Most product-based business owners think they need something new to grow, a new strategy, a shiny tool, a game-changing idea. But the truth, you don't need more exciting. You need what actually works. Because the businesses that wait on profit and cash flow, yeah, they've mastered the fundamentals. And this is exactly what we do inside the Inventory Genius program. We clean up your financials so that you have a clear, accurate picture of your inventory and your real margins. We fix your product next, making sure every single SKU is actually making you money, not just creating revenue. And we build a profit plan so that you can pay off debt, generate cash, and run your business with confidence. No fluff, no guesswork, no chasing trends, just a proven system that helps product-based businesses win again when it comes to profit and it comes to cash. Because long-term success isn't flashy, it's consistent. Join us in the Inventory Genius program. Let's make your business work for you. Hey friend, welcome to the Inventory Genius podcast, where we work together here to make you an inventory genius. We talk about profit, we talk about cash flow, and we definitely talk about your paycheck. Because at the end of the day, it's all related to your inventory. Let's go. So I first launched the debt detox boot camp back in May, and it was a really interesting boot camp or challenge to do because we worked through debt, where it comes from, how it shows up, and how to detox it from your business. And there was such an overwhelming um love for the boot camp, can I say, that I decided to bring it back. And so I just finished and wrapped up the next debt detox boot camp. And this was for product-based business owners who have some type of debt and they're wanting to just get rid of it in their business. I want to debrief with you today the experience, the lessons that I learned, what we gained out of it, and what next steps are if you are currently in debt. So as I was hosting the debt detox boot camp, I kept hearing the same quiet confession from all of the business owners that were participating. I have debt and I don't know how to talk about it. And this isn't spreadsheet debt. This is like real weight on your chest, super heavy debt. Credit cards, lines of credit, loans from family, inventory bought on, borrowed money that just the inventory hasn't sold yet, fast funding loans, more fast funding loans to pay for other fast funding loans. And most of the business owners were carrying this debt completely alone. They were convinced they were the only one that had this much debt in the room, which was really interesting because when you get into a room full of product-based business owners that are there to detox the debt from their business, you soon realize that you are very far from alone in this debt journey. In fact, it's quite, quite common that business owners carry a lot of debt. And so I brought this space for product-based business owners to come and to shed light on their debt. First, to own the fact that they have a lot of debt and that quite frankly, they can't figure out how to get out of this problem on their own. And then over the course of the boot camp, we worked through what the debt actually looked like, where it came from, because this is really important. If you don't understand where it came from in the first place, it's really hard to get out of it. And then what it would actually take to get out of it. My team and I did some cash flow analysis calls, some consult calls with those who were interested after the debt detox boot camp was complete. And that's where a lot of the real education on my side happened. So while I was educating the boot camp attendees day one and day two, telling them about their debt, where it came from, how we could manage it, different types of debt, et cetera, et cetera. When they got on the phone with me, they educated me even to a deeper level on everything that it entailed. So here's some things that I learned from those calls. And I think this will be really interesting for you to listen in on. First, a lot of product-based business owners are carrying a lot more debt than anyone around them realizes. This includes spouses. This includes their team. This includes their trusted manager. This often even includes their bookkeepers, their accountants, the people that they would trust with business advice, their mentors. I learned that the amount of debt that business owners are carrying sometimes is so heavy. And they're carrying it often alone. It's just really common that nobody talks about it. And so everyone then thinks that they're the exception. And so then it digs them into an even deeper hole of I'm not going to share, I'm not going to ask for help or advice because nobody knows the trouble that I'm in. The second thing that I realized on these calls was that at the end of the day, getting out of debt is not a willpower problem. Now, I already knew this because I've worked with hundreds, can I say thousands of product-based business owners in different areas of their business, whether it's paying off debt, restructuring financials, finding financial freedom, creating more cash, creating profitability. And so I knew that you can't just fix a problem by willpower alone, but it was really brought to the surface this last time that we hosted the debt detox boot camp. It's not a will power problem. It's not because they don't really want to get out of debt. It's not because they haven't really tried to get out of debt. It's actually a math problem. It comes down to restructuring your numbers so that the business produces enough profit to actually pay the debt down with purpose and a plan. And what I was hearing over and over again, and what my team members were hearing over and over again as we were doing these cash flow analysis calls at the end of the boot camp, is that people had tried multiple ways of paying down debt. In fact, sometimes people had paid down debt just to turn around and take on more. And so I knew that it wasn't from a place of willpower or want or true desire. It was from the fact that they didn't know how the pieces should be arranged and they didn't really understand the root cause of the debt in the first place. The third thing that struck me was that almost nobody can do this restructuring alone. And I don't say that from a from a place of ego, absolutely not on a pedestal, because many of you know my story. And I was that person. There was no way that I could have done that debt restructuring on my own. It's not because they're not smart enough. It's not because during my story, I wasn't smart enough, or I didn't have the work ethic, or I didn't have the want. It's because when you're behind your own numbers, when you're in your own business, when your own name is on the loan, you're just too close to it. The feeling of being alone is heavy enough that it keeps people stuck longer than the debt itself does. Because when they're looking at all the pieces of their puzzle, they just aren't sure what to move first. What piece of what which of the chess pieces do they move on the board first, right? Which of the puzzle pieces connects with the others? Where do they start on this immense project that's overwhelming and bogging them down? So these were the three things that I really noticed as we did those calls after the debt detox boot camp. And I wanted to share those with you because I want to normalize where you're at if you actually have a lot of debt in your business right now, that it's not because you don't really care. It's not because you're not smart enough to figure it out. It's simply because you don't have all of the pieces of the puzzle lined up in the right way. You're too close to your numbers, you don't understand maybe really where the debt at its root came from when it started. And until we have all of those pieces in front of you and organized in the right way, you're always going to be on this hamster wheel. So where do we go from here? Here's the thing. If you're sitting with debt in your business right now, the first thing I want you to remember is that you're not alone. Okay. The second thing I want you to remember is that it's truly solvable. It's a numbers problem. And numbers problems have plans that work out. It's a math problem. And y'all can do math. You just need to know the right math to do. And the third thing is that you can't build this plan by yourself. Okay. So if you are sitting there and you're like, I've tried so many times, I've paid off that Shopify loan, but I have to turn around and take another one. I don't understand why I don't want to. I feel stuck in it. I paid off that credit card last year. And now this year I have three more credit cards that are maxed out. I go to the bank, they tell me to give that they're going to give me a line of credit. I say, yes, I absolutely want to use that for inventory, but then I fill that line of credit with payroll and operating expenses. I don't know how to pay that credit line down. That's completely normal. And you don't have to try to figure out that plan on your own. Getting the right structure and the right people around you so that your numbers stop becoming something that you're just like hoping and dreaming will all jiggle out in the end. But really putting the right people and plan around you so that you can create a structured plan to those puzzle pieces is really what needs to happen. Knowledge doesn't change a business, an operating system changes a business. The correct pieces of the puzzle, someone that's guiding you and telling you what to focus on next. That's what I want you to think about. If you are finding yourselves in the throes of debt right now, you're not alone. You can't do it alone. You shouldn't have to do it alone. And you do need to find the right system and process and people to surround you and give you the next steps and the next plan of action so that you can pay your debt off once and for all, so that you can find financial freedom. Because I want you to create more profit and keep more cash in your business. You know that I want that for you. So thanks for tuning in today to listen to this debt detox boot camp debrief. I'm going to be hosting another debt detox boot camp coming up in October. And when that comes, I would love to have you join us. In the meantime, if you're ready to get started on financial freedom in your business, please head over to SierraStockland.com. Take a look at the Inventory Genius operating system. This operating system was created by a product-based business owner for product-based businesses, whether you're a retail store, a wholesaler, a maker, whether you sell through multiple different revenue streams, or you have just your one revenue stream that you work on, you know, from your brick and mortar store or from your warehouse. If you trade things for dollar bills, if you have inventory, the inventory genius operating system was created for you. We walk through how to first build a profit plan, how to build from profit up, not from sales goal down. We talk about how to create a cash flow system in your business so that every Monday you're looking at the things that truly matter and truly move the needle. We work through an open-to-buy plan so that you are no longer buying off of emotion and frantically selling, but you're buying off of data and you're buying the inventory that turns and has the best margin and the best return for your business. And ultimately, we have a debt payoff plan inside the offering inventory genius operating system so that if you do have debt, you know how and when to start paying that off. You can see where that debt came from and you can really truly make financial decisions that will impact you in a positive way for years to come. So head over to Sierra Stockland.com, check out the inventory genius operating system, IGOS. This was created for you. And the debt component of it is just one small piece of the puzzle so that you can create more profit and keep more cash in your product-based business. All right, see you next week. Bye for now. Hey there, friend. Okay, if you've been around me long enough, you know how important I feel it is that you have a good bookkeeper on your team. And that's why I'm really excited to welcome TO to the Inventory Genius World. At TO, they help businesses organize and streamline their accounting, set up smart systems, and actually use their financials to make good decisions. They give you the financial tools that you need to grow your business and remain successful. And here's what else I love about them. They have a dedicated team member that will work on cleanups. That's right. So if you have books that are a disaster, maybe you've never kept your books in the past, maybe you kept your books and your past bookkeeper did not do a very good job. Whatever the case, TO has a dedicated team member on staff that works specifically to clean up books and bring them up to date. So if this sounds like something that you'd be interested in, check out TNO. The link for their information and their contact information is in the show notes.