283. The Growth Trap That Nearly Destroyed a $30M Business

Productive Insights Podcast: Business Growth for Independent Professionals with Ash Roy · Feb 16, 2026 · 15m

Did you know your business could be growing by millions in revenue while you're actually going broke?

In this eye-opening conversation, Ryan Deiss reveals how he scaled three companies to the Inc 500 list—only to have two of them completely fail. He shares the painful lesson of losing $2 million in a single month and having to lay off 180 employees just weeks before Christmas.

Ryan breaks down:

✅ Why revenue growth doesn't equal business health

✅ The hidden difference between profit, cash flow, and distributable cash

✅ His "Cashflow Waterfall" system for building sustainable businesses

✅ How…