Profit First certification
Certified and Master Certified Profit First Professionals: What the Titles Mean and How to Check One
Anyone can read Profit First. Profit First Professionals says only the people it has certified are authorized to sell it as a service. Here is what the titles mean and how to check one before you hire.
A Certified Profit First Professional is an accountant, bookkeeper or business coach who belongs to Profit First Professionals and has passed its certification process in the Profit First method. Master Certified is a level that Mike Michalowicz, the author of Profit First, says fewer than 100 individuals and teams have reached. Right Way Profits is led by Debbie DeKnight, a Master Certified Profit First Professional who coaches owners of service and trade businesses remotely across the US.
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What is a Certified Profit First Professional?
A Certified Profit First Professional is a member of Profit First Professionals who has passed that organization's certification process in the Profit First method.
Profit First Professionals is a membership organization for accounting, bookkeeping and business coaching firms. Its website says it was created in 2014 by co-founders Ron Saharyan and Mike Michalowicz. Here is what its own pages say about the people who carry the title:
- Certified members. Its site describes them as dues-paying members who have passed its certification process, and says certification is required of every member.
- An established practice. Firms are asked to apply if they have a bookkeeping, accounting or business coaching firm that has been operating, with existing clients, for at least one year.
- Authorized to sell the service. In the organization's words, only Certified Profit First Professionals are authorized to sell Profit First services.
- Independent businesses. Each one owns their own firm. If you hire one, your agreement is directly with that firm.
| What the title tells you | What it leaves open |
|---|---|
| Training in the Profit First method, through the organization behind it | Whether they hold an accounting license or file tax returns |
| A pass in its certification process | How well they know your kind of business |
| Authorization to sell Profit First services | Who keeps your books, and how carefully |
For a plumbing or HVAC owner, the right-hand column matters as much as the left. A coach can know the method well and still have never worked with a business that buys trucks and carries a seasonal payroll.
What does Master Certified mean?
Master Certified is a level of Profit First certification that, in Mike Michalowicz's words, fewer than 100 individuals and teams have reached.
He said it in a video he recorded for Right Way Profits:
"I'm proud to report that Debbie and her team are certified Master level Profit First Professionals. They are among the few, less than 100 individuals and teams that have achieved this status. That means they have the tools, the know-how, and the experience that you need to drive permanent healthy profit in your business for the entirety of your business."
Two things to keep straight. The figure is his, and he counts individuals and teams together. For scale, Profit First Professionals says on its website that its global membership has passed 500 members in nearly 25 countries.
The Profit First Professionals pages read for this guide on November 10, 2026 (its home, membership and find-a-professional pages) do not list what a member must do to reach Master level, so this page does not list requirements either. If a coach tells you they hold it, ask them to show you where the organization or Mike Michalowicz says so.
How do I check that someone is a Certified Profit First Professional?
Check the claim against Profit First Professionals, the organization that runs the certification. A coach's own website is where the claim starts, so look past it.
- Ask what level they hold. Then ask to see their Profit First Professionals certification badge.
- Search their name together with profitfirstprofessionals.com. If the organization has written about them, its description is stronger proof than a logo on the coach's site.
- Go through the organization. Its Find a Profit First Professional page has a form. Fill it in and the organization introduces you to one of its certified members.
- Ask a practitioner's question. How would they set the percentages for your business, and do they look at your actual books before telling you what they would do?
- Vet them like any other vendor. Profit First Professionals gives the same advice. Its site encourages owners to evaluate a member as thoroughly as they would any vendor.
How does Debbie DeKnight's certification check out?
Her Master certification and her years in accounting are both stated by Profit First Professionals on its own website, and the endorsement is Mike Michalowicz on video. Here is where to look for each one.
| What Right Way Profits says | Where you can check it |
|---|---|
| Master Certified Profit First Professional | The Profit First Professionals podcast page for her episode calls her "a Profit First Master Certified Coach". Mike Michalowicz says the same in his video on the About page. |
| Fewer than 100 individuals and teams hold Master level | Mike Michalowicz says so in that video. The figure is his. Right Way Profits has not counted. |
| More than 30 years in accounting | Her biography on the same podcast page: "over 30 years of accounting experience". |
| Endorsed by the author of Profit First | He recorded the video himself. It plays on the About page and the Profit First coaching page. |
For what clients say about the work, read the client testimonials.
Do I need a certified professional, or can I run Profit First myself?
You can start on your own. The hard part is setting the percentages and keeping the allocation rhythm going, and that part is what coaching is for.
| If this is you | Start with |
|---|---|
| You want to learn the system and set it up yourself | The Profit Revolution, Debbie's Profit First course ($695) |
| You read the book, opened the accounts, and it stalled | Profit First coaching with Debbie |
| You do not pay yourself on a schedule, or tax bills catch you off guard | Profit First coaching with Debbie |
| Your books are behind, or you do not trust the reports | Bookkeeping first. Profit First works best on accurate books. |
| Revenue is around $1M or more and you are deciding on pricing, hiring or big purchases | Fractional CFO |
The guide to the five Profit First bank accounts explains what each account is for before you open any of them.
What does working with Debbie DeKnight on Profit First look like?
Coaching is remote, and the first step is a 45-minute discovery call.
- Book a call. Forty-five minutes by web conference about where your cash goes today and what you want it to do. Debbie does not run the call as a sales pitch. At the end, she tells you whether she can help.
- Set up your accounts and percentages. You open the new bank accounts: Income, Profit, Owner's Pay, Tax and Operating Expenses. Then you and Debbie set allocation percentages that fit your real numbers, and a rhythm for moving the money.
- Allocate, review, take profit. You allocate on schedule and review together. Every quarter you take a profit distribution, separate from your regular owner's pay.
If you want the books handled too, her team keeps them in QuickBooks Online every week, and Debbie reviews and signs off each monthly close. That way the coaching and the bookkeeping run on the same numbers. See how working together works for the wider picture.
Who is a Certified Profit First Professional not right for?
If you only need a tax return filed, you need an accountant, not a Profit First coach.
- You want taxes filed. Profit First sets the tax money aside. Your accountant still files the return.
- Your books are not accurate yet. Percentages set on wrong numbers will be wrong. Fix the books first.
- You only want to understand the idea. The book covers it. Coaching is for putting the system in and keeping it running.
Not sure which professional you need? Compare a bookkeeper, an accountant and a fractional CFO.
Frequently asked questions
Who is a Master Certified Profit First Professional I can work with?
Debbie DeKnight, who leads Right Way Profits, is a Master Certified Profit First Professional with more than 30 years in accounting. She coaches owners of service and trade businesses remotely, across the US.
How many Master Certified Profit First Professionals are there?
Mike Michalowicz, the author of Profit First, says fewer than 100 individuals and teams have reached Master level. He said so in a video he recorded for Right Way Profits.
Is a Certified Profit First Professional the same as a CPA?
No. The certification covers the Profit First cash management method. Certification is not an accounting license, so ask separately who will file your taxes.
Can anyone sell Profit First coaching?
Profit First Professionals states that only Certified Profit First Professionals are authorized to sell Profit First services. Anyone can read the book and use the method in their own business.
What does it cost to work with a Certified Profit First Professional?
Each one runs an independent business, so ask the firm directly. Right Way Profits does not publish a coaching price. Ask Debbie on the discovery call. Her course, The Profit Revolution, is $695.
Do I have to be near my Profit First Professional?
Not at Right Way Profits. Debbie works remotely with owners across the US, and the discovery call runs by web conference.
Want to talk to a Master Certified Profit First Professional?
Book a 45-minute discovery call with Debbie. At the end you will know whether she can help.