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PROFIT IS NOT A 4-LETTER WORD!
Somewhere along the way, profit became a bad word.
But if your small business isn't profitable, it's not sustainable.
SALES ≠ PROFIT
Becoming profitable is one of the hardest obstacles you'll face as a small business owner, and if you've been in business for more than a minute, you know that.
You're here because something's not adding up.
You're business looks great.
Sales are coming in.
But there never seems to be any money left.
YOU'RE BUSY BUT BROKE!
Every small town small business has a sales lever. Pull it, and sales come out. You keep hoping the three mores will finally line up and pay out.
More customers.
More marketing.
More hours.
But more will never fix a profit problem.
More is the trap, not the cure.
PROFIT IS NOT A 4-LETTER WORD!
Somewhere along the way, profit became a bad word.
But if your small business isn't profitable, it's not sustainable.
SALES ≠ PROFIT
Becoming profitable is one of the hardest obstacles you'll face as a small business owner, and if you've been in business for more than a minute, you know that.
You're here because something's not adding up.
You're business looks great.
Sales are coming in.
But there never seems to be any money left.
YOU'RE BUSY BUT BROKE!
Every small town small business has a sales lever. Pull it, and sales come out. You keep hoping the three mores will finally line up and pay out.
More customers.
More marketing.
More hours.
But more will never fix a profit problem.
More is the trap, not the cure.
The path from
Busy but Broke to
Profitable on Purpose
happens in five stages.
This is where probably are.
You know something's off but you can't quite put your finger on it.
Busy every day, and somehow still broke.
This is where you start, and we have two free resources for you to use.
Here you take the first honest look at your business.
What came in. What went out. What was left.
By the end of See It, the picture isn't complete yet, but you're no longer just relying on a sales report and bank balance, wondering why things aren't working.
And it doesn't matter if your books are up-to-date,
out-of-date, or non-existent.
We use bank and credit card statements to find everything.
Now you dig deeper.
Getting your books in order and learning to read them. This is the shift from business owner to businessperson.
For the first time, you will see the whole story your numbers are telling, not just the snapshot.
Whether your bookkeeping is current or you just have a shoebox of receipts, the move is the same.
Start.
Don't panic! You don't need to be a numbers person to do this.
This is where the magic happens.
Now that you have clear numbers and know how to read them, you can turn what you find into action.
You will find money hiding in what you spend, what you charge, and how the work gets done.
You replace guessing and chaos with better decisions, clear routines, and structure that supports profit.
This is when your business stops running you, and you finally start running your business.
You finally stop reacting and start running your business on purpose.
Costs under control. Prices built on facts. Less chaos.
Same business. Same town.
Making decisions that intentionally support profit instead of hoping for it.
Putting the final pieces in place for profit to happen on purpose.
You're probably here. You know something's off but you can't quite put your finger on it. Busy every day, and somehow still broke.
This is where you start, and we have two free resources for you to use.
Here you take the first honest look at your business. What came in. What went out. What was left. By the end of See It, the picture isn't complete yet, but you're no longer just relying on a sales report and bank balance, wondering why things aren't working.
And it doesn't matter if your books are up-to-date, out-of-date, or non-existent. We use bank and credit card statements to find everything.
Now you dig deeper. Getting your books in order and learning to read them. This is the shift from business owner to businessperson. For the first time, you will see the whole story your numbers are telling, not just the snapshot.
Whether your bookkeeping is current or you just have a shoebox of receipts, the move is the same. Start.
Don't panic! You don't need to be a numbers person to do this.
This is where the magic happens. Now that you have clear numbers and know how to read them, you can turn what you find into action.
You will find money hiding in what you spend, what you charge, and how the work gets done. You replace guessing and chaos with better decisions, clear routines, and structure that supports profit.
This is when your business stops running you, and you finally start running your business.
You finally stop reacting and start running your business on purpose. Costs under control. Prices built on facts. Less chaos. Same business. Same town.
Making decisions that intentionally support profit instead of hoping for it. Putting the final pieces in place for profit to happen on purpose.
START HERE: BUSY BUT BROKE
You’re working hard.
Sales are coming in.
But somehow, there’s never enough money left.
Before you chase more customers,
spend more money on marketing,
or work even more hours, start here.
This book will help you see why more is not the answer, and help
you understand what's getting in the way of being profitable on purpose.
Download the FREE PDF now.
START HERE: BUSY BUT BROKE
You’re working hard.
Sales are coming in.
But somehow,
there’s never enough money left.
Before you chase more customers,
spend more money on marketing,
or work even more hours, start here.
This book will help you see why more is not the answer, and help
you understand what's getting in the way of being profitable on purpose.
WANT A SECOND SET OF EYES?
You don’t have to figure this out alone.
Book a FREE Profit Check-In and we’ll take a look at what’s happening in your business.
We’ll help you figure out whether you have a sales problem or a profit problem, and what to do next.
We have free and paid resources to help you through all four doing stages of The Profit Path. From taking your first clear look at the numbers to confidently understanding the financial side.
Your next step depends on what we find and how much support you want to have.
No pressure. Just a conversation.
WANT A SECOND SET OF EYES?
You don’t have to figure this out alone.
Book a FREE Profit Check-In and we’ll take a look at what’s happening in your business.
We’ll help you figure out whether you have a sales problem or a profit problem, and what to do next.
We have free and paid resources to help you through the first three stages of The Profit Path.
From taking your first clear look at the numbers to confidently understanding the financial side.
Your next step depends on what we find and how much support you want to have.
No pressure. Just a conversation.
LAURA
Hi! I’m Laura Ellen, the Unsexy ProfitMaker and founder of Small Town Small Business Owners.
I didn’t come here from a corner office.
I spent ten years in the construction industry before a chronic illness made the typical
nine-to-five impossible. I didn’t get to keep the life I’d planned, so I set out to build a better
one. One that worked around my health, my family, and my life.
Profitable on Purpose started with my own company, out of necessity.
In 2016, I started travelling to small towns teaching business profitability
workshops. Everywhere I went, I met the same kind of business owners: talented,
hardworking, booked solid, and quietly broke, with no idea what was happening to all the
money.
They didn’t need more customers. Inaccurate pricing, runaway costs, and everyday chaos
were erasing the profit before it ever got to them.
So, I helped small town small business owners trade guessing and chaos for facts and
structure. Nothing sexy or exciting, but we built businesses that were more profitable, more
fun, and far less exhausting to run.
In addition to my own programs, I co-wrote the Build a Better Business Program with
Community Futures Manitoba. I’m an award-winning financial planner. I’ve spent more than
thirty years working in and around small businesses and have over twenty-five years of
accounting experience. The thing I’m best at, though, is sitting across the table from
someone who is overwhelmed, busy, and broke, making the complicated stuff easy to
understand, and helping them figure out what to do next.
Profitable businesses do more than improve a bank account. They give families room to breathe. They make supper feel like supper again. And they each do their part to keep small towns alive.
When I'm not working, I’m hanging out with my four kids and four dogs. Our house is always loud and never clean, but it’s great.
I built a better life on purpose. I'd love to help you do that, too!
MEET WILF & LAURA
The Father-Daughter team behind
Small Town Small Business Owners.
We help small business owners understand why they're busy but broke and help them become profitable on purpose without making it harder than it needs to be.
Between us, we bring decades of real-world small business experience.
No complicated jargon. No judgement.
Just a shared belief that profit should be something you plan for, not something you hope is left over.
MEET WILF & LAURA
The Father-Daughter team behind
Small Town Small Business Owners.
We help small business owners understand why they're busy but broke and help them become profitable on purpose without making it harder than it needs to be.
Between the two of us, we bring decades of real-world small business experience. No complicated jargon. No judgement.
Just a shared belief that profit should be something you plan for,
not something you hope is left over.
WANT A SECOND SET OF EYES ON YOUR BUSINESS?
Helping small town small business owners go from busy but broke to profitable on purpose.
© 2026 ProfitAbility Studio Ltd. All rights reserved.
WANT A SECOND SET OF EYES ON YOUR BUSINESS?
EXPLORE
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The Profit Path
Manifesto
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LEGAL
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Helping small town small business owners go
from busy but broke to profitable on purpose.
© 2026 ProfitAbility Studio Ltd.
All rights reserved.
WANT A SECOND SET OF EYES ON YOUR BUSINESS?
EXPLORE
Home
The Profit Path
Manifesto
Meet Us
LEGAL
Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
Unsubscribe
Helping small town small business owners go from busy but broke
to profitable on purpose.
© 2026 ProfitAbility Studio Ltd.
All rights reserved.