Claire Markwick: Grow Yourself To Grow Your Business

``` Most business owners read their numbers like a history book. By the time the story is written, it is already too late to change the ending. In this episode of Internal Momentum, Ben sits down with Claire Markwick, a consulting CFO at OURCFO, to explore why the numbers most business owners rely on are pointed in the wrong direction, and what changes when you learn to read them forward instead of backward. Claire spent over twenty years in tax accounting before growing frustrated with work that only ever reported on what had already happened. She shares what it was like to lose her mojo for numbers, why she stepped away to study human behaviour, and how she came back with a different understanding of what her work is really for. Her point is simple and uncomfortable: your business cannot grow beyond you as a person. Ben and Claire explore the financial windscreen, why profit and the money in your bank account are not the same thing, and why so many owners feel stuck despite doing everything right. They move from the practical into the personal, covering certainty as a basic human need, the identity shift that has to happen as a business grows, and the reframing skill that separates the people who keep going from the people who stall. Ben opens up about the fifteen years he spent unable to read a profit and loss statement, and the ego that kept him busy and needed for far too long. Together they unpack why being called talented can feel like an insult, why the version of yourself you become on the way to the numbers matters more than the numbers, and why no one is coming to save you. If you have ever felt stuck in your business despite working harder than ever, this episode will change how you look at both your numbers and yourself. About the Guest Claire Markwick is a consulting CFO at OURCFO, a Perth-based outsourced financial consultancy helping ambitious small and medium businesses across Australia. Originally from the United Kingdom, she partners with business owners to turn their financial data into forward-looking strategy across profit, cash flow, and business valuation. She brings a deep interest in human behaviour and personal growth to the way she reads a set of numbers. Connect with Claire: Website: ourcfo.com.au LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/clairemarkwick Instagram: @claire_markwick ``` Chapters: 00:46 Introduction to Financial Insights 03:57 Understanding the Financial Windshield 06:57 The Impact of Forward-Looking Financials 11:47 The Importance of Certainty in Business 15:36 Profit vs. Cash Flow: Understanding the Difference 19:50 The Journey of Financial Literacy 29:32 Overcoming Mental Barriers in Business Growth 30:55 Embracing Challenges as Growth Opportunities 35:51 The Power of Reframing Perspectives 42:11 The Importance of Self-Reflection and Growth 46:52 The Role of Environment in Personal Development 51:57 Empowering Others Through Leadership 55:31 Taking the Leap into Entrepreneurship