Tuesday, November 10, 2026
The November 2026 WoF changes mean fewer automatic visits for many cars. Here is how NZ workshop and aftermarket owners find the real constraint, protect margin and keep customers coming back.
The short answer: Profit First is a money-handling system. It is a strong fit if your real problem is that profit, tax and your own pay never get set aside. A business coach is a better fit if you are not yet sure that cash handling is the constraint. Plenty of owners need both, in that order: find the constraint, then pick the tool.
A disclosure first: Simple-Growth publishes this guide and sells coaching and online programs, so read it with that in mind. The Profit First facts below come from Mike Michalowicz's and Profit First Professionals' own pages, opened and checked on 12 November 2026. They are the publishers' claims, not independent findings. Market: United States. Last updated 12 November 2026.
Profit First is a cash-management method by author Mike Michalowicz. Its core rule, as his page puts it, is that a percentage of each sales deposit goes to profit first, with a few more steps beyond that. His page states that "over 175,000 companies have implemented the system" and offers no independent evidence for that figure or for its claim that the method makes a business "permanently profitable."
There is a separate body, Profit First Professionals, which certifies bookkeepers, accountants and coaches. Its home page is written mainly for those advisors and says "Only Certified Profit First Professionals are authorized to sell Profit First services." It reports global membership "exceeded 500 members in nearly 25 countries." It shows no prices, and it carries results such as a 187% rise in net profit from one member's client without a sample size or a typical-results disclaimer.
The free side is genuinely useful. Michalowicz's free resources page lists a Profit First Instant Assessment, a Fix This Next Assessment, a 25-question guide to what to fix next and a monthly income and expense calculator. The book and app are paid, and a certified professional is a paid service with no published fee.
| If this is you | Better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue is fine but profit and tax money keep disappearing | Profit First | It is built for exactly this: separate accounts so profit and tax are set aside first |
| I want bookkeeping and cash set-up done for me | A certified Profit First professional | Only certified professionals are authorized to sell the services; ask for their fee up front |
| I am not sure whether cash handling is my problem | A coach or a diagnostic first | The constraint may be price, leads, delivery or follow-through, not where the money sits |
| I know what to fix but do not finish it | A follow-through program or a coach | Accountability, not another system, is the gap |
| I want to test it cheaply first | The free assessments, then decide | They cost nothing but your contact details and an hour |
The Federal Reserve Banks' 2026 Small Business Credit Survey of employer firms found that 77% reported rising costs, tariff-related costs, or both, and 56% sought financing to meet operating expenses (Federal Reserve Banks, 2026). The survey drew 6,525 responses from a convenience sample of small employer firms in the United States, fielded 3 September to 14 November 2025, so it describes the firms that answered rather than every business. Even so, it shows how many owners are managing thin cash while costs rise, which is where a method like Profit First can help.
Simple-Growth's starting point is to find the one constraint, fix it first, then decide what to add. For some owners that constraint is cash, and a Profit First professional is the right next step. For others it is price, sales or follow-through. To test the approach cheaply, there are three self-paced online programs with prices on their live pages: Quick Wins (US$97, 15 ways to grow sales), Making It Happen (US$297, follow-through) and Know Your Future (US$497, direction). Each page states a 30-day money-back guarantee. One-to-one coaching is quoted after a free call. Compare other options in Acquisition.com's free course or a business coach?
The method's free resources include assessments and a calculator. The book and app are paid, and certified professionals charge for their services. No professional fee is published on their home page.
Not to read the method or use the free tools. The Profit First Professionals page says only certified professionals are authorized to sell Profit First services.
It can replace the cash-handling part. It does not look at your pricing, leads or delivery, or hold you to a plan.
Quick Wins for fast sales ideas, Making It Happen for follow-through, Know Your Future for direction. If you are unsure, a free 30-minute call will tell you.
Use Profit First if cash handling is your constraint, and use a conversation to find out whether it is.
Sources (checked 12 November 2026): Mike Michalowicz, Profit First (the publisher's own claims); Profit First free resources; Profit First Professionals (the organization's own claims); Federal Reserve Banks, 2026 Small Business Credit Survey, report on employer firms (United States). Programme prices and guarantees from the live Simple-Growth sales pages. Results vary. Back to the growth tips hub.
Not sure whether cash is your real constraint?
Friday, October 09, 2026
Most SME owners track one number: the bank balance. The businesses that compound track four, using Kaplan and Norton's Balanced Scorecard, and catch the problem before it ever reaches the bank account.
Thursday, October 08, 2026
Thursday, October 08, 2026
Nearly half of NZ SME owners plan to raise prices this year. Only 4 percent of companies have a value proposition clear enough to justify it.
Thursday, October 08, 2026
Revenue can climb for years while the actual value of the business barely moves. Here are the eight drivers that decide which one you are really building, and why owner independence usually matters most.
Thursday, October 08, 2026
If every session with your coach leaves you comfortable, that is the warning sign, not the proof it is working. Here is why direct feedback outperforms kind feedback, backed by Gallup's data.
Thursday, October 08, 2026
A global survey of over 10,000 workers found trusted employees nearly twice as productive as distrusted ones. If your calendar fixes keep failing, the real constraint may be trust, not time.
Thursday, October 08, 2026
Most sales conversations present cheapest to most expensive. New research found flipping that order lifted revenue by 10.8 percent, with no price changes at all. Here is how to use it.
Thursday, October 08, 2026
Most SME marketing budgets are weighted toward customers who already buy. The research says that is the smaller lever. Here is where brand growth actually comes from, and how to redirect your spend toward it.
Thursday, October 08, 2026
Most SME strategy problems are not thinking problems, they are seeing problems. Here is the one-page model that catches the two mistakes that quietly kill most growing businesses before they show up in the bank account.
Wednesday, October 07, 2026
Four pillars, one real constraint and a 90-day plan. Here is how the Simple-Growth System works, plus a 45-minute test you can run this week.
Wednesday, October 07, 2026
When you are surrounded by your industry, it is hard to see the wood for the trees. Here is why an outside perspective finds growth moves insiders miss, and how US owners can use it.
Wednesday, October 07, 2026
Small businesses grow at half the rate of big ones, and it is not about budget. Techaisle's 2026 global survey reveals why depth of relationships beats contact count, and how to build your own Dream 10 this week.
Wednesday, October 07, 2026
Rising revenue feels like proof the business is winning. If your margin is quietly shrinking at the same time, you are growing broke. Here is the three-line check that catches it.
Wednesday, October 07, 2026
January feels like the obvious month to commit to a coach. It is actually the worst one. Here is why the owners who get the most out of coaching start in November instead.
Wednesday, October 07, 2026
Wrong hires are now costing Australian SMEs an estimated 7.3 billion dollars a year. The mistake almost never happens in the interview room. Here is where it actually happens.