What if your business could grow without burning you out?

In this episode of Olive Insights, Sarah Petty takes you behind the scenes of how she built Olive Business Partners and shares the real story of scaling a service based, fractional CFO business without sacrificing her lifestyle.

After leaving corporate, Sarah was warned that business ownership would mean longer hours and constant hustle. Instead, she intentionally designed a model that supports flexibility, recurring revenue, and sustainable growth.

In this candid, practical episode, she walks through the decisions, mindset shifts, and structural changes that helped her move from being the bottleneck to building a team that delivers quality and trust at scale.

If you run a service based business and feel stuck trading time for money, this episode will give you a clearer path forward.

In this episode, Sarah covers:

• Why service based businesses can be difficult to scale
• How founders unintentionally become the bottleneck
• The shift from doing everything yourself to delegating with confidence
• Why flexible resourcing reduces risk and burnout
• The impact of bringing in senior support instead of junior hires
• How a business manager can free up your mental load
• Why recurring revenue creates stability and better planning
• How to design a business that fits your life, not the other way around

If you want to grow your business without working nights and weekends, this episode will help you rethink your structure and build support that actually scales.

Because you do not need a perfect model from day one. You just need one that evolves with you.

About Olive Business Partners
Olive Business Partners is a Virtual CFO firm founded and led by Sarah Petty, a seasoned CFO passionate about helping business owners take control of their finances and scale with confidence. Whether you're planning to hire a team, invest in technology, expand into new markets, launch new products, take on larger clients, raise capital, or prepare for acquisition, we’ll help you make informed financial decisions that support your long-term success.

Like the olive tree, we believe in steady, resilient growth. We connect ambitious business owners with experienced CFOs, providing tailored support for the stage you're at and the challenges you're facing. Our flexible model gives you access to expert financial guidance when and where you need it without the cost of a full-time CFO.

Success Circle: The Success Circle | Step up, scale up and achieve ongoing financial success. — Olive Business Part…

Why does running a “fine” business still feel so stressful?

In this episode of Olive Insights, Sarah Petty talks about a type of stress that rarely gets discussed but is incredibly common among business owners. That constant, low level anxiety that lingers in the background, even when sales are steady and nothing seems obviously wrong.

From the outside, everything looks okay. Clients are happy, revenue is coming in, and the bills are paid. But internally, there is still uncertainty. Questions like “Is this actually working?” or “Should I be earning more by now?” quietly sit in your mind.

Sarah explains why this stress often has less to do with crisis and more to do with a lack of clarity, especially around profit.

Drawing on her experience as a virtual CFO, she shares how understanding your numbers and defining what profit really means for your business can dramatically reduce the mental load and help you make decisions with confidence instead of fear.

In this episode, Sarah covers:

• Why business ownership creates a unique kind of stress
• The constant mental load many owners carry in the background
• How uncertainty fuels anxiety more than bad news ever could
• Why avoiding your numbers keeps you stuck in guesswork
• The importance of understanding profit, not just revenue
• How financial clarity reduces risk and decision fatigue
• Practical ways to regain control and calm in your business

If your business looks healthy on the surface but still feels heavy behind the scenes, this episode will help you understand why and show you how clarity can replace that constant worry.

Because confidence in your business comes from knowing your numbers, not hoping for the best.

About Olive Business Partners
Olive Business Partners is a Virtual CFO firm founded and led by Sarah Petty, a seasoned CFO passionate about helping business owners take control of their finances and scale with confidence. Whether you're planning to hire a team, invest in technology, expand into new markets, launch new products, take on larger clients, raise capital, or prepare for acquisition, we’ll help you make informed financial decisions that support your long-term success.

Like the olive tree, we believe in steady, resilient growth. We connect ambitious business owners with experienced CFOs, providing tailored support for the stage you're at and the challenges you're facing. Our flexible model gives you access to expert financial guidance when and where you need it without the cost of a full-time CFO.

Success Circle: The Success Circle | Step up, scale up and achieve ongoing financial success. — Olive Business Part…

Does growing your business feel heavier instead of easier?

In this episode of Olive Insights, Sarah Petty explores how successful entrepreneurs grow their businesses with clarity and calm rather than constant stress and exhaustion.

Drawing on her experience working with founders across all stages of growth, Sarah explains why ease in business is not about slowing down or lowering ambition. It is about intentional design, focus, and financial clarity.

This episode unpacks the difference between chaotic growth and sustainable growth and shows how structure and simplicity create momentum rather than friction.

In this episode, Sarah covers:

• Why many business owners feel constant pressure and fatigue
• The difference between calm leaders and reactive leaders
• Why designing your business model before scaling matters
• How leverage creates growth without longer hours
• Why focus and saying no are essential for momentum
• How simplicity reduces complexity and stress
• The role of financial visibility in confident decision making
• Why not all growth is good growth
• How the right support reduces decision fatigue

If your business growth is starting to feel overwhelming, this episode will help you rethink how you scale and choose a path that supports both performance and wellbeing.

Because ease in business is a choice, not something you earn later.

About Olive Business Partners
Olive Business Partners is a Virtual CFO firm founded and led by Sarah Petty, a seasoned CFO passionate about helping business owners take control of their finances and scale with confidence. Whether you're planning to hire a team, invest in technology, expand into new markets, launch new products, take on larger clients, raise capital, or prepare for acquisition, we’ll help you make informed financial decisions that support your long-term success.

Like the olive tree, we believe in steady, resilient growth. We connect ambitious business owners with experienced CFOs, providing tailored support for the stage you're at and the challenges you're facing. Our flexible model gives you access to expert financial guidance when and where you need it without the cost of a full-time CFO.

Find out more about Olive Business Partners:
Website: Olive Business Partners
Instagram: @olivebusinesspartners
LinkedIn: Olive Business Partners

Got a question or topic idea?
Submit it here → Podcast Question Form

Interested in being a guest on the Olive podcast?
Let us know → Podcast Guest EOI Form

Do you know the early warning signs of a cash crunch before panic sets in?

In this episode of Olive Insights, Sarah Petty tackles one of the most stressful and common challenges in business: running out of cash. While many business owners believe cash crunches happen suddenly, Sarah explains why most financial pressure builds quietly over time and how the warning signs often appear months in advance.

Drawing on her experience as a virtual CFO, Sarah walks through the most common indicators that cash flow is tightening and why even profitable, growing businesses can still run into cash problems. She also explores the emotional toll cash stress takes on business owners and why avoidance often makes the situation worse.

This episode is designed to help you recognise the signals early so you can take action before financial pressure turns into a crisis.

In this episode, Sarah covers:

• Why most cash crunches are not sudden and how they build over time
• The early warning signs business owners often miss
• Why watching your bank balance with anxiety is a red flag
• How stretching supplier payments signals cash flow stress
• Why cutting owner pay creates a false sense of stability
• How revenue growth can actually increase cash pressure
• Why avoiding forecasts leads to bigger financial problems
• Practical steps to regain visibility and control over cash flow

If you are feeling financial pressure building or want to be better prepared before it happens, this episode will help you move from reactive decisions to proactive cash management.

Because cash flow problems are manageable when you see them early.

About Olive Business Partners
Olive Business Partners is a Virtual CFO firm founded and led by Sarah Petty, a seasoned CFO passionate about helping business owners take control of their finances and scale with confidence. Whether you're planning to hire a team, invest in technology, expand into new markets, launch new products, take on larger clients, raise capital, or prepare for acquisition, we’ll help you make informed financial decisions that support your long-term success.

Like the olive tree, we believe in steady, resilient growth. We connect ambitious business owners with experienced CFOs, providing tailored support for the stage you're at and the challenges you're facing. Our flexible model gives you access to expert financial guidance when and where you need it without the cost of a full-time CFO.

Find out more about Olive Business Partners:
Website: Olive Business Partners
Instagram: @olivebusinesspartners
LinkedIn: Olive Business Partners

Got a question or topic idea?
Submit it here → Podcast Question Form

Interested in being a guest on the Olive podcast?
Let us know → Podcast Guest EOI Form

What actually separates successful CEOs from busy business owners?

In this episode of Olive Insights, Sarah Petty breaks down the financial habits she has seen consistently across successful CEOs, from early-stage founders through to leaders of multibillion dollar organisations.

While many people assume success comes from bold moves or big moments, Sarah explains why it is often the quiet, consistent financial habits that create stability, confidence, and long term growth.

Drawing on her experience as a corporate finance leader and virtual CFO, Sarah unpacks how CEOs think about money differently and how business owners can start adopting these habits at any stage of growth.

This episode focuses less on complex strategies and more on the everyday behaviours that help CEOs lead with clarity rather than stress.

In this episode, Sarah covers:

• Why successful CEOs focus on boring, consistent financial habits
• How to know your numbers without obsessing over every detail
• The key metrics CEOs actually pay attention to
• Why cash is treated as strategic, not accidental
• How to separate emotion from financial decision making
• When and why CEOs invest in support earlier than feels comfortable
• How to think long term even when under short term pressure
• Why regular financial reviews matter, even when nothing feels wrong

If you want to step more confidently into the CEO role and make clearer, calmer financial decisions, this episode will help you build habits that support sustainable growth rather than constant firefighting.

Because strong leadership starts with financial clarity, not perfection.

About Olive Business Partners
Olive Business Partners is a Virtual CFO firm founded and led by Sarah Petty, a seasoned CFO passionate about helping business owners take control of their finances and scale with confidence. Whether you're planning to hire a team, invest in technology, expand into new markets, launch new products, take on larger clients, raise capital, or prepare for acquisition, we’ll help you make informed financial decisions that support your long-term success.

Like the olive tree, we believe in steady, resilient growth. We connect ambitious business owners with experienced CFOs, providing tailored support for the stage you're at and the challenges you're facing. Our flexible model gives you access to expert financial guidance when and where you need it without the cost of a full-time CFO.

Find out more about Olive Business Partners:
Website: Olive Business Partners
Instagram: @olivebusinesspartners
LinkedIn: Olive Business Partners

Got a question or topic idea?
Submit it here → Podcast Question Form

Interested in being a guest on the Olive podcast?
Let us know → Podcast Guest EOI Form

Are you really building a business that pays you well or just keeping it afloat?

In this solo episode of Olive Insights, Sarah Petty challenges one of the most ingrained beliefs in small business: that paying yourself properly is something you earn later.

Too many founders normalise underpaying themselves, skipping wages altogether, or treating owner pay as whatever’s left at the end of the month. Sarah explains why this mindset isn’t just unsustainable. It’s a sign of an unhealthy business.

Drawing on her background as a corporate finance leader and virtual CFO, Sarah unpacks what it truly means to build a business that pays you well, consistently and intentionally. She reframes owner pay as a planned business expense, not a reward for surviving another month, and walks through the financial foundations required to make that possible.

In this episode, Sarah covers:

• Why paying yourself last is a dangerous myth in business
• What paying yourself well actually looks like in practice
• The five pillars that support sustainable owner pay
• How underpricing directly impacts your ability to earn a proper salary
• The difference between profit and cash and why both matter
• How to design a simpler, more profitable business model
• Practical steps to start paying yourself regularly, even if it’s modest to begin with

If your business relies on personal sacrifice, inconsistent drawings, or waiting until things settle down, this episode will help you rethink your approach and start treating your role as CEO with the financial respect it deserves.

Because a healthy business should support your life, not depend on you burning out to keep it alive.

About Olive Business Partners
Olive Business Partners is a Virtual CFO firm founded and led by Sarah Petty, a seasoned CFO passionate about helping business owners take control of their finances and scale with confidence. Whether you're planning to hire a team, invest in technology, expand into new markets, launch new products, take on larger clients, raise capital, or prepare for acquisition, we’ll help you make informed financial decisions that support your long-term success.

Like the olive tree, we believe in steady, resilient growth. We connect ambitious business owners with experienced CFOs, providing tailored support for the stage you're at and the challenges you're facing. Our flexible model gives you access to expert financial guidance when and where you need it without the cost of a full-time CFO.

Find out more about Olive Business Partners:
Website: Olive Business Partners
Instagram: @olivebusinesspartners
LinkedIn: Olive Business Partners

Got a question or topic idea?
Submit it here → Podcast Question Form

Interested in being a guest on the Olive podcast?
Let us know → Podcast Guest EOI Form

In this episode, host Sarah Petty unpacks how chaos creeps into growing businesses and why it’s such a common experience for founders.

She walks through the seven common ways chaos shows up, why they’re so easy to ignore at first, and what they’re really costing you as the business scales. You’ll also hear practical ways to start regaining control.

This episode is for founders who feel busy, stretched, or reactive, and want their business to feel more structured, intentional, and sustainable.

Key takeaways

• Why chaos is often a sign of growth, not failure
• The seven most common ways chaos creeps into a business
• How simplification creates immediate relief
• Why support and structure matter more as you scale
• How stepping into the CEO role helps restore control

Find out more about Olive Business Partners:
Website: Olive Business Partners
Instagram: @olivebusinesspartners
LinkedIn: Olive Business Partners

In this episode of Olive Insights, Sarah Petty interviews Ben Van Rooy, an entrepreneur and founder of Human Digital marketing agency, discussing the critical relationship between marketing and sales. They explore the importance of understanding the differences between the two, the long-term investment required in marketing, and how business owners can effectively balance their marketing and sales responsibilities.

Ben emphasises the need for personal branding, customer feedback, and strategic channel selection to drive business growth.

Links:⁠
https://www.linkedin.com/in/benvanrooy/

https://humandigital.com/

Find out more about Olive Business Partners:
Website: Olive Business Partners
Instagram: @olivebusinesspartners
LinkedIn: Olive Business Partners