Words From the Mind of a CFO
To Catch a Thief—Inside Your Company
My friend Jim was shocked. His office manager—trusted for over a decade, an integral part of his company, someone he considered practically...
Use this Five-Step Process for Creating Your Budget
After the holiday shopping and celebrations of December, January often shines the cold light of reality on a new year—highlighting how prepared you...
Start Loving Your Budget Process
Call me a nerdy numbers guy, but at NPS this isn’t the holiday season, it’s the budgeting season. Did your eyes glaze over at “budgeting”? Did your...
Musings from the numbers guy – WIP It Good!
“It’s a work in process,” I said, as my wife stared at the partially installed and therefore fully ineffective replacement shower door. Where she...
Time tracking – converting time into dollars with a tool that gets no respect, Part 1
When my kids were little (3 kids under 5 with 2 in diapers) a more experienced parent saw the exhaustion on my face and shared, “You know what they...
Time tracking – converting time into dollars with a tool that gets no respect, Part 2
Continuing the saga of “time is money…” Last month I wrote about how important it is for the small business owner to know exactly how his/her time...
Your monthly closing – making your bottom line accurate, reliable, & timely
I’ll cop to walking on the fastidious side of the street. And as someone obsessed with the accuracy of numbers, I’ll confess that high attention to...
Unlocking positive cash flow – 3 simple questions to ask
In my work with clients, I frequently hear some variation of “I’m working way too hard for too little money.” Most of our clients are long past...
Discover how numbers can tell you what’s normal (and abnormal) in your business
Numbers show up all over the place, in many professions. The magician says, “Pick a number, any number.” The carpenter says, “Measure twice, cut...
Gross Profit Margin – Gateway to Sustainable Positive Cash Flow
True story ahead. Years ago I was at a client’s office closing up the books for the month. I’ll call this client Fred to save him some...
