Helping people win is my passion.
That is why I built this.
I started my career at Dimensional Fund Advisors, one of the world’s leading institutional asset managers. There I learned the pressures growing businesses face, and the operational rigor it takes to manage them. After Dimensional I founded my own advisory practice focused on owner-led businesses generating between $5 million and $20 million in annual revenue. The work centers on enterprise value growth, exit strategy, and the financial decisions that shape what a business ultimately becomes.
I hold a Bachelor of Science from Brown University and an MBA from Columbia Business School. I am based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
My advisory practice works with a small number of owner-led businesses each year. More information about that work is at malirichlen.com.
Mali
Why The Owner’s Financial Playbook exists.
Most small business owners never get access to the kind of financial framework that changes how they run their business. Full advisory engagements are expensive and not every owner can justify that investment. But the gap between what a financially clear owner can do and what a financially confused one can do is enormous. It shows up in the decisions they make, the value they build, and ultimately in what their business is worth when it matters most.
I built The Owner’s Financial Playbook to close that gap. Every framework in the program, every question in every module, every tab in the Master Model reflects the same thinking I bring to my advisory clients. The difference is accessibility. This program is built for every owner, not just those who can afford a full engagement.
What I believe about business owners and financial clarity.
Most owners are more capable than they think.
The finances feel complicated because nobody ever explained them clearly. Once an owner understands what their numbers are saying, the confusion lifts quickly.
Financial clarity is not a nice-to-have.
It is the foundation of every good business decision. An owner who understands their margins, their cash position, and their valuation makes fundamentally better decisions than one who does not. Every time.
The valuation gap is real and closeable.
Most owners leave significant value on the table not because their business is not good but because they have not built it with enterprise value in mind. Understanding your number is the first step toward closing the gap between what your business is worth today and what it could become.
Mastery takes time and that time is worth it.
This program is not built for speed. It is built for depth. An owner who truly understands their financial statements and uses the tools every month will run a fundamentally different business five years from now than one who does not.
Some owners want a thinking partner, not just a program.
After completing The Owner’s Financial Playbook some owners choose to work with me directly. A single advisory session is a good starting point for owners who have a specific decision to work through or want a review of what the model is telling them. A three session package is well suited for owners navigating a more complex inflection point. Ongoing advisory engagements are available for owners who want a consistent thinking partner as they build toward growth or an eventual exit.
These engagements are separate from the program and priced accordingly. If you are interested, reach out at hello@northstarbusinessmethod.com with a brief description of where your business is and what you are working through.
The program is open for enrollment.
Nine modules. One master model. Built from your own data. If you are ready to understand your business the way it deserves to be understood, this is where you start.
Enroll NowLast updated · May 2026