Poke the bear.

One of the best ways to improve your cold email openers is to use “Poke the bear” style questions. 

Here are five examples you can use. Each a different style, depending on how bold you want to be:

1. Classic – How are you currently handling ____?

2. FOMO / status pressure – Are you already doing ____ like the top teams in your space?

3. Humble – Totally possible you already solved this, but how do you handle ____ today?

4. Ego-stroke – You probably already have this dialed in, but what’s your approach to ____?

5. Risk-framed – How do you make sure ____ doesn’t slip through the cracks as you scale?

Pick 1–2 that fit your tone.

Rotate them in your emails this week, and give’em a try!

December 31st isn't just New Year's Eve.

It's the tax deadline most business owners miss.

Once the clock strikes midnight, your 2026 tax-saving window closes.

No more deductions. No more credits. 

Everything you could have done? Gone.

Most CPAs don't bring this up until February or March - by then, it's way too late.

But right now, you still have time.

• Time to accelerate deductions.
• Time to claim credits you're missing.

The free online calculator analyzes your business and tells you exactly what moves you can make before year-end to reduce your 2026 tax bill.

Don't wait until it's too late.

The energy of money.

Business owners spend so much time trying to balance their books, reduce debt, and plan for taxes that it’s easy to forget money isn’t just math. It’s emotional. It carries stories, fears, hopes, and sometimes even shame. The way we think and feel about money shapes every decision we make — how much we save, how much we charge, even how comfortable we feel receiving.

For many of us, those patterns started early. Maybe we watched our parents argue about money, or maybe it was something we were told not to talk about at all. Fast-forward to adulthood, and those same emotions show up in how we run our firms and manage our finances. We over-give, under-charge, or avoid looking too closely at our own numbers — even when we know better.

But here’s the truth: money itself is neutral. It’s not good or bad, abundant or scarce — it simply reflects our relationship with it. When we bring awareness to that relationship, everything changes. We stop letting guilt or fear drive our choices. We start to make decisions from clarity, not scarcity. And that’s when money begins to flow with more ease — because our energy toward it softens.

So this week, I invite you to pause and ask yourself:
What story am I telling myself about money right now?
Does it empower you — or limit you?

Awareness is always the first step toward alignment.

Not every deal is a good deal.

 

There’s a huge difference between opportunity and distraction.

We’ve seen guys brag about a deal that “looked” like it would make them rich, only to watch it eat up their time, drain their team, and choke their cash flow.

That’s not growth. That’s chaos disguised as progress.

Every deal has a cost: time, energy, people, and focus.

Before you say yes to something that looks big on paper, ask yourself, will this move the mission forward or pull me sideways?

That one question will save you more stress, money, and sleepless nights than any spreadsheet ever will.

What Is an Accountable Plan

An accountable plan is simply a formal reimbursement policy between you and your business. It allows you or your employees to submit business expenses that were paid personally and get reimbursed tax-free.

This applies to mixed-use expenses like your home office, cell phone, or internet bill, where part of the cost is personal and part is business.

Without a plan, the IRS can reclassify reimbursements as wages, meaning you’ll owe payroll and income tax on the payments.

Accountable Plans are critical for S Corp and C Corp owners because you’re considered an employee of your business. If you reimburse yourself for expenses personally paid, it must be done through an accountable plan to stay compliant.

Sole proprietors and single-member LLCs don’t need one since they can deduct expenses directly on Schedule C.

But if you have employees, no matter your business structure, you must have an accountable plan in place to reimburse them properly.

The IRS has four basic requirements for your plan to qualify:

• Business connection: Expenses must be directly related to your business.
  
• Substantiation: You must keep proof like receipts, dates, and descriptions for every reimbursement.
  
• No excess reimbursements: Any overpayment must be returned or reported as taxable wages.
  
• Timeliness: Reports and reimbursements should be done promptly, ideally every month.
  
  

Stick to these rules, and your plan will stay fully compliant.

Most CPAs are only available 3-4 months per year.

The rest of the time? You're on your own.

But business doesn't stop in May.

You're making tax-impacting decisions every single week: 

• Should I buy this equipment now or wait? 
• How much should I pay myself this quarter? 
• Is this business expense deductible? 
• Should I form a new entity for this project?

These questions need real-time answers.

Not next April.

Want a advisor who's actually there when you need them?

Don’t confuse “risk” with “recklessness.

 

You’ve all heard it:

“High risk equals high reward.”

But… does it really?

By definition:

• High Risk = an increased chance of losing
• High Reward = an increased chance of winning

So how does increasing your chance of losing automatically increase your chance of winning? 

The truth is, risk alone isn’t the driver of reward — smart, calculated action is.

Examples Where High Risk ≠ High Reward:

 Gambling your savings in a single bet

High risk? Yes. High reward? Only if you defy the odds — which are against you.

 Investing blindly in a volatile stock

Without research, you’re not increasing your chance of winning — you’re just making losing more likely.

 Launching a product without testing the market

You’re betting everything without proof people want it. That’s not bold… that’s blind.

What Works Better:

• Calculated Risk: Study the odds, learn the game, and move when the math and momentum are in your favor.
• Incremental Wins: Take smaller, informed steps that compound into big gains without risking it all.
• Preparation Over Impulse: The more you prepare, the less “risk” you actually carry.

Don’t confuse “risk” with “recklessness.”

You can reach for high rewards without putting yourself in the high-loss zone.