CEO Numbers Network with Danielle Hayden

Hosted by Kickstart Accounting, Inc.

Business Entrepreneurship

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296

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Oct 2026

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About the show

Making money and understanding your finances are two very different things. CEO Numbers Network is here to close that gap. Hosted by Danielle Hayden, former corporate CFO and CEO of Kickstart Accounting, Inc., every episode breaks down the financial strategy that most business owners never had access to. Profit, cash flow, real decision-making. The kind of thinking that actually moves a business forward.

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October 20, 2026Episode 257 min

The 2027 Budget Reset, Part 3: The 5 Habits That Move You Into CEO Stage

You built a budget at the start of the year. A few months later, it was sitting in a folder nobody opened. That's a habit problem, and habits can be built. In this episode of CEO Numbers Network, I close out my three-part 2027 budget reset series with the five habits that turn a small business budget from a one-time spreadsheet into a system you use all year. I walk through the budgeting habits our team uses with clients: a monthly budget review that compares your plan to actual results, remembering the goals behind your budget, checking your financials before you commit to spending, building a contingency fund from a set percentage of revenue, and bringing your team into the budget. I also share a client story where a live reforecast let our team confirm within days that she could afford a large conference, plus the 48-hour rule I follow before any new business spending. The result is a budget you can rely on for spending decisions throughout 2027. You will learn how to catch a revenue shortfall before it turns into a crisis, and how to tell whether you can afford a new investment mid-year. If you have ever built a budget and stopped looking at it a few months in, this episode gives you the habits to keep it working through year-end. 👉 Discover how our CFO services can keep your 2027 budget on track all year: here Key Takeaways: 0:00 Intro to Budgeting Habits 1:57 Reviewing Your Budget Monthly 3:10 Remembering Your Original Goals 4:06 Checking Finances Before Spending 5:06 Building a Contingency Fund 5:36 Involving Your Team 6:38 Recap and Conclusion Resources 📈 Book a strategy call with Danielle's team at Kickstart: here 👉 Check your books here 👉 Visit the Kickstart website 👉 Follow us on Instagram Listen next: 👉 The 2027 Budget Reset, Part 1 of 3: Start With the Right Mindset 👉 The 2027 Budget Reset, Part 2 of 3: Start With Your Pay

October 13, 2026Episode 248 min

The 2027 Budget Reset, Part 2 of 3: Start With Your Pay

A copied template or aspirational numbers can sink a business budget by February. This one starts with your own pay and your own history. In part two of my 2027 Budget Reset series on CEO Numbers Network, I walk through year-end budget planning for small business owners and why a CEO budgets to invest while an owner in survival mode budgets to avoid running out of money. I start with owner's pay and three personal numbers to set first: what you want to pay yourself, what you need to feel secure, and what would make you feel free. Then I show how to define your business season from past growth and create a spending plan from your monthly profit and loss statement for the last 12 months. You'll leave with clear action steps and a budget template for 2027. You will learn how to set realistic revenue growth goals and decide what your spending plan should fund or trim to protect profit margin. If you have ever set a budget and stopped using it, this episode gives you a plan built around your goals. 👉 Discover how our CFO services can help you build a 2027 budget around your goals: here Key Takeaways 0:00 Introduction to Business Budgeting 1:34 Defining Your Personal Numbers 3:50 Assessing Your Business Season 4:47 Building Your Spending Plan 7:27 Action Steps and Resources Resources 📈 Book a strategy call with Danielle's team at Kickstart: here 👉 Check your books here 👉 Visit the Kickstart website 👉 Follow us on Instagram Listen next 👉 The 2027 Budget Reset, Part 1 of 3: Start With the Right Mindset 👉 The 3-Part IRS Test for Every Contractor on Your Team

October 6, 2026Episode 236 min

The 2027 Budget Reset, Part 1 of 3: Start With the Right Mindset

Every budget I've seen fail over the last 11 years failed for the same reason. It was built like a diet, and a diet only lasts so long. In part one of this three-part small business budgeting series, I cover the budget mindset reset that comes before annual budget planning. I explain why restrictive budgets built around cutting expenses fall apart, and how cutting software, contractors, and support shifts work back onto the CEO and raises the risk of burnout. I share a client case study where a year of flat revenue traced back to underspending on advertising, marketing campaigns, conferences, and PR, and how a growth-focused budget brought momentum back within a few months. I also introduce the goal-oriented budget approach our team uses with clients, including how to set business goals for the year ahead, why owner pay belongs in the budget, and the question that separates reactive spending from strategic spending. Listen to this episode of CEO Numbers Network before you touch next year's numbers. Then pull your last 12 months of financials and note which growth areas have gone without investment. That list is your starting point for part two. 👉 Discover how our CFO services can help you build your 2027 budget: here Key Takeaways 0:00 Why traditional budgets fail 2:35 Case study on underspending 4:44 Aligning your budget with goals 5:34 Shifting to a CEO mindset Resources 📈 Book a strategy call with Danielle's team at Kickstart: here 👉 Check your books here 👉 Visit the Kickstart website 👉 Follow us on Instagram Listen next 👉 Why Your Contractor's W-9 Can't Wait Until January 👉 The 3-Part IRS Test for Every Contractor on Your Team

September 29, 2026Episode 2210 min

The 3-Part IRS Test for Every Contractor on Your Team

A signed contractor agreement only protects you if the way you work with that person matches it. The IRS has a clear test for this, and it's better to run it now than to find out during an audit. In this episode of CEO Numbers Network, I walk through the IRS three-part test for deciding whether someone on your team is a contractor or an employee. The three factors are behavioral control, financial control, and the working relationship. Getting the classification wrong can mean back payroll taxes and back benefits, plus penalties and interest. Since we're heading into the fourth quarter, this is also the time to plan for moving team members onto payroll as of January 1. You will learn how to test each working relationship against the three factors and how payroll taxes change for you and your team when a contractor moves onto payroll. If you have ever wondered whether someone on your team should be a contractor or an employee, this episode gives you a clear way to decide before year-end. 👉 Discover how our bookkeeping services can help you make team decisions with confidence: here Key Takeaways 0:00 Intro 2:21 The Three-Part IRS Test 4:31 The Auditor Test and Next Steps 7:35 Tax Impacts and Payroll Changes 9:02 Recap and Final Advice Resources 📈 Book a strategy call with Danielle's team at Kickstart: here 👉 Check your books here 👉 Visit the Kickstart website 👉 Follow us on Instagram Listen next 👉 Why Your Contractor's W-9 Can't Wait Until January 👉 3 Questions That Separate a CEO From a Business Owner

September 22, 2026Episode 2110 min

Why Your Contractor's W-9 Can't Wait Until January

Waiting until tax season to think about contractor paperwork is exactly what makes it so stressful. Every January, my team fields the same kind of call: a business owner needs a contractor's Social Security number, and that contractor already stopped answering. Find out what changed with 1099 reporting for 2026, including the new dollar threshold that determines when a contractor needs one. I break down what actually counts as a contractor for tax purposes, what a W-9 collects, and why the timing of gathering it matters more than most business owners realize. By the end, you'll know exactly what to check and request now, well before the January deadline. This is one of the few tasks where being early costs you nothing and being late costs you real money. 👉 Discover how our tax team can help you get ahead of IRS deadlines: ksataxpartners.com Key Takeaways 00:00 The January 1099 Scramble 00:43 Contractors and 1099 Series 02:26 New 2026 Contractor Threshold 03:09 What a W9 Collects 04:52 When to Request a W9 06:21 Building Your 1099 List Resources 📈 Book a strategy call with Danielle's team at Kickstart: here 👉 Check your books here 👉 Visit the Kickstart website 👉 Follow us on Instagram Listen Next 👉 The 30-Day Burnout Diagnosis Every CEO Needs to Run 👉 3 Questions That Separate a CEO From a Business Owner

September 15, 2026Episode 2010 min

3 Questions That Separate a CEO From a Business Owner

Revenue and team size get the attention, but neither tells you if you're running your business like a CEO. It comes down to three specific numbers, and whether you know them without guessing. In this episode of CEO Numbers Network, I get into three questions I ask every CEO about her own numbers: her year to date profit and profit percentage, what her business owns compared to what it owes, and whether her cash reserves are enough. I also cover three bookkeeping errors our team sees during onboarding that throw off each answer: draws coded as payroll or duplicated revenue, old loans still sitting on the balance sheet years after they were paid off, and point of sale systems that double record a sale with QuickBooks. I explain why a clean QuickBooks dashboard or a quick AI summary can't replace an actual review of your books. You will learn to recognize the errors that distort your numbers, and how to make decisions from data instead of a gut feeling. If you've ever felt confident about your numbers until someone asked a specific question, this episode shows you where that confidence was coming from. 👉 Find out if your books are accurate here. Key Takeaways 0:00 Introduction to the CEO Test 1:25 Question One: Year-to-Date Profit 3:02 Question Two: Assets Versus Liabilities 4:31 Question Three: Cash Reserves 7:11 The Dangers of AI and Misleading Data 8:47 How to Get Accurate Books Resources 📈 Book a strategy call with Danielle's team at Kickstart: here 👉 Check your books here 👉 Visit the Kickstart website 👉 Follow us on Instagram Listen Next 👉 The 30-Day Burnout Diagnosis Every CEO Needs to Run 👉 How to Know If You Can Afford to Hire Your First Employee

September 8, 2026Episode 1914 min

The 30-Day Burnout Diagnosis Every CEO Needs to Run

A team member once asked me how we help clients who show up to their financial review calls completely burnt out. My answer surprised even me, and it led to a 30-day exercise I now recommend to every business owner I work with. In this episode of CEO Numbers Network, I talk about why burnout gets misdiagnosed so often in business ownership, and I walk through a real client example of growth mode colliding with family obligations. I also push back on trending labels like burnout and soft girl era, and I share five specific strategies for reframing pressure into something you actually have control over, starting with a 30-day energy audit. You will learn how to tell the difference between real exhaustion and simply being in a demanding season of your business, how to delegate what was never yours to carry in the first place, and how to make decisions from intention instead of guilt. If you have ever labeled yourself as burnt out without actually checking what was going on underneath it, this episode will give you a clearer way to look at it. 👉 Discover how our CFO services can help you build a plan around the season you're actually in: here . Key Takeaways 00:47 Burnout Isn't a Badge 10:14 Step 1: Run Your Energy Audit 11:00 Step 2: Delegate What Isn't Yours 11:54 Step 3: Build a Real Budget 12:24 Step 4: Do the Mindset Work 13:00 Step 5: Act Like the CEO Resources 📈 Book a strategy call with Danielle's team at Kickstart: here 👉 Check your books here 👉 Visit the Kickstart website 👉 Follow us on Instagram Listen Next 👉 How to Know If You Can Afford to Hire Your First Employee 👉 The 4 Step CEO Reset Method for a Stronger Fourth Quarter

September 1, 2026Episode 1813 min

How to Know If You Can Afford to Hire Your First Employee

Your profit and loss statement can look fine, and your stomach can still drop when you think about hiring. I know that feeling, because it's exactly where I was the night I hired my first employee. I walk through the three methods I use to decide if a business can afford to hire: the look back method, the averages method, and the look forward budgeting method. I cover how profit and cash flow can tell two different stories, how much cash to have saved before hiring, and the real costs of bringing on a new employee beyond the paycheck. In this episode of CEO Numbers Network, I share exactly how to make that call with real numbers. You will learn what to look at before you hire, how to protect your cash flow, and how to move forward with confidence instead of guessing. If you have ever looked at a healthy profit number and still felt too scared to hire, this episode gives you the math to decide with confidence. 👉 Discover how our CFO services can help you build a hiring budget you can trust: here Key Takeaways 00:00 Why You Should Hire Help 00:44 Danielle's First Hire Story 03:10 Method One: The Look Back 04:20 Method Two: Calculate Your Cash 06:54 Method Three: Build Your Budget 09:00 How Much Cash To Save 11:30 The Real Cost Of Hiring 12:22 Final Encouragement To Hire Confidently Resources 📊 Download the free hiring worksheet from this episode. 💰 Build your own 12 month budget with the free template. 📈 Book a strategy call with Danielle's team at Kickstart: here 👉 Check your books here 👉 Visit the Kickstart website 👉 Follow us on Instagram Listen Next 👉 The 4 Step CEO Reset Method for a Stronger Fourth Quarter 👉 Can AI Actually Replace Your Bookkeeper?

August 25, 2026Episode 1714 min

The 4 Step CEO Reset Method for a Stronger Fourth Quarter

You made it through summer, and now the fourth quarter is staring you down. The instinct is to catch up on everything you let slide, but that's exactly what backfires. This episode shares the four step reset I use every fall to close out the year with focus instead of overwhelm. It's built for business owners who come out of summer feeling behind and try to fix everything in the business at once, which usually backfires by January. Instead of chasing every goal, this framework helps you pick one clear priority and build the rest of the quarter around it. In this episode of CEO Numbers Network, I walk through the exact reset I use every September before the fourth quarter hits. You will learn how to reset your CEO mindset, get clarity on your numbers, plan your spending with intention, and know what to do with the ideas that don't fit right now. If you have ever felt profitable on paper but still couldn't find the cash in your bank account, this episode shows you exactly where to look. 👉 Discover how our bookkeeping services can help you close out this year with clarity: here Key Takeaways 00:51 The Four-Step Fall Reset Framework 02:54 Step One: Reset Your CEO Mindset 05:18 Step Two: Get Clarity On Numbers 07:20 What Your Balance Sheet Reveals 08:40 Step Three: Plan Q4 With Intention 11:11 Step Four: Build Your Wait List Resources 📥 Download our free mid-year tax check-in checklist: here 📈 Book a strategy call with Danielle's team at Kickstart: here 👉 Check your books here 👉 Visit the Kickstart website 👉 Follow us on Instagram Listen next 👉 The S Corp Move to Stop Overpaying the IRS 👉 Can AI Actually Replace Your Bookkeeper?

August 18, 2026Episode 1612 min

Can AI Actually Replace Your Bookkeeper?

I ran our own business financials through AI three different ways and got three completely different answers. What that revealed about trusting AI with your numbers might change how you use it in your own business. I share what happened when I fed our real financials into AI and changed only the tone of my prompt, from neutral to positive to negative, and watched the same numbers produce three completely different financial narratives. I talk about why AI won't push back on you unless you ask it to, and what that means if you're using it to make real financial decisions. I also share a story about an AI-run bookkeeping firm that undercut our pricing by two dollars, and why that pushed me to think about what business owners are actually paying for when they choose a financial partner. I close with two questions I think every business owner should ask before trusting anyone, human or AI, with their numbers. In this episode of CEO Numbers Network, I run an experiment on my own business and get honest about what it revealed. You will learn why a prompt is never neutral, what to watch for if you use AI on your own financials, and two questions to ask before trusting any financial partner with your numbers. If you have ever wondered whether the financial advice you're getting from AI is actually accurate, or just telling you what you want to hear, this episode will change how you think about it. 👉 Discover how our bookkeeping team can give your numbers the human judgment AI can't: here Key Takeaways 00:36 Running an AI financial experiment 02:36 A positive prompt skews AI's read 03:02 A negative prompt flips the story 04:19 AI mirrors your mood, not reality 06:10 The $2 AI bookkeeping ad 11:46 Two questions before you hire Resources 📥 Download our free mid-year tax check-in checklist: here 📈 Book a strategy call with Danielle's team at Kickstart: here 👉 Check your books here 👉 Visit the Kickstart website 👉 Follow us on Instagram 👉 Why Your Tax Bill Keeps Growing (Even When You Pay On Time) 👉 The S Corp Move to Stop Overpaying the IRS