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The Small Business School Podcast

Ready to leave the small business struggle behind? The “School for Small Business” podcast supports small business owners in scaling a business that is profitable, purposeful, and doesn’t leave you burnt out. No matter whether you run your business online or you own a brick-and-mortar, you can expect our world class experts to support you with mindset, tactics, and everything in between so you can have the business you dreamed of. Based on our lived experience, we know that small business CAN be easy and we are here to show you how.The “School for Small Business” is hosted by Staci Millard, a CPA by trade with over 15 years of experience seeing the behind the scenes of thousands of small businesses. After growing and selling her first 7 figure business, Staci has been on the ground running - mentoring small businesses and working to increase success rates. Staci strongly believes you don’t need to have gone to business school to be successful so you can expect nothing but simple, impactful advice. Tune in each Tuesday for a new 30 minute or less episode of nothing but valuable advice to help you grow your small business. We are so excited for you to be on this journey with us!

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The Small Business School Podcast

Real Talk for Product-Based Business Owners

April 23, 2025 • Staci Millard • Episode 294

0:00 | 17:20

Hey Small Business School listeners! If you’ve ever thought, “Why is this product-based business so dang hard?” — this one’s for you. I’ve been getting messages asking if I have advice for makers, resellers, and product-based entrepreneurs, and the answer is yes, absolutely. In this solo episode, I’m sharing what I’ve learned from running both service and product-based businesses — including where people get tripped up and how to build a business that’s actually sustainable (and profitable!).

Key topics covered:

The three big levers in every business: overhead, cost of sales, and revenue — and how to manage them wisely
Why cash flow is tricky in product-based businesses (and how it differs from service-based models)
The power of visibility — and how marketing really is the name of the game
How to think about inventory and pricing if you’re a maker vs. a reseller
The long game of getting your investment back — and why presales and small-batch testing are your best friends

Running a product-based business isn’t for the faint of heart, but with the right strategy and clarity around your value, you can find your lane. Let’s get into it.

Mentioned in this episode: If you are running a business in Canada and you need help with all the things accounting related, but more importantly understanding the numbers I invite you to check out https://thriveaccounting.co/

Staci's Links:
Instagram. Website.