How to Build a Profitable Business Using Proven Business Tips
If you’ve been running your business for a while and noticed your profits shrinking, you’re not alone. What’s happening today in the marketplace isn’t new, it’s a cycle that repeats itself. Whether you’re watching this now or ten years from now, the truth is the same: business owners lose profits because they lose discipline, efficiency, and clarity.
I’m Joey Battista, and I’ve built businesses in some of the toughest, razor-thin industries out there. I know what it’s like to fight for every percent of profit. When I started, there was no room for waste. If something fell off, your competitor would eat you alive. That experience taught me lessons that I carry into every company I build and coach today.
And that’s what I want to share with you here, how to identify and fix the real reasons your business isn’t as profitable as it should be.
The Truth About Profit Margins in Today’s Market
Let’s be real. Most business owners who were once pulling 30, 40, or even 50 percent net profits aren’t seeing those same numbers today. The reason? It’s not just the economy or inflation. Sure, those play a role. But the deeper truth is that many businesses have gotten fat and sloppy.
I’m not talking about your waistline. I’m talking about your operations. Over time, success breeds comfort. And comfort breeds inefficiency. When you start making money easily, you stop watching the details that got you there in the first place. You stop inspecting what you expect.
So ask yourself honestly: Is your business fat?
Are you holding onto waste, bad habits, or people who no longer fit your goals? Are you paying for marketing that you haven’t checked the ROI on in months? Have your systems become more of a burden than a tool?
If the answer is yes to any of those, good. Because awareness is the first step toward change. This is your chance to get lean again and rebuild a profitable business from the inside out.
1. Identify the Real Problems Inside Your Business
Before you can fix anything, you’ve got to identify where things are broken. There are three major areas that determine your profitability: People, Marketing, and Systems.
Let’s start with people.
People are your biggest investment. They’re also your biggest opportunity, or your biggest leak. If your team is inefficient, unclear, or unaccountable, your profit margin will bleed fast. You can’t just look at payroll as a cost; you have to look at performance.
Ask yourself:
Are my leaders actually leading, or are they just managing?
Have I developed my people to think like owners?
Do they have the training and skills to execute at a high level?
If the answer is no, you’ve just found your first bottleneck. Development drives dollars. The better your people perform, the more efficient your business becomes, and efficiency builds profit.
Now, let’s move to marketing.
Most people think marketing is just advertising: Google, Facebook, mailers, or canvassing. But marketing is how you get customers, period. Whether you knock on doors or run digital ads, you have to know your numbers.
When was the last time you broke down your marketing channels and looked at what’s working and what’s not?
If you can’t answer that, you’re likely wasting money.
And finally, systems.
Even the best people and marketing won’t help you if your systems are broken. Every part of your business, from client acquisition to fulfillment, should have a clear, documented process that people actually follow. If they aren’t, you’re paying for inefficiency, not execution.
2. Develop Your People and Leadership
Here’s the deal: leadership drives profit.
You can have the best products, the most innovative technology, and a strong marketing budget, but if your leadership is weak, your results will be too.
You need to constantly develop your leaders and your team.
I’ve worked with companies that had amazing potential but couldn’t scale because they never invested in people development. Private equity firms know this. When they buy companies, they look for leadership gaps first. They know that better leaders equal better performance and higher valuations.
Now, you don’t have to be a private equity firm to think that way. Whether you’re a solo entrepreneur or running a $10 million company, you should be thinking about your business as if it could be acquired tomorrow.
Ask yourself:
Would someone want to buy my company today?
Would they find inefficiencies or a well-oiled machine?
Even if you never plan to sell, operating with that mindset forces you to build a profitable, scalable business.
So start developing your people now.
If you can’t afford big training programs yet, start small.
Watch videos, read books, attend masterminds, or get coaching.
And if you already have a team, build out development plans for each leader.
You’ll be amazed how quickly performance improves when people feel invested in and challenged.
3. Audit Your Marketing and Find What Works
I can’t tell you how many business owners I talk to who can’t answer this question: What’s your best-performing marketing channel?
They’ll say, “Oh, we do well on Google,” but when I ask, “When’s the last time you checked?” they can’t tell me. That’s a huge red flag.
Marketing should never be based on feelings. It’s numbers, pure and simple. Every 90 days, you should review your marketing spend like a scientist:
Break it down by platform (Google, Facebook, radio, door knocking, referrals, etc.)
Measure return on ad spend (ROAS)
Reallocate to what’s performing best
If you find out you’re spending $10,000 on a channel that isn’t converting, cut it. Move that money into what’s working. Or reinvest it into your people or systems.
Your marketing must evolve as your business does. What worked last year might not work today. Stay nimble, stay curious, and stay data-driven.
4. Tighten Your Processes and Systems
Now, let’s talk about your systems.
Processes are the backbone of your operation. But most companies make one big mistake: they assume that because a process exists, it’s being followed.
The truth? Most aren’t.
You might have a documented client fulfillment process, but if your team isn’t using it, it’s worthless.
And even worse, you’re probably paying people to ignore the system you built.
That’s why auditing your systems is critical.
Ask yourself:
Are my processes being followed consistently?
Are they efficient, or do they create extra work for my team?
Do my people understand why these processes exist?
Sometimes, the systems we built years ago don’t make sense anymore. They might have worked when you had five employees, but now you have fifty.
Revisit and refine them. Simplify where possible.
If a process adds complexity without adding value, remove it.
When your team can execute smoothly, your costs drop, your output rises, and your profit margin grows.
5. Become a Lean, Focused, and Profitable Operator
Here’s the mindset shift you need to make right now:
Stop blaming the market, inflation, or competition. Those are things you can’t control. Focus on what you can: your leadership, your team, your marketing, and your systems.
Every business, no matter the size, drifts into inefficiency over time. The winners are the ones who recognize it and act fast.
If you want to dominate when the market gets better, you need to get strong while it’s tough. This is when you sharpen your edge. This is when you create the kind of discipline that separates amateurs from professionals.
Admit where you’ve gotten lazy. Look at your numbers with brutal honesty.
Are your profits shrinking because of market compression or because you stopped holding yourself accountable?
When you start leading with ownership again, you’ll notice something powerful: your people rise with you. And as your people rise, your profits follow.
6. Create a Profit Plan You Can Stick To
Let’s pull this together.
If you want to build a profitable business that can scale without stress, you need to:
Identify inefficiencies in people, marketing, and systems.
Develop your leaders so they can multiply performance.
Analyze your marketing every 90 days and reallocate based on results.
Simplify your processes so your team can win every day.
Hold yourself accountable to higher standards, no matter how successful you already are.
This isn’t about working harder; it’s about operating smarter. It’s about running your company like an elite athlete runs their body: efficient, focused, and ready for competition.
The Final Takeaway is to Get Better Now, Not Later
If you’ve been operating with high margins and they’ve started to slip, take this as your wake-up call. You don’t need to panic, you just need to pivot.
The market will always change. What matters is how disciplined you are in adapting. Lean into development, track your numbers, fix inefficiencies, and you’ll come out of this stronger than ever.
Remember: the best time to get better is when things are hard. Because when things get easy again, you’ll dominate.
If you’re ready to tighten your systems, develop stronger leaders, and grow a truly profitable business, I can help you do it faster. I’ve been where you are, and I know how to turn chaos into clarity.
Let’s get your business operating at peak performance.
You can call me directly at 571-576-6194, or schedule a one-on-one appointment with my team.
Let’s build your machine: leaner, smarter, and more profitable than ever.
