July 31, 2024

Balancing Debt & Profit for Growth

On this episode of the Gross Profit Podcast, James Kennedy sits down with Manny Skevofilax, Principal of Portal CFO Consulting. They delve into Manny’s extensive career journey from the restaurant industry to banking and his current role helping small to mid-sized businesses optimize their financial strategies.
The Gross Profit Podcast
The Gross Profit Podcast
Balancing Debt & Profit for Growth
Loading
/

Show Notes

This week James Kennedy is joined by Manny Skevofilax, Principal of Portal CFO Consulting. They delve into Manny’s extensive career journey from the restaurant industry to banking and his current role helping small to mid-sized businesses optimize their financial strategies.

About Manny Skevofilax: Manny Skevofilax is a seasoned financial expert and the Principal at Portal CFO Consulting, where he dedicates his expertise to guiding business owners on maximizing profits and navigating growth challenges. With his profound understanding of financial health, Manny assists businesses in making informed decisions, emphasizing sustainable growth without the pitfalls of excessive debt.

What You’ll Learn:

  1. Career Insights: Manny’s transition from his family’s restaurant business to becoming a key figure in financial consulting.
  2. Understanding Costs and Managing Debt: Strategies for balancing debt and profit to fuel business growth.
  3. Essentials of Cash Flow Management: Practical advice from Manny on maintaining healthy cash flow and making strategic financial decisions.

Episode Highlights:

  • “Manny, can you share how your early experiences in the restaurant and banking sectors shaped your approach to financial consulting?”
  • “What are the key competencies you believe every CFO should possess to effectively manage a company’s finances?”
  • “In your book, you discuss the dangers of pursuing rapid growth without solid profits. Can you elaborate on that concept?”

More about Manny’s Mission: Manny is not just about improving financial sheets; he’s committed to enhancing the overall well-being of the businesses he works with, ensuring they provide well for their owners and employees alike. His leadership and strategic support aim to cultivate environments where businesses not only survive but thrive.

This podcast is tagged under:

The Gross Profit Podcast

More Episodes

Merushka Chetty

Paul Maskill – How to Get 50% Equity in a Business Without Investing

In this episode, James Kennedy sits down with Paul Maskill, the “Blue-Collar CFO,” to unpack how service pros and trades owners can turn a time-for-money job into a sellable, scalable company. From pricing that actually funds growth to partnering for equity, Paul shares the moves he used to grow and exit multiple local businesses (landscaping, electrical, kids’ sports programs) and why home-service companies win by doing “the boring stuff” brilliantly – answer fast, show up, keep promises.

Listen Now »
Merushka Chetty

Eric Segal – $30M Banking Crisis: SEC Investigation Story

James Kennedy sits down with Eric Segal, Managing Director at CFO Consulting Partners, to unpack what community banks and fintechs really need from a CFO team. From Eric’s early days rating institutions during the S&L crisis at Moody’s to treasury and CFO roles at American Express, and finally a high-stakes turnaround as interim CFO for a stressed community bank in 2008–09, this episode explores asset-quality shocks, SEC/OCC scrutiny, restatements, and how to run multiple regulatory workstreams without losing the plot. You’ll also hear how to evaluate a CFO firm for industry fit – and why there’s still plenty of “alpha” hiding in management quality and front-line execution.

Listen Now »
Merushka Chetty

Joe Stafford – The $26 Million Math Mistake That Changed Everything

In this episode, James Kennedy sits down with Joe Stafford, founder of Trinity Business Advisors and serial entrepreneur, to unpack hard-won lessons from scaling to $60M revenue, surviving a bank workout, exiting two companies, and now guiding owners through exit planning the right way. Joe shares how a simple gross-margin math fix generated $26M in profit, what really happens when private equity is on the other side of the table, and a practical playbook for making your business sellable, scalable, and less owner-dependent.

Listen Now »