Ellen Rohr | How to Read the Numbers Before They Become Problems

Tom Howard sits down with Ellen Rohr, business advisor and co-founder of Zoom Drain, to unpack the financial habits that help trades businesses make better decisions. Ellen explains how to connect frontline numbers such as close rate, average ticket, cost per lead, and lead volume to trailing numbers such as sales, profit, cash, and the balance sheet. They also break down departmental financials, gross profit, overhead, pricing, and the discipline of auditing the numbers every week. The conversation is a practical reminder that financial clarity is not about building a perfect spreadsheet; it is about giving owners and teams enough visibility to act sooner. In this episode: Track the frontline numbers that predict future performance. Separate departments so gross profit is visible by part of the business. Connect pricing, overhead, and net profit to the revenue plan. Audit financial statements consistently instead of waiting for year-end. Use open-book communication to help teams understand the decisions. Connect with Tom Howard Linktree: https://linktr.ee/howarddeals Website: https://howarddeals.com/ YouTube:    / @howarddeals   Instagram:   / realtomhoward   TikTok:   / realtomhoward   X: https://x.com/dealshoward Connect with Ellen Rohr Website: https://ellenrohr.com/ Zoom Drain: https://www.zoomdrain.com/ LinkedIn:   / ellen-rohr-5052101   Chapter Markers: 00:00 - Meet Ellen Rohr 05:00 - Working Inside a Growing Trades Business 10:04 - The Financial Story Behind Growth 15:02 - Frontline and Trailing Numbers 20:02 - Departmentalizing Financials 25:06 - Gross Profit, Overhead, and Net Profit 30:01 - Pricing for a Sustainable Business 35:01 - Learning from Bigger Operators 40:04 - Implementing Solutions Quickly 45:00 - Asking for Help and Charging What You Are Worth 50:01 - Open-Book Management