Success leaves footprints. After reviewing the latest studies and mentor round-ups, the gap between owners who scale and those who stall boils down to eight repeatable habits—not luck, industry, or capital.
| Successful Owners | Stuck / Non-Successful Owners |
|---|---|
| 1. Cash-flow obsessed Know 13-week rolling forecast by heart; guard DSCR like vital sign. | Fly blind; surprised by payroll or tax shortfalls. |
| 2. Build business credit early Open Net-30s, fleet cards, pay early → PAYDEX 80+; unlock 6 % bank money, no PG. | Use personal cards for everything; 25 % utilization kills FICO, traps them in 25 % APR advances. |
| 3. Ruthless priority filter One North-Star metric; say “no” daily. | Chase every shiny object; half-finished projects litter the office. |
| 4. Delegate & systemize Document SOPs, hire ahead of need; business runs without them. | Hero mentality; can’t let go → becomes bottleneck, 70-hr weeks. |
| 5. Data-driven decisions A/B test, track CAC/LTV, adjust weekly. | Gut feelings; blame “market” when offers flop. |
| 6. Bankable mindset Keep clean statements, file taxes on time, stay covenant-ready; capital is a tool, not a prayer. | Avoid accountants; books a mess, loan declines feel “unfair.” |
| 7. Resilient & adaptive View setbacks as data; pivot quickly (COVID curb-side, supply-chain shifts). | Take setbacks personally; double-down on failing strategy. |
| 8. Long-term Preparationm Reinvest profits, build brand equity, protect reputation. | Extract every dollar today; under-pay team, erode goodwill. |
“Companies don’t run out of money—they run out of discipline disguised as money problems. Objectively, they run out of money”
Fix the eight habits above and you fix the cash with working capital.
BusinessMoney.broker 
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