Are you getting fire hosed when it comes to information?
Allan Ferguson
Omega Services
Australia
"I must say I enjoy your Step by Step material, as a member of an International Trade Group, I value this type of training material.
Most contractors (me included) are bombarded with an overload of material, like taking a drink of water with a fire hose. I would join you live for your Step by Step Success Teleseminars, except the time difference in Sydney is a killer... so I listen to the recordings and use the simple forms and templates just like you instruct me to do!"
"Ellen totally gets what it is like to run a small
business and the challenges that are involved."
"Ellen has a laser-like focus and draws a bead on exactly what you need to accomplish and then helps to create a plan to get it done.
Ellen helped us make certain that our books were scrubbed -- neat and tidy -- and that all numbers tied together correctly. She assisted in our migration from Quicken to Quick Books and helped to resolve each challenge that surfaced during the process."
Is joining Step by Step really worth it?
"YEEEEEEEES!!!"...But, don’t take our word for it
"Since signing up for the program I have found the answer simply to be YEEEEEEEES!! I am loving it and getting so much out of it. I think you tailored the last step on Getting Organized just for me!! I have been the classic case of always looking for things, knowing I put them somewhere, and wasting a lot of valuable time trying to find them. It’s almost as if I can breathe better knowing there is a solution and it’s so easy to implement. I am pleased to say I have been taking some steps in the right direction to organize files into folders on my computer, but really love your system for naming files – so simple yet so effective. I love your enthusiasm – it’s contagious!!"
"The biggest impact in working with Ellen? Operating from a KFP (Known Financial Position) and knowing the score. Ellen walked us through getting our financials current and accurate. This allows me to create a winning selling price and I am confident charging it. If you don’t know the numbers, then you just don’t know what’s working and what’s not - in marketing, sales and operations. When you know your numbers, the pieces can fall into place and you are able to move your company to the next level. If you own a business, The Financial Blast it will pay for itself."
"We are getting our first of what I hope to
be many bonuses!"
Leah Dossey,
Blue Leaf Creative
"After attending your price setting webinar, [I am] finding the holes in our profitability and setting SALES GOALS (I actually have them printed out and up on the wall!) for the month of October and the rest of Q4 - I'm glad to say that not only are we fixing the "leak" but we hit our sales goal for the month (and we did it in 2 weeks - not 4!)
"If it wasn't for the great webinar you and Libby did I would have never realized where our leak was. You also helped me realize what a GOOD idea it is to have an "open books" policy. I have shared our books with my employee and that combined with setting a sales goal has led us to success! I'm proud to say that she and I are getting our first of what I hope to be many bonuses!"
"I could not have done it without Ellen (and who would want to?!?)"
Teri Black-Brann
"I have worked with numerous consultants throughout my career, but never with one who provided so much “value added”…Ellen is undoubtedly THE BEST. I was successful but floundering with my financials before Ellen. Not only did she help get my financial situation in order, she also helped me set a foundation for my business and get in a position for phenomenal success. Ellen is a source of extraordinary enthusiasm - you can’t help but get excited about your numbers. I could not have done it without her (and who would want to?!?). She’s a true partner committed to your success."
"First I wanted to give you a great big THANK YOU !!! for what you do . I think what you do with BBB is priceless and I am grateful to be a part of it. I’ve read your BNP articles off and on for about 8 years now and your teachings have been one of the biggest sources of my knowledge and inspiration to do what I do since the first PM I ever read. No exaggeration."
"Helped me focus on one part of my
business at a time."
Greg Leslie
The Clean Company
"Owning your own business is definitely a Challenge, but with Ellen by your side, she makes it so much easier. I feel like my company has made so much progress in building my business plan, since I have signed up for The Challenge. The Challenge helped me focus on creating one part at a time and going through each section and really understanding the purpose of why I need all these pieces to build a solid business plan."
Call Greg Leslie at (208) 887-3434 to ask him about his experience with The Challenge.
"Very helpful in getting my business where it
needs to be—PROFITABLE!!!."
Kathy Gavin
Ammara Medicine Wellness Spa
"Ellen helped me get much clearer on my goals and the month end reports are reflecting that!!! I will be joining you on the next challenge to finish up. It was a great experience and very helpful in getting my business where it needs to be---PROFITABLE!!!"
"With El and Al's 3 marketing drivers, we went
from two a month to two a week."
Husband/Wife team build business
without killing each other!
April Buchschacher,
Watermark Plumbing
“The Challenge gave us the courage and the tools to take our business to the next level. It was a powerful moment when we realized that we could combine our personal values with our business goals to create a mission statement that is so much bigger and more important than just making money. We are excited to
represent our company with the confidence of knowing who we are and why we do what we do. Thank you Ellen.”
"Ellen’s course paid for itself many
times over!"
Joe and Vicky Brennan,
Service Plus
"Ellen’s Financial Blast opened our eyes in understanding our monthly overhead, thus resulting in adjusting our carpet cleaning and janitorial rates accordingly. We are now at a KFP (Known Financial Position) and we are excited about our future growth. We feel the cost of Ellen’s course has paid for itself many times over! It now feels wonderful to be in complete control over our business finances."
"Ellen’s a cheerleader, financial consultant, relationship counselor and lion-tamer rolled into one."
Ron Culver,
Culver Architects, Inc.
"We have hired Ellen twice over the past year and a half to jump-start our business and straighten out the kinks we put into it over the years. Since following her amazing guidance, we have increased our sales by (gasp!) over 120% this year so far. She has helped us put systems in place to keep us accountable and on-track for success, and help keep the chaos at bay in our business and lives.
She is absolutely masterful at handling people and helping them to focus on what is important so they can do more of what they enjoy. She is a cheerleader, financial consultant, relationship counselor and lion-tamer all rolled into one package!
Kudos to Ellen!"
Call Ron Culver at (310) 593-4563 to ask him about the positive impact of Ellen’s Financial Intensive program.
"My ‘aha’ moment…let’s make money,
not just have a 'job.'"
Cathy Smithmyer
"The most memorable part of the Challenge was the “aha” moment when Bill & I realized that if we want to make money with this business, instead of just having a job, we would have to redesign our business to reflect our goals. The Bare Bones Biz program give more information away and offer more support than any other program or training I have had."
“The Bare Bones Biz Plan was an easy, communicative tool, that spoke to not only me, but my staff as as well, (who do not have as much experience). Having a written dialogue that speaks to you makes this program user friendly. This seems like a program that is designed for everyday people. I enjoyed Ellen’s delivery and program and the regular e-mail communication.”
Click below to hear what Mary says about The Challenge:
"I can list many reason for taking the Challenge, but if I were to pick one…"
Bo DeAngelo,
Automatic Solar
"As the owner of a growing renewable energy company, I can list many reasons for taking the Challenge, but if I were only allowed one reason it would have to be Ellen's honest and real dedication to YOUR success. Ellen has created a safe, structured, and fun environment to shed your hamster wheel ways and lay the foundation and path to your business dreams."
"The Bare Bones Biz team is there to help you every step of the way, and the value that Ellen packs into her services cannot be matched. Many thanks to Ellen and the BBB team for all of your help along my path to success."
Call Bo DeAngelo at (303) 447-3723 to ask him about his experience with The Challenge.
“…easier to understand”
Michelle Blemel
"Ellen was so great, she really makes the process easier to understand. I
loved getting our procedures in Place."
“The best business course I’ve taken.”
Rhonda Anderson,
Southern Ohio Sanitation
"The best business course I’ve taken. So informative. Very personal. Simplified format that everyone can understand. There are various options offered to aid in your business…I’d recommend it to every business owner."
Gary Burnett,
Burnett Septic Services
“Even after 35 years in business, I still learned a lot. Interesting and fun, you learn even if you are not trying. Her examples hit home. She made you get involved. Her husband was a plumber. They worked for peanuts until they began doing the things she preaches. It’s made of lived experience. Highly recommended, I would do it again.”
Shirley Lidtke, C.I. Services, Inc.
"This has been an AMAZING experience. I’m so excited about our business and look forward to making lots of $$$ and having fun this year because I was part of this awesome process! Thank you so much!"
"As a sole proprietor, I was so overwhelmed deciding what 'hat' to where that I never had the time to build my business. I can relate when Ellen says 'get off the hamster wheel' because I was the hamster and have run many circles on the wheel. Creating a business plan always seemed to get pushed aside in order to handle the day to day, crisis and deadline driven projects.
"Once I heard about 'The Challenge' I committed to spending one hour a day, 5 days a week to complete my business plan. Today, I know why it is called 'The Challenge' because it is difficult to step back and take a look in the mirror when you aren’t where you want to be but Ellen holds you accountable for your actions, keeps you on track, and inspires you to think big!"
Bill Shank,
Spoerr Precast Concrete
"The most important part of business is to know if you are making money, or not. Ellen makes analyzing the numbers interesting, understandable…and fun! This course is good for people in service work – they need to understand all of their costs. I’d go again"
Hey…these two dispel the MYTH that teachers don’t make great money!
Trish Saccomano and Kathy Bringhurst,
KT Educational Enterprises
"Neither one of us really thought we would sell many books at this tiny little conference, but hundreds of books later! We are thrilled! We had a $12,000 Sales day! Thanks for all the inspiration, help, support, enthusiasm and genuine interest in our success."
Nice AHA Moment, Stacey!
Stacey Ridgeway,
Mason's Chimney Service
"I am enjoying being a part of The Challenge! Ellen has done a great job of keeping things moving and organized on the calls. I think it is a very effective format to use and limiting the number attending lets everyone feel invested in the project-not just an unknown listener. I love that we can send Ellen assignments for the week and have her comment on where we need to make improvements. I really needed the one on one call to get me going in the right direction on the budget-I think that was a very nice effort on Ellen's part to reach each one individually to help with specific areas giving us trouble. It's nice to have The Challenge site to log onto if you need to go back over what was said on a call from a previous week.
"The Challenge is a good tool to motivate you and get you moving solidly in the right direction. When it's done everyone will have a good foundation put together for their business and can continue to "tweak" it on their own. We had purchased the complete system and have listened to the DVD and read all the books-but having a person to be accountable to is the key to keep the ball rolling with such a big project. It is way too easy to cut corners or procrastinate (for me anyway) if I don't answer to anyone. By the end, things are well fleshed out and you're excited about it so you are more likely to finish the rest of your set up. If everyone has the same Ah Ha moment I did, you realize your binder is a "living" binder and will never actually be done!"
Decisive adjustments can save you from dangerous situations…
Scott Hale,
Scott R Hale Plumbing, Heating & AC
"After meeting with Ellen it became clear where we are making money based upon our ability to analyze our weekly quick check forms. She is teaching us to charge the correct price for staying in business and make a profit, and how to watch your expenses so decisive adjustments can be made quickly to correct a dangerous situation."
“I had been through Ellen’s classes before and got as much out of it as I did the first time, or more. Worth every penny. We applied what we learned to help purchase another company.”
"…the best think I could have done for my company…"
Mark Paup,
Golden Rule Plumbing, Heating and Cooling
"I believe the best thing I could have done for my company was to earn the right to become a Power Partner of El and Al and I believe it will be the best thing you’ll ever do if you earn the right to become a Power Partner."
"Everyone including myself has grown from the experience with Ellen Rohr and everyone at Bare Bones Biz. It was a great decision to have them in our company."
"Thanks for the great seminars at the National Chimney Sweep Guild Convention. I was wondering what it was that would make it worth going to a casino! I am the fellow with the beard that sat in the first row. I will repeat that yours is the first financial seminar, of many, that I have gone to where I have come out feeling better that when I went in. You are able to give hard advice about finance and do it from the heart. There is hope for me!"
"Ellen helped us turn around our accounting nightmare."
Sarah Casebier,
Radiant Plumbing Service
"Ellen Rohr is the reason that Radiant Plumbing is at a known financial position (KFP) today and what a difference it makes! We have operated in the dark for years and are now able to make sound decisions based on up to date, accurate information. Ellen helped us turn around our accounting nightmare and was very encouraging throughout the process."
Call Sarah Casebier at (512) 264-7275 and ask her about the positive impact of Ellen’s “Financial Blast” Program.
Ron Robinson,
Meadow Brook Excavating
"Ellen covers things that you need to pay attention to. I’ve been in business for myself for 25 plus years. Her program is very informative and well worth it. I wish my wife could have been there with me."
Mark Steiner, Steiner Talent/ Gig Salad
"Prior to creating our Biz Plan, my business partner and I had a sort of 'mishmash' approach to getting projects done. Thanks to The Bare Bones Biz Plan, we have a clearly defined organizational chart which outlines our responsibilities for each position. I discovered that I don’t need an MBA and I am smart enough to handle the financial aspects of our business. Once we finally got started on creating our Biz Plan it was EASY. It’s true what they say…you don’t need a well-defined plan if you have a small business. However, we don’t plan to remain small. We aspire to grow our business into an EMPIRE!”
"Where Did The Money Go?" should be required reading for anyone going into business for themselves! Ellen simplifies one of the most daunting tasks of small business...understanding financials! "Where Did The Money Go?" and it's companion book "How Much Should I Charge?" are must reads for small business owners. Without a clear understanding of YOUR cost of doing business, you'll never know how much to charge. This book will walk you step by step along the path towards really understanding the numbers. That path leads to what all businesses seek...being profitable!"
Paul Swan, Swan Plumbing & Heating
Bill Shank,
Spoerr Precast Concrete
"The most important part of business is to know if you are making money, or not. Ellen makes analyzing the numbers interesting, understandable…and fun! This course is good for people in service work – they need to understand all of their costs. I’d go again."
Plumbing & Mechanical magazine cover story February 2006
Dan Foley, Foley Mechanical, Inc.
"At the time I hired Ellen, my books were sufficient for my CPA for taxes but they did not allow me to make good managerial decisions. For example, my insurance, labor, gas, materials, etc. all have gone up dramatically. How can I quickly determine what I should charge and still maintain my desired 20% net profit? How should I control inventory and tools and how should I carry these items on my books? What is an accurate system of job-costing to see what type of work is making me money? Which technicians are bringing in profitable jobs? These are questions I had and together with Ellen, was able to set up systems and re-arrange my books and chart of accounts to solve these problems.
If you are thinking of hiring Ellen. Do it! It will be the best investment you could make in your company. Best of luck!"
"Wow !! Finally a helpful book. Being a potter and making each item by hand has always caused me to ask "How much should I charge?". After years of searching for help in this area I came across this wonderful book. Those with MBA's may not need this book, but those of us with BFA's, MFA"s and just plain creative talents will find this book very educational. Ellen's easy reading style and logical approach to pricing makes this book a "must have".
Many myths about pricing are pointed out, like charging what every one else does or what the market will bear. If I am to make a living creating handmade items it is important to identify my customer and realize I am not competing with mass produced products. Thank you, Ellen, for putting me on the road to profitability."
"Where Did the Money Go?" is a must read for anyone who runs a business. Ellen Rohr has debunked the myth that one has to have a degree in accounting to understand financial reporting. That is good news for many people! I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever been intimidated by the mysterious world of debits and credits."
Carol Frohlinger, Crossell Inc.
Andy Stack,
Andy Stack & Associates
"I'm 55 years old and I would like to retire in this lifetime! My four kids work in the business, and I am glad that they chose to work with me. However I realized I haven't fully prepared them to take the reins. And, as it stands now, there isn't enough fortune for all four next-generation families unless we grow this business. I knew I needed HELP"
Glenda Moore with daughter Toshia,
Integrity Plumbing, Inc.
"What I learned from Ellen? That just skimming the surface of the P&L and Balance Sheet is NOT good enough. You NEED to know what they mean, and how they interact with each other. What I didn't expect is that it would be so much fun. I use to hate accounting because it was so BORING. Now I look forward to digging in and finding out how much money we are making. I am happy with the results of my training with Ellen but I have to confess I will MISS my weekly phone time with her. She is a GREAT teacher and she knows just when to push or pull you!"
Carol Frank,
Tim Frank Septic Tank Cleaning
"I had been through Ellen’s classes before and got as much out of it as I did the first time, or more. Worth every penny. We applied what we learned to help purchase another company."
Wayne Beck, Aladdin Air Conditioning
"I'm proud of the success that we've achieved. I started the company five years ago and we’ve grown to 20 employees. We’ve got more Air Conditioning calls than we can handle and we’re developing a reputation for reliability and service. As we've grown, however, our financial reporting had just gotten more complicated. I was so busy focusing on growth that I hadn't paid enough attention to profitability. And, I had gotten used to 'fuzzy''
"The neat thing about this workshop was it addressed what every contractor has experienced when attending a workshop or a seminar. They typically went to a seminar and got a great idea only to wonder whatever happened to that great idea 6 months later. But, not this time! The whole workshop was built to get things changed!"
Al P. Levi,
Appleseed Business Inc.
"As a business owner of multiple companies, I knew I needed to understand the numbers. But, I have always struggled with the terms and just what the numbers really meant. This book helped me read the numbers and understand the terms in a way that allowed me to deal with the "real world" financial data."
Victoria Richardson, AccountAbility, LLC.
"How thrilled I am to have found you! Fortunately, I was ble to hear you give a presentation for Office Depot. How inspirational! My goal is to help business owners understand their financial statements, and I am always looking for a better way to communicate with my clients. As I have read countless books in quest of more knowledge, your books win the prize. You are able to break things down into easy to understand, and relevant terms. Anyone who owns a business could benefit from reading your books, thank you so much for writing them!"
Sharla Riead, Hathmore Technologies, LLC
"I can't believe it! I followed your advice and I doubled, actually TRIPLED, my sales for April!!! I attended your free teleseminar on April 20th in which you issued a challenge for us to follow your techniques to see if we could double our sales with only a few days left in the month and it worked! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!"
"If I only knew then...
This book makes basic accounting and reading financials so clear! If only my first year accounting class in college would've been this clear. I might have stuck with it! If you are scared of numbers and financial statements make your eyes glaze over - this is a must read. It will open a whole new world for you."
Marla Coffin
Michael Turi, MT Master Plumbing
"I learned how to get to KFP! I learned how to create a budget, create a realistic selling price so that I can start making money and making my dreams come true in this wonderful life that I am now experiencing. Ellen knows her stuff better than anybody - period. She will help you see the light and start making your goals a reality. Ellen, you are the nicest person. You rock! If you are ever in town, drop me a line and I will put the dogs on the grill and the drinks on the ice. Thanks, you're the best."
"WOW!! Accounting language that's not intimidating for the basic business owner!
This book spells out accounting basics in simple to read format. This book is a 'must have' for all small business owners. The terminology and format is designed to teach the basics, leaving you not intimidated to move on to the more finite accounting. The author utilizes enthusiastic analagies that keep you on the edge of your seat, and as a matter of fact, you can read this book in one setting. Plus, you will feel rewarded to gain so much incredible information that will turn your bottom line into a BIG reality!"
Lisa Carter, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing
"This book is USER FRIENDLY!
Ellen showed me how I could charge more for my services and justify the costs with a better product! Ellen's simple and sound advice is peppered with humor and words of encouragement."
Ross Rivera, freelance sports photographer
"This book is another gem from Ellen Rohr. Most small service businesses seem to screw up their pricing by letting competitors setting their prices, then they wonder why they aren't making money. Rohr takes you through the steps so that you price for profit. It can scare the bejeebers outta you to figure out what you should really charge. The only thing more frightening is continuing to operate in ignorance."
Matt Michel, Service Roundtable, Inc.
"I have purchased both of Ellen's books and have found them so useful. She certainly has a way with putting all of this in "laymen's terms" so to speak. I also talked personally to Ellen and she was just great and informative and she has such a vibrant personality. I have just downloaded the Bare Bones Fitness Plan and can't wait to dig into that. I am so glad to have found such a great source of info and encouragement as Ellen and Bare Bones Biz!"
Tim Flynn,
