Profits & Pints Recap — June 2026
- Strategic Business Coaching
- Jun 30
- 4 min read
Where Your Margin Is Hiding
How to Break Down Your Numbers to Find Profit Leaks
Watch the Full Workshop Replay
If you missed this month's Profits & Pints, you're in luck! We recorded the entire session for you.
Catch the replay to learn how to better understand your financials, uncover hidden profit leaks, and make smarter decisions that improve your bottom line.
Download the Worksheet:
The Big Idea: Your Financials Tell a Story
Many business owners know whether they're making money, but fewer understand why.
Financial statements can feel overwhelming, so they're often treated like something only accountants need to understand. But your numbers are one of the most powerful tools you have as a business owner.
As Samantha shared during the session, your financials shouldn't just track what happened. They should tell you the story of your business and help you make better decisions moving forward.
When you know where to look, your profit and loss statement becomes much more than a report. It becomes a roadmap.
Profit Problems Are Often Visibility Problems
Every business owner wants to be more profitable.
When margins get tighter or cash flow feels squeezed, the natural instinct is to think, "We need more sales."
But what if that's not the real problem?
One of the biggest takeaways from this month's session was a simple shift in perspective:
Most business owners think they have a profit problem. What if it's actually a visibility problem?
If you can't clearly see where your money is being made or lost, it's nearly impossible to know what to fix.
Your P&L Is Only the Beginning
Most business owners are familiar with a standard Profit & Loss statement.
Revenue.
Cost of Goods Sold.
Gross Profit.
Overhead.
Net Profit.
It's an important report, but it only tells you what happened.
It doesn't explain why it happened.
That means many owners make decisions based on broad categories instead of meaningful information.
The goal isn't simply to read your financials. It's to use them to ask better questions.
Go One Layer Deeper
Instead of looking at Revenue as one number, break it into meaningful categories.
Instead of looking at Cost of Goods Sold as one number, break that down too.
For example:
Revenue by service line
Revenue by department
Revenue by location
Labor by type
Warranty work
Rework
Product categories
Suddenly, your financials become much more useful.
Instead of wondering why margins are shrinking, you can begin asking:
Which services are the most profitable?
Which areas are growing?
Which departments need attention?
Where are we losing money?
Better visibility leads to better decisions.
Where Profit Leaks Hide
Samantha shared an example of a construction company that appeared to have a labor cost problem.
At first glance, labor was simply one large expense on the Profit & Loss statement.
But when they broke labor down another level, something unexpected appeared.
Nearly $123,000 had been spent fixing work that had already been completed.
The issue wasn't labor.
It was rework.
That single insight completely changed the conversation.
Instead of asking how to reduce labor costs, the business could begin asking why so much work needed to be redone in the first place.
That's where real improvement begins.
Financial Problems Are Often Operational Problems
One of the most valuable lessons from the session was recognizing that financial reports often reveal operational issues.
Profit leaks rarely happen because of one big mistake.
They're usually caused by everyday challenges like:
Warranty labor
Rework
Poor estimating
Missed materials
Inefficient processes
Communication breakdowns
Training gaps
When these issues go unnoticed, they quietly chip away at profitability.
The financials simply point you toward where to investigate.
Ask Better Questions
Once you have visibility, your numbers become a decision-making tool instead of just a report.
Instead of asking:
"How do we make more money?"
You begin asking:
Where are our biggest profit leaks?
Which services create the strongest margins?
What operational issues are impacting profitability?
What category should we track that we're not measuring today?
That's where meaningful improvements begin.
Action Steps You Can Take
✔️ Review your Profit & Loss statement monthly.
✔️ Break large categories like Revenue and COGS into meaningful subcategories.
✔️ Look for operational issues hiding behind financial numbers.
✔️ Track areas like warranty work, rework, labor types, or service lines.
✔️ Focus on creating visibility before trying to improve profitability.
The Big Takeaway
The session ended with one message that perfectly summarized the afternoon:
You can't improve what you can't see.
Most businesses don't have a profit problem.
They have a visibility problem.
The more clearly you understand where your money is made and where it's leaking away, the more confident you'll become in making decisions that strengthen your business.
Save the Date
📅 Tuesday, July 28, 2026
🕓 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
📍 6th Street Bar & Grill | Eugene, OR
As businesses grow, opportunities multiply. New ideas, new partnerships, new customers, and new initiatives all compete for your attention.
Join us as we explore a practical framework for making better decisions, protecting your time, and focusing on the opportunities that create the greatest impact.
The Topic:
THE DECISION FILTER
How Successful Business Owners Know What to Say Yes To
RSVP for the next Profits & Pints event or join our email list to receive future invites.
Until next time, cheers to smart moves and great conversation.
— Samantha & the SBC Team 🍻
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