Founder · Host · Student of the game

Build the business the same way you build your life.

I'm Jarome McKenzie. Former college baseball player turned founder. I didn't leave the game — I just found a new field to compete on.

At Arrowhead Strategy Group, I work with small business owners who are serious about building something that lasts. This site is where I think out loud about what that actually takes.

Listen to No Trade SecretsThe long version
Jarome McKenzie
#99
Apple Podcasts debut · US Entrepreneurship
$100M+
In client revenue advised
20+
Industries served
14
Countries with No Trade Secrets listeners

As heard on

The story

From the batter's box to the balance sheet.

Jarome McKenzie in his Avila University baseball playing days

The reps nobody sees

A game that humbles you seven times out of ten.

I played baseball at Avila University. Not because I was chasing a pro career — because the game taught me something I couldn't learn anywhere else: how to compete when the odds are stacked, how to stay composed when the count is full, and how to keep showing up when you're 0-for-10.

“There's no clean line between the founder and the person.”

A different uniform

The same truths, in a new arena.

When that chapter ended, I didn't walk away from competition. I just changed uniforms. I started Arrowhead Strategy Group because I kept watching good founders make avoidable mistakes — not because they lacked talent, but because they didn't have a clear financial picture. They were making big decisions with blurry information. I knew how to fix that.

Jarome McKenzie, founder & CEO of Arrowhead Strategy Group

I'm also a golfer. And golf, more than almost anything, has taught me that the process is the point. You don't control the scorecard. You control the preparation, the decision, and the swing. The rest is data.

This site exists because I have things I'm working out. About business. About building. About what it actually means to play the long game. I'm not here to teach you — I'm here to think with you.

The business

Arrowhead Strategy Group.

Arrowhead Strategy Group is a boutique financial strategy firm. We work with founders and operators who are serious about building — not just growing.

Most small businesses don't fail because of bad ideas. They fail because the financial foundation underneath the idea is weak. Unclear reporting. No real rhythm. Strategy disconnected from what the owner actually wants their life to look like.

That's what we fix. We embed as fractional CFOs, controllers, and strategic advisors — and we stay until the clarity holds.

The ARROW Framework — built from the ground up for founders who want financial clarity, not just financial compliance.

A

Alignment

Everything starts here. Before we touch a spreadsheet, we figure out what you're actually building — and whether your current financial strategy is pointed at that or away from it.

R

Reporting

You can't make good decisions with blurry numbers. We build clean, simple reporting that tells you exactly where you stand — no confusion, no delay, no conflicting answers.

R

Rhythm

Clarity isn't a moment. It's a habit. We build the cadence — reviews, forecasts, real conversations — so nothing catches you off guard.

O

Optimization

Once the foundation is solid, we start finding the edges. Profitability, cash flow, tax position — where can you keep more of what you're earning?

W

Wealth

This is the whole point. Not just a healthy P&L — actual freedom. The ability to scale, exit, or step back on your own terms.

Here's where we work:

Strategic
Fractional CFOGrowth ConsultingEBITDA OptimizationDue Diligence
Operational
Accounting & BookkeepingFinancial CleanupsTools & SystemsFull-Business Design
Let's talk about your businessSee what we do at Arrowhead →

The podcast

No Trade Secrets.

“No trade secrets exist. There are only people willing to think harder, show up longer, and build with more intention than everyone else.”

I started No Trade Secrets in May 2026 because I was tired of the performance. Founders talking about wins. Operators packaging their story into something clean and marketable. I wanted to have the conversations that happen after the podcast ends — where people finally say what they actually went through.

We debuted at #99 in US Entrepreneurship on Apple Podcasts. I'm still a student in the room. That's kind of the whole point.

Recent conversations

Visit notradesecrets.com ↗Listen on Apple Podcasts▶ Listen on Spotify

Ideas & writing

The ideas I keep circling back to.

These are the ideas I keep coming back to. Some started as episodes. Some started as conversations. All of them are still in progress.

i.

No Trade Secrets

The title isn't a catchphrase — it's a belief. There's no secret room where successful people keep the real answers. There's just the work, done consistently, with honesty about what's actually happening.

ii.

Becoming Before Proof

The evidence always lags the identity. If you're waiting for proof before you start becoming the person who can build what you want to build — you've already lost the sequence.

iii.

The Gap Between Potential & Proof

There's always a gap between what you know you're capable of and what you can currently prove. Most people collapse in that gap. The ones who don't are the ones worth studying.

iv.

Hidden Transferable Skills

Everything I learned in baseball — composure under pressure, reading situations, trusting preparation — showed up in business before I even knew to look for it. You have more usable experience than you think.

v.

The System Behind the System

The scoreboard is a lagging indicator. What you actually need to understand is the system underneath — the habits, the beliefs, the inputs nobody sees. That's what determines the outcome before the outcome happens.

In the room

What listeners say.

★★★★★
Jarome doesn't hand you a shortcut — he hands you a mirror. I left with clearer thinking and the discipline to actually use it.
Portrait of a No Trade Secrets listener
A founder in the room
No Trade Secrets listener
★★★★★
The 'inconsistency is a signal' episode rewired how I read my own progress. I stopped panicking and started building.
Portrait of an early-stage builder
An early-stage builder
No Trade Secrets listener