How to Grow Your Business Without Relying on Banks: Smart Cash Flow Strategies

Does this sound like you? You’re running your business, reinvesting all your profits back into it, but when you need capital, you find yourself dependent on banks and credit companies. That’s why we made this blogpost. Today, we’re going to talk about how to run and grow your business while maintaining liquidity, because liquidity is key. Having access to your own capital means not being at the mercy of lenders when you need funding the most.

When it comes to owning and expanding your business, you always need money. It takes capital to keep things running, hire employees, purchase equipment, and seize new opportunities. The question is, how can you manage your cash flow in a way that ensures liquidity while reducing dependency on outside lenders? That’s exactly what we’re going to cover today—the case for liquidity in your business and how to position yourself for an advantage when it comes to accessing money when you need it most.

There is nothing more valuable to a business than having full liquidity, use, and control of money. However, most business owners are trained to operate in a way that doesn’t prioritize liquidity. Instead, the typical financial model involves bringing in profits, covering expenses, and then borrowing money when needed. As long as cash flow allows, businesses can take out loans, but that also means giving up more of their profits to debt payments. The problem is, relying on banks and credit institutions leaves you vulnerable. If the economy shifts, interest rates rise, or a recession hits, access to capital can suddenly disappear. Lenders can tighten credit lines or even cut off funding entirely. When that happens, business owners who depend on borrowed money may find themselves in a difficult financial situation.

During economic downturns, the first thing to go is access to money. Credit lines shrink, loan terms become stricter, and banks may no longer approve new financing. This can leave business owners scrambling to stay afloat. That’s why we developed a process to help business owners regain control of their money and ensure they always have access to capital when needed.

The key to financial security in business is keeping money in a place where you have full liquidity, use, and control. Instead of tying up every dollar in business operations and debt repayment, business owners should allocate a portion of their cash flow to build a liquid reserve. There’s an old saying: “When you have access to capital, opportunities will find you.” Unfortunately, many business owners reinvest every penny back into their business, leaving them with no financial flexibility. As debts are paid off, that money is gone—it’s not accessible for future use.

By making small tweaks to how you manage cash flow, you can build a reserve of liquid assets while still operating your business efficiently. It’s not about cutting expenses or increasing sales—it’s about using the same dollars more effectively. When you redirect a portion of your cash flow into a liquid account, you create a safety net that allows you to handle emergencies, seize investment opportunities, and maintain financial stability.

Many business owners believe the best way to gain financial security is to pay off debt as quickly as possible. But in reality, the fastest way to financial security is to build a pool of liquid cash that you control. Business owners lose sleep over financial stress, often worrying about debt. However, the goal shouldn’t be just to eliminate debt—it should be to create financial flexibility. When you prioritize liquidity, you give yourself options. You’re no longer dependent on banks, and you don’t have to panic when unexpected expenses arise.

One major issue business owners face is that most of their net worth is tied up in their business. In fact, 80% of small business owners have the majority of their wealth wrapped up in their business. But here’s the problem: when it’s time to sell, most business owners only realize about 25 cents on the dollar for their business equity. Think about it—you spend years growing your business, reinvesting profits, and building value. But when it’s time to exit, you might only get a fraction of what you expected. This is why proper financial planning is crucial. Without liquidity, a business owner’s only option for retirement may be selling their business.

Business Owner A has a business worth $1 million, but all of his net worth is tied up in that business. Business Owner B also has a business worth $1 million, but he has also built up $1 million in liquid assets. When it’s time to exit the business, Owner B has options. He can sell the business if he wants, but he doesn’t have to. His retirement income isn’t dependent on selling the business, and he has financial security. Owner A, on the other hand, must sell the business to survive because he has no other source of money.

The best part of this financial strategy is that it doesn’t require you to increase revenue or cut costs. It’s about redirecting the cash flow you already have to work in your favor. Instead of reinvesting every dollar into the business, allocating a portion to a liquid asset account ensures financial security. This approach allows you to grow and expand your business with financial confidence, maintain cash flow flexibility even during economic downturns, protect your business and personal financial future, and exit the business on your terms rather than out of necessity.

At Tier 1 Capital, our goal is to help business owners stay in control of their finances instead of having their finances control them. We don’t just focus on interest rates or rates of return—we focus on cash flow, liquidity, and access to money. If you’d like to learn more about how to apply these strategies to your business, visit our website at tier1capital.com to schedule a free strategy session today. Remember, It’s not how much money you make. It’s how much money you keep that really matters.

How to Protect Your Money from Inflation: Smart Financial Moves You Need to Know

With inflation at an all-time high, it’s harder than ever to make smart financial moves to secure your future. But that’s exactly what we’re going to discuss today—how to move yourself, your family, and your business forward despite rising prices.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, from 2020 through the end of 2023, inflation has risen by 21.4%. That means something that cost $100 in 2020 now costs $121.40. This is especially alarming because while prices are increasing, incomes aren’t rising at the same pace, and the cost of borrowing money is climbing even higher.

Today, we want to talk about smart financial moves you can make to counteract the effects of inflation. We’ve identified five key strategies that can help.

The first step to offsetting inflation is to perform a spending audit. This is easier said than done, and it’s important to clarify that the goal isn’t necessarily to cut spending but to understand exactly where your money is going. By identifying spending patterns, you might find ways to make the same purchases in a more cost-effective or inflation-friendly way.

What is measured can be managed. Imagine knowing exactly how much you spend on Amazon or streaming services each month. If you could cut those expenses by even 5%, 10%, or 15%, that savings could have a big impact over time. But if you don’t track your spending, you won’t know where you can make adjustments.

The second way to manage inflation is by opting for a longer mortgage term. When inflation rises, the cost of goods and services increases, which puts pressure on your cash flow. Extending your mortgage term lowers your monthly payments, freeing up money for other expenses.

Think about this: before 2021, interest rates were historically low. If you locked in a 30-year mortgage at that time, your monthly payment would be much lower compared to today’s higher interest rates. Not only that, but housing prices were lower then, meaning you would have also built more equity in your home.

Even now, locking in a lower monthly payment for a longer period can provide financial stability. Plus, if you need extra cash, tapping into home equity may be an option to help you manage rising costs.

Another way to improve cash flow during inflation is to contribute to your retirement plan only up to your employer’s match. This strategy allows you to maintain liquidity while still taking advantage of free money from your employer’s contribution.

While retirement savings are important, traditional accounts like 401(k)s and IRAs come with restrictions. You don’t have full control over when or how you can access your money without penalties. Instead of locking away excess funds, keeping cash accessible can provide financial flexibility when you need it most.

Many people assume that paying cash is the best financial decision, especially during times of inflation. The logic is that buying now avoids future price increases. However, there’s a downside: when you use all your cash for a purchase, you eliminate your liquidity.

If an emergency arises or a great financial opportunity comes along, you may have to borrow money at a higher interest rate to cover the expense. That puts additional strain on your cash flow.

Now, if you know you struggle with debt management, this strategy may not be for you. If you’ve had credit card debt in the past and are trying to avoid it, paying cash could be a responsible choice. However, if you have the financial discipline to manage cash flow wisely, it’s better to keep cash reserves and use leverage instead.

By maintaining control over your cash and financing major purchases strategically, you can keep your net worth intact while preserving liquidity. When you have cash on hand, you have greater financial agility and are in a stronger position to handle unexpected expenses or investment opportunities.

The final strategy to combat inflation is to ensure that you are always in control of your cash flow.

This ties directly into the previous point about maintaining liquidity. When you have access to cash, you are in a better position to make financial decisions on your terms. You can negotiate better deals, take advantage of investment opportunities, and avoid the pitfalls of high-interest debt.

At Tier 1 Capital, we emphasize financial control. When you view your finances through the lens of maintaining control, decision-making becomes much easier. Before making any financial move, ask yourself:

  • Will this put me in greater control of my money?
  • Will this allow me to be more financially agile?

If the answer is no, consider an alternative approach that keeps you in control.

A lot of financial success comes down to perspective. It’s not always about rigid financial rules—it’s also an art, depending on your personal situation and circumstances.

If you’d like to learn more about how to apply these strategies to your specific financial situation, visit our website at tier1capital.com and schedule a free strategy session today.

Remember, It’s not how much money you make. It’s how much money you keep that really matters.

Proven Strategies to Maximize Cash Value Growth in Your Whole Life Insurance Policy

When it comes to whole life insurance, most people know by now that there is a cash value associated with the policy—both guaranteed and non-guaranteed. However, what many don’t realize is that there are ways to accelerate the growth of that cash value, giving you more liquidity, use, and control of your money while you’re still alive. Not to mention, these strategies can also strengthen the death benefit when you pass.

We’ve identified four key strategies to supercharge the growth of your cash value in a whole life policy. Let’s dive in.

Opt for a Limited Pay Policy

Most whole life insurance policies are designed to be paid up at age 100 or even 121, meaning you have a long premium payment period. However, if you want to grow your cash value faster, you can compress that payment period so that you contribute premiums for a limited number of years.

By doing this, you force the cash value to accumulate in a shorter period, which accelerates its growth. The key here is that the insurance company still has to honor its promises:

They must pay out the death benefit.
The cash value must equal the death benefit at the policy’s maturity (age 100 or 121).

If you opt for a policy with a 10-, 15-, or 20-year payment period (or one that’s paid up at age 65), the insurance company calculates on a guaranteed basis how much growth needs to occur within the policy to meet the maturity requirement.

One key distinction here is that when the policy premiums stop, that doesn’t mean the policy has matured. If you have a 10-pay policy, for example, that just means you stop making payments after 10 years, but the death benefit and cash value will continue to grow until age 100 or 121.

Add a Paid-Up Additions (PUA) Rider

Another way to accelerate cash value growth is by adding a Paid-Up Additions (PUA) rider.

A PUA rider allows you to buy additional paid-up death benefit inside the original whole life policy. For example, if you put an extra $1,000 into the policy, that might buy $25,000 in paid-up death benefit. That means that $1,000 has to grow to $25,000 by the policy’s maturity date—offering significant guaranteed growth.

However, it’s important to structure this correctly so that you don’t lose the tax-free benefits of life insurance. You can’t put in an unlimited amount of PUAs because there are limits imposed by the modified endowment contract (MEC) rules. Properly structuring your policy allows you to maintain the tax advantages while maximizing your cash value accumulation.

Whole life policies naturally become more efficient over time, growing on a guaranteed basis. However, in the early years, they tend to have little to no cash value. By adding a PUA rider, you can build cash value much earlier, reducing the delay in accessing your money.

Use a Term Rider

Adding a term rider to your policy might sound counterintuitive, but it actually allows you to accelerate cash value growth even further.

Here’s how it works: a term rider increases your total death benefit, which, in turn, raises the ceiling on how much cash value you can accumulate. The amount of cash value you can build is based on your age and the death benefit amount. Since you can’t control your age, increasing the death benefit allows you to contribute more PUAs, boosting your cash value faster.

Think of it like this:

You start with a $100,000 term rider.
You begin contributing PUAs, which gradually replace the term insurance with paid-up life insurance.
Over time, the term insurance amount decreases, while the paid-up portion increases.
Eventually, you end up with $100,000 in fully paid-up life insurance and zero term insurance—resulting in significant cash value growth.

There are different ways to structure this. Some term riders come with built-in flexibility, allowing you to adjust your contributions over time. Others use a level term structure, where you have a fixed cost for the first 7–10 years, keeping costs low while still allowing for growth.

The key here is working with an experienced advisor who understands your specific needs. They can help you design a policy that aligns with your financial goals.

Execute a 1035 Tax-Free Exchange

A 1035 Exchange allows you to transfer money from one life insurance policy to another without triggering taxes.

This can be beneficial if you have an underfunded policy or a different type of insurance (such as universal life) that isn’t performing as expected. If an in-force ledger analysis shows that your current policy won’t last through maturity, you might want to salvage the cash value and transfer it into a properly structured whole life policy.

In this case, the existing cash value is moved into a single premium paid-up life insurance component within the new policy. This allows you to preserve the value of your old policy while benefiting from the guarantees and cash value accumulation of whole life insurance.

It’s important to understand the differences between universal life and whole life insurance before making this move. Universal life policies often become underfunded over time, meaning they may lapse unless you contribute additional premiums. Whole life, on the other hand, offers guaranteed cash value growth and a guaranteed death benefit.

To determine if a 1035 Exchange makes sense for you, request an in-force ledger statement from your insurer. This document projects how your policy will perform in the future and can help you decide whether it’s best to keep your current policy or make a switch.

Bonus Strategy: Combine All Four for Maximum Growth

If you really want to supercharge your whole life policy’s cash value growth, you can combine all four of these strategies:

Opt for a limited pay policy.
Add a Paid-Up Additions rider.
Use a term rider to expand your capacity for PUAs.
Consider a 1035 Exchange if you have an underperforming policy.

By leveraging these techniques together, you can significantly enhance the liquidity, use, and control of your money—while still enjoying the long-term benefits of whole life insurance.

If you’d like to learn more about how to apply these strategies to your specific situation, visit our website at tier1capital.com and book your free strategy session. Remember, It’s not how much money you make. It’s how much money you keep that really matters.

Key Employee Retention Secrets Every Business Owner Should Know!

When it comes to owning a business, there are many complexities that, quite frankly, aren’t talked about enough. One of the biggest challenges business owners face is key employee retention. Did you know that one out of every two employees is actively or passively looking for new opportunities? This is a huge deal because business owners rely heavily on key employees—their skill sets, experience, and institutional knowledge.

For small businesses, the impact is even greater. In many cases, key employees may be the only person in a geographic area who can perform certain duties, or they may be the glue holding the company together. Losing them could be devastating—both operationally and financially.

Key employees often have options. Their skills aren’t just valuable at their current company; they could be in demand at larger companies with better pay, more benefits, or remote work opportunities. As a key employee, someone might ask themselves, “My skills are worth X amount here, but I could earn twice as much elsewhere. What should I do?” or “Am I maximizing my value for myself and my family?”

From a business owner’s perspective, losing a key employee isn’t just about filling a vacant position. The cost of replacing a key employee is typically 200% of their salary. Replacing a key employee involves recruiting and hiring costs, training and onboarding, lost productivity, and lost revenue, especially if the departing employee was in sales. Retaining key employees isn’t just about company culture—it’s a smart financial decision.

One major challenge business owners face is how to incentivize key employees to stay without giving up equity in the company. For family-owned businesses, keeping ownership within the family is a top priority. But without the right incentives, key employees may start looking for opportunities elsewhere.

A specially designed whole life insurance policy with cash value accumulation is one of the most effective solutions. The business funds a whole life insurance policy that builds cash value. The business owns the policy, giving them control while providing an incentive for the employee. The cash value within the policy remains accessible, allowing the business owner to reinvest in operations. This creates a win-win scenario where the business retains key employees, and employees receive meaningful long-term benefits without requiring the owner to give away equity.

To see how this works in practice, let’s look at a real example. One key executive had young children and was worried about the cost of their education. His employer approached him and said, “If you stay with us for the next 10 years, we guarantee that we will provide $40,000 per year for four years for each of your two children.” That’s a total of $320,000—an amount the employee would no longer need to worry about saving. The employee was so overwhelmed with gratitude that he was in tears. And the result? He stayed with the company.

Why? Because no other employer would guarantee that his children’s education would be paid for. This strategy worked because the business owner took the time to understand what truly mattered to the employee.

Many business owners assume they don’t have the cash flow to fund a retention strategy like this. But the truth is, they don’t need extra money—they just need to use their existing cash flow more efficiently.

At Tier 1 Capital, we’ve helped business owners for over 40 years by identifying inefficiencies in cash flow, reallocating existing money to fund retention strategies, and creating solutions that are cash-flow neutral so they don’t hurt the business financially. If a business could retain key employees and grow without increasing expenses, wouldn’t that be the best of both worlds? That’s exactly what we help business owners do.

If you’re a business owner who’s worried about losing key employees, it’s time to take action. Retain your top talent without giving up equity. Make your cash flow more efficient without sacrificing growth. Secure your business’s future without increasing financial stress.

Let’s find a strategy that works for your business. Schedule a free strategy session today. We look forward to helping you protect your business and secure its future.

Remember, it’s not how much money you make—it’s how much you keep that matters. Thank you for reading, and we hope this helps you take control of your cash flow and your future.

The Future of Silver: A Hidden Gem in Emerging Technologies

Episode Summary

In this compelling episode of The Control Your Cash Podcast, hosts Olivia Kirk and Tim Yurek are joined by Layton McWilliams, an experienced professional in the precious metals market with nearly a decade of expertise. Layton shares insights into the unique dynamics of gold and silver investments, focusing on the affordability and utility of silver as a hedge against inflation and a critical resource in emerging technologies. The conversation explores the increasing demand for both metals, silver’s dual role in financial security and industrial applications, and the global supply challenges shaping its future value. They also discuss how silver’s undervaluation presents an opportunity for investors and its growing importance in industries like renewable energy, electronics, and even artificial intelligence infrastructure. This episode is packed with valuable information for anyone considering diversifying their portfolio with precious metals.

Key Takeaways

  • Silver’s Accessibility and Potential: Silver’s affordability makes it a practical entry point for investors. It offers the same hedging benefits as gold and has higher upside potential due to its current undervaluation.
    • Gold and silver have been reliable stores of value and forms of money for thousands of years.
    • Unlike fiat currency, which loses value due to inflation and overprinting, gold and silver maintain their purchasing power.
  • Dual Demand for Silver: Unlike gold, silver has both financial and industrial demand, with applications in solar panels, electric vehicles, and emerging technologies driving its increasing relevance.
  • Global Silver Supply Challenges: Silver mining has been unable to meet industrial demand for two consecutive years, signaling potential future supply shortages and increased value.
  • Emerging Technology Impact: Innovations like artificial diamonds and AI infrastructure highlight a broader trend of leveraging materials like silver for advanced manufacturing and technology, enhancing its strategic importance.
    • With less than 5% of Americans currently owning physical gold and silver, demand for these assets is likely to rise as more people recognize their value during economic transitions.

About the Guest

Layton McWilliams is a seasoned expert in the gold and silver industry, with over a decade of experience in precious metals. As the manager of First National Bullion’s Scottsdale office, Layton has built a reputation for his integrity, client-focused approach, and deep passion for educating investors. His journey spans multiple roles in the industry, providing him with a unique perspective on the importance of gold and silver as foundational elements for wealth preservation. Layton’s expertise lies in simplifying complex financial concepts, helping individuals understand how precious metals can safeguard their financial future in times of economic uncertainty.

Transcript

Olivia: Hello and welcome to the Control Your Cash Podcast. I’m your host, Olivia Kirk.
Tim: And I’m your co-host, Tim Yurek. We have our returning guest, Layton McWilliams. Layton, welcome to the show again!
Layton: Thanks for having me back. I’m excited to be here and really excited to get into silver this time.

Olivia: Yeah, absolutely. Last time we had a great conversation regarding gold. I know today we’re going to touch a little bit on gold, but mainly focus on silver. Our audience really enjoyed the gold discussion last time, so we appreciate you taking the time to come back today.
Layton: My pleasure, my pleasure.

Tim: Let’s start off with a question: What do you think is the main difference between deciding to purchase gold versus silver?
Layton: That’s a great question. I’d say the biggest difference is affordability. More Americans can afford to invest in silver compared to gold. Right now, silver is hovering around $30 an ounce, whereas gold is closer to $2,700 or $2,800. For the average American, silver is more accessible and aligns better with budgets.

Olivia: Certainly, you’re able to have more reach with silver if it fits within your budget. What about silver’s role as an inflation hedge? Does it work similarly to gold, or are there downsides to its affordability?
Layton: Great question. Both silver and gold serve the same utility as hedges against inflation and alternatives to the current monetary system. However, silver’s current undervaluation in US dollars makes it particularly attractive. It has more upside potential Tim Yutek: Have you seen an increase in demand for gold and silver over the past few years?
Layton: Absolutely. Over the past five to ten years, both metals have gained relevance in everyday financial conversations. While gold and silver aren’t fully mainstream yet, more Americans are starting to explore their potential.

What’s especially exciting about silver is its industrial demand. Silver is highly conductive and reflective, which makes it essential for emerging technologies like solar panels, electric vehicles, and electronics.

Olivia Kirk: What about AI? Are there any links between silver and the artificial intelligence industry?
Layton: While there isn’t a direct link, AI relies heavily on technological infrastructure, which involves electronics powered by silver. Interestingly, we’ve been in a global deficit where the amount of silver mined hasn’t met the demand for manufacturing. This trend should catch people’s attention—it’s all about supply and demand.

Layton: Silver’s dual role is what makes it unique. It’s critical for industrial use but also has financial demand. This combination is why I think silver will continue to gain traction.

Tim: You mentioned earlier that silver is undervalued. Can you explain this further?
Layton: Sure. One of the key metrics I use is the gold-to-silver ratio. This measures how many ounces of silver are needed to equal the value of one ounce of gold. Historically, this ratio has been much lower—around 40:1 or even 15:1. Today, it’s at 86:1, which indicates silver’s significant undervaluation compared to gold.

Tim Yurek: You mentioned the gold-to-silver ratio is 86:1. What does that mean for investors?
Layton: It’s one of the most telling metrics for silver’s undervaluation. At today’s ratio, it takes 86 ounces of silver to equal the value of one ounce of gold. Historically, this ratio has been much lower—closer to 40:1 on average, or even as low as 15:1 during some periods.

For investors, this creates an opportunity. If you buy silver now and the ratio normalizes over time, you could use your silver to acquire more gold at a much better rate. It’s a way to leverage silver’s undervaluation strategically.

Olivia: So, you’re saying silver can be a stepping stone to owning more gold?
Layton: Exactly. Gold is the ultimate steady form of wealth, but silver’s current pricing gives it an edge. It’s a great time to consider diversifying into both metals, but silver’s potential for growth makes it a particularly exciting option right now.

Tim: What about industrial demand? How does that factor into silver’s future?
Layton: Silver has unique properties—it’s the most conductive and reflective of all pure elements. That makes it essential for high-tech applications like solar panels, electric vehicles, and electronics.

Right now, global silver production isn’t keeping up with manufacturing demand. For the past two years, we’ve been in a silver deficit, meaning we’ve used more silver than we’ve mined. This supply-and-demand imbalance could drive prices up further, especially as emerging technologies continue to grow.

Olivia: That’s fascinating. With this growing demand, silver sounds like an incredible investment opportunity. What’s your advice for someone looking to buy silver?
Layton: The first step is to understand why you’re buying it. Silver can be a financial hedge, a long-term investment, or even a tool to trade for gold down the line. Knowing your goals will help determine the right strategy.

I always recommend starting small if you’re new to precious metals. For example, you can purchase junk silver—U.S. coins made before 1965 that contain 90% silver. These are highly recognizable and easy to use for transactions in case of an emergency.

Tim: What exactly is junk silver?
Layton: Junk silver refers to dimes, quarters, and half-dollars minted before 1965. Back then, these coins were made from 90% silver. Today, a single silver dime is worth about $2.20. Junk silver is affordable, versatile, and great for bartering if needed. It’s also a good starting point for anyone new to investing in silver.

Olivia: How do you recommend storing silver for long-term safety?
Layton: That’s a big consideration. Most clients keep it at home in a secure safe, but I’ve heard some creative storage ideas—one client even used silver bars as garden dividers!

For more serious investors, we offer a private, fully insured vaulting service outside the banking system. This option is ideal for clients who want professional storage without relying on banks or safety deposit boxes, which I generally advise against.

Tim: Why avoid safety deposit boxes?
Layton: Storing your silver in a safety deposit box puts it back under the banking system’s control, which defeats the purpose of owning physical metals. Plus, the contents of safety deposit boxes aren’t insured by the FDIC, so you’re not protected if something happens.

Tim: Do you work with clients nationwide? How does that process work?
Layton: Absolutely. We work with clients across the country. For those who can’t visit our office, we offer fully insured shipping to your door. We also provide education and strategy consultations to ensure clients understand the options available and make informed decisions.

Tim: You mentioned earlier that silver is more accessible for small investors. What about those with larger amounts of wealth—how do they approach gold versus silver?
Layton: Great question. For clients investing $500,000 or more, priorities tend to shift. They’re less concerned with maximizing returns and more focused on preserving wealth.

Gold is more portable and easier to store, which appeals to high-net-worth individuals. For example, a single kilo gold bar weighs about 2.2 pounds and is worth over $80,000. Compare that to silver—it takes over seven pounds of silver to equal about $3,000 in value. So, for wealth preservation, gold is often more convenient.

However, I still encourage diversification. Even our high-net-worth clients are allocating a portion to silver because of its growth potential.

Olivia: Let’s talk more about leveraging silver strategically. How does that work?
Layton: The idea is to use silver’s undervaluation to your advantage. Right now, it takes 86 ounces of silver to equal one ounce of gold. As that ratio normalizes—say, to 40:1 or even 30:1—you can trade your silver for more gold.

For example, if you buy silver today and the ratio drops to 40:1, you’ll need far fewer ounces of silver to get the same ounce of gold. It’s a simple but effective strategy for building long-term wealth.

Tim: That’s a really smart approach. Is this something you see your clients actively doing?
Layton: Definitely. Many of our clients are already following this strategy. They view silver as a stepping stone to accumulate more gold over time. It’s not about chasing quick profits—it’s about positioning yourself for the long term.

Olivia: What do you say to people who might be hesitant about investing in silver or gold?
Layton: The hardest step is often the first one—just reaching out and starting the conversation. Once we understand your goals, we can help build a strategy that makes sense for you.

We pride ourselves on educating clients and providing transparent, no-pressure guidance. Whether you’re buying a single coin or investing millions, we’ll ensure you feel confident about your decisions.

Tim: You mentioned earlier that silver plays a major role in industrial applications. Do you see that demand growing in the future?
Layton: Absolutely. Silver’s unique properties—its conductivity and reflectivity—make it irreplaceable in many emerging technologies. For example, solar panels, electric vehicles, and electronics rely heavily on silver.

What’s especially interesting is that global silver production has been in a deficit for the past two years. This means we’re consuming more silver for manufacturing than we’re able to mine. As demand grows, especially with the push for renewable energy and new technologies, I expect this trend to continue.

Olivia: Does this industrial demand outpace its financial demand?
Layton: It’s a balance. Silver is unique because it serves both purposes—industrial and financial. While gold is primarily driven by financial demand, silver’s dual role gives it additional upside. That’s why I view silver as a “double-edged sword.” It’s critical for industries but also offers a hedge against inflation and a store of wealth.

Tim: Do you think silver could play a role in future monetary systems?
Layton: I do. Historically, gold and silver have always been reliable forms of money—they’ve never gone to zero. While I’m not saying we’ll return to a gold or silver standard tomorrow, there are movements globally to reintroduce these metals as part of monetary systems.

If that happens, it would create even more demand for silver. Think of it this way: even if industrial demand for silver continues to rise, monetary demand has the potential to completely outpace it.

Olivia: What about the role of innovation in the financial system? Do you see that impacting precious metals?
Layton: Definitely. I think we’re entering an age of innovation and a push to regain financial independence. More people are questioning the current monetary system and exploring alternatives like gold and silver.

At the same time, new technologies are making it easier to buy, store, and trade physical metals. For example, we offer private vaulting services where clients can buy and sell metals with a simple phone call. This kind of convenience is helping more people transition into owning physical assets.

Tim: It sounds like gold and silver are becoming increasingly important as tools for financial freedom.
Layton: Exactly. They’re the kryptonite to the current financial system. Gold and silver allow people to exit the manipulated banking system and take control of their wealth. That’s why education is such a big part of what we do.

Olivia: Layton, for someone who’s interested in getting started with gold or silver, what’s your best advice?
Layton: The first step is education. Don’t rush into buying anything without understanding why you’re doing it. We focus on educating clients about the role of gold and silver, their historical importance, and how they can fit into your financial goals.

Start small, especially if you’re new. For example, you can begin with junk silver—pre-1965 coins. These are affordable, recognizable, and practical for transactions. From there, you can diversify into larger investments like silver bars or gold coins.

Tim Yurek: What’s the biggest mistake people make when investing in precious metals?
Layton: Trying to time the market or chasing quick profits. Precious metals aren’t about speculation—they’re about stability and long-term wealth preservation. If you go into it with the mindset of making a quick return, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.

Olivia: What does it look like to work with you and your company?
Layton: It’s a very personalized process. Whether you visit our office in Scottsdale or connect with us remotely, we start with a conversation to understand your goals. From there, we provide tailored advice and transparent pricing.

We also emphasize strategy. For example, if you’re buying silver, we’ll explain how it fits into your portfolio, when to consider trading it for gold, and how to store it securely.

Tim: How do people usually store their metals?
Layton: Most clients keep their metals at home in safes, but we also offer private vaulting services. This is ideal for larger investments or for clients who travel frequently. The vault is fully insured and operates outside the banking system, so it’s a secure option without relying on banks.

Olivia: What sets your company apart from others?
Layton: Education and transparency. A lot of gold and silver dealers try to keep clients in the dark about the process. We take the opposite approach—we want you to understand exactly what you’re buying, why it’s a smart choice, and how it fits into your overall strategy.

Tim: That makes a big difference. How can people reach you if they’re interested?
Layton: The easiest way is to email us at [email protected]. From there, we’ll set up a time to talk and guide you through the process.

Olivia: Layton, thank you so much for joining us again. This was incredibly informative!
Layton: My pleasure. Thanks for having me back.

Tim: We really appreciate your insights—gold and silver are fascinating topics, and you’ve made them so accessible.
Layton: Thank you. I’m happy to help.

Turning Struggles Into Entrepreneurial Success with Travis Robbins

Episode Summary

In this insightful episode of the Control Your Cash Podcast, host Tim Urick speaks with Travis Robbins about his entrepreneurial journey, the challenges he faced, and the lessons he learned while building Robbins Rehabilitation West. Travis shares how he transitioned from a fresh-out-of-college physical therapist to a successful business owner with multiple locations and over two decades of experience. The episode covers themes like perseverance, financial independence, marketing, and the value of coaching.

Key Takeaways

1. Regaining Control of Your Cash:

  • Financial independence begins by taking control of your money rather than relying on financial institutions.
  • Implement processes, not products, to manage finances effectively and avoid being at the mercy of external entities.

2. Building a Personal Pool of Capital:

  • Establishing a personal financial reserve allows you to handle emergencies or seize opportunities without relying on banks.
  • A consistent, disciplined approach to saving through strategies like Infinite Banking builds long-term stability and flexibility.

3. Optimizing Cash Flow:

  • Small improvements in how you manage and track your finances can significantly enhance overall cash flow.
  • Avoid the debt cycle by focusing on strategies that maximize every dollar’s efficiency.

4. Financial Flexibility with Tax-Free Savings:

  • Strategies like specially designed whole-life insurance policies allow for tax-free savings and accessible funds when needed.
  • This approach ensures liquidity while securing long-term financial growth and retirement security.

5. Changing Your Financial Mindset:

  • Shift from traditional financial advice to strategies that minimize risks, taxes, and inflation.
  • Education and mindset shifts are critical to achieving financial freedom.

6. Leveraging Expert Guidance:

  • Partnering with knowledgeable advisors who prioritize your goals ensures tailored solutions for long-term financial success.
  • Like coaching in business, financial coaching simplifies complex concepts and helps you implement practical, effective strategies.

About the Guest

Travis Robbins is the founder and owner of Robbins Rehabilitation West, a thriving physical therapy practice with over 23 years of experience. Starting with limited resources and knowledge of business operations, Travis turned his passion for helping people into a successful entrepreneurial journey. Along the way, he overcame significant challenges, including financial hurdles and marketing obstacles, while building a multi-location practice.

In addition to running his business, Travis now coaches other private practice owners, sharing lessons learned to help them avoid common pitfalls and accelerate their growth. His story is a testament to resilience, innovation, and the power of coaching in transforming struggles into success.

Transcript

Welcome to the control your cash podcast I’m your host Tim urick and it is our pleasure to have Travis Robbins from Robins Rehabilitation West Travis welcome to the show we are doing lovely no so uh Travis tell us about a little bit about your journey tell us how you got interested in physical therapy uh and and tell us about some of the struggles and the the the you know the the successes that you’ve had yeah I got more struggles than successes probably which is um is good um I I do uh coaching and Consulting now for pts and I get to teach them all the stuff I did wrong so that they make sure they don’t do that but I have a very typical Physical Therapy Story how we got if you talk to 10 physical therapists eight of them are going to say uh I had some kind of injury in high school or college and I went to a PT and I thought that was pretty cool and I could do that you know for the rest of my life.

I had some injuries in high school and I went to PT and it was actually uh the physical therapist that I saw uh went to my high school and I said where’d you go to college and he said I went to itha college so I went and checked out that College and I said this is good if I can get in here I’ll go here and kind of ended up following in his footsteps and now it’s cool now that we do a ton of that at work in that like our aid program so the kids that work our front desk all of almost all of them have 40 degrees are trying to get into PT school and they if you talk to 10 of them eight of them would say the same story that I said and just trying to get experience in the field so um I just kind of thought it would it was great in terms of the medical side of stuff um so it’s you get to spend time with your patients.

I don’t know if you’ve been to a doctor’s appointment recently but um You probably don’t have a relationship with your doctor whereas if you talk to somebody who went through Physical Therapy they probably have some kind of relationship with their physical therapist like if you if you need someone that knows a guy like hey do you know a guy for like HVAC or Plumbing or a guy that’ll get a raccoon out of your house like ask a physical therapist because we have met everybody from every line of work there is and we actually have a relationship with them because we spend on average somewhere around 16 hours of time with them during their course of care so um so I did that and uh got out of school and I got a job in Boston.

My uh fiancée at the time—my now wife—and I always wanted to live in like a bigger city, so we tried that for a little bit. Our first job I ever got was in Boston, and we found out it’s very difficult to live on a physical therapist’s salary in Boston. So, we ended up moving to the Poconos, uh, which I did not know was a place. I only moved there because my twin brother, who’s also a physical therapist, was in New Jersey at the time, and he said, “Hey, you gotta check out these cheap houses in the Poconos.”

And this was in 2002, I guess, yeah, and I was like, “All right, I’ll check it out.” And then I went up there, and I drove through the Poconos. I stopped at a builder, and I bought a house, like, on the way home to Boston. I said, “I don’t—I gotta find this guy. He should run sales for me. I don’t know how the heck he did it, but he sold me a house.” And I was like, “Yep, let’s just do this.” So, I often make decisions quickly. It doesn’t always work out for me, but this one definitely worked out.

So, I was in the Poconos, and then I was trying to find a job. I was going to work for the place my brother worked in New Jersey—it was a small private practice similar to what I have now—and then that didn’t work out. So, I open up the newspaper—this will date me, right? So, I told this story the other day, and it was hilarious. Someone said, “Wait a second, you found a job in the newspaper? Like, I didn’t even know that existed.” So, I opened up the newspaper and looked for a job, and I found a job in the newspaper in Allentown, Pennsylvania, which I had never been to.

And I went and interviewed there. It was for NovaCare, a large corporate PT place. And um, I worked there for a little while. I looked for a smaller private practice in our area, but I just couldn’t find one. So, at the time, I was 24, and I was like, “Well, I don’t have a huge mortgage. I don’t have any kids. I can eat bologna sandwiches. Why don’t I just try this private practice thing?” Because I always kind of wanted my own practice.

And the one piece of advice I could give people is like, if you’re going to open up your own business, do it early. Like, do it when you’re young because once you get older and you have, like, these financial burdens of mortgages and kids and stuff like that, it’s just kind of harder to get away from that. So, I opened up the practice—that was almost 23 years ago now—and I’m still doing it.


Tim: Wow, that’s amazing. So, uh, tell us about some of the struggles that you had in, you know, starting your own business. What were some of the challenges?
Travis: Yeah, this will give you an idea of how much I knew about running a business. I still remember my first patient that I ever saw. I rented, uh, so I worked at that NovaCare location. I found, uh, there was a doctor that had some hours there, and he said, “Hey, there’s this chiropractor in town that’s looking to have physical therapy in his practice. You should talk to him.”

I said, “Oh, great.” So, I went and talked to him. He says, “Yeah, you can—I’ll give you this like 200 square feet in the back of my chiropractic office, and you can just do physical therapy there. And we have staff here, like admin that’s here already, so they can, like, answer the phones for you and stuff, and you can try that.” I said, “Yeah, sure.” And that’s kind of how I started. I rented 200 square feet in the back of a chiropractor’s office, which is also a very common story that you’ll hear from physical therapists who start their own practice.

So, I remember my first patient. I went to the waiting room and said, “Hi, I’m Travis. I’m going to be your physical therapist today.” And she said, “Great. Do you take my insurance?” And I—I had no idea what that even meant. Like, I went to my first day of work and didn’t realize that I had to have contracts with the insurance company in order to see their subscribers. So, I was like, I looked at my front desk who had done, um, billing and collections for chiropractic offices, which is very similar for physical therapy. And I was like, “Do we take her insurance?” And she’s like, “I don’t know. You never gave me any of your provider numbers.” And I said, “What’s a provider number?”


So, I didn’t make a dime for the first six months because I—for some of the insurances, I was able to backdate it and say, “Hey, I would love to be a subscriber—or I would love to be a provider—for Blue Cross Blue Shield.” And it’s way different 23 years ago than it is now. Now that would not fly for sure. But I talked to some people on the phone, and they said, “Yep, you can—we’ll backdate it, and maybe we’ll pay you.” Some of them paid; some of them didn’t.

But that process was six months where I didn’t get paid a dime from the insurance companies. So, I would work at the hospital on the weekends, I would pick up shifts at other places, just to, like, make some kind of money before that money came in. But to go back to the question you asked 20 minutes ago, you know, “What were the struggles?” I mean, any PT that opens up a private practice—it’s a little bit different now because information is a little bit more available—but we don’t know what we’re doing.

Like, we like to treat patients; we’re good working with people. But the, like, billing and collections, the negotiation of contracts with insurance companies—we don’t know how to do that. And that’s usually kind of where we get taken advantage of. We just kind of take what we can get. But that initial one of just not knowing how to run a business, but not even knowing how physical therapy works with insurance companies, was a huge struggle.


Tim: Yeah, and I would imagine, like, sales and marketing were probably something else that you had no experience with, right? With a degree in physical therapy, I mean, they don’t teach you how to market yourself.
Travis: No. I mean, the only thing I—I mean, I had worked in physical therapy clinics before. So, I would see patients come in, and I would say, “Oh, how did you end up here?” “Well, my doctor sent me.” “Okay, well, there must be some kind of relationship with the doctor in this PT office.”

So, I knew to go out to doctors. I actually just did this a couple of weeks ago. The first doctor I ever called on, 23 years ago, is a podiatrist. I don’t remember how I got his—I think I used to get some patients from him at my old NovaCare office; that’s how it was. His name is Brad, and he’s still a podiatrist, and still in the same location he was 23 years ago. And we were just talking—he asked me how the kids were doing, and his kids are growing up, same age as mine—and we were just kind of blown away with, like, how quickly 23 years went.

So, initially, marketing back then was, you went out and talked to physicians. At that time, physicians were kind of privately owned. There were lots of them that were privately owned. And now, in 23 years, there are almost none that are privately owned. The hospital has kind of eaten all that business up. That’s not unique to my location either—that’s pretty much across the board.

It’s rare you find physical therapy clinics that rely heavily on doctor referrals anymore because the doctors that we used to work with, they love to say, “Hey, I would love to send you, Travis, but I’m at the hospital now.” Like, they will get in trouble if you send out of the network. I remember a doctor said, “You know, just write a script, and they can go wherever they want.” He said, “I’m telling you, it doesn’t matter. If I put why the patient wanted to go to Robbins Rehab, and it says ‘patient preference,’ I’m going to get a call from administration after lunch. You can sit here and wait for me—it will happen every single time. So, I can’t even put that on there anymore.


So, that’s a whole other issue. But the marketing has changed—has changed more to, um, like direct response marketing. So, we go to the general public first. We have to educate them on, “You don’t need a prescription for physical therapy,” which is kind of a big hurdle because they just kind of assume, “Oh, I really could use some physical therapy, but I gotta go to my doctor. It takes six weeks to get into my doctor. You know what? I hope it just goes away, and maybe I don’t need to do that.” But they don’t even know you can come. Like, if you called my office today and said, “I need PT,” we would get you in today—we don’t need a prescription from the docto

So, the marketing has changed in terms of how we used to do it. Now, before, we would do that in, like, a newspaper. Like, we would run a lot of newspaper ads. And still, in some markets, newspaper ads do work because my demographic—typically, you know, 55 and older—still reads the newspaper, if they exist in your community. But a lot of it now has gone to digital marketing.

So, I don’t know—I mean, I know basic metrics and numbers, like—but I don’t know how to create a Facebook ad or an Instagram ad. We lean on experts to do that in our industry. Yep. So, we have six main buckets that we pull from in our practice. The good thing now is that I have been around for 23 years. So, we want at least 65% of our new patients that are coming in to have either come to us before or were referred by someone who came to us before.

When you’re starting out brand new—and that’s what we were talking about before we got on the call—starting out in a brand-new area, we have seven locations. You know, we tend to add on in areas that are close to where we already are because we still have a foothold in that area. We have some people—the first thing we’ll do is a zip code search. Like, “All right, how many of our past patients come from these zip codes?” “Okay, we can reach out to them. If they need physical therapy, they’ll come back because they already know, like, and trust us. They’ve come to us for PT, and we’ve fixed their problem before.”


Now, you have to be good at physical therapy. You can’t have, you know, crappy physical therapy—people aren’t going to come back. But in people that have been around as long as we have, we want a majority of our patients coming from those two buckets. That doesn’t mean it automatically comes—you still have to do some marketing to them through email newsletters. We’re doing a new thing now where we have a magazine that we’re sending out to our patients that have come to us for two or more plans of care.

So, if you come to us once, there’s a good chance that you’re going to come back. It might not be immediate, but if you come to us two or three times—or more than that—you’re probably a pretty big fan of us. So, we market to that group of people differently. So, past patient friends and family physician referrals—we do get physician referrals. Some of them will send out of the network, even though the network doesn’t like it. There are some private physicians that are left that are kind of holding on. So, we do have some of that.

Workers’ compensation—we see a small percentage of that. We would love to see more of that population, but that’s a very political bucket to pull from. You’ve got to—it’s all who you know, relationships, and contracts like that. And then, general public. So, general public is anybody that has no idea who we are, and they saw a cold ad for us and said, “Yeah, I would like to try physical therapy with you guys to try to see if you can help me with my problems.


Tim: Wow, that’s amazing. I mean, it seems like, obviously, over the past 23 years, everything evolves, and it changes a lot faster than it used to, right? So, it’s the kind of thing where you have to evolve and change almost just to keep up. And if you’re really good at it, you could be on the forefront. And, you know, I know there are some things that you’ve been involved with, like the NLP team. If you could talk a little bit about how that was developed—the NLP team—and what insights you’ve garnered or learned from that?
Travis: Yeah. So, that was in 2017. I had met some other private practice owners. Private practice owners are really, um, generally not that great at networking. Like, the first private practice owner that I met other than myself was at least 10 years after I opened up. You would think we would try to kind of get together and try to fix problems together. But there is kind of a competitive nature to that, too. It’s like, well, you know, I have a place that’s two miles from you, and, you know, I have another place that’s eight miles from another person. Like, if we get together and help each other out, I don’t know—that might be a competitive disadvantage.

But I was completely wrong on that. The more stuff you share and the more you help people, the more comes back to you. So, I started a mastermind in 2017 with other private practice owners from all over the U.S. We had met online at that time—you know, Facebook and Facebook groups and that kind of stuff were really big. So, you could meet other private practice owners from all over the country. I wish I could go back to 2003 and have shown what would happen in 2017. Like, Facebook wasn’t a thing, social media wasn’t a thing. That’s how I kind of created this company.

I met these guys, and my wife would always call them, “Oh, those are your internet friends, right?” So, these practice owners—from all over, from Tennessee, Texas, Illinois, Indiana—we got together, and we did, like, a Zoom call like this. That was around the time when Zoom was really getting popular too, to where you could do calls like this and help each other out. So, we did virtual calls. And then, eventually, we did a live in-person event in Chattanooga. We just rented an Airbnb, right around the time Airbnb was getting popular, and we just got together. We threw our numbers up on the board, and it was like the metrics that we looked at to try to find out, okay, what are things that, you know, someone is doing right and things that people need help on.


It was crazy how it was eight of us. We threw our numbers up, and we would look at statistics and ask some questions and say, “Wow, you’re doing this really well, and I don’t even look at that,” or “I don’t do that really well, and here’s where you’re struggling.” But guess what? Arand does that really well, and he speaks on how you can help that out. It accelerated our learning curve so fast. So, when we met in 2017, within about 18 months, everybody at least doubled the size of their practice, which was crazy because all of us had been doing it for a very long time.

I mean, we had one guy that was, uh—he’s our elder statesman. He’s been doing—he’s been in private practice for over 30 years. So, he has seen a lot of different stuff. So, the point of that is, if you want to accelerate your learning, you want to try to find somebody that is already where you want to get to and just kind of cheat off their paper. And guess what? When you get somewhere, you just want to try to give that back to somebody.

So, after we doubled the size of our practices pretty quickly, we were like, “You know what? This seems to be helpful. Like, it was helpful for us—can we help other private practice owners?” So, we started to, like, okay, we put together a Facebook group, and then we did some coaching and consulting—everything from Zoom calls, like one-on-one coaching calls. We do live events, so we rent out houses in Orlando, and private practice owners come down for, like, two days. We have workshops and get to work across the table with them to try to find out what’s going on in their practice.


We do in-person coaching. Like, I’ve flown to other practices and done a drop-in coaching. I watch their practice for two days, and that’s really one of the most intimate levels of it, where I can actually see what’s going on in your floor. And that has been something that has been super helpful. So, that’s what we’ve been doing since 2017, just trying to help other private practice owners. We’ll never say that we know everything, but between the eight of us, there’s probably nothing you have a problem with or have run into that at least one of us hasn’t already gone through. And then, we just tell you what to do.

So, that’s not just for physical therapy—that’s any industry. If you can find somebody that has already gone through what you’re going through, the learning curve is accelerated.
Tim: That’s amazing. So, Travis, I’ve always told my kids, and I share this a lot with my clients, “There’s no such thing as a wasted experience.” Could you sort of share some insights that you’ve received when you were working with somebody you were coaching? Maybe you were teaching them something, but you also picked up something from them?
Travis: Oh, yeah. My coaching clients—I always tell them it’s a shame you’re paying me because, like, a lot of times, I learn more from you than you learn from me. No matter who you are or what you’re doing—whatever industry you’re in—we’ll stick in physical therapy. If you went into any physical therapy clinic, there’s something that they’re doing that they usually don’t even notice that is, like, in the top 3% of any private practice that you would go into, and they just kind of don’t realize that.


In terms of specifics, it can just be specific metrics that we track. It can be, like, initial evaluation arrival rates. So, last year, we looked at initial evaluation arrival rates. Not to get too into the weeds for people that aren’t physical therapists, but every new patient that comes in, that sets up a new plan of care—they hurt their ankle, back, whatever—and they set up an appointment, we looked at what the arrival rate of that patient was. In previous years, it would always hover around 90%.

What we assumed was, “Okay, if 10 patients scheduled, nine of them came. That one patient—well, they canceled, but they probably just rescheduled to the following week, or they were on vacation, or their kid got sick, so they’re definitely rescheduling.” Well, we went back and looked at it, and this was last year, and we found out that that wasn’t happening. They canceled, but then we didn’t have any systems in place to kind of follow up with them and try to make sure, “Okay, yeah, you were sick, but we want to make sure you get scheduled back in.”

We looked at it—we’re never going to get 100%, right? Some people cancel an appointment—maybe they were hospitalized, maybe they found a place that was closer to their house, or their cousin said, “Oh, you should go to my physical therapist. Don’t go there—cancel that appointment.” We looked at that. We don’t have a super large practice, but if we could turn that number from 90% to 94%—so not a huge jump, just like some other systems—we ran the numbers. How much money do you think that cost us in 2023? How much money do you think we lost by not getting that number from 90% to 94%?
Tim: I know I’m putting you on the spot here, Tim.
Tim: Yeah, I’m going to say it might have cost you 10%.
Travis: Yeah, it’s a quarter of a million dollars


Travis: So, a quarter of a million dollars that could have been in our bank account—not to get to 100%, that’s not realistic, that’s just not going to happen—but to move from 90% to 94%. And I got that from a client. I was looking at their numbers, like, “What is this?” And they said, “Oh, yeah, we keep track of our initial evaluation arrival rate. We’re really big on that.” And I thought, “Is that really important?”

You know, when it comes to metrics, there are people that love to dig into it. And, like, Arlan and Kevin have so many numbers on their wall, it looks like the New York Stock Exchange. That’s great for some people. Some people just need a more condensed version of it. For me, when I coach, I’m like, “We want to have the most important ones.” So, if I can get your most important metrics down to, like, 10 that you look at—which would be difficult—that’s better than having 100.

Sometimes, with me and my brain, I just get overwhelmed by too many numbers. So, that was a statistic I just wasn’t looking at because I didn’t see—I didn’t think there was any value in it until I went back and actually ran the numbers at our annual offsite meeting. We take our leadership team and go to, typically, the Poconos for, like, three days, and we’re like, “Okay, what are we going to work on and try to improve this year in our practice?” We looked at that number, and we improved it to 94% this year, which was exciting.
Tim: Wow. Good for you. That’s a milestone, for sure.


Tim: You know, when you think about, “The riches are in the niches,” they say, right? So, just these little details that, if you follow and track and work on improving, could add significant value on an overall basis to your business.
Travis: Yeah. Physical therapy—typically, physical therapists are very subjective when it comes to the business side of stuff, which is kind of funny. Because whenever you go into physical therapy, there are two main sections of an initial evaluation—a daily visit. Whenever you go to a physical therapist, there’s going to be a subjective version of what went on.

So, you’re going to ask the patient, “How are you feeling today?” That’s hard to quantify, you know? It’s like, “I’m feeling better than before.” “I’m feeling at, like, 96.5% of what I should be.” Like, it’s very hard to do. There’s a subjective version, and then there’s an objective version. The objective version is range of motion, muscle strength testing, special tests. So, it’s things that we have to put together to kind of present a case to the insurance company: “This person needs physical therapy.”

Objectively, something I can measure that is standardized—that’s an issue that’s happening. That, in theory, is creating their subjective complaints. If we can fix the objective things that are going on, their subjective complaints—which is the reason they’re coming in—will improve. No one comes into physical therapy and says, “I don’t have any pain or anything. I was just looking to improve my range of motion.” Like, nobody does that.


Travis: So, it has to be this system where we kind of have to defend to the insurance company, “Hey, you should pay for this because we feel like they need it.” It’s the same thing on the business side—there’s a very subjective side of business. I remember evaluating physical therapists. I’ll give you a quick story. Our Allentown location—it’s always been our first location, so it’s always been our biggest and most productive, most profitable. There are a lot of different reasons for that.

But there was a time when all of our numbers dipped—this was way before 2017, when I met these guys and they taught me everything I know. We had a new PTA that started, and I said, “Huh, maybe it has something to do with that PTA—new clinician.” So, I talked to the patients that were seeing the clinician, and I said, “Hey, how’s this—I’m not going to say his name—but how’s this new clinician doing?” I didn’t hear anything like, “Oh my God, he’s terrible, it’s awful.” They were just kind of like, “Yeah, he’s a nice guy, and he’s pretty good.” I didn’t hear anything subjectively from my patients that suggested there was a problem.

I didn’t have any objective measures to try to find out, “Is this a good PTA or not?” That’s where the systems we have in place now come in. The number one metric we look at is successful graduation. Successful graduation is: if you come to me for an initial evaluation for a plan of care—you hurt your back—we set up your goals at the beginning of the treatment. We say, “Okay, these are your goals.” Typical goals would be: “I’ve got to return to work and be on my feet for 10-hour shifts, five days a week.” That’s a very objective thing—“I’ve got to be able to do that without any pain.”


Travis: “Great, that’s one goal. What do you like to do outside of work?” “Well, I used to hike, and I don’t really do that anymore because of my back pain.” “Okay, how far did you hike?” “I don’t know, like two or three miles.” “How many times a week?” “Three times a week.” “So, if you could hike three miles three times a week, you’d be happy?” “Oh my God, that would be amazing.” That’s what you want to hear from a patient when you set up the goals.

They start a plan of care. They go through however many visits it takes to hit their goals. They hit their goals, and there’s agreement on both sides of the table: “Physical therapy really helped me out.” What do you think the national average is in outpatient physical therapy for graduation rate? They call it discharge rate—I don’t like the word “discharge.” That’s another podcast, probably. But essentially, it’s the success percentage of physical therapy.

Tim: I’m going to guess low, like probably 60%.
Travis: Yeah, so 11%.
Tim: Eleven?
Travis: One-one. Eleven percent. That’s my industry’s success rate. We average above 85%. We shoot for 80%. We have one clinic that’s at 92% this year—that’s going to be our record.


Tim: Well, Travis, it’s been—it’s amazing how fast time has gone by. It’s almost an hour. I really appreciate your time. Any parting shots for our audience?
Travis: Yeah, I would just talk to people about the power of coaching. If I could do anything over again, I would get coaching sooner. I would ask for help. A lot of people have a hard time asking for help. The faster you realize that, the better you’ll sleep at night.
Tim: Awesome. Thank you so much, Travis Robbins, Robbins Rehabilitation West.

How to Optimize Cash Flow for Small Business Success: Proven Strategies for Financial Freedom

When it comes to being a small business owner, everyone knows that cash flow is the lifeblood of any business. Today, we’re discussing how to optimize your cash flow as a small business owner. Most small business owners pursue this path because they want control—control over their destiny and financial freedom. However, with that freedom comes pressure, especially regarding cash flow.

A survey by Intuit revealed that 61% of small business owners globally struggle with chronic or cyclical cash flow issues, and 69% report losing sleep over these concerns. Here’s the truth: most cash flow issues are self-inflicted. This might sound harsh, but it’s good news because it means you can take steps to resolve them.

Many business owners believe they are just one big sale away from financial freedom. They think, “If I can just make this sale, I’ll pay off my debts and finally be free.” But often, this doesn’t bring the relief they hoped for. Instead, they go from one position of no cash to another, creating a cycle that feels impossible to escape. This cycle, often called the “curse of the entrepreneur,” stems from the mindset that one big break will solve everything. But in reality, the key isn’t in making more money—it’s in how you use your existing cash flow.

Many business owners try to get out of debt as quickly as possible, sacrificing monthly cash flow to pay off debt faster. However, there’s always another purchase or opportunity around the corner that requires additional cash or borrowing. This creates a repetitive cycle of paying off debt and acquiring more. The solution? Break the cycle by building a pool of cash that you control completely. By taking small steps and following through with consistent daily disciplines, you can stop giving all your money to the bank and start building financial freedom.

One common question is, “If I could save more money, wouldn’t I?” The challenge is that many business owners don’t think they have room in their cash flow to save. Taking money out of an already tight cash flow seems counterintuitive. But here’s the secret: there are ways you’re using money that seem helpful but are actually holding you back. By optimizing the efficiency and effectiveness of your current cash flow, you can find savings without increasing revenue or cutting expenses.

The idea of “multi-duty dollars” is critical here. Imagine getting one dollar to do multiple jobs—pay off debt, build savings, fund an emergency account, and address larger goals like succession planning or retaining key employees. Instead of feeling squeezed and tackling one problem at a time, you maximize the utility of every dollar.

How do you optimize cash flow? It starts with examining key areas: how you pay taxes, fund retirement, manage debt, make major capital purchases, and reinvest profits. By diving deep into these areas, you can repurpose money already within your cash flow to create a pool of savings. This approach doesn’t require reducing expenses or generating more revenue, which is a game-changer for many small business owners.

Ultimately, it’s all about control—control over your money, your business, and your financial future. If you’d like an analysis of your business’s cash flow, visit tier1capital.com to schedule a free strategy session. There’s no cost or obligation, and it’s an opportunity to relieve financial pressure and sleep better at night.

Remember, it’s not how much money you make—it’s how much you keep that matters. Thank you for reading, and we hope this helps you take control of your cash flow and your future.

Are These 5 Common Life Insurance Myths Costing You Financial Security?

When it comes to life insurance, it can feel confusing. There are many myths about who needs it and when. Today, we’re debunking five common myths about life insurance.

The first myth is “I’m young, single, and healthy. I don’t need life insurance.” This couldn’t be further from the truth. When you’re young, single, and healthy, you have the most cash flow, health, and time to lock in the lowest premiums. Life insurance will never cost less than it does today, especially for whole life insurance. Whole life insurance provides more than just a death benefit. It builds cash value, acting like a savings account that you can access with full liquidity. Plus, you pay for life insurance with your money but buy it with your health. Starting young ensures lower premiums and guarantees coverage when you need it most.

Another myth is that life insurance is expensive. The cost of life insurance, especially whole life insurance, can be broken down into gross cost and net cost. Gross cost is the monthly premium, while net cost accounts for the accumulating cash value within the policy. Over time, the net cost is often zero or even positive with a dividend-paying, mutually owned policy. The insurance company makes two promises with a whole life policy: to pay the death benefit whenever the insured passes away and to ensure the cash value equals the death benefit by maturity (age 100 or 121). This contractual guarantee offers long-term value that can make life insurance an affordable financial tool.

There is also the myth that life insurance is unnecessary after retirement. Many believe life insurance is unnecessary after 65, but this is a myth. If you don’t accumulate enough assets, life insurance can ensure a legacy for your family. Even if you’re successful financially, life insurance can cover estate taxes, ensuring your heirs can inherit your assets without financial strain. Life insurance cash value is among the most valuable parts of a retirement portfolio. Unlike other accounts that are taxed upon withdrawal, the cash value from life insurance is accessible tax-free. Many clients in their 60s and 70s don’t want to get rid of their policies—they want more! The best strategy is to purchase life insurance early to have it when you truly need it.

Another misconception is that life insurance is a lousy investment. Comparing life insurance to investments is like comparing apples to racing cars. Investments carry risk, but whole life insurance is a contractual guarantee. It offers stability, liquidity, and control—features that investments often lack. Life insurance can also serve as a financial safety net during emergencies or allow you to seize investment opportunities without liquidating assets. Its stable growth and accessibility make it a valuable financial tool.

Lastly, there is the idea that you should only buy term insurance because it’s cheaper. The idea of “buy term and invest the difference” might sound appealing but comes with risks. Investments are subject to market volatility, taxes, and limited access. While term insurance might seem cost-effective, most people fail to invest the difference as planned. Whole life insurance provides certainty and guaranteed growth, making it a more reliable option for many.

Life insurance is often misunderstood. We’ve tackled five myths today, but if you have more, drop them in the comments—we’d be happy to cover them in a future blog post. You can also visit our website, Tier1capital.com and schedule your free strategy session.Remember, it’s not how much money you make but how much you keep that matters.

Hidden Costs of Traditional Financial Advice: Avoid Taxes, Risks, and Inflation

When it comes to conventional wisdom, what most people don’t realize when they’re following it is that there are costs associated with the decisions that we’re making every day. These tiny decisions we make make a big impact over time, and that’s exactly why we’re going to dive into those hidden costs of following traditional financial advice today.

So you mean to tell me that free advice isn’t free? It’s funny because the media puts out all of this conventional wisdom of things we should and shouldn’t be doing with our money as if they’re moving us forward and not in their own best interest. There are hidden costs, and that’s such a great topic because conventional wisdom or traditional financial advice is rooted in risk or volatility. Basically, what’s happening is you’re being sold or positioned to expose your money or your wealth to risk and volatility—things, by the way, over which you have very limited, if any, control. That goes totally against what we talk about here. We are always talking about how we could put you in control of your money and how we can make that money as efficient as possible. By exposing that money to risk exclusively, you’re absolutely out of control. We don’t necessarily have control over the efficiency either because there are taxes and laws associated with each different type of account.

In order to make your money more efficient, oftentimes, especially with what we talk about, we step back from the conventional wisdom. We step back from the conventional way of financing, saving, and using our money to put ourselves in control instead of following that conventional wisdom, which leaves the control out of our hands. If I’m doing financial planning and I have a specific goal in mind, I know what the goal is, and I want a surefire way on how to get there. I don’t want to risk my way to that reward or the possibility of that reward because the last thing we want is to put all of this money away for all of this time and not be able to achieve that goal even though we played our part.

The rules can change, or the markets can change. Maybe you don’t want to take risks or expose your money and wealth to volatility. There’s another hidden cost: taxes. Once you’re putting your money away, your goal is to get a high rate of return. Is that really the goal? At the end of the day, the more you make, the more Uncle Sam takes. You’ve got a partner in that account, and that’s something that most people don’t take into consideration. Right away, you’re exposing yourself to risk and taxes that you may not have been exposed to had you not followed conventional wisdom. Not to mention inflation and high-interest rates.

Traditional financing also leaves you out of control with blatant costs like interest rates and hidden costs like not being able to save or access that money again and not feeling financially free. Paying off a mortgage quickly is often seen as wise, but is it actually moving you forward financially? Home equity isn’t necessarily liquid. It’s the bank’s decision to let you access it, not yours. If the rules change, or something happens where you’re unable to qualify, you’re left without options.

Additionally, following conventional advice often exposes you to regulation changes that are beyond your control. Rules made in Washington can directly impact you. We always talk about control, efficiency, and saving in a place you own and control, like a specially designed whole-life insurance policy. This allows for guaranteed growth, opportunities for non-guaranteed growth with dividends, and a framework where the rules are laid out clearly in a contract. Saving conventionally often means strong dollars today are being put away to retrieve weaker dollars in the future, given the effects of inflation.

Not being able to access the money along the way is a major challenge. Financial goals like buying a house, sending kids to college, or starting a business all require money, and inflation makes everything more expensive. Having access to money throughout your financial journey is critical. Putting it in places subject to regulation, taxes, and market risks limits your options.

The answer is to protect yourself from risks: losses, taxes, regulations, and inflation. Various strategies and places can help you do this, and we can guide you to find the best fit for your situation. If you’d like to learn more visit our website Tier1capital.com to book a free strategy session today! And remember, it’s not how much money you make—it’s how much you keep that truly matters.

What Are Whole Life Insurance Dividends and How Can You Use Them to Build Wealth?

When it comes to dividends associated with a whole life insurance policy, there are several dividend options available to policyholders. These options allow you to customize how your dividends work for you, and understanding them is key to making the best choice for your financial goals. As owners of a whole life policy with a mutual insurance company, policyholders share in the profits of the company and have the freedom to decide how to use their dividends. The first option is to receive your dividends directly in cash. At the end of the year, mutual insurance companies calculate their profits. Since you’re a policyholder and therefore an owner of the company, you’re entitled to a share of these profits. If you choose this option, the insurance company will issue you a check for your share of the profits. It’s a straightforward way to put cash in your pocket.

The second option is to reduce the premium on your policy. For example, if your annual premium is $1,000 and your dividend is $200, you’ll only need to pay the remaining $800. This method reduces the out-of-pocket cost of maintaining your policy. Both the cash and premium reduction options provide immediate financial relief, which can be appealing for those looking for quick results. The third option involves using dividends to purchase one-year term insurance, which increases your death benefit. While the cost of term insurance rises with age, the additional death benefit remains consistent, providing extra security for your beneficiaries or chosen charity.

Another option is to let your dividends accumulate at interest. Here, dividends are held by the insurance company in a separate account and earn a fixed rate, typically between three and four and a half percent. This allows your dividends to grow without immediate use, providing a layer of steady financial growth. A highly popular option is using dividends to purchase paid-up additions—additional life insurance that increases both the cash value and death benefit of your policy without requiring further premiums. This strategy allows your money to grow and compound uninterrupted. Over time, this creates exponential growth as dividends generate more dividends, which in turn generate even more dividends. It’s a powerful way to build long-term wealth while maintaining liquidity through the policy’s loan provision.

Lastly, if you have taken a loan against your policy, you can use your dividends to pay the loan interest. Any remaining dividends can then be reinvested or applied to purchase paid-up additions, helping you manage debt while still growing your policy’s value. Dividends are essentially a bonus—a return of profit from the insurance company to you. How you utilize them depends on your financial goals and current needs. Whether you prefer immediate cash, long-term growth, or loan management, there’s an option that fits your strategy.

These are the six main dividend options we know of. If you’ve encountered others, feel free to share your insights. Remember, dividends are a powerful tool, and how you use them can make a big difference in achieving your financial objectives.

Visit our website Tier1capital.com to book a free strategy session today! And remember, it’s not how much money you make—it’s how much you keep that truly matters.