I love seeing the wide variety of businesses around the world. It’s one of the reasons that I enjoy working with small to medium sized businesses – there is so much variety and so many ways that people have figured out how to make money. I get jealous that I don’t get to work in many of the businesses that I learn about. They are so innovative, and it seems like it would be so fun to be part of the team!

These companies generally have:

• Innovative products and services
• Great demand generation marketing
• A good sales team to grow revenue
• Operational excellence that is generally close to the skill of the founder

After that the business usually has weak spots. They generally lack systems and operations throughout the company that will allow them to scale. Especially when it comes to accounting, finance, and cash management.

Between my experience and the conversations that I’ve had with accountants and business consultants, I’m convinced that 90% or more of...