The Ramsey Show Highlights

Episode: The Current Administration Is Causing My Business To Struggle
Date: December 7, 2025
Host: Ramsey Network
Featured Experts: George Kamel, Dave Ramsey (A & C in transcript)
Caller: Ashley (Small business owner)

Episode Overview

In this focused and candid episode, Ashley, a small business owner from California, calls in to seek urgent advice as her consulting firm faces a financial crisis. She attributes much of her firm's struggles to recent changes in federal policies, the economic climate, and personal hardships. The Ramsey team unpacks her current situation, explores the impact of shifting marketplaces and debt, and offers practical, sometimes tough, advice for surviving the immediate storm.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Caller Introduction & Business Background

• Ashley’s business is a consulting firm supporting humanitarian initiatives, primarily with education institutions and corporations, by helping them repurpose assets for charities ([00:30]).
• Her firm was women-owned certified and heavily involved with university and school district contracts.

2. Impact of Current Administration Policies

• Ashley describes how new federal policies have swept through and hampered vital income streams:
  • Loss of DEI initiatives and grants significantly reduced university funding ([00:56]).
  • School funding cuts and department restructurings have triggered downsizing and uncertainty ([01:17]).
  • Tariffs have created additional pressures, compounding the financial hit ([01:34]).

Memorable Quote:

“The DEI initiative, we took a pretty hard hit with that in January. The grants for the universities being revoked... That caused some cash crunches for some of the programs.”
— Ashley ([00:56])

3. Declining Revenue and Mounting Expenses

• Ashley outlines the drastic drop in business since January and the resulting layoffs and cost-cutting measures.
• She faces significant debts after paying out staff benefits and obligations when downsizing ([01:51]).
• Her husband’s prolonged illness has further strained the business — he is both her spouse and business partner ([02:24]).

Memorable Quote:

“I started laying people off. I ... changed insurance plans for benefits for the employees I still had, tried to reduce cost across the board. But now ... my husband got sick and he was hospitalized for two months ... So we're at a point right now...”
— Ashley ([01:51])

4. Debt Breakdown and Cash Flow Realities

• Currently, Ashley is the sole employee, with the following debts ([03:59]):
  • $60,000 to a vendor (140 days overdue)
  • $90,000 in leased business vehicles
  • $80,000 in credit card debt
  • $5,000 office lease
• Total outstanding business-related debt: $250,000 ([04:04]).
• Revenue: Grossed $2.5 million last year, but expects a dramatic drop this year. Next major contracts don’t deliver income until spring ([04:45], [05:41]).

Memorable Exchange:

Dave/George: “This is a highly leveraged business.” ([04:31])
Dave: “I’m talking to a lady who’s absolutely drowning in debt... I haven’t heard anything about how you make money between now and April.” ([05:51])

5. Immediate Survival: Advice from the Hosts

• The hosts highlight the urgent need for income, not additional loans ([06:14], [07:35]).
• Concrete suggestions:
  • Sell what you can (especially the business vehicles, if possible).
  • Pausing or pivoting the business if contracts are not landing.
  • Consider moving to a lower-cost-of-living area, if feasible ([06:53]).
  • “Use your skills to go do something else right now to float you until those contracts come in. Then we can right this ship.” ([08:16])

Notable Quotes:

“We don’t make money for people.”
— Dave ([07:12])

“We’re never going to suggest you get a loan. What I'm saying is maybe this business needs to pause right now...”
— George ([07:35])

“You built a house of cards with all of this debt that's mounted. So there's pressure.”
— George ([08:32])

6. Tough Conversations and Transparency

• The hosts advise reaching out to the overdue vendor, being candid, and negotiating a payment plan ([08:32]).
  • “Your story is the best policy, the truth. And I owe you and I’m going to pay you, and I got this much coming in in April. But you have got to batten down the hatches...” ([08:32])
• Emphasize the necessity to confront the storm directly by maximizing short-term income and minimizing liabilities.

7. Structural Changes to the Business

• The future viability of Ashley’s business model is called into question if some contracts or grants never return ([09:15]).
  • “You might need to pivot this business. If the grant money's all dried up... we're gonna have to figure out another way to make this work long term.” — George ([09:15])

Notable Quotes & Their Timestamps

• “The DEI initiative, we took a pretty hard hit with that in January. The grants for the universities being revoked... That caused some cash crunches for some of the programs.” — Ashley ([00:56])
• “I started laying people off... tried to reduce cost across the board. But now ... my husband got sick and he was hospitalized for two months...” — Ashley ([01:51])
• “This is a highly leveraged business.” — Dave ([04:31])
• “I’m talking to a lady who’s absolutely drowning in debt... I haven’t heard anything about how you make money between now and April.” — Dave ([05:51])
• “We don’t make money for people.” — Dave ([07:12])
• “We’re never going to suggest you get a loan. Maybe this business needs to pause right now.” — George ([07:35])
• “You built a house of cards with all of this debt that's mounted. So there's pressure.” — George ([08:32])
• “Your story is the best policy, the truth. And I owe you and I’m going to pay you, and I got this much coming in in April. But you have got to batten down the hatches...” — Dave ([08:32])

Key Segment Timestamps

• 00:30–01:41: Business introduction and discussion on the devastating impact from policy changes
• 03:00–04:04: Debt breakdown and revealing the true scope of the struggle
• 06:05–07:55: Grappling income gaps, options for immediate earnings, and the hosts’ urgency about basic financial survival
• 08:05–09:23: Final advice — prioritize income now, communicate transparently with creditors, and consider significant business or life pivots

Final Thoughts

This episode sharply illustrates the vulnerability small businesses can face amid sweeping external changes, and the compounding effect of personal struggles on financial health. The Ramsey team’s advice is urgent, pragmatic, and unvarnished: strip the business down to the basics, generate short-term income by any means necessary, communicate transparently with creditors, and re-evaluate the entire business model if prior revenue sources evaporate. The underlying tone is empathetic but firm, recognizing the storm while emphasizing personal agency to act decisively. For any business owner facing a similar storm, this is a reality check and roadmap for both survival and tough decision-making.