I Can Because I Will: Discipline, Fatherhood, and Building a Legacy with Albert Butler
“I can because I will. I will because I can.”
For Albert Butler, CPA, MBA, those words are more than a personal motto. Born from a difficult conversation with his father early in his career, they became a philosophy that guides how he approaches business, leadership, family, and success.
Albert believes accounting is the heartbeat of business. Revenue may be growing and cash may be coming in, but without understanding the numbers, owners can miss the warning signs that threaten everything they’re building.
A resident partner in a national accounting firm, former Senior Vice President of Enterprise Risk Management at Primerica, and author of LIFE: Truth, Love, Loss, Success & Failure, Albert brings more than 25 years of experience advising businesses and their leaders.
Gary and Albert explore why business owners need to move beyond living off the cash balance to understanding their P&L and balance sheet, how to build a business with lasting value, and why planning for an exit means much more than selling a company or retiring.
The conversation also turns deeply personal. Albert shares the contrasting stories of two uncles whose financial decisions left very different outcomes for their families, the flight to Singapore that inspired his book, and the moment his daughter told him he didn’t smile as much as he used to.
Through it all, Albert makes the case that building a successful business begins with something many entrepreneurs overlook: themselves and their families.
His framework is simple: Scale yourself. Scale your family. Then scale the enterprise.
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👉 Watch more conversations on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@yourcustomeryoursuccesspodcast
🎧 Listen to the full episode on Spotify: [Spotify link]
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CHAPTERS
00:00 Cold Open
00:34 Introduction
02:54 Why accounting is the heartbeat of business
04:22 What a CPA sees in the numbers that owners miss
05:38 Why your CPA should act like a financial doctor
07:45 From the cash balance to the P&L to the balance sheet
09:45 Planning the exit, including the one nobody can avoid
24:21 The flight to Singapore that started the book
28:13 “Daddy, you don’t smile as much as you used to”
30:17 Scale yourself, scale your family, then scale the enterprise
33:59 Does It Hold Water?
38:21 Chip Shots
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CONNECT WITH ALBERT BUTLER
Website: https://albertbutler.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/butleralbert/
Book, LIFE: Truth, Love, Loss, Success & Failure: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FKGJD7LD
Albert’s comments are for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute accounting, tax, legal, investment, or financial advice.
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TRIM THE OVERSPEND. KEEP YOUR CAPACITY.
Gary Marra is a Schooley Mitchell Franchise Owner. Schooley Mitchell helps organizations identify and eliminate unnecessary spending on essential business services, including payment processing, shipping, telecom, and waste removal. The objective is simple: improve financial performance while protecting the people and capabilities that drive business growth.
There is no fee unless savings are found.
Book a discovery call: https://calendly.com/gnmarra/30-schooley-mitchell-discovery-call
Learn more: https://www.schooleymitchell.com/office/gmarra/
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ABOUT YOUR CUSTOMER, YOUR SUCCESS
Your Customer, Your Success is a leadership and business growth podcast built on one idea: client focus is a growth strategy.
Hosted by Gary Marra, the show features conversations with entrepreneurs, executives, and business leaders exploring how leadership, operational discipline, and client-centered decisions build stronger businesses, lasting relationships, and sustainable growth.
Connect with Gary on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-marra/
#Leadership #Entrepreneurship #SmallBusiness #ExitPlanning #Legacy #BusinessGrowth