Episodes 120
Avg. Duration 32m
Activity Dormant
Since May 2021
Latest Episode Mar 2025

Publishing Details

Schedule
Every 2 Weeks
Format
Episodic
Hosting
rss.libsyn.com

Contact & Outreach

About This Podcast

Jesse Mecham and Mark Butler teach you how to manage your business cash flow, hone your business model, and not freak out about money.

Explore Statistics

Recent Episodes

Stop Trusting Your Gut: Try The Constanza Protocol

Mar 22, 2025 30m

In today's episode, Mark takes inspiration from George Constanza, the perpetually underachieving and romantically inept character from Seinfeld, to confront his negative business habits. In the…

Jesse Hires Mark, and the Inevitability of Change

Feb 21, 2025 29m

Jesse shares his experience working on the YNAB books for the first time in many years, while YNAB's head accountant is out of maternity leave. Working through monthly and quarterly close got him…

Jesse Introduces Spendfulness

Feb 07, 2025 34m

Recently YNAB announced a major shake up in the way it talks about money. Jesse explains how the realization that each of YNAB's Four Rules was really just a variation of Rule One ("give every dollar…

Distractions, Anxious Activity, and Finding Focus

Jan 27, 2025 36m

Mark and Jesse discuss the pervasive distractions that cell phones and computers cause, and how to fight back against them. Jesse champions the Freedom app blocker, which locks your phone or other…

Bitcoin, Depreciation, and the Most Important Price in the World

Jan 10, 2025 31m

Mark and Jesse kick off the New Year with a deep discussion on inflation and how it creates confusion about the most important price of all -- the price of money. Mark Butler The Money School:…

Why You Should be Collaborating

Dec 20, 2024 43m

Following up on Mark's admission that he dreads collaboration, whether it's with peers or employees, Jesse discusses one way the leadership team at YNAB has fostered collaboration. They call it the…

Diet Coke, Listeners Chime In, and UBI

Dec 06, 2024 52m

In today's episode Mark explains what makes the perfect diet coke, and Jesse opens his inbox and reads some comments and questions from Beginning Balance listeners, including tips for improving…

Doing Scary Stuff for Personal Growth

Nov 22, 2024 50m

Jesse kicks off the episode talking about one of his new endeavours, Ultraspeaking, an effort to double down on one of his biggest strengths: public speaking. This leads to a conversation about…

Slippery Slopes: Economics, College Degrees, and Questionable Credentials

Nov 08, 2024 49m

Mark and Jesse are back after a short break with a discussion about slippery slopes... real and imagined. Jesse delivers an epic rant on the uselessness of economists, while Mark talks about his…

From Barista to Billionaire (Mo' Money, Same Problems)

Sep 27, 2024 38m

Mark and Jesse discuss their most recent read, Never Enough: From Barista to Billionaire by Andrew Wilkinson, a one-time barista and co-founder of Tiny, a holding company that buys and holds…

Gardening, Compost, and Business Complexity

Sep 13, 2024 32m

Good gardens require good soil, and good soil takes compost and plenty of time. Jesse shares his experiences composting soil for his garden, and how it applies to business. Like compost, good…

The Economics of Content, and the Case for Word of Mouth

Aug 30, 2024 41m

The algorithm has come to rule media, and it is a voracious beast. It consumes as much content as people can create, as often as they can create. The ones who rise to the top seem to be those who…

Escaping the Gravity Pull of Phones

Aug 16, 2024 25m

Jesse shares one of his recent experiments, inspired by a guest on the Art of Manliness podcast. The challenge was to delete the apps on your phone, especially the ones you feel a "pull" from -- a…

Taking a Hard Look in the Reality Mirror

Aug 02, 2024 27m

On previous epsidoes, Mark and Jesse have discussed the importance of scarcity, and how limitations drive creativity. Mark even goes so far as to argue creativity can't exist without limitations!…

Lessons from YNAB's Price Increase

Jul 19, 2024 42m

Mark and Jesse discuss YNAB's recent price increase, and the psychology of customers around pricing. You can't make everyone happy, whether you justify the price increase by citing your own increased…

Cheap Business Advice

Jul 08, 2024 31m

Mark and Jesse reminisce about the early days of YNAB, and a conversation over lunch in which Mark gave Jesse (what he thought was) sage advice -- to raise prices. Genius right? Jesse recounts how…

ChatGPT and Learning to Let Go of Control

Jun 21, 2024 38m

After a conversation about using ChatGPT to organize the weekly recipe calendar for the Mecham household, Mark and Jesse talk about the concept of letting go of control in a business. Mark posits an…

The Hero's Journey of Customer Service

Jun 07, 2024 52m

Mark and Jesse discuss the role of customer service in a business, and how the alignment of customer expecations with the business owner's strengths (or working genius, if you like) is crucial to…

What Is Your Working Genius? How to Avoid Frustration and Do the Work You Love

May 24, 2024 55m

Mark and Jesse discuss Patrick Lencioni's The 6 Types of Working Genius, a book exploring various personality types and the kinds of work most suitable to each. It's more than a personality test…

Why You Should Be Tracking Your Net Worth

May 10, 2024 35m

In today's episode, Jesse discusses his net worth tracker, a basic spreadsheet in which he records the balances of his investments and other assets quarterly. For Jesse, net worth is the scorecard of…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Beginning Balance have?

Beginning Balance has published 120 episodes since May 2021, covering topics in Business, Entrepreneurship.

Is Beginning Balance still active?

Beginning Balance is currently dormant with new episodes every 2 weeks. Average episode length is 32m.

How do I contact Beginning Balance for sponsorship or guest appearances?

Sign up on Grep.FM to access contact details for Beginning Balance, including email and social media links.

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