Getting Off the Financial Roller Coaster
Flush one month, scraping by the next—an owner's income shouldn't be a roller coaster. Here's how to steady your personal finances by steadying the business.
What Your Pay Says About the Health of Your Business
How and how much you pay yourself is a signal about your whole business. Here's how to read your own pay as a diagnostic of business health.
Owner's Pay vs. Business Profit: Know the Difference
Your wage and your business's profit are two different things—and confusing them hides how your business is really doing. Here's the distinction, made simple.
Paying Yourself First Without Starving the Business
'Pay yourself first' sounds risky when cash is tight. Here's how to prioritize your own pay without starving the business that supports it.
How Much Should You Pay Yourself?
How much should a small business owner actually pay themselves? Here's a practical way to think about a fair owner's wage—and what to do if you can't afford it yet.
Why Owners Are Often the Lowest-Paid Person in the Business
You carry all the risk and take home the least. Here's why so many owners end up the lowest-paid person in their own business—and how to change it.
Paying Yourself Properly as a Business Owner
Many owners are the lowest-paid person in their business, taking whatever's left. Here's why that happens and how to pay yourself properly and consistently.
From Numbers to Decisions: Making the Numbers Useful
Watching your numbers is pointless if they don't change what you do. Here's how to turn the numbers you track into actual decisions.
Mixing Personal and Business Money
Running personal and business money through the same account quietly wrecks your numbers. Here's why to separate them and how to start.
Leading vs. Lagging Indicators for Small Business
Some numbers warn you early; most tell you after it's too late. Here's the difference between leading and lagging indicators, in plain terms.
Bookkeeping That's Always Behind
Behind on your books again? Here's why bookkeeping falls behind, the quiet damage it does, and how to break the cycle for good.
Reading Your P&L Without an Accounting Degree
A profit and loss statement isn't as complicated as it looks. Here's how to read your P&L in plain language and know what it's telling you.
Why You Find Out About Money Problems Too Late
The Few Numbers Every Owner Should Actually Watch
You don't need dozens of metrics. Here are the few numbers that tell a small business owner the truth—and what each one is really saying.
I Don't Trust My Numbers: Getting a Clear View of Your Business
If your own financial numbers feel unreliable, you're not alone. Here's why owners stop trusting the numbers, and how to get a view you can act on.
When to Fire a Chronically Late-Paying Customer
Some customers cost more than they're worth. Here's how to tell when a chronic late payer should go—and how to let them go cleanly.
Invoicing Faster: The Cash You're Leaving on the Table
Every day you delay invoicing is a day later you get paid. Here's why slow invoicing quietly starves your cash—and how to bill faster.
Payment Terms That Protect Your Cash
Vague payment terms invite late payment. Here's how to set clear terms up front that protect your cash and get you paid on time.
How to Chase Money You're Owed — Without the Awkwardness
Hate chasing customers for payment? Here's how to follow up on money you're owed in a way that's professional, effective, and not awkward.