Want to Write a Book? Read This Behind-the-Scenes First

What does it really take to write a business book — and why did I decide to write Hidden Profit in the first place?

Writing a book was always on my bucket list… but I had no idea what I was signing up for. Between running my company, being present for my family, and trying not to lose my mind in the process, it was one of the hardest, most stretching, and most rewarding things I’ve ever done.

In this behind-the-scenes deep-dive, I’m pulling back the curtain on exactly how Hidden Profit came to life: the good, the messy, the tear-filled, and the transformational. You’ll see the timeline, the team, the tools, and — most importantly — the lessons I learned (some the hard way) that can change the way you think about profit, cash flow, pricing, and purpose.

Whether you’ve wondered what it’s like to write a book as a small business owner or you just want to know what’s inside Hidden Profit (and why I felt called to write it), you’re in the right spot.

👉 Grab your copy + claim exclusive bonuses: JamieTrull.com/HiddenProfit

Over 10,000 entrepreneurs have benefited from Jamie Trull's guidance and improved their finances since 2017.

Table of Contents

1. The 3-Year Journey: From “Is 2023 the Year?” to Launch Week
2. The Proposal, the Pitch, and Picking a Publisher
3. Writing While Running a Business (and Raising a Family)
4. What’s Inside Hidden Profit (and how to use it fast)
5. The Profit Levers: Where Money Hides in Plain Sight
6. The “Control Room” Method: Becoming Your Own CFO
7. Know Thyself (Money Personalities & Systems That Fit You)
8. From Profit to Purpose: Designing Your PROFFIT™ Plan
9. Book Bonuses: The Companion Workbook, Diagnostic, and Year-End Reset
10. Practical Takeaways You Can Implement Today
11. The Moment I Opened the Box (and why I cried)
12. Your Next Step (and how to turn pages into profit)

1) The 3-Year Journey: From “Is 2023 the Year?” to Launch Week

The journey started with a five-word email from my (now) book coach and publishing whisperer, Megan Stevenson: “Is 2023 the year?” At the time, I’d been talking about a book since 2020. My business exploded during those early pandemic years — and with a small team, I simply didn’t have the capacity to write and serve the community the way I wanted.

But this time, the answer hit me as a full-body YES.

We started in early 2023 with what I thought would be a short pitch. Spoiler: a traditional proposal isn’t a one-pager — or a ten-pager. Mine ended up around 90 pages — market research, chapter summaries, competitive analysis, sample chapters, and a compelling why. It was a second book before the book.

That proposal opened doors. It led to conversations with agents, then to submission with editors across Big Five and indie publishers. There were nos, “not quite right”s, and a few promising “maybe”s. Then I met the editor who got it — who understood the heart of this book and the people it serves. As a financial literacy coach and profit strategist, finding the right partner for this message mattered deeply. That editor’s imprint? Simon & Schuster / Simon Element. Pinch me.

Writing the draft took about four months. Finalizing the structure, tables, illustrations, and edits took almost a year. If you’re writing a book while running a business, budget time for everything after “The End.”

2) The Proposal, the Pitch, and Picking a Publisher

Here’s what surprised me most about the traditional route:

• The proposal is your product. You’re selling your vision long before you sell your book. If you’re thinking of pursuing this path, put your best strategic hat on (and get a great editor or coach).
• Fit > flavor-of-the-month. Some editors wanted a different book than the one I needed to write. Saying no — even to great houses — protected the book’s integrity.
• Traditional ≠ no marketing. Even with a Big Five partner, your platform and marketing plan matter. Treat launch like a product launch (because it is).

3) Writing While Running a Business (and Raising a Family)

People ask, “How did you find the time?” Short answer: I didn’t. I made it.

• I front-loaded calendar blocks during creative peaks (mornings and early weekends).
• I leaned on my team more than ever. If you’re contemplating a big creative sprint, build a support structure first.
• I lowered the bar on perfection and raised it on clarity. The goal wasn’t fancy prose — it was usefulness. Clear, implementable, human finance.

Was it easy? Nope. Was it worth it? Every minute.

4) What’s Inside Hidden Profit (and how to use it fast)

The book is built in four parts that layer on each other:

1. Part I — Know Your Numbers

• Why data matters: What to track (and what to ignore).
• Financial statements (un-scary): How to read them like a boss.
• When numbers lie: The traps, illusions, and “profit on paper” problems.
• Create your own metrics: Custom KPIs that actually drive decisions.

2. Part II — Set Up Your Management Control Room

• Manage your to-do list: Owner time is your most expensive line item.
• Manage cash flow: Inflows, outflows, timing … with practical templates and proactive tax planning habits for small business owners.
• Manage your budget: A living plan, not a spreadsheet museum — built on setting up your business budget and accounts correctly.
• Manage risk: Smart layers so a surprise doesn’t become a crisis.
• Manage yourself: Money personalities, habits, and systems that fit you. I identify nine money personality types to help with financial tendencies.

3. Part III — Find Your Hidden Profit

This section of the book pairs directly with the Find Your Hidden Profit resources and bonuses that help you put the concepts into practice.

This is the meat: the Profit Levers (more in the next section), where we apply my core framework for mastering your business finances step-by-step.

• Become profitable, sell more, raise prices, mix your offer, generate more value, cut unnecessary costs, pay less tax, carry less debt, and keep more.

Part IV — Power in Numbers (Purpose, Plans, and Impact)

• Make a plan for profit (your PROFFIT Plan™ cash management roadmap).
• Build your “Pot of Profit.”
• Prepare for the future.
• Make it fun. Make an impact.
• Power in numbers: Why the “starlings” motif matters — and how we do more together than any of us can alone.

You’ll notice starlings throughout the book. Their secret doesn’t reveal until the end — a little reward for finishers. 🐦

5) The Profit Levers: Where Money Hides in Plain Sight

You know the simple equation: Revenue – Expenses = Profit. But you can break it into levers you can actually pull:

1. Volume (Sell More): More of the right thing — after you’ve improved margins.
2. Price (Charge Right): Not “double your price” — smart pricing that increases profit without nuking sales.
3. Average Transaction Value: Add-ons, bundles, and upgrades that feel like a gift to your customer and a boost to your margin.
4. Direct Costs: Materials, labor, packaging, shipping — the costs that move with sales. Streamline without sacrificing quality. Business owners should account for their own labor in pricing strategies.
5. Indirect Costs (Overhead): Subscriptions, software, admin — the “silent creepers.” Trim what doesn’t return value and reinvest where it does.
6. Offer Mix: Not all revenue is equal. Tilt toward higher-margin offers or delivery methods.
7. Tax Efficiency: Structure, timing, deductions — keep it legal and strategic.
8. Debt Strategy: Carry less (and cheaper) where it makes sense.

In the book, I show how small tweaks across a few levers can grow profit by triple digits — even before you sell the next unit, and the Find Your Hidden Profit tools and audits walk you through implementing those shifts. That’s what “hidden profit” looks like in real life.

6) The “Control Room” Method: Becoming Your Own CFO

One of my favorite metaphors in Hidden Profit is your Management Control Room. Picture yourself at a console with a handful of switches that actually matter. Each week, you look at:

• Cash position & forecast (days of cash, upcoming obligations)
• Pipeline & sales pace (simple dashboard, not 47 charts)
• Fulfillment load & capacity (so service quality doesn’t slip)
• Margin by offer (so you know where profit really comes from)
• Owner time audit (am I spending time on profit-creating work?)

Give yourself one hour weekly to think like a CFO. That single habit is a moat around your business.

7) Know Thyself (Money Personalities & Systems That Fit You)

In Part II’s “Manage Yourself,” we talk about money personalities — not to box you in, but to build systems that work with your tendencies. The fastest way to kill a finance habit is to copy someone else’s system that fights your wiring.

• Automators love rules and checklists → build recurring tasks, auto-drafts.
• Optimizers want the best → give them dashboards and benchmarks.
• Creators need simplicity → one-page scorecards and visual cues.
• Collaborators thrive with accountability → CFO hour with a buddy or bookkeeper.

When your money system fits you, you’ll use it. When you use it, your profit climbs — especially when you plug it into the Find Your Hidden Profit frameworks to optimize how your business makes money.

8) From Profit to Purpose: Designing Your PROFFIT™ Plan

Profit is fuel, not the finish line. The PROFFIT Plan is a cash management system for consistent cash flow. In Part IV, we translate your numbers into a PROFFIT™ Plan so every extra dollar has a job:

• Pay Yourself (owner’s comp you can count on)
• Reinvest (offer improvements, growth projects)
• Obligations (taxes, debt, commitments)
• Future (cash reserves, long-term security)
• Fun (yes, fun — joy matters)
• Impact (giving, community, causes)
• Tweak (review and refine each quarter)

When you aim profit at what matters, your business stops feeling like a treadmill and starts feeling like a vehicle.

9) Book Bonuses: The Companion Workbook, Diagnostic & Year-End Reset

Because I want this book to be used, not just read, you’ll find bonuses waiting when you purchase at JamieTrull.com/HiddenProfit:

• Companion Workbook (PDF): Chapter-by-chapter prompts, calculators, and templates to action the ideas fast.
• Profit Lever Diagnostic: A quick tool to pinpoint the first lever to pull in your business.
• 90-Minute CFO Year-End Reset (virtual workshop): Plan your most profitable year with me step-by-step.

These bonuses are my “thank you” for trusting me (and for being the type of person who doesn’t let good ideas sit in a drawer). They pair with the main Find Your Hidden Profit book hub, where you can see other ways to engage with the material.

10) Practical Takeaways You Can Implement Today

If you’re itching to put something into play before your book arrives, try one (or all) of these:

1. Run a 90-day subscription audit. Cancel, pause, or downgrade anything unused or low-value. Reallocate that cash to something with a clear ROI (or your Pot of Profit).
2. Create (or revive) your CFO Hour. Same time each week. Same short dashboard. Same question: What single tweak would most improve profit this month?
3. Add one value-aligned upgrade. For your best-selling offer, brainstorm a small add-on your clients will love. Price it so it boosts your average transaction value by 10–20%.
4. Price check one service. Use the book’s pricing framework: define outcomes, anchor value, calculate floor pricing (costs + margin), and set your right-fit price.
5. Owner time audit. For five days, track your time in three buckets: Create Profit / Protect Quality / Everything Else. Shift a few hours next week from “everything else” into “create profit.” Watch what happens.

11) The Moment I Opened the Box (and Why I Cried)

When the author copies arrived, I opened the box with my family. I thought I’d feel proud. I didn’t expect to feel overwhelmed. Seeing Hidden Profit — the blue hardcover under the dust jacket, the little starling imprinted, the dedication — made it real.

I’ve been so focused on the launch checklist that I hadn’t let it sink in. That moment did it. And it reminded me why I wrote this: so real small business owners — under a million in revenue, juggling life and work — could finally have a finance book that feels like a conversation, not a lecture. A book that meets you with empathy, not “shoulds.” A book that helps you keep more of what you earn and point it at a life you actually want.

12) Your Next Step (and How to Turn Pages into Profit)

If you’re ready to see your numbers in a new light — and find the money that’s been hiding in plain sight — start here:

👉 Grab your copy + claim your bonuses

Want to dive deeper right now? Binge these next:

• 5 Places Profit Is Hiding in Your Business
• The Profit Smarter Masterclass (Encore)
• How to Calculate Your S-Corp Salary in 2025

Disclaimer & Sponsorship Disclosure

This article is for educational purposes only and is not financial, legal, or tax advice. Always consult your own advisor about your specific situation.

Some links above are affiliate/partner links. If you purchase through them, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend tools I personally use or trust. The book and bonuses mentioned are my own products.

This transcript was generated from the video for your convenience, but it may contain typos or slight errors due to the transcription process. For the most accurate and complete information, we recommend watching the full YouTube video.

Transcript] Jamie Trull Book: The Journey to Hidden Profit

I cannot believe I'm actually saying this. I am officially a published author. What I gotta tell you, I have wanted to write a book forever. It's always been on my bucket list. It's always something that I've wanted to do and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. And that's what we're gonna talk about here today.

I am gonna tell you a little bit about the book, but I'm also gonna tell you a little bit about the behind the scenes journey to get here, because it has been a long road and this book has taken three years. Three years to birth into the world. And for those of you who have birthed a child in any way, you understand that three years is a long time to carry something.

Three years is a long time to be growing something. You get kind of antsy towards the end. Right, so I'm so ready for this to be out in the world, to actually bird this book so that other people can read it, implement it in their business, help them find hidden profit, all the amazing things. I cannot, cannot, cannot stress enough how much I can't wait.

For you to read this book so much so that we do have bonuses. So if you have not ordered yet, go order the book and then go claim your bonuses, jamietrull.com/hidden profit. You can see what bonuses we currently have for ordering the book because y'all, the book is amazing. You don't need bonuses, but who doesn't love some bonuses?

CPA Jamie Trull Comes to Business Finance With a Behind the Scenes Story

So definitely make sure to grab those if you have ordered the book. So I wanna pull back the curtain a little bit on the behind the scenes of this journey and what it has looked like to get here. Why I am so excited for you to read the book and then a little bit about what's actually covered in the book so you can decide if it's something that would be helpful to you or not.

Now, of course, I hope and think you'll find it really useful, but I want you to see a little bit just to make sure it's right for you. So this journey actually started three years ago when I got an email. In my inbox from someone that I had known for a while that had worked with a few friends of mine on their published books, and she's essentially a book coach.

She was an editor. She is a fabulous, you know, writer and someone to have on your team if you are wanting to go the traditional publishing route. So Megan Stevenson, thank you very much for reaching out and all the emails said. Was is 2023 the year? That's it. And a question mark, and I knew what she meant because we had talked before about writing a book and how I wanted to do it.

However, I had so much going on at the time. So we had talked in 2020 and 2021, which let me be honest, if y'all were around. My business was insane during 2020 and into 2021 because of COVID and all the content I was doing around that, and I didn't have much of a team at the time. We were just trying to grow a team to keep up with it, and I just did not have time.

Profit Strategist Dedicated to the Full Body Yes

There was just no way I was gonna be able to dedicate enough. Time to writing a book and also being able to run my business with as much as I was doing. But thankfully, by this time of year in 2022, things had calmed down quite a bit. I had gotten more team members in place. I had support. And so when she wrote that email, I remember just feeling a full body.

Yes, I, I literally felt a full body. Yes. 2023 is the year. Right. And she meant to start the book, start the process of the book. And so we talked and we decided, okay, we're gonna get started early 2023. We're gonna start putting pen to paper on this book proposal. And so that's what I did. I had no idea what a book proposal was.

Y'all. My book proposal ended up being 90 pages long. I thought it was like a couple pages summary of what you wanted to talk about. No, it is a whole thing in and of itself, so I'm so glad that I had support there with me to help me through that process and create what I consider to be a totally kick ass proposal.

And it was that proposal that then helped me to get an agent, which is what I shopped around for. Um, about a year after deciding, yes, we're gonna do this, we started, it took about nine months to do, to write and edit the full proposal, and then we went shopping for agents and I had my pickup agents, which was amazing, and I credited entirely to having.

Profit Strategist and CPA Finds the Right Publishing Fit

I'm telling you, it was a great proposal. And then we went from agents to shopping around to editors, which is called going on submission. So I went on submission to editors. We did a couple different rounds and I talked to. Several different editors from the big five editors publishing companies to more indie publishing companies.

I was trying to figure out what would be a good fit and they were trying to figure out the same, and that was a really interesting process to go through as well and see, you know, what does that publishing company want from you? What did they envision? For the book. And there were a few publishing companies that I, you know, they were interested, but their vision for the book was different than mine.

What I really wanted it to be was different. And so I was, so, I was getting a little discouraged in the process, and then I found my editor and it was like she completely understood what I was going for, who this book was for. Why I wanted to write it, my heart behind it. And it was an easy yes, and they offered me a publishing deal and it was a big five publisher.

It's actually, um, being published by Simon Acumen, which is an imprint of Simon and Schuster, which is just crazy to me. Um, in this process, I've gotten to go to the Simon and Schuster building and take a tour. Um, I I, I've gotten to do so many amazing.

Complex Financial Data, Tables, and the Final Form of the Book

Things as a part of this. Like I just, I can't even, I'm so grateful for this journey.

Um, but it didn't stop there, right? So now we have the deal with the publisher finally gets signed and then it's time to actually sit down and write. Right. And so I had a lot of it from the proposal, but there was a lot of rework that needed to be done. So, uh, just a lot of outlines and shifting chapters around and like that part was kind of crazy, but I'm so glad that we went through it.

The writing itself only took me about four months, but all the moving pieces and editing and, you know, getting the right illustrations and tables in there and all of that, took a lot of time, a lot of time. So basically it was about a year until the book was essentially finalized in its final form and is what you see today.

So that's kind of where we have been in this process. I just got these books in the mail, I didn't realize I was gonna be as emotional as I actually was when I opened them.

I think that I, I think I've been so busy thinking about all the to-dos and things that I need to get done in this book launch, um, that I sometimes can be a little disconnected from being able to really take in the moment.

Financial Success and the Moment Hidden Profit Felt Real

And so opening the books in front of my family and my kids was like one of the, um. One of those moments where it just, I was very present in that and it, uh, hit me. Kind of all at once a little bit, and it was a little bit surprising. This just happened, which is why I'm, I'm tearing up thinking about it because it really feels real now.

And I know you're seeing this video if you're watching it when it comes out. It's the week that my book is out, is out, it is published. I am recording this a couple weeks in the past, so I'm not sure how I'm gonna feel then. But I imagine it if, if I feel this way, even now, I can't imagine how it's gonna feel.

To walk into my local bookstore and see my book on the shelf, like I can't, I don't even know how to hold that right now. I don't have the capacity yet, but I will. It means so much and I cannot wait. For people to read it and find, um, find help in it, right? This is not a boring finance book, y'all. I don't do boring finance stuff like I'm a CPA.

Sure. But I don't wanna talk like one that's not helpful. I wanna make it really easy to understand, easy to implement, step by step, really strategic, but in a fun way, right? And I wanna say that if you're looking for tough love, this book is not that.

Financial Literacy Coach Making Business Finance Approachable

It may not be for you. This is a book. That comes from a place of compassion, understanding, empathy.

Um, it's from a place of self-acceptance and self-forgiveness. That was really important for me in this. And if you're looking for one prescriptive way, the one way that you should do something for it to work for you, right? The one system around money that you should have in place, the one thing you should be doing in order to fix your whole problem with money.

This isn't gonna be it either because. I do think there are so many ways that we can be financially healthy and different things are gonna work for different people. And so there is a part of this that is really about understanding yourself and what's gonna work for you. And that's a little different than what you might find in other finance books that tell you always and never.

I don't use those words. I hate those words. We're all different, right? Why would I try to come up with one system that works for all of us, in fact. So many people have told me they've tried a system and when it didn't work for them, they blamed themselves rather than realizing that, hey. Maybe we need to design a system around ourselves, a system for money around ourselves and the way we actually think about money.

Business Financial Management: Know Your Numbers and Financial Clarity

I don't do one size fits all advice because we are not one size fits all people, right? So that's something that's different about this, uh, than maybe other books you might read around the topic. I'm gonna tell you what the chapters are. There's four different sections in this book, and you'll notice I've got little starlings throughout.

You'll see them throughout the book. You won't know what they mean until the very end. That's, uh, your motivation to get to the end of this book. But you're gonna have the introduction and then you're gonna have four different parts of this book. And the first part is part one, which is know your numbers.

And in that we have why data matters. Your financial statements, when numbers lie. Uh, and create your own performance metrics. So this is really the section that's around knowing your numbers, getting a feel for if you don't, if you get confused when people are talking about balance sheets and what does that actually show?

This is gonna level set and give you some of that foundational knowledge that you need to know before we get into the rest of the book. Then in part two it is set up your management control room. I actually have a little picture of a control room as well that you'll be able to see in this section. So.

Control of Your Finances and Business Owners Work as the Control Room Operator

If y'all can see that on here, that's your control room. So we're gonna talk about the fact that you are in control. You are the control room operator. So what types of management duties do you have? So, uh, chapter five, manage your to-do list, then manage your cash flow. Manage your budget, manage your risk, and manage yourself.

Remember I talked about how we need to know ourselves. That chapter gets really into money, personality types, and you can learn more about you. Then we have part three, which is now when we're getting into the meat of this book and what it's really named after, which is Hidden Profit, right? This is Find Your Hidden Profit.

So now that we understand our numbers, we know we're in control. Okay? Now it's time to learn about the profit levers that we can pull and we can actively go pull these levers and find hidden profit in our business that exists. Already, and so those chapters are become profitable. Sell more. Raise your prices.

This is not just a blanket statement. Raise your prices. We have calculators and all the things, formulas that'll help you determine what your prices should be. Mix it up. Generate more value, cut unnecessary costs. Not all costs. Pay less taxes, carry less debt, make big profits.

Seven Profit Levers to Find Hidden Profit Take Control

So that's, like I said, the meat of this book is in that section three on finding your hidden profit.

And then we're gonna go to part four, which this is my favorite part actually. This is where we get to now dream big. So we've gotten through all the fundamental stuff. We found this hidden profit in our business that has allowed us to maximize our profit, pay ourselves more. What do we do? With that money.

What do we do with our profit? How do we meet the goals that we have for our business, our life, our family, our community, the world? We can do that. And that's, uh, where I talk about creating your profit plan and using that to then live out the way that you really want to live. Right. No longer, you know, working for your business, your business is now working for you.

So those chapters are make a plan for your profit. Build your pot of profit, POT, uh, prepare for the future. Make it fun. Make an impact. And there's power in numbers. Um, and that's where you're gonna learn more about our friends, uh, these birds. Just to give you a, um, overview, these birds are starlings.

You'll find out why when you read the book.

Money on the Table and Create Abundance in Your Business

This book was actually called Originally Power in Numbers. That was the working title of the book. That's a brand that I'm building and we plan to have lots of amazing things that we're gonna offer under the power and numbers umbrella. Stay tuned. But we ended up changing it.

This was, we probably went through hundreds of name and subtitle combinations. I gotta be honest for this book, and I'm really happy with where we landed. I think it really captures the essence of what we're trying to get to. And so it's hidden profit. Take control of your finances. Stop leaving money on the table and create abundance in your business.

And I would also say, and life, but that was too long for them to put on here. So, uh, that's where we really ended up with this. If you want to see how the Find Your Hidden Profit book and movement come together beyond these pages, there’s a whole home for it online. And just to give you an even more behind the scenes, I was blown away when I got these, um, to actually hold this in my hands. But y'all, one thing that surprised me, how pretty is this book under the cover?

I love the cover. I love it. Right. But how pretty is this blue? I mean, if you are one of those people that does like the beautiful, organized books of different colors, like in color order, then you need one of these, right?

Small Business Owners Gain Financial Freedom and More Freedom

And we've also got a little starling right here. I adore this. I just love it so much.

And y'all. That's me on a book jacket. What is this? Life? In all seriousness, though, this journey has been transformational for me as a person, as a business owner, as a writer, I'm a writer. But I really am most looking forward to you all reading it and hopefully you all sharing it and hopefully you all reviewing it.

And I'm just, I wanna hear how it helps you. I think that when you read it, there are various different things that you could get out of this. There's, there's lots of moments in this book you can get out, but I would love everyone to have at least one major aha moment that changes. Things, right? That makes a difference.

That changes the way you think about things. That changes what you do, how you act, how you think about money in your business. That is what I want for you and what. I believe this book can really do, and you were who I wrote this for. This book was written mostly for business owners making under a million dollars.

And the reason for that is because the problems and challenges are different, right?

Helping Business Owners Enjoy Financial Freedom and Lasting Success

When you're trying to scale from a solopreneur to having employees and figuring out all that goes with it. Those are different problems than a multi multimillionaire business is going to have. And so I wanted to make sure that there was a book for true small and micro businesses for real people who are running businesses.

This is not a book for businesses, this is a book for people. This is a book for entrepreneurs. For small business owners, for people who want to have their business help support their family, right? That's who this is for, not the big corporations for you. This is my gift, my love letter. To you and to the small business community.

That is who I love. You are the backbone of this country, this world, and so I want you to have all the tools that you need to be successful in your business. So I would love for you to order the book and read the book, maybe gift it to a friend. I just want to. Be able to make a difference through the words on this page, and I cannot wait to hear what you think about it.

So go check it out. Go anywhere, books our souls. Go to jamietrull.com/hidden profit to make sure to claim your extra bonuses because we do not wanna leave anything on the table. We don't wanna leave money on the table. We don't wanna leave bonuses on the table. So go get those bonuses as well, and I'm so excited to hear what you think of it.

We'll talk soon.