Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Milan.
Hi Mike, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I didn’t grow up dreaming of becoming “Cash Flow Mike.” In fact, my career started in a completely different world — as a Missouri State Trooper. That experience taught me more about communication, human behavior, and staying calm in chaotic situations than any business school could. It’s also where I learned verbal judo, a technique that later shaped how I work with clients and teach advisors to guide conversations instead of controlling them.
After law enforcement, I jumped head-first into entrepreneurship. Over the years, I built or helped build 14 companies across multiple industries — janitorial services, hotel staffing, consulting, software, and others. Some thrived, some struggled, and some taught me million-dollar lessons the hard way. But the common thread I noticed in every business — including my own — was that success or failure almost always came down to one thing: cash flow.
Most business owners weren’t running out of ideas.
They were running out of money.
And most advisors weren’t trained to help them fix it.
That realization changed the direction of my entire career. I became obsessed with simplifying financial analysis — taking something most people find intimidating and turning it into a conversation they could understand in minutes. That led to my book Don’t Be a D.U.M.B. Business Owner, then The 7 Minute Conversation, where I introduced a method to analyze financial statements quickly and meaningfully.
From there, things grew fast. I started teaching workshops, then corporate trainings, then national conferences. Banks, accounting firms, and advisory teams began bringing me in to train their professionals. That work eventually evolved into the full Clear Path to Cash system — a complete framework for finding hidden cash, improving profitability, forecasting the future, and building transferable business value.
To scale the impact even further, I built the Clear Path to Cash software — a tool that makes advanced financial advisory services accessible to advisors and small business owners at every level. Today, more than 25,000 bankers, accountants, and business owners have been trained through my courses, books, events, and certification programs.
Looking back, the journey has been anything but predictable. From policing highways to helping business owners uncover millions in hidden cash, each step taught me something. Every experience shaped the work I do today. And the mission hasn’t changed:
help people understand their numbers, make confident decisions, and build a business that supports the life they want — not the other way around.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
A smooth road? Not even close — and honestly, I’m grateful for that. Every major turning point in my career came from a struggle that forced me to get better.
When I left law enforcement and became an entrepreneur, I learned very quickly that passion doesn’t guarantee profit. I made a lot of early mistakes — hiring too fast, trusting the wrong partners, growing without understanding the financial implications. A few of those lessons were expensive, both financially and emotionally. But they shaped the advisor I eventually became.
One of the toughest seasons was running a staffing company where our revenue was strong but our cash flow was a mess. We were profitable on paper and broke in real life — a painful but powerful introduction to the difference between accounting and cash flow. That experience is what pushed me to create tools that help other owners avoid that same trap.
Another challenge came when I started teaching financial concepts. I assumed people would “get it” if I explained it clearly. They didn’t. That forced me to simplify, refine, and ultimately develop the storytelling approach behind The 7 Minute Conversation and the Clear Path to Cash system. What began as a struggle eventually became my superpower.
And of course, growing a training company and building a software platform comes with its own ups and downs — launches that didn’t go as planned, tech hurdles, hiring mistakes, and all the uncertainty that comes with entrepreneurship. But every setback revealed something important: business owners need clarity, not complexity. Those moments reinforced my mission and shaped the tools and teachings I offer today.
So no, it hasn’t been a smooth road. But the bumps, mistakes, and hard lessons are what gave me the perspective and experience I now use to help others avoid the same pitfalls. In this line of work, your scars become your value.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
At my core, I help business owners and their advisors understand the story behind their numbers so they can make smarter, more confident decisions. I specialize in cash flow management, financial interpretation, and building advisory systems that transform the way accountants, bookkeepers, bankers, and fractional CFOs serve their clients.
Through my Clear Path to Cash framework, I train professionals to identify hidden cash in a business, improve profitability, forecast the future, and build transferable value. I’m known for taking complex financial concepts and making them simple, visual, and conversational. That’s why my signature method — The 7 Minute Conversation — has become popular in advisory circles. It shows anyone how to interpret financial statements in minutes, not hours, and turn those insights into actionable guidance.
My work stretches across several areas:
Training & Certification: Thousands of advisors and bankers have gone through my courses, workshops, and the Clear Path To Cash Professional Certification.
Software Development: I built the Clear Path to Cash app, which helps advisors quickly analyze a business, find financial problems, and deliver insights with confidence.
Books & Education: I’ve written multiple books, including Don’t Be a D.U.M.B. Business Owner and Don’t T.E.L.L. Me What To Do, which teach owners how to think differently about money and conversations.
Speaking & Consulting: I’ve trained over 25,000 professionals nationwide on how to elevate their financial conversations and uncover millions in hidden cash within their clients’ businesses.
What I’m most proud of is the impact. I’ve helped business owners find more than $150 million in hidden cash and increased their business values by over $1 billion collectively — not by selling them fancy tools, but by teaching them how to truly understand their numbers.
What sets me apart is my approach. I teach financial advisory like a conversation, not a spreadsheet. My background as a state trooper — learning verbal judo, reading people, and listening more than I speak — shaped the Elevation Sequence and the Advisor’s Creed, which help advisors guide clients to their own insights instead of lecturing them.
In short, my work is about clarity, confidence, and connection. I give advisors the tools to deliver meaningful financial advice and give business owners the power to build companies that are healthier, more valuable, and more resilient. And that’s what keeps me excited to do this every day.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
One thing that surprises a lot of people is that before I ever stepped into the business world, I spent years working as a Missouri state trooper. Most people who know me today as “Cash Flow Mike” — the guy teaching financial strategy, cash flow systems, and advisory conversations — have no idea that I started my career on the highway, not in a boardroom.
Even more surprising is how much of that experience shaped what I do now. In law enforcement, you learn how to stay calm in chaos, how to read people quickly, and how to guide tense conversations without escalating them. That’s where I learned verbal judo, the communication framework that eventually influenced the Elevation Sequence and the Advisor’s Creed in my training programs.
Another fun one: people assume I was always a “numbers guy.” The truth is, I became one out of necessity. I didn’t fall in love with financial statements until I realized they were the only honest storyteller in a business. Once I cracked the code on how to read them like a narrative, everything changed — and that’s when I started teaching others to do the same.
And on a lighter note… most people don’t know I’m a huge craft beer nerd and co-host a podcast where we talk business, money, and life over a couple of beers. It’s become one of my favorite creative outlets.
So yes — beneath the financial educator and software founder is a former state trooper, communication geek, and craft beer fan who took a very unexpected road to becoming Cash Flow Mike.
Pricing:
- Membership is $329 per month for my video course library, live coaching events, and software.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cashflowmike.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecashflowmike/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ImCashFlowMike
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemilan/
- Twitter: https://x.com/CashFlowMike
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CashFlowMikeMilan
- Other: https://mikeandblaine.com
