Harvey Goldstein a no-nonsense CPA and author of several books and software programs, including UpYourCashFlow stopped by the Duct Tape Marketing podcast to spread his small business cash flow gospel.

UpYourCashFlow really isn’t financial software in the strict sense, it takes your real data and tells you where you are headed and where the cash crunches are coming from. As Harvey says, most CPAs are great at telling you where you’ve been, it’s a bit more helpful to know where you are going.

Too many small businesses go belly up when they get into cash flow issues. It’s funny, but I’ve worked with companies that struggle with this concept when they grow too fast – so, it’s not just an issue of getting more sales.

Harvey also takes some shots at his own industry with this very counterintuitive free book – Don’t Bust the Budget, Toss It! – go get your copy – he’s right in line with how I feel about marketing budgets. I get the same question almost every time I speak – “How much should I budget for marketing?” My answer is always the same – as much as you need and as little as you must to meet your goals. Budgeting is guess work and it’s always wrong so why cause all the grief to begin with. Pay attention, measure and adjust based on a marketing strategy.