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It’s not uncommon that a business owner thinks they have an understanding of their financials because they vaguely know the numbers on their profit and loss statement (P&L). And while, yes, that’s a great start, it’s not enough to truly understand what’s behind the numbers generated neatly on that common—and crucial—financial report. How did the numbers get there? What do they really mean?
Being proactive is one of the fundamental keys in business. “Acting in anticipation of future problems, needs, or changes,” as the definition of the term tells us, is crucial for any business owner. We shouldn’t sit idly by and wait for something to occur in order to prepare an appropriate (or at stressful times, an inappropriate) response. While those situations may be unavoidable from time to time, most often, they’re not … when we’re appropriately anticipating them.
Businesses continue to face unprecedented challenges in our post-pandemic world. The aftermath of this trying time is filled with businesses that, although able to survive, continue to struggle with issues surrounding technology, rising prices, and inventory, to name a few. However, business owners need not face these difficult issues alone. To that end, we’ve compiled the top three post-pandemic challenges faced by businesses today and how a CFO can help overcome them.
While understanding revenue, expenses, and profit is crucial for any business owner, cash flow is an equally important metric in truly understanding a business’s financial health. Cash flow, representing the movement of money both in to and out of a business bank account, can be positive or negative, and will fluctuate as the business shifts and expands. A positive cash flow is just as it sounds—more money is coming into the account than leaving it. A negative cash flow, in contrast, means the exact opposite—more money is leaving the account than coming in.
It’s fairly apparent to most business owners that we are no longer in an economy where we can fly by the seat of our pants. The days of coasting are over (but really, never should have begun in the first place). There is simply too much volatility in the economy today, forcing business owners to take a new approach. Yet, financial uncertainty and doubt plague many of them.
We talked last month about the traditional functions of a Chief Financial Officer (CFO); namely, tracking revenue, profit, and cash flow, analyzing financial strengths and weaknesses, and proposing corrective actions. These functions allow the CEO to better understand how to increase revenue, decrease costs, and become more profitable overall.
We talked last month about the traditional functions of a Chief Financial Officer (CFO); namely, tracking revenue, profit, and cash flow, analyzing financial strengths and weaknesses, and proposing corrective actions. These functions allow the CEO to better understand how to increase revenue, decrease costs, and become more profitable overall.
Many people have a fairly good understanding of the traditional functions of a CFO. And those valuable functions remain the same whether we’re talking about the CFO of a Fortune 500 company or the CFO of a small business. Essentially, CFOs (1) track revenue, profit, and cash flow, (2) analyze financial strengths and weaknesses, and (3) propose corrective actions.
Despite its importance, many Americans lack the financial literacy required to properly handle personal finances. This disparity leaves them defenseless against the challenges that will inevitably arise over time. And there’s no doubt that these challenges can lead to long-lasting, damaging results.
Somehow, it’s the end of January already. As you close the month and look ahead, are you finding yourself prepared and organized for the next eleven months or just getting by day by day? If you’re in the latter group, it’s time for a reminder about the importance of budgeting and forecasting to make sure 2022 is your best year yet. After all, without a roadmap, how will you know how to reach your destination?
