized & under-appreciated

A woman in a floral print top speaks on a desk phone while a colleague in a black blouse leans in to look at a computer monitor displaying security camera feeds.

Actual Cogent client

Finance

4 minute read

· 4 months ago

Is your business’s tax burden weighing you down?

A young man with long hair tied back stands in a warehouse and carefully folds or organizes a stack of large white paper bags on a flat surface.

Actual Cogent client

Finance

3 minute read

· 4 months ago

How to improve cash flow when business growth takes place

Four professionals gather around a table in a bright conference room for a meeting; one man holds up a document with a diagram to show the group.

Actual Cogent client

Finance

4 minute read

· 4 months ago

Profit planning using sound budgeting that actually grows your business

Actual Cogent client

Finance

5 minute read

· 4 months ago

Mastering cash flow: Essential strategies for business success

Two colleagues in a bright hallway reviewing information on a digital tablet and a printed document.

Actual Cogent client

Sales

4 minute read

· 4 months ago

The secret to being a successful sales professional

A man pointing a pen toward a project management spreadsheet displayed on a large wall monitor during a meeting.

Actual Cogent client

Sales

5 minute read

· 4 months ago

Sales funnel management: Seeing clearly into your sales process

Matik, Inc. Hartford, CT. C1 in the office reviewing a wall diagram top business consulting firm

Actual Cogent client

Marketing

5 minute read

· 4 months ago

Marketing that matters: Turning values into competitive advantage

Lee-Smith Inc, Chattanooga, TN. man on the phone looking our for customers with another employee in the background.

Actual Cogent client

Sales

4 minute read

· 4 months ago

Want more sales? Improve your brand identity

Cold Edge Technologies, Allentown, PA. 2 guys by the machine working

Actual Cogent client

Sales

4 minute read

· 4 months ago

Forming strategic partnerships: A practical checklist for small business growth

A man leans over a desk to look at a computer monitor while a woman in a pink blouse types on the keyboard.

Actual Cogent client

Marketing

4 minute read

· 4 months ago

How to repair your failing digital marketing strategy

Stigler Supply, Cincinnati, OH. C1 man pointing to map showing woman and another man where to go.

Actual Cogent client

Sales

4 minute read

· 4 months ago

How to increase revenues through market segmentation

Two men in hats operate a red industrial screen-printing machine in a workshop setting.

Actual Cogent client

Process

5 minute read

· 4 months ago

Why most small businesses don’t scale

Actual Cogent client

Business Analytics

3 minute read

· 4 months ago

Business analytics: Do you really need it?

Solid Refrigeration LLC. Minneapolis, MN. A2 2 women look at computer screen reports

Actual Cogent client

Finance

4 minute read

· 4 months ago

Use your financials to stabilize your business

River Bend Hose Specialty. South Bend, IN. C1 welder in welding hat and torch

Actual Cogent client

Quality of Life

4 minute read

· 4 months ago

Procedural systems: How structure creates the freedom business owners want

RDG Company. Greenville, SC. B1 woman in orange hat working in a manufacturing facility

Actual Cogent client

Growth planning

5 minute read

· 4 months ago

How to scale your company

Prestige Motorsports, Concord, NC. B1 man under car doing an oil change

Actual Cogent client

Strategy

4 minute read

· 4 months ago

3 ways to maintain long-term business success

Actual Cogent client

Strategic Planning

6 minute read

· 4 months ago

Clear examples of strategic planning that actually work

Actual Cogent client

Process

4 minute read

· 4 months ago

The structured improvement process

Tuck-Hinton Architects. Nashville, TN. D2. a man and 2 women engaging in a computer screen

Actual Cogent client

Strategic Planning

4 minute read

· 4 months ago

Strategic planning importance for small businesses

Guerrero Plating Technology. Houston, TX. B5. Industrial plating and coating solutions.

Actual Cogent client

Process

5 minute read

· 4 months ago

How to adapt operations and scale your business

Davis Kane Architects. Raleigh, NC. D2. two men looking at blueprints on a table.

Actual Cogent client

Strategic Planning

4 minute read

· 4 months ago

How to start strategic planning without overcomplicating it

Cardinal Transportation. Columbus, OH. E4. EVENT TRANSPORTATION SERVICES man waving out of car window

Actual Cogent client

Quality of Life

4 minute read

· 4 months ago

Your business is successful. Circle the wagons!

Associated Construction Company. Hartford, CT. A1 woman in hardhat looking at blueprints

Actual Cogent client

Leadership

5 minute read

· 4 months ago

Daily habits that boost your lifestyle as an entrepreneur without slowing growth

Garwood Metal Company, Garwood NJ. Custom sheet metal manufacturing and finishing. B1 Men in manufacturing facility.

Actual Cogent client

Quality of Life

8 minute read

· 4 months ago

Setting Boundaries: The leadership skill that protects your business and your life

Stansbury Electric. Louisville, KY. Electrical contractors handling new installations, repairs and upgrades, as well as electric vehicle charger and solar panel service. Surge protection

Actual Cogent client

Growth planning

4 minute read

· 4 months ago

Surge protection strategies

Stigler Supply. Cincinnati, OH. C1. Custodial Supply. 2 men looking at supplies

Actual Cogent client

Succession

5 minute read

· 4 months ago

Succession without sacrifice

STVA Scaffold, Cypress, TX. A2. STVA Scaffold distributes and supplies complex scaffolding systems for industrial and construction businesses

Actual Cogent client

Quality of Life

3 minute read

· 4 months ago