📈John Barnes

Pendleton Street Advisors is a financial advisory firm to business owners. Founded in 2013, the firm’s areas of expertise are valuation consulting, succession planning, personal financial planning, mergers and acquisitions advice, and investment management. We specialize in helping our clients work through make-or-break financial issues in their company that have spillover effects into their personal finances.

President & CEO

John Barnes

“I don’t want to feel dumb in front of my CPA.” 🤓 

A client told me this last month, and I wish more owners said it out loud.

Here’s a small secret from my world:

Most CPAs aren’t explaining things poorly on purpose.
They’re just not trained to translate.

To them:
Accrual adjustments
Revenue recognition timing
Depreciation schedules
Working capital swings
Inventory cost roll-forwards
…are second nature.

But to a business owner with 11,000,000 in revenue who’s busy actually running the business, those concepts feel like reading sheet music when you’ve only ever listened to the radio.

You’re not dumb.
You’re overloaded.

And when your CPA tries to explain why you “made money but don’t have money,” but can’t show you what to do about it… that’s where we step in.

Business owners don’t need a lecture.
They need a bridge to connect the two sides. 🌉 

Start here:
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https://lnkd.in/eS6pu-Ae
#yourbizyourinvestment

photo cred: NY City History Museum

Helping business owners get more from their largest investment | CEO at Pendleton Street Business Advisors

Want to know the most expensive sentence ever uttered by the owner of a $10M home service business?

“The sales are there. I just don’t know where the money’s going.”
 
Last week I sat with a business owner in South Carolina who said the above sentence.

I’ve heard it… oh… about 4,000 times now.

So we dug in.

Here’s where it was going:
$380K sitting in AR over 60 days

Inventory that had quietly grown 22% in 9 months

Two “temporary” new hires who apparently weren’t temporary

A pricing change they made in January that looked good on paper but shaved 3% off contribution margin

Nothing earth-shattering.
Just normal business stuff that slowly squeezes cash out of the company.

Most owners think cash flow problems come from big dramatic events.
In reality, it’s death by a thousand everyday decisions.

If your cash is acting like it’s on a crash diet but your P&L says everything is great…you’re not crazy. But you may need some help, 

Start here:
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https://lnkd.in/eS6pu-Ae
#yourbizyourinvestment

Also: drop it in the comments if you know what movie this pic is from. It might be one of my top 3 favorite movies of all time---plus Pacino is in the middle of a level 10 rant in the film, and it's a classic. LOL

photo cred: movie web

It’s that time of year when I feel my inner Clark Griswold start to well up.

And it’s not just about Thanksgiving and Christmas, and all the fun holiday stuff.

It’s the business planning I do for myself. 🤠 
It’s the sharing of the plans, and getting the feedback. 🧩 
It’s talking to my CPA about fine tuning estimated tax payments. 📈 
It’s thinking about smart acceleration of *some* expenses (after that CPA talk) 🥩 
It’s about talking to my banker about the LOC renewal/increase request 🤑 
(yep, every biz needs one, even mine!)
It’s about spending two days away by myself to think/pray/plan about the year ahead. 🌲 

These are all part of that cherry on top of the holiday season. 🦃 🍒 
I love it so much.

JOOOOOOYYYYY TOOOOOOO THEWORLD 
(too soon?? NAH!!)

If you’re coming into the end of the year, and you’re feeling like the lumps of coal are already piling up in your stocking because the (your?) numbers aren’t what you thought they’d be…help may be a teensy click away.
Start here:
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https://lnkd.in/eS6pu-Ae
#yourbusinessyourinvestment

photo credit: Warner Brothers

How do you know you have business financial decision fatigue that’s got you on the fast track to burn out?

A few signs I see all the time:

🔥 You check the bank balance before approving a purchase.

🔥 You “hope” payroll timing works out.

🔥 You keep two sets of numbers in your head: the “real” ones and the “I think we’re okay” ones.

🔥 You avoid conversations with your controller because you know it’s going to be “a thing”.

🔥 You’re mentally running cash flow scenarios while trying to enjoy your daughter’s recital.

Most owners can handle long days, complex projects, growth pains…but carrying the whole financial picture yourself eventually wears you down.

You don’t need relief from the work.
You need relief from the weight.

And 9 times out of 10, that weight disappears when the financials finally make sense — and someone else is carrying the numbers with you.
Need some help with that load? 
Start here:
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https://lnkd.in/eS6pu-Ae
#yourbizyourinvestment

photo cred: taste of cinema

I write almost every day about things business owners are doing, should be doing, or are not doing financially.

There’s not a lot to be said that hasn’t already been said. 

And I hate to break to the newest 300-400 folks that have recently followed me, but…..

Most of the things that will help a business owner build a fortress-like balance sheet, or help them live to tell about your hyper-revenue growth, or get them to a point where they don’t feel like a wishbone being pulled in both directions by business expenses and personal needs…..

aren’t that exciting. 

They’re pretty ordinary. Boring even.

And that’s exactly what makes them such a challenge. 

I think human nature works against us, and makes us want those things to be revelations, or earth shattering discoveries. And in the 21st century, we expect those things to be served up in bite sized packages that are attractive, and ultra-convenient.

But the fact is, hidden knowledge, or just plain ignorance is a worthy adversary.

As a business owner myself, I’ve personally experienced a lot of these lessons myself. And if I’m honest, I had to learn more than I’d care to admit the hard way. 

Helping business owners overcome and thrive in the midst of those financial challenges is what gets me up in the morning. (well, that, and the coffee—I’m not a complete animal).

I love helping business owners un-snarl themselves financially—so that they can set direction and create motion in their businesses, and make them the most valuable investment they own. 

If that sounds like something you want for your investment in 2026---

Start here:
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https://lnkd.in/eS6pu-Ae

#yourbizyourinvestment

photo cred: biography

I get asked all the time: 

“what’s the best financial thing I can do for my business?” 🤓 

Here’s my simple response:

“Don’t run out of cash.” 😵‍💫 

The response is simple, but it can be difficult to do.

But if you run out---that’s what going to send you back to corporate.

And the threat of “getting a job” for someone who owns their business---ought to scare the daylights out of you. 😱 

Don’t get too upset—work is honorable. Being employed is a good thing.
But a lot of business owners started/bought a business---to get out of the grind of being employed by someone else. 🤠 

I’m happily unemployable---so I have to keep owning my business. 🤣 

Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃

GG understands these things; so can you. 

Read my article, and you'll be grinning like you just stole something also. 😻

A practical guide for owners leading companies between $5M and $50M in revenue. Most business owners I talk to understand their company at a deeper le

Open article: The 7 Most Misunderstood Business Financial Terms — And What They Actually Mean for Your Business
 by 📈John Barnes • 4 min read

The 7 Most Misunderstood Business Financial Terms — And What They Actually Mean for Your Business

Every company has that one person everyone calls when something breaks.

In most businesses I work with, that’s the owner.

But, here’s the trap:
When you’re the chief problem-solver, it’s really hard to be the chief strategist.

Examples from the last few weeks:

A $12M contractor spending 8+ hours a week chasing receivables.

A $9M distributor approving every purchase order over $1,000(!)

A $22M manufacturer personally negotiating every equipment purchase(!)

A $7.5M service company owner manually reviewing the weekly time sheets “just to be safe”

Sheesh. 😵‍💫 

These aren’t “bad” habits.
They’re survival habits that have outlived their usefulness.

And they sneakily cost the business:
📉 lost margin
📉 slower decisions
📉 delayed reinvestment
📉 cash flow guessing
📉 and an owner who’s tired for the wrong reasons

When you stop solving every little thing, you finally have time to focus on the big stuff; the things that actually increase the business’s value. 📈 

If you’re looking to tackle some of the big stuff in 2026, and are looking for a guide who’s “been there, and done that---with business owners in 15 states (and counting!), 

Start here:
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https://lnkd.in/eS6pu-Ae

#yourbizyourinvestment

"Hello, I'm Winston Wolf...I solve problems."  
One of THE great movie lines of all time, in a film that's full of 'em.

4 Successful Business Exits of My Own - Are You Ready for Yours?

I love working with small business owners.

I’ve owned eight small businesses in my career.   Four successful exits, failed fast twice, and still co-own two going on 20+ years of success. 

My business wins have been amazingly satisfying, but I’m most proud of the success I’ve helped other business owners achieve.   

I coach small business owners who want to prepare their business for sale; although, ultimately, I don’t care if they actually choose to sell the business.  We focus on helping get the business ready so the owner can make that choice, when and if, they want to – and in the meantime, they benefit from the many improvements that our work together makes in the business (higher profits, increased revenue, less owner time . . . ).

I've walked the path, have a real-world, track record of success, and know how to mix theory with reality to achieve results.  

I’m committed to connecting others to success.   Let me know how I can help you.

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