When the Math Doesn't Work: Why You Shouldn't Carry It Alone

The entrepreneurs who grow aren't the ones who do everything — they're the ones who know what to hand off.

When the numbers stop making sense

During a call with a long-time business owner — someone who's great at what they do, respected in their industry, and known for quality work — a simple question revealed a deeper struggle.

When asked how business was going, there was a pause.

"Honestly? I don't know how to tell my lead foreman I can't give him a raise this year. He deserves it. His family needs it. But costs have gone up so much, and I'm barely keeping my head above water."

His voice didn't crack, but the weight was evident — the burden of decisions that affect people's lives, not just profit margins.

When you're carrying too much alone

He'd been doing what most business owners do when they're stuck.

Trying to figure it out alone.

Running numbers late at night. Building spreadsheets. Second-guessing every quote. Wondering if something obvious was being missed.

Expenses up. Margins down. The math didn't work, no matter how many times it was calculated.

So instead of starting with the P&L, a different question was posed:

"If you were advising another business owner in your exact situation, what would you tell them to look at first?"

He thought for a moment, then said, "I'd tell them to figure out which projects are actually making money. Because if you're bleeding on half your work, you can't see it in the overall numbers."

Exactly.

Seeing what's really happening in your numbers

The conversation shifted to digging into profitability — not just total revenue or gross margin, but the real cost of each type of work once materials, labor, overhead, and hidden time drains were factored in.

What emerged changed everything.

Some projects were barely breaking even. Certain client types were consistently unprofitable. And overhead was being spread unevenly, hiding where the business was actually making money.

Once the real picture became visible, decisions became clear.

Pricing could be adjusted. Bids could be more selective. Time could be structured differently.

And there could finally be a clear, honest conversation about compensation — backed by real numbers.

A few weeks later, the owner shared something powerful:

"I didn't realize how much I was carrying alone until someone was carrying it with me."

The real strength of a business owner

After decades of working with businesses, one truth stands out:

The entrepreneurs who grow aren't the ones who can do everything. They're the ones who know what to hold — and what to hand off.

Being great at your craft doesn't mean you have to be your own financial strategist. Sometimes, what's needed most is a fresh perspective — someone who can see what you can't, ask the questions you don't know to ask, and reconnect the financial data to the real story of your business.

That's not weakness. That's wisdom.

The new reality of running a business

2025 has been a challenging year for many industries.

Costs are unpredictable. Labor is tight. Clients are cautious. Margins are thin.

The old playbook of "just work harder and figure it out" doesn't work when the math itself has changed.

What works now is building the right team — people who see what you can't see, know what you don't know, and care about your success as much as you do.

Because running a business is hard enough. You don't have to carry the weight alone.

Keep reading: finding clarity in uncertain finances

If this story resonates — if you've been sitting in the in-between, trying to make sense of your numbers and feeling like something's missing — there's more waiting for you.

Read our next piece, "Sitting in the Messy Middle: Finding Clarity in Uncertain Business Finances," for practical ways to navigate uncertainty and make confident financial decisions even when things feel unclear.

👉 Read "Sitting in the Messy Middle"