Get Your Shift Together: The Business Fixer Podcast
Claim This Podcastby Nicola J Barnett
Podcast Overview
<p>Feeling overwhelmed and overworked in your own business? You're not broken—your business is. Join "business fixer" <b>Nicola J Barnett</b> for the straight-talking advice you need to fix it.</p><p>Each week on <b>Get Your Shift Together</b>, we tackle the real challenges facing small business owners and entrepreneurs. Learn to:</p><p><br></p><p><b>Fix profit leaks</b> and master your cash flow.<br><b>Streamline your operations</b> and kill the chaos.<br><b>Build systems</b> that give you freedom, not steal your life.</p><p><br></p><p>If you're a founder or service-based business owner ready for less stress and more profit, hit subscribe and start building a business that truly serves you.</p>
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
9/9/2025
1 verified contact email on file for Get Your Shift Together: The Business Fixer Podcast
Pitch yourself as a guest, propose sponsorships, or reach out directly to the host.
Recent Episodes
July 8, 2026
S3EP10. Which of Your Contracts Are Quietly Losing You Money?
<p>Welcome to Get Your Shift Together. Today we are launching a three-part series specifically for B2B service firms with mobile teams, our Trades with Teams. Over the next three episodes, we are looking at your contracts through three lenses: profit, cash, and time. Today, we start with profit.</p><p>Most owners can tell me exactly how many contracts they are running, but when I ask which ones actually make money, the room goes quiet. We tend to look at the aggregated year-end bottom line and assume if it shows a profit, everything is fine. But a single healthy number can hide massive leaks, like one brilliant contract quietly carrying three bad ones.</p><p>I recently worked with an HVAC contractor where the data revealed the exact opposite of what the owner assumed. Their oldest contracts were actually highly profitable, while their brand-new contracts were draining cash due to unpriced initial catch-up maintenance.</p><p>To fix this, we need to look closer. It is time to ‘Fall in love with your back office’ by breaking down your numbers contract by contract. You don't necessarily need more contracts to scale; you just need to protect the margin on the ones you already have.</p><p><strong>Key Takeaways from This Episode:</strong></p><ol><li><p><strong>The Bottom-Line Illusion:</strong> A profitable year-end figure does not mean all your contracts are healthy. One exceptional contract can easily mask several loss-making ones.</p></li><li><p><strong>Pricing is Often Just Repeating:</strong> Many businesses repeat old pricing structures or use gut-feel instead of costing out labor, travel, and materials based on real-time operational data.</p></li><li><p><strong>New Contracts Have Hidden Start-Up Costs:</strong> Brand-new maintenance contracts often require heavy initial catch-up work to bring equipment up to standard, which must be priced in from day one.</p></li><li><p><strong>Travel Time is Not Free:</strong> True contract costing must account for labor hours spent in transit, van maintenance, and administrative overhead, not just the time spent on-site.</p></li><li><p><strong>Find Profit Before Chasing Revenue:</strong> You don't always need to win more work to increase your take-home pay. Significant hidden profit can be unlocked simply by fixing or renegotiating your existing agreements.</p></li></ol><p><strong>Want to fix your business? Join The Business Fix With Nicola</strong></p><p>Here's what you'll receive when you work with Nicola J. Barnett to get your business on track.</p><ul><li><strong>A Proven Framework:</strong> Use the Efficiency & Profit Framework to end overwhelm, get cash flowing, maximize profits, and build a business that won't break you.</li><li><strong>Clarity and Control:</strong> The first step is a "Financial Awareness Review," where Nicola will dig through 12 months of your financials to give you the truth about your business and create a 90-day roadmap.</li><li><strong>Hands-On Implementation and Transformation:</strong> In "The Business Fix" program, you'll get structured action and accountability to turn awareness into fast results. This will help you fix cash flow leaks, improve profits, and implement smooth systems.</li><li><strong>Full Support for Deep Transformation:</strong> For those needing a complete overhaul, the "Survive to Thrive" program offers hands-on support to rebuild your business from the ground up, giving you predictable cash flow and sustainable profitability.</li><li><strong>Ongoing Momentum & Accountability:</strong> With the "Strategic Advisory Partnership," you get monthly focused strategy sessions to ensure your progress sticks and your business continues to grow on solid foundations.</li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Learn More about the Profit & Efficiency Frame work & </strong> For a deeper dive into this topic and more, visit our website: <a href="https://profitandgrowth.co.uk/"><strong>profitandgrowth.co.uk</strong></a></p>
July 1, 2026
S3EP9. What Happens When The Business Only Lives In Your Head?
<p>We are wrapping up our mini-series focused on operational and service-based B2B businesses. In the last two episodes, we explored the dangers of flying blind on profit and the true cost of delaying proper financial support. Today, we tackle what might be the most common—and dangerous—scenario of all.</p><p>This episode is for the business owner who thinks they don't need a finance function because they "know the business inside out." Every invoice, every supplier, and every cash commitment is held securely in your head. It feels like control. It feels efficient. But as we explore today, it is actually the most fragile position your business can be in.</p><p>I share a powerful story of an owner who carried the entire financial picture in their head until burnout hit suddenly. When they had to step away for a month, the business ground to a financial halt because the knowledge had never been put into a system. We’ll discuss why true control means building a business that can keep moving, whether you are there or not.</p><p><br><strong>In this episode, you’ll learn:</strong></p><ul><ul><li><p><strong>The "It's All in My Head" Myth:</strong> Why knowing your business inside out is actually a massive structural weakness if you are the only one who knows it.</p></li><li><p><strong>Dependency Disguised as Control:</strong> Why a business that only functions when the owner is present is not a controlled business; it's a fragile one.</p></li><li><p><strong>The Breaking Point:</strong> What happens when the mental load of holding the entire financial picture becomes too much and burnout hits.</p></li><li><p><strong>Case Study:</strong> How one growing business ground to a halt financially when the owner had to take a month off, and how we rebuilt the system so they could finally step away without panic.</p></li><li><p><strong>The Four-Week Test:</strong> A stark reality check to determine exactly how much financial risk is currently sitting entirely inside your own head.</p></li></ul></ul><p><strong>Key Takeaways:</strong></p><ol><ul><li><p><strong>You Are Not a Finance Function:</strong> If every financial decision and process runs through you, your business doesn't have a finance department; it has a single point of failure.</p></li><li><p><strong>People Break; Systems Don't:</strong> Relying on one person's memory for the financial health of a company means the business stops the moment that person needs a break, gets ill, or burns out.</p></li><li><p><strong>Real Control is Systemised:</strong> True financial control means reports are produced consistently, cash is visible, and invoicing happens on time—regardless of who is sitting in the office that day.</p></li><li><p><strong>A System Creates Freedom:</strong> Getting the numbers out of your head and into a proper system is what allows you to take a day off, step away, and actually lead your business instead of just surviving inside it.</p></li></ul></ol><p><strong>Want to fix your business? Join The Business Fix With Nicola</strong></p><p>Here's what you'll receive when you work with Nicola J. Barnett to get your business on track.</p><ul><li><strong>A Proven Framework:</strong> Use the Efficiency & Profit Framework to end overwhelm, get cash flowing, maximize profits, and build a business that won't break you.</li><li><strong>Clarity and Control:</strong> The first step is a "Financial Awareness Review," where Nicola will dig through 12 months of your financials to give you the truth about your business and create a 90-day roadmap.</li><li><strong>Hands-On Implementation and Transformation:</strong> In "The Business Fix" program, you'll get structured action and accountability to turn awareness into fast results. This will help you fix cash flow leaks, improve profits, and implement smooth systems.</li><li><strong>Full Support for Deep Transformation:</strong> For those needing a complete overhaul, the "Survive to Thrive" program offers hands-on support to rebuild your business from the ground up, giving you predictable cash flow and sustainable profitability.</li><li><strong>Ongoing Momentum & Accountability:</strong> With the "Strategic Advisory Partnership," you get monthly focused strategy sessions to ensure your progress sticks and your business continues to grow on solid foundations.</li></ul><p><strong>Learn More about the Profit & Efficiency Frame work & </strong> For a deeper dive into this topic and more, visit our website: <a href="https://profitandgrowth.co.uk/"><strong>profitandgrowth.co.uk</strong></a></p>
June 24, 2026
S3EP8. What Is Not Having A Finance Function Actually Costing You?
<p>In the last episode, we explored the dangers of flying blind and how relying on year-end accounts can lead to nasty profit and tax surprises. Today, we are focusing on the other side of that coin: cash flow.</p><p>We tackle the most common—and most dangerous—excuse business owners use for not getting proper financial support: "I know I need it, but I just can't afford it right now."</p><p>It’s completely understandable. When cash is tight, adding a new expense feels like the wrong move. But as we explore in this episode, this mindset is entirely backwards. A proper finance function is not an overhead expense; it is the vital structure that stops you from losing money. I share a case study of an FM contractor who delayed getting help because they "couldn't afford it," only to find that the cost of not having the support nearly broke their business.</p><p>It’s time to stop waiting for cash to improve on its own, and start building the structure that actually makes it happen.</p><p><strong>In this episode, you’ll learn:</strong></p><ul><li>The "Can't Afford It" Myth: Why telling yourself you'll get financial help when "things settle down" is a trap that keeps your cash flow permanently tight.</li></ul><ul><li>The Cost of Inaction: Why delaying a proper finance function doesn't save you money; it costs you through delayed invoices, missed payments, and reactive spending.</li></ul><ul><li>The Critical Reframe: A proper finance function is not an expense. It is a control system that helps you keep more of the money you are already earning.</li></ul><ul><li>Case Study: The true story of a growing FM contractor who declined financial support, suffered a cash flow crisis, and then transformed their bank balance (and got out of their overdraft) by finally implementing a structured finance system.</li></ul><ul><li>The Cash Flow Reality Check: A quick exercise to help you determine if your cash problems are due to a lack of revenue, or a lack of structure.</li></ul><p><strong>Key Takeaways:</strong></p><ul><li>The "Right Time" Never Arrives: If you are waiting for your cash flow to improve before you invest in financial support, you will be waiting forever. The structure is what creates the improvement.</li></ul><ul><li>Revenue Does Not Equal Cash Confidence: Business owners who feel permanently tight are rarely earning too little. They are simply operating without the structure needed to control the money they already have.</li></ul><ul><li>Structure is Fixable: Unpredictable cash flow is a symptom of a structural problem, not a permanent reality. With the right systems in place, you can transform your cash position within months, without necessarily needing to increase sales.</li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Next Episode:</strong> We address the owner who says, "I don't need a finance system; it's all in my head."</p><p><strong>Want to fix your business? Join The Business Fix With Nicola</strong></p><p>Here's what you'll receive when you work with Nicola J. Barnett to get your business on track.</p><ul><li><strong>A Proven Framework:</strong> Use the Efficiency & Profit Framework to end overwhelm, get cash flowing, maximize profits, and build a business that won't break you.</li><li><strong>Clarity and Control:</strong> The first step is a "Financial Awareness Review," where Nicola will dig through 12 months of your financials to give you the truth about your business and create a 90-day roadmap.</li><li><strong>Hands-On Implementation and Transformation:</strong> In "The Business Fix" program, you'll get structured action and accountability to turn awareness into fast results. This will help you fix cash flow leaks, improve profits, and implement smooth systems.</li><li><strong>Full Support for Deep Transformation:</strong> For those needing a complete overhaul, the "Survive to Thrive" program offers hands-on support to rebuild your business from the ground up, giving you predictable cash flow and sustainable profitability.</li><li><strong>Ongoing Momentum & Accountability:</strong> With the "Strategic Advisory Partnership," you get monthly focused strategy sessions to ensure your progress sticks and your business continues to grow on solid foundations.</li></ul><p><strong>Learn More about the Profit & Efficiency Frame work & </strong> For a deeper dive into this topic and more, visit our website: <a href="https://profitandgrowth.co.uk/"><strong>profitandgrowth.co.uk</strong></a></p><p></p>
44 total episodes available
Deep-dive analytics for Get Your Shift Together: The Business Fixer Podcast
Frequently asked questions
Have a different question and can't find the answer you're looking for? Reach out to our support team by sending us an email and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.
- What is Get Your Shift Together: The Business Fixer Podcast?
<p>Feeling overwhelmed and overworked in your own business? You're not broken—your business is. Join "business fixer" <b>Nicola J Barnett</b> for the straight-talking advice you need to fix it.</p><p>Each week on <b>Get Your Shift Together</b>, we tackle the real challenges facing small business owners and entrepreneurs. Learn to:</p><p><br></p><p><b>Fix profit leaks</b> and master your cash flow.<br><b>Streamline your operations</b> and kill the chaos.<br><b>Build systems</b> that give you freedom, not steal your life.</p><p><br></p><p>If you're a founder or service-based business owner ready for less stress and more profit, hit subscribe and start building a business that truly serves you.</p> - How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates daily.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
No, this podcast does not typically feature guests.
Legal Disclaimer
Pod Engine is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected with any of the podcasts displayed on this platform. We operate independently as a podcast discovery and analytics service.
All podcast artwork, thumbnails, and content displayed on this page are the property of their respective owners and are protected by applicable copyright laws. This includes, but is not limited to, podcast cover art, episode artwork, show descriptions, episode titles, transcripts, audio snippets, and any other content originating from the podcast creators or their licensors.
We display this content under fair use principles and/or implied license for the purpose of podcast discovery, information, and commentary. We make no claim of ownership over any podcast content, artwork, or related materials shown on this platform. All trademarks, service marks, and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
While we strive to ensure all content usage is properly authorized, if you are a rights holder and believe your content is being used inappropriately or without proper authorization, please contact us immediately at hey@podengine.ai for prompt review and appropriate action, which may include content removal or proper attribution.
By accessing and using this platform, you acknowledge and agree to respect all applicable copyright laws and intellectual property rights of content owners. Any unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or commercial use of the content displayed on this platform is strictly prohibited.