We’re thrilled to share that our founder & CEO, Dave Olsen, was recently featured in Wantrepreneur’s “Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur” Spotlight! In his interview with Brian Lofrumento, Dave walked through the pivotal moments, hard-won lessons, and unconventional strategies that transformed Nimbl from a one-man back office to a self-scaling accounting powerhouse.
“Why can’t you have both?”
Back in 2015, Dave was wrestling with the age-old trade-off: growth at the expense of personal freedom. That’s when executive coach Brandon Craig—first a prospective client, then a guiding voice—posed a simple question that changed everything:
“Why can’t you have both?”
From that point forward, Dave built Nimbl with dual goals in mind: deliver maximum impact for our clients and liberate founders from the grind of day-to-day admin.
From “Chief Everything Officer” to True CEO
Early on, Dave was the primary point of contact for every Nimbl client—bookkeeping, payroll, tax, you name it. But the real tipping point came the day he handed off his last client relationship to our talented team. Watching clients embrace their new bookkeepers, CFOs, and project managers—without needing Dave in the loop—was the moment he knew Nimbl had transcended the “wantrepreneur” phase.
Our Secret Weapon: Ignition
Keeping cash flow healthy is critical for any growing business, especially ours. That’s where Ignition comes in. Every engagement at Nimbl begins with:- Automated Proposals that capture scope and e-signatures
- Auto-Charged Monthly Fees on the 1st—so cash lands before payroll runs
- Zero Receivables and no chasing invoices
Lessons from a “Face-Plant”
Trying to free up his time by hiring too quickly without playbooks was a costly mistake—clients cancelled, and Dave learned firsthand that delegation without process is just abdication. Now, every hire follows a structured onboarding, documented workflows, and ongoing coaching. It’s this rigor that allows Dave to focus on building the system instead of being the system.Dave’s Three Mantras for Founders
- Design for Impact & Freedom: Start with your vision for lifestyle, then reverse-engineer the systems to support it.
- Document Everything: Loose expectations lead to hidden headaches. Write down agreements and revisit them often.
- Build Leaders, Not Followers: Your ultimate role is to empower a team that can operate seamlessly—whether you’re in the room or not.
