You can only fix what you can see—and most business owners are too deep in the weeds to notice what’s actually broken. Sales might look strong, the team’s working hard, and yet cash still feels tight. The problem isn’t always effort; it’s visibility.
Every business, no matter how passionate its founder, eventually hits this wall. Something stops working the way it used to. Growth slows, profits dip, and frustration sets in. Instead of guessing, you can approach your business like a machine—one designed to produce a result. When it’s not producing, the goal isn’t to push harder; it’s to diagnose what’s off.
This post draws on insights shared by Rocky Lalvani, Certified Profit First Professional and founder of Profit Comes First, in a webinar with Relay. Quotes have been lightly edited for clarity.
Relay is a financial technology company and is not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services are provided by Thread Bank, Member FDIC. FDIC deposit insurance covers the failure of an insured bank. Certain conditions must be satisfied for pass-through deposit insurance coverage to apply.
Your Business Is a Machine—Treat It Like One
“When you’ve got a machine, it’s supposed to do what it’s supposed to do,” said Rocky Lalvani, Certified Profit First Professional and founder of Profit Comes First. “And if you’ve got a business, it’s a machine—and that machine is supposed to make money.”
Machines are predictable. When one breaks, you don’t panic—you look for what failed: a jammed gear, a clogged filter, a missing bolt. “If it’s not making money, we have to figure out why it’s not making money,” Rocky explained. “And then we fix it. And then we get the machine to run at peak performance.”
That process—observe, diagnose, repair—is the foundation of a stable business. Profit isn’t luck; it’s the result of a system that works the way it should.
Why Most Owners Can’t See What’s Broken
Rocky’s seen it across industries: business owners are often too close to their work to notice what’s wrong. “When you’re in the weeds of your business, you can’t always see what’s broken,” he said. “You might be great at your craft—but not know how to repair a business.”
That’s why some problems linger for months. The owner keeps selling harder or hiring more help, assuming growth will fix everything. More fuel doesn’t help, however, if the engine is misfiring.
Sometimes the fix is as simple as stepping back—or bringing in a fresh pair of eyes. “If you can’t diagnose it yourself, call a ‘business repair person’—someone who knows how to help you fix it,” Rocky suggested. A mentor, accountant, or Profit First Professional can spot patterns you might overlook.
A banking platform like Relay can also help you see where things are misaligned. By giving you real-time visibility across all your business accounts, Relay acts like a diagnostic dashboard—showing where cash is flowing, piling up, or disappearing.
Relay is a financial technology company and is not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services are provided by Thread Bank, Member FDIC. FDIC deposit insurance covers the failure of an insured bank. Certain conditions must be satisfied for pass-through deposit insurance coverage to apply.
How Do You Diagnose a Business Problem Before It Gets Expensive?
Before you pour more energy into growth, test the fundamentals. Does every part of the business do its job? Are sales healthy, but collections slow? Are margins shrinking even as revenue climbs?
“Every business has multiple parts,” Rocky explained. “If one breaks, the system stops working. The key is to find what’s off—and fix it.”
That mindset shifts you from firefighting to engineering. You stop reacting to symptoms and start solving causes. Profit First helps reveal those stress points early by forcing you to confront where the money’s actually going, while tools like Relay reinforce that structure by automating how money moves through your business.
When you fix the system first, growth becomes sustainable, and every dollar of new revenue hits stronger.
Relay is a financial technology company and is not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services are provided by Thread Bank, Member FDIC. FDIC deposit insurance covers the failure of an insured bank. Certain conditions must be satisfied for pass-through deposit insurance coverage to apply.
The Takeaway
Your business is supposed to make money. If it isn’t, there’s always a reason—and it’s not because you’re not trying hard enough. Step back. Look under the hood. Find the weak link and repair it before you add more weight to the system.
In Rocky’s words: “Your business is no different. It has a purpose. It is to make money.”
Once you’ve found what’s broken, it’s time to fine-tune the system. In the next post of this series, Rocky breaks down the key levers every owner can pull to increase profit and stability.
Next in the Money-Making Machine Series
👉 The Simple Levers That Make Any Business More Profitable — Once you’ve diagnosed the system, here’s how to fine-tune it. In Part 3, Rocky explains the small adjustments that create big gains.
This post is part of our three-part series exploring how to turn your business into a system that creates consistent profit, not stress.
Relay is a financial technology company and is not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services are provided by Thread Bank, Member FDIC. FDIC deposit insurance covers the failure of an insured bank. Certain conditions must be satisfied for pass-through deposit insurance coverage to apply.
FAQ
Q: How can I tell what’s broken in my business?
A: Look for cash-flow bottlenecks, missed invoices, or thin margins—Relay’s real-time visibility helps spot them early.
Q: When should I get outside help to fix my business systems?
A: When you’ve addressed surface-level issues, but profits haven’t improved, an advisor or Profit First Professional can help diagnose deeper problems.
Q: What is the first step in diagnosing cash-flow issues?
A: Separate your money into dedicated accounts for profit, tax, and operating expenses. It instantly shows what’s safe to spend and what’s missing.
Relay is a financial technology company and is not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services are provided by Thread Bank, Member FDIC. FDIC deposit insurance covers the failure of an insured bank. Certain conditions must be satisfied for pass-through deposit insurance coverage to apply.
