Words From the Mind of a CFO
Planning for the Next Year
The nicest thing about not planning is that failure always comes as a complete surprise and is not preceded by a period of worry and desperation....
Are you at the Complexity Barrier?
Lately have you experienced any of the following? I complain about how hard I work for so little money. My spouse is mad at me because I am never...
How are you doing, small business owner?
We're long past the dark days of early COVID. But times are always uncertain and scary for some business owners somewhere. If that's you today, the...
Cash Versus Accrual? You Need Both
Barry, owner of an electrical contracting business, was frowning at the reports on his desk. His eyes narrowed as he looked up at me. “When we...
Who Needs a Bookkeeper and a CFO?
If you’re like most small business owners, you’re so busy running your company that the lines between bookkeeper and chief financial officer get...
Do You Know How Hard Your Employees Are Working for You?
“We hate keeping track of time,” the business owner told me, shaking her head. “We really suck at it. But I want to know how efficiently our...
Do You “Speak QuickBooks”?
We’ve all been in situations where we thought we made a clear request. “How much did we have in sales last month?” “What did we spend in overtime on...
The True Cost of Not Doing Job Costing
The owner of a marketing communications business—let’s call her Christine—was sitting across from me. She cradled her head in her left hand and...
How You Can Change “The Worst Part of Owning a Small Business”
I recognize our company is an outlier. Everyone here loves the busyness of January: closing out our clients’ year-end books and getting things ready...
30 Minutes to Break-Even
It’s a brand-new year, full of promise and potential. I hope you’re rolling up your sleeves to improve cash flow this year. Wait, that wasn’t one of...