With encouragement and guidance, strategic thinking, and a passion for the success of others, we cultivate breakthroughs.
Meet Barbara Nuss
“Wherever the lack of financial acumen gets in the way of success – that is where we want to be.” Barbara Nuss, Profit Soup
Barbara Nuss is the founder and president of Profit Soup. She is a teacher, business advisor, passionate advocate for better business thinking, wanna-be golfer, and guitar-playing CPA. While she is ardent about helping business people understand financial information and KPIs, her focus is on the future. She has thoroughly enjoyed putting Profit Soup’s recipe for success – Measure, Understand, Get it Done – into the hands of business owners and managers across the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Barb is a frequent speaker at franchise and association conventions, boosting financial acumen and confidence in a non-threatening, no-nonsense, naturally approachable style. Her extensive experience as a business advisor and coach gives her a unique perspective on the long and short-term challenges that business decision-makers face daily. She combines knowledge, creativity, modern adult learning approaches, and passion for fun into the training she develops for Profit Soup Online and client conferences.
Barbara Nuss, CPA
1.206.909.8176
Barbara.Nuss@ProfitSoup.com
Meet Rod Bristol
“It is so gratifying when I look out over a group of leaders and share that moment when they realize that financials are not just a necessary evil. They now eagerly await them each month so they can measure their improvements in profit, cash flow, and the value of the business. Those breakthrough moments make our work so meaningful to me.” Rod Bristol, Profit Soup
Rod Bristol knows first-hand how changing technology and market forces impact business. His 23 years of experience as owner of a multi-unit printing chain prepared him well to help others weed the threats out of opportunities to find the best strategic pathway forward. Supplement these insights with experience as a merger and acquisitions specialist and a master financial trainer, and you’ve got a champion for building wealth through growth and productivity from business inception to transition.
Rod is a highly-rated, entertaining keynote speaker and workshop facilitator with a well-earned reputation for making complex financial topics clear and fun to learn. He has elevated the financial acumen and confidence of thousands of business owners through his work with Small Business Development Centers around the US. He is also a Certified Franchise Executive and a facilitator for the International Franchise Association’s financial curriculum for CFE candidates.
Rod and his family are avid boaters and enjoy summer water sports in the Pacific Northwest. He and his wife, Debbie, have three grown children and greatly enjoy their three grandchildren.
Rod Bristol
1.206.427.5333
Rod.Bristol@ProfitSoup.com
Meet Jody Gabrielson
“As much as I love technology, I love empowering others by making the right kinds of numbers accessible and usable.” Jody Gabrielson, Profit Soup
Jody Gabrielson (aka “Spreadsheet Ninja) is a versatile finance professional with five years of progressive experience in service and manufacturing organizations. She earned her MBA from Northeastern University and went on to support the CFO and VP of Finance at a multi-million dollar consumer electronics company. Jody is a practiced strategist who intensely focuses on making finance accessible and usable, empowering others to leverage that knowledge for long-term profitability.
Jody’s technical skills include advanced Excel and database programming to support extensive reporting and forecasting, including P&L budgets, cash projections, working capital analysis, ROI, variance and financial statement analysis. She emphasizes making processes more efficient and achieving collaborative, meaningful results.
Jody has two great grade-school-age kids, Heidi and Matthew, who are smarter than all of us and love to learn. She works from her home office in Northern Idaho, where the air is clean, the summers are hot, and the winters are cold!
Jody Gabrielson, MBA
1.206.282.3888
Jody.Gabrielson@ProfitSoup.com
Meet Lauren Owen
“Building the right structure and team for the business is challenging! Beyond the numbers, I love helping business owners get clear about their vision and what’s keeping them from achieving all that they could — for themselves and their next generation of leaders.” Lauren Owen, Profit Soup
Lauren is an inspiring business coach and facilitator specializing in helping closely held businesses, particularly family businesses, achieve successful ownership transitions and effective teams within their companies. She is a long-time associate and frequent collaborator with the Profit Soup team.
Lauren’s passion is leveraging the collective impact of groups through collaborative exchange (i.e., 1+1 = 3). She is an experienced business coach and strategic planning facilitator and brings this expertise to Profit Soup’s Certified Profit Lab Facilitator Program. Through facilitator training, she can spread her knowledge and joy to a wide audience, making a lasting impact on the business communities our Profit Lab facilitators serve.
Lauren’s home base is in Seattle, however she has worked with clients across North America and Australia. She enjoys travel, yoga, and exploring new cultures in her spare time.
Lauren Owen
1.206.427.2856
Lauren.Owen@ProfitSoup.com
Meet Larry Layton
“Unraveling complex issues and revealing the elegant simplicity that lies beneath is truly energizing for me. Clarity and understanding precede success. It’s a foundation everyone needs and with it we all accomplish our goals and objectives much faster.” Larry Layton, Profit Soup
Larry brings his perspective as a hands-on franchise operations executive, business consultant and business owner to Profit Soup. It’s a perfect match for our learners who seek to improve financial performance. He leverages his rich 20+ years of experience with start-ups and emerging and regional brands to Fortune 500 QSR companies in his roles as Profit Lab Facilitator and financial trainer.
Larry is passionate about professionalizing operations and fine-tuning systems and tools to drive financial efficiencies, a fundamental for scaling operations. In his consulting practice, 4Wall Insights, Larry has worked with business owners to execute strategies for turnarounds, early-stage start-ups, and emerging brands. He asserts 80/20 guiding principles, addressing the right causes, inputs, and efforts to maximize results, output, and rewards.
Larry was born and raised in Guatemala, Central America, and is fully bilingual (English/Spanish.) He earned a bachelor’s degree in management from Pepperdine University and an MBA from Chapman University.
He resides in Southern California with his wife, Kristin. They have two young adult daughters: Hana, who works in management in the luxury service, high-profile industry, and Sara, a graduate of Santa Clara University and Biomedical Engineer working in the medical device industry. Larry and Kristin enjoy the beach and outdoor activities, including cycling, running, and hiking.
Larry Layton, CFE
1.714.309.3773
Larry.Layton@ProfitSoup.com