So you're a small business owner, and you’re at a common crossroads: do you jump into a free finance coaching program you found online (like the Impact Lab), or do you pull out your wallet and invest in a paid financial coach? In this article, we're going to break it down for you. We'll look at the cool stuff free programs may offer, and what you’d likely get when you pay for a coach.

Every year, our team here at Mission Edge works to spread the word about our Impact Lab cohorts: completely free finance support for small business owners who qualify. Our team of finance coaches is dedicated to helping you achieve your business and financial goals. When you join a cohort, you're not just learning new things about owning a business; you're transforming the way you do business.

Impact Lab graduate Abby Brown is the driving force behind H2OM, a sustainable apparel brand that’s making waves in the fashion industry with its eco-friendly activewear. Our team provided guidance on efficient inventory management, strategic fundraising, and navigating the complexities of fashion retail, all while keeping Abby's commitment to the environment at the forefront.

Learn why working with a finance coach can transform your small business and see the success stories from our recent Impact Lab participants! From creating a clear business plan to getting you on track to pay yourself a living wage, our team can give you the financial clarity you need to reach sustainable profitability.

Elliss joined our Impact Lab program to transform her clothing rental business into a full-time endeavor. Her journey with Mission Edge is a testament to the importance of targeted inventory management, financial planning, and marketing interventions that can lead to substantial improvements in business performance and sustainability.

Sometimes, all it takes is fresh eyes and a new perspective. That's precisely what our finance experts did to help Gwen get her marketing business on a path toward profitability and scalable growth. Gwen's journey with the Impact Lab demonstrates the importance of strategic financial analysis, tracking expenses, niche targeting, and specific pricing strategies that can lead to profitability.

A veteran, death doula, and educator, Dr. Qwynn Salazar is on a mission to ignite change in how we provide end-of-life care for those who served in the military. That’s why she started her organization, In Their Honor (ITH), in 2021 — to raise awareness and address veterans’ challenges as they approach the end of their lives.

Founder Thulani Ngazimbi comes from a diverse background in product development and sales. Currently based in Portugal, Thulani wanted to expand his business in both the US and European markets, but the currency exchange was causing him to run into some issues.

We paired Vanessa with a financial expert and the comprehensive support she needed to address her challenges running her bakery. Together, they completed a revenue forecast for her business and worked on strategies for capacity management, compensation, and supplier-related issues.

At the time Andrea joined Mission Edge, her primary challenge was profitability. Despite the fact that they’d been able to generate significant revenue, the company was still incurring losses. Andrea knew she needed help identifying areas to cut costs and improve margins, as well as advice on how to allocate an employee retention tax credit payment she received as she was going through our program.

Sometimes you just need a perspective check before you move forward. After working with us, Angela had better insight into her financial situation and was able to develop a clear plan for how much income she’d need to keep pursuing her DJ career while simultaneously preparing for parenting full-time.

Daniel “DJ Danny” Torres is a SoCal-based professional wedding and corporate event DJ. With the ultimate goal of opening his own venue space, Danny needed some assistance setting up for long-term success. He started working with Mission Edge seeking help to set revenue goals and optimize his pricing strategy.

Here at Mission Edge, we’ve seen countless small to medium sized business owners like you go from overwhelmed and anxious about their finances to in-control and knowledgeable. We believe that working with an experienced, unbiased professional is the best way to get unstuck from whatever is holding you back and finally work toward unlocking your business’s full potential.

Through our fiscal sponsorship program, we provided the Bro-Am with full-service accounting and human resources services, as well as a proven nonprofit structure to operate within. The partnership allowed the band to focus on focus on planning their art, community impact, signature events and fundraising, leaving nonprofit management and logistics to the experts (us).

Alicia Fox is passionate about helping her clients achieve a healthy lifestyle. While growth is a good thing, Alicia and her two employees were feeling overwhelmed by the size of their new business, and the growing to-do list that went along with it.

If the words “finance coach” put a bad taste in your mouth, you’re not alone. A small-business financial coach will help you create a plan that covers everything from basic business concepts to managing your cash flow. Rather than a one-size-fits-all plan, you’ll get advice and insight tailored to where you currently are as a business and where you want to go.

A finance coach is an experienced financial professional who partners with small businesses to provide strategic financial guidance, expertise, and support. (Around here, we like to call them CFOs or “finance experts.”) They work closely with business owners and leadership teams to understand the company's goals, financial challenges, and growth strategies.

In December of 2020, Irani started Rombomb Burger, a San Diego catering business he hoped to expand into a thriving mobile burger joint. But trying to provide for his family with a patty-flipping, burger-slinging business during a pandemic proved tricky at best. Here’s how our finance experts helped Romin add a little meat to his budding burger business.

When you start out in a small business, you don’t always have the luxury of perspective, or the resources to know what to avoid before it’s “too late.” We created the Impact Lab as a free program to help small business owners like you figure out what’s holding them back, and help them work toward their goals with solid, data-driven planning and personalized, community-based support.

Due to their expertise in Brazilian cuisine, Jane and Eduardo had no problem coming up with a large variety of products to offer their customers. But over time, they began to have difficulties keeping up with inventory management and allocating time. Mission Edge helped them to have a more accurate perception of their business costs and future growth opportunities.