Brian was bringing on new customers when he ran out of money. Brad knows entrepreneurs who bought boats while their businesses were still bleeding cash. One of Brian's investors would ask him the same two questions every time they met: "How's your wife and what are you driving?" One question's about divorce. The other's about expensive cars that kill businesses before they get off the ground. Your baseline shifts without you even noticing. You start buying things and suddenly your expectations are different. Brad calls it lifestyle creep. This is episode 49. What entrepreneurs get wrong about money.

*YOU'LL DISCOVER*

• Why 3% profit margin loses to 4% money market

• When Brian ran out of money despite growing

• How lifestyle creep happens without you noticing

• "Never be an expense, be an investment"

• Degradation is imminent: employees spend looser than the CEO

*WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS*

• Build slowly, ramp fast once profitable

• One-time vs fixed expenses matter

• Set the tone - employees follow your habits

• Review financials to catch overspending

*WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf co-founded and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf runs By Your Side Autism Therapy with 550 employees across 11 centers. Matt Croke keeps it honest and pulls out the chaos. They've been there, survived it, and have the scars to prove it.

*THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "I've seen businesses growing like crazy that just spent themselves into oblivion. Their gross profit margins are zip." Chasing revenue while ignoring profit?

👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories, real disasters, no LinkedIn energy. ————————————

*TIMESTAMPS*

1:10 - Revenue makes you feel good, profit sets you free

6:19 - When they ran out of money

9:34 - The 3% vs 4% money market problem

12:33 - Every $50K hire better have impact

16:02 - Lifestyle creep: boats when business is bleeding

17:23 - The investor who asked "What are you driving?"

21:49 - One-time vs fixed expenses

24:38 - Degradation is imminent ————————————

*ABOUT CEO BROS AFTER HOURS* CEO BROS: After Hours is raw business talk from CEO brothers Brian Balduf (VHT Studios) and Brad Balduf (By Your Side Autism Therapy) with host Matt Croke. Every Friday they share what actually happens building companies: brutal failures, scaling disasters, and the messy truth about leadership. No corporate polish. No LinkedIn energy. Just honest stories from the trenches.

🍸 *WIND DOWN WITH THE BROS: THIS WEEK'S COCKTAILS* Three drinks for three money mistakes. Pick the one that matches your spending habits.

🍸 *THE 3% PROFIT* Brad Balduf - Why investors won't touch you Recipe: • 2 oz vodka • 1 oz dry vermouth • ¼ oz olive brine • 2 olives • Stir with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: Clean, simple, barely profitable. Brad's point about 3% profit losing to a 4% money market account. This martini's classic but there's barely any flavor margin here. Just like your business when you're chasing revenue and forgetting profit.

🍸 *THE LIFESTYLE CREEP* Brian Balduf - The boat you bought when business was bleeding Recipe: • 2 oz aged rum • 1 oz pineapple juice • ¾ oz lime juice • ½ oz orgeat • Mint sprig • Shake with ice, strain over crushed ice The Vibe: Tropical, expensive-looking, tastes like vacation. Brian's investor always asked "what are you driving?" because entrepreneurs start making money and buy fancy cars. Your baseline shifts without you knowing. One day it's beer and pizza, next it's bottles of champagne at Lowe's hotels.

🍸 *THE BARNABY'S BUDGET* Matt Croke - Beer and pizza while execs drink champagne Recipe: • 2 oz Irish whiskey • 1 oz ginger beer • ¾ oz lemon juice • ½ oz honey syrup • Lemon wheel • Build in rocks glass over ice, top with ginger beer The Vibe: Simple, affordable, gets the job done. Brian ate at Barnaby's with free parking while his execs stayed at Lowe's and valetted at the airport. Degradation is imminent - whatever standard you set as CEO, employees will spend one level looser. This drink proves you don't need expensive ingredients to win. Make all three. Figure out which mistake you're making. Generating revenue with no profit? Buying boats when cash flow's dying? Setting the tone with tight spending? Tag us.

*JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-bros

#Entrepreneurship #ProfitMargins #BusinessFinance #StartupLife #RevenueVsProfit

Music: "Back to Black" by Rockin' For Decades (licensed through Epidemic Sound)

Brad asks for exactly 15 minutes. At 14 minutes and 59 seconds, he stands up and leaves. Doesn't matter if they're interested or want him to stay. He asked for 15 minutes, that's what he takes. Most salespeople overstay. Brad walks out while they're still engaged. Next meeting, they already know he respects time. No bracing for a pitch that won't end. This is episode 50. How to actually close deals instead of just talking about closing.

*YOU'LL DISCOVER*

• Brad's 15-minute rule: leaving on the number gets more second meetings

• VHT Studios closed 10,000 units in Jacksonville, Orlando said "we weren't involved" •

Why dropping price proves you never conveyed value

• Where deals die after you think they're closed

*WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS*

• Ask for short time, leave exactly when promised

• Ask who signs the contract upfront

• Never drop price first (shows you don't believe in value)

• Stay urgent after verbal yes (time kills unsigned deals)

*WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf co-founded and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf runs By Your Side Autism Therapy with 550 employees across 11 centers. Matt Croke keeps it honest and pulls out the chaos. They've been there, survived it, and have the scars to prove it.

*THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "If you resort to price reduction early, you're showing your cards. You've left yourself nowhere to go. You didn't convey value. The deal was already lost." Ever close a deal only to watch it die in legal? Drop your approach in the comments.

👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories, real disasters, no LinkedIn energy. ————————————

*TIMESTAMPS*

0:43 - Every employee should take money from customers

4:05 - The three things that make closing work

10:30 - What are all the things that can go wrong?

13:00 - Dropping price is the rookie death spiral

16:02 - The Regional VP disaster (lost half the deal)

20:03 - Orlando region wasn't participating

26:40 - Brad's 15-minute rule (leave on the number)

29:11 - Time kills all deals (urgency after verbal yes)

*ABOUT CEO BROS AFTER HOURS* CEO BROS: After Hours is raw business talk from CEO brothers Brian Balduf (VHT Studios) and Brad Balduf (By Your Side Autism Therapy) with host Matt Croke. Every Friday they share what actually happens building companies: brutal failures, scaling disasters, and the messy truth about leadership. No corporate polish. No LinkedIn energy. Just honest stories from the trenches.

🍸 *WIND DOWN WITH THE BROS: THIS WEEK'S COCKTAILS* Three drinks for three closing strategies. Pick your move.

🍸 *THE 15-MINUTE TIMER* Brad Balduf - Leaves at 14:59 every time Recipe: • 2 oz tequila blanco • ¾ oz lime juice • ½ oz agave syrup • 2 dashes orange bitters • Lime wheel • Shake with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: Brad asks for 15 minutes and leaves on the number. No lingering, no pushing, no overstaying. This drink is clean, crisp, respectful. You asked for a cocktail, here it is, exactly as promised.

🍸 *THE REGIONAL VP* Brian Balduf - Sold 10,000 units to the wrong guy Recipe: • 2 oz dark rum • 1 oz pineapple juice • ½ oz lime juice • ¼ oz Campari • Pineapple wedge • Shake with ice, strain over fresh ice The Vibe: Looks complete, tastes good, then bitterness hits. VHT Studios negotiated for months with Jacksonville. Orlando said "we weren't involved." Only got half. This drink promises more than it delivers.

🍸 *THE RED LINE* Matt Croke - For deals that die in legal review Recipe: • 2 oz Irish whiskey • ¾ oz sweet vermouth • ½ oz Cynar • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Orange peel • Stir with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: Smooth at first, then unexpected complexity. Deal's done, attorneys redline one thing, business people get involved, three weeks later there's a "major problem." This drink's got layers you didn't see coming. Make all three. Figure out your closing style. Respect time and leave early? Talk to the wrong person for months? Or think it's done before it's signed? Tag us.

*JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-bros

#entrepreneurship #sales #closingdeals #businessstrategy #startuplife

Music: "Back to Black" by Rockin' For Decades (licensed through Epidemic Sound)