Default Profitable

What happens when a creative person realizes she's actually in sales? In this episode of the Default Profitable podcast, host Matt Nettleton sits down with Lindsay Bledsoe, owner and senior creative director at Burnbright Creative Company, an Indianapolis-based indie advertising agency she co-founded with Nate Riggs. Lindsay spent 15 years inside other people's ad shops, first in Milwaukee newsrooms and then in Indy cable, before her position was eliminated in April 2025. Three months later she and Nate launched Burnbright. Their mission is simple: keep advertising honest, accessible, and affordable for the small businesses and nonprofits bigger shops walk past. Lindsay's take is that marketing is not a line item, it's a vital investment, and every dollar a small client spends should be treated that way.
Have you ever sold a vacuum cleaner door to door without ever asking anyone to buy one? Matt has, and he and Lindsay use it to dig into the part of running a business almost nobody warns you about. Lindsay didn't realize she'd become a full-time salesperson until a few months in. Her take: nobody wants to be sold to, but everyone loves a good ad. The emotional roller coaster surprised her more than the bookkeeping did. Her best advice for anyone about to take the leap: take a breath. You've got this.
Learn more about Lindsay Bledsoe and Burnbright Creative Company at https://www.burnbrightcreative.com/.
Listen to more Indianapolis Business Leaders at https://defaultprofitable.com or subscribe to Default Profitable on your favorite podcast platform.

Chris Boots was building a custom pantry cabinet at his wife's uncle's shop in 1999 when he looked at the top sitting on the cart and thought it kind of looked like a casket. He'd always wanted his own business. He didn't know what business. That cabinet was the seed.
He spent nights on the bed flipping through funeral trade magazines while his wife asked what on earth he was doing. He joined the Casket and Funeral Supply Association — he'd later become its president. He bought a CNC router he didn't know how to operate and was halfway through training in Atlanta before he asked the instructor what the machine actually looked like. Chris walked into the casket industry right as cremation rates climbed from 20% to 70% and the number of casket companies collapsed from hundreds to fifteen. He built CJ Boots Casket Company anyway, going after the high-end Marcellus niche that conglomerate buyouts had cut off from independent funeral homes.
Twenty-one years later he sold it, ran it through COVID for the new owners, tried Florida real estate, and landed in commercial insurance after a chance conversation on Lido Beach with a guy who happened to insure the same trade association Chris used to run. His advice for day one of any new business: understand cash flow before anything else. His motto for the rest of it: don't be afraid to go out on a limb, because that's where the fruit is.
Learn more about Chris Boots and his commercial insurance practice at https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-boots-2990735/. Listen to more Indianapolis Business Leaders at https://defaultprofitable.com or subscribe to Default Profitable on your favorite podcast platform.

David Reynolds and his sister Christina Reynolds-Grisby spent more than 25 years at the same electrical contracting company. The plan was always to buy it. They'd consulted with the bank, drawn up the legal work, and lined up the transfer of ownership. The morning the deal was supposed to close in 2023, they walked in and got introduced to the new owners. A private equity firm had bought it out from under them.
They decided to start Reynolds Electric standing in the parking lot that same morning. Three years later, they're a residential and light commercial electrical contractor in Indianapolis, an authorized Generac and Kohler dealer, with techs in the field and an office staff behind them.
In this conversation, David and Christina get into what 25 years as employees doesn't prepare you for. Picking a business structure. Finding a CPA. Building a brand from scratch. Christina spent six months on the van wrap. Her hair wasn't right, the shoes weren't sitting where she wanted them, the caricature head kept changing size. Her advice for any new founder is progress over perfection. She'll be the first to admit she didn't take it.
The takeaway Matt pulls out of the episode comes in two parts. Start it sooner than you think you want to. And if you're negotiating a business takeover with somebody you've trusted for two and a half decades, get it in writing anyway.
Learn more about David Reynolds, Christina Reynolds-Grisby, and Reynolds Electric at https://powerbyreynolds.com. Listen to more Indianapolis Business Leaders at https://defaultprofitable.com or subscribe to Default Profitable on your favorite podcast platform.

Will Steck and his sister both started at Winthrop Supply on the same day in 2009, sweeping warehouse floors and loading trucks. Eleven years later, they bought the business from their dad. Winthrop is a fourth-generation Indianapolis plumbing supply company started in 1939, and also happens to be the longest-running Rheem distributor in the country.
In this conversation, Will talks about the three years he and his sister spent modernizing the ERP before they owned a single share, the moment their father asked if they were in or if he should find a buyer, and the biggest lesson he'd go back and tell himself: stop trying to clone yourself. Find what your people are good at and let them do that.
Learn more about Will Steck and Winthrop Supply at https://www.winthropsupply.com.
Listen to more Indianapolis Business Leaders at https://defaultprofitable.com or subscribe to Default Profitable on your favorite podcast platform.

From Travel Turmoil to Aligned Success: Krystal Eicher's Real-Talk Business Journey
Dive into this candid conversation on the Default Profitable Podcast as host Matt Nettleton sits down with Krystal Eicher, co-founder of Serendipitous Rebel, to unpack her resilient path from a pandemic-crushed travel business to building a thriving coaching and consulting firm that empowers online entrepreneurs—especially coaches and service providers—to launch with strategy, avoid burnout, and design businesses that truly support their lives. Expect raw lessons on cash flow realities, the coaching vs. consulting divide, why "more" isn't always better, and the power of prioritizing life alignment alongside profitability—perfect for aspiring founders and established leaders craving sustainable growth without the hustle.
Listeners will walk away inspired with practical insights on resilience, smart investments in expertise, and redefining success on your own terms.
Learn more about Krystal Eicher and Serendipitous Rebel at https://www.linkedin.com/in/krystal-eicher.
Listen to more Indianapolis Business Leaders at https://defaultprofitable.com or subscribe to Default Profitable on your favorite podcast platform.

Host Matt Nettleton sits down with Nate Littlewood of Future Ready CFO, a former Wall Street investment banker who built (and exited) his own e-commerce business before becoming the go-to fractional CFO for consumer product and online brands. Nate pulls back the curtain on why so many founders stay in denial or overwhelm when it comes to their finances, how he uses historical numbers to help entrepreneurs confidently plan and scale without burnout, and the mindset shift that separates stressful businesses from predictably profitable ones.
Whether you’re an aspiring founder still hunting product-market fit or already running a seven-figure brand, you’ll walk away with clarity on when (and why) to bring in real financial expertise, the critical role of unit economics before scaling, and why doubling down on your actual strengths can be the most impactful decision you make as an entrepreneur.
Learn more about Nate Littlewood and Future Ready CFO at https://futurereadycfo.com.
Listen to more Indianapolis Business Leaders at https://defaultprofitable.com or subscribe to Default Profitable on your favorite podcast platform.
Takeaways
Founders often live in financial denial because the numbers tell a different story than the one they want to believe about their mission-driven business.
Understanding unit economics and building a basic cash flow forecast is enough financial work for early-stage founders still searching for product-market fit.
You cannot finance your way out of a bad product—product-market fit must come before hiring a fractional CFO or heavy financial modeling.
Historical financials are the foundation for future planning; clean books today unlock better strategic decisions tomorrow.
Many founders struggle most with customer-facing skills like marketing and sales, not the numbers side of the business.
Realizing your customers see your “impactful” product as a novelty gift can be demoralizing and signal it’s time to pivot.
Every business is either product-push (build it and find buyers) or customer-pull (solve problems for a specific audience)—knowing which you are changes your entire growth playbook.
Bringing finances from an afterthought to a strategic co-pilot dramatically reduces founder stress and accelerates profitable growth.
Focus on the one or two things you’re exceptionally good at and enjoy; outsource or avoid the rest to create more impact and legacy.
Chapters
00:00 Welcome to Default Profitable and Introducing Nate Littlewood
00:46 Nate’s Journey: Wall Street to E-commerce Founder to Fractional CFO
03:05 Why Nate Left High-Finance for Entrepreneurship and Purpose
05:32 Surprises of Running an E-commerce Business Despite Finance Background
08:02 The Demoralizing Moment: Realizing Customers Saw Products as Stocking Stuffers
10:48 Navigating the COVID Boom and Eventual Exit from E-commerce
12:09 The Founder Financial Spectrum: Denial → Overwhelm → Intrigue → Enlightenment
16:00 Using Past Numbers to Shape Future Strategy (Not Just Tax Compliance)
17:27 When to Hire a Fractional CFO – The Product-Market Fit Threshold
21:26 Product-Push vs Customer-Pull: Which Type of Business Are You?
23:58 How to Connect with Nate and Access Free Resources

Ryan Schwartz shares the unfiltered story of building Fenster Components—a niche manufacturer of wood window repair parts and replacement sashes—into a 25-year, nationwide, almost-entirely-online business that helps homeowners avoid costly full-window replacements. From spotting an opportunity in rotting clad-wood windows during his warranty job days, to surviving the 2008 housing crash, selling off service/install sides to focus on manufacturing, and shifting to e-commerce in 2013, Ryan delivers grounded lessons on profitability, perseverance, and why “being good at the work” is very different from running a profitable company. Listeners walk away with clarity on managing cash flow like your life depends on it, adapting to generational shifts in teams, the real weight of being responsible for people’s livelihoods, and why smart financial habits early on matter more than most founders admit.
Learn more about Ryan Schwartz and Fenster Components at https://fensterusa.com  
Listen to more Indianapolis Business Leaders at https://defaultprofitable.com or subscribe to Default Profitable on your favorite podcast platform.
Takeaways
Managing people—both employees and difficult customers—remains one of the hardest, never-ending parts of owning a business.  
Being skilled at your craft does not automatically mean you will be skilled at running a profitable, sustainable business.  
Early financial discipline (living below your means even in good years) is the single biggest regret many long-term founders carry.  
Generational differences in what makes employees feel valued have shifted dramatically—today’s teams often want experiences,
camaraderie, and flexibility more than traditional perks.  
Perseverance through ugly economic storms separates businesses that survive 25 years from those that don’t.  
Niche focus combined with solving a painful, underserved problem (expensive full-window replacements) can create lasting competitive
advantage with little direct competition.  
Transitioning from service/install to pure manufacturing and online sales can unlock scalability and dramatically reduce day-to-day chaos.
Owning a business means you are personally responsible for your team’s livelihoods—treat that duty with the seriousness it deserves.  No matter how many hard lessons you learn, the challenges never disappear; they simply change shape over time.
Chapters00:00 Welcome & Podcast Intro  00:34 Meeting Ryan & Quick Personal Background  01:54 Fenster Components – What They Actually Make  04:21 Solving the Rotten Sash Problem for Homeowners  05:14 The Origin Story – From College Entrepreneur to Warranty Wake-Up Call  07:34 Launching in 2000 & Early Window Repair Growth  09:46 Surviving 2008, Buying a Shop, Splitting the Company in 2012  11:38 Going All-In on Manufacturing & Online Sales (2013 Pivot)  14:58 Hardest Ongoing Lesson: Managing People & Generational Shifts  19:29 Blunt Advice for Anyone Thinking About Quitting Their Job to Start a Business  23:52 What 2026 Ryan Would Tell 2001 Ryan the Night Before Launch  27:48 Where to Learn More & Wrap-Up  

In this episode of the Default Profitable Podcast, host Matt Nettleton interviews Thomas Cox, who shares his journey from coaching college football to becoming a successful entrepreneur in the food and finance industries. Thomas discusses the importance of having multiple revenue streams, the concept of infinite banking, and his passion for educating others about personal finance. He emphasizes the significance of giving back and setting financial goals that focus on generosity rather than just income. The conversation also touches on the challenges of the insurance business and the importance of networking and building relationships in achieving success.
Learn more about Thomas Cox and Cox Capital at https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomascoxco.
Listen to more Indianapolis Business Leaders at https://defaultprofitable.com or subscribe to Default Profitable on your favorite podcast platform.
Takeaways
Thomas Cox transitioned from coaching college football to entrepreneurship.
He emphasizes the need for multiple revenue streams in business.
People often lack understanding of personal finance and money management.
The concept of infinite banking is crucial for financial growth.
Setting giving goals can be more fulfilling than income goals.
Networking and building relationships are key to business success.
Understanding the logistics of the insurance business is essential.
Meeting with clients regularly is vital for success in finance.
Inflows and outflows are necessary for a thriving business.
Education and resources are important for understanding infinite banking.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Thomas Cox and His Journey03:01 Transitioning to Finance and Infinite Banking06:44 The Importance of Financial Education10:00 Understanding High W2 Earners and Business Ownership11:32 Key Strategies for Success in Business13:39 The Flow of Life: Inflows and Outflows in Business

Join host Matt Nettleton in a candid conversation with Matt Allen, founder of Iconic Insurance, as they unpack essential health insurance strategies for self-employed entrepreneurs and small business owners. Discover why ditching marketplace plans for personalized coverage with a dedicated agent can slash costs, simplify claims, and provide reliable protection—plus, get motivated by Matt's insights on shifting from scarcity to service, building accountability as a solo founder, and why entrepreneurship offers true security for your family. Whether you're launching a venture or optimizing benefits, this episode delivers actionable tips to stay healthy, focused, and profitable.
Learn more about Matt Allen and Iconic Insurance at https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewalleniconichealth.
Listen to more Indianapolis Business Leaders at https://defaultprofitable.com or subscribe to Default Profitable on your favorite podcast platform.

In this episode of Default Profitable, host Matt Nettleton chats with Bill Reynolds, founder and president of Element 502, about his unexpected journey from consultant to agency owner through an asset purchase in 2015. Bill shares raw insights on overcoming financial hurdles, earning team buy-in with transparency during tough times, and mastering sales as a non-sales guy—plus why trust is the ultimate currency in marketing and business growth. Aspiring entrepreneurs and leaders will gain motivational strategies for grinding through startup challenges, pricing right, and treating people differently to build lasting profitability without compromising values.
Learn more about Bill Reynolds and Element 502 at https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-reynolds-element502.
Listen to more Indianapolis Business Leaders at https://defaultprofitable.com or subscribe to Default Profitable on your favorite podcast platform.