Take Control of Your Money

Got the basics handled? Go further — know your numbers cold, build a cushion, and keep more of every dollar.

1. Know the number that keeps the lights on: Your break-even is the amount you must bring in each month just to cover your costs — the line between losing money and making it. Most…
2. Read a profit & loss statement in 5 minutes: Your P&L tells you whether the business actually made money. We walk the three lines that matter — revenue, cost of goods, and net — and…
3. Profit First: pay yourself before the bills: Most owners pay every bill first and hope profit is what's left. Flip it: take profit off the top into a separate account, and run the…
4. Smooth out feast-or-famine: Service income is lumpy — a huge month, then a dead one. The owners who sleep at night aren't the ones with the biggest months; they're the…
5. Know which work actually makes you money: Not all jobs are equal — some make you great money, some quietly lose it, and most owners can't tell which is which. Margin is simply…
6. 5 questions every small business should answer before raising prices: A 10% price increase to existing customers is almost always net-positive — but only if you know your margins, your repeat rate, and how to…