You don’t need a finance degree to run your numbers. You need a consistent monthly habit. Here’s the simple review I walk clients through.
Most business owners look at their finances when something feels off: a tight month, a surprise tax bill, a big decision. By then, the numbers are explaining the past instead of informing the future. A short, consistent monthly review flips that.
Block the time and protect it
Pick a recurring date a few days after your books close each month and treat it like a client meeting. Thirty focused minutes is enough when you know what to look at.
The four questions
How much cash do we have, and how does it compare to last month?
What were revenue and gross margin, and what drove the change?
Which expenses grew, and was that growth intentional?
What do we expect to collect and pay over the next 90 days?
Write down one decision
End every review with a single decision or question to follow up on: a client to chase, a subscription to cancel, a price to revisit. Over a year, those twelve small decisions compound into a very different business.
The goal isn’t perfect reports. It’s building the habit of looking, so your numbers become a tool you use rather than a document you dread.
