Meet Diane Gardner, EA

Through Profit Coach 4 You, Diane works with owners of roofing, plumbing, HVAC, electrical, landscaping, and other service businesses to uncover the hidden profit and cash leaks that can quietly drain hundreds of thousands of dollars from a growing company.

Her approach goes far beyond reviewing a Profit and Loss statement. She helps owners examine pricing, job costing, labor productivity, overhead, cash flow, debt, taxes, and the financial systems behind the business.

Because sometimes the answer isn’t more sales.

The money may already be there. You just have to find where it’s leaking.

Growing up, Diane worked alongside her father, an electrician, as his helper. He used to call her his “oldest son” because she was always by his side, learning the value of hard work. She knew firsthand how dedicated home service professionals are and how often their expertise goes unappreciated.

Today, she lives in northern Idaho, and runs her business from a small town surrounded by mountains, rivers, and lakes. She and her husband love exploring the outdoors, taking scenic drives, and enjoying a simple, fulfilling life—something she wants every home service business owner to have the freedom to do, too.

Diane started her business in North Idaho in 1995. Over the decades that followed, she built her own accounting and tax firm while raising a family and experiencing firsthand the challenges that come with business ownership.

Along the way, Diane realized business owners needed more than someone who could tell them what happened last year. They needed someone who could help them understand what their numbers were telling them—and what to do next.

That realization led her into proactive tax planning, Profit First, cash-flow strategy, profitability consulting, and business coaching.

Today, Diane combines that experience to help home service business owners find profit leaks, strengthen cash flow, and build healthier, more profitable companies.

Plugging operational profit leaks is only part of the equation. Once a business is generating stronger profits, Diane helps owners look at another place money can unnecessarily leave the business: taxes.

As an Enrolled Agent and Certified Tax Strategist, Diane uses proactive tax-planning strategies grounded in the Internal Revenue Code, IRS guidance, and applicable legal authority to help clients pay the least amount of tax they are legally required to pay.

For Diane, tax planning is another form of profit protection. The goal isn’t simply to make more money—it’s to keep more of what you’ve worked so hard to earn.

Diane’s professional experience includes:

• Enrolled Agent (EA) — Federally authorized tax practitioner with extensive experience in taxation and proactive tax planning.
• Certified Tax Strategist — Advanced training in proactive tax-planning strategies for business owners.
• Mastery Level Profit First Professional — More than a decade of experience using Profit First principles to help businesses improve profitability and cash management.
• Certified Cash Flow Specialist – Advanced training in identifying and fixing cash flow leaks and challenges through the Clear Path to Cash program.
• Labor Risk & Return Certified — People Processes (2026) — Completed a year-long program focused on the financial and operational impact of labor, workforce decisions, productivity, and employee-related risk.

Diane is also an author and co-author of numerous books, including Unleash the Power of Tax Planning, Your Path to Profits and The Profit Leak Files and is a speaker and educator on profitability, cash flow, tax strategy, and business finance.

As host of the Profitable Home Services Podcast, Diane interviews business owners and industry experts about the successes, mistakes, lessons, and hidden profit leaks behind building a profitable home-service company.

Diane has called North Idaho home since 1995. She is a wife, mother, and grandmother, and her Christian faith has helped shape her commitment to service, integrity, and accountability.

When she’s not talking about profit leaks or analyzing financial statements, you’ll often find her enjoying photography, playing the piano or dulcimer, singing in her church choir, camping, exploring the outdoors, or spending time with her family.

She and her husband love exploring the mountains, rivers, and lakes around their small town, taking scenic drives and enjoying a simple, fulfilling life. It’s the kind of freedom she wants every business owner to have.

After more than three decades as a business owner herself, Diane understands that success isn’t measured by revenue alone.

If your business is generating strong revenue but the cash and profit aren’t showing up the way they should, you may not need more sales.

Significant profit leaks may be hiding inside your business.

Diane helps you find it, plug the leaks, protect the profit, and keep more of what you earn.

You don’t have to figure it all out alone. With the right guidance and Profit First strategies, you can run a business that gives you both financial freedom and time for the things that matter most. Let’s build your path to profitability together. Please join me in being “Proud to be Profitable”!