Margins and Pricing
How Do I Figure Out Which of My Services Actually Make Money?
A four-number test that shows which of your service lines actually make money, why your P&L can't tell you, and what to do with the line that loses.
Read →Insights
Plain-English answers for founder-led businesses
Straight answers to the money questions a $1-5M business owner actually asks, from a CPA who works inside the numbers.
Cash Flow
What Is the Difference Between Profit and Cash Flow?
Profit is what you earned on paper. Cash flow is what actually moved through your bank account. Why the two numbers disagree, and which one to watch.
Read →Cash Flow
How Do I Forecast Cash Flow for a Small Business?
How to build a 13-week cash flow forecast: start from your bank balance, time every dollar to when it actually moves, and roll it every week.
Read →Cash Flow
How Many Months of Cash Reserve Should a Service Business Keep?
How many months of operating expenses a service business should hold in cash, what moves the number up or down, and how to calculate your own floor.
Read →Roles and Help
Do I Need a Controller If I Already Have a Bookkeeper?
How to tell whether a bookkeeper is enough or you need a controller above them, the signals that the review layer is missing, and what it roughly costs.
Read →Clean Books
How Do I Record Floor Plan Financing for My Boat Dealership in QuickBooks?
How to record boat dealership floor plan financing in QuickBooks, per-unit inventory and payable, monthly interest, curtailments, and the lender tie-out.
Read →Roles and Help
When Should a Small Business Hire a Fractional CFO?
You hire a fractional CFO at a decision-complexity threshold, not a revenue number. Here are the trigger signs and why fractional comes before full-time.
Read →Selling the Business
What Makes a Service Business Sellable, and How Do Clean Books Affect the Price?
What buyers actually pay for in a service business, why clean books raise the price, and the sellability drivers you cannot fix the week before you sell.
Read →Cash Flow
Why Is My Business Profitable but Always Short on Cash?
Why your P&L shows profit while your bank account stays tight, the five places the cash actually goes, and how to bridge net income down to real cash.
Read →Owner Finances
How Should a Small Business Owner Pay Themselves: Salary vs. Distributions?
How to split owner pay between salary and distributions, why a clean owner-comp number makes your financials trustworthy, and what to confirm with your tax preparer.
Read →Reporting
What Financial Reports Should a Small Business Owner Look at Every Month?
The three financial reports a $1-5M business owner should actually read every month, what each one answers, and the one number to add for your specific business.
Read →Clean Books
How Do I Clean Up Books That Are Months Behind?
A plain-English, step-by-step way to clean up bookkeeping that is months behind, what the process actually involves, and why it is a finite, fixed-fee job.
Read →Running the Numbers
How Much Should Bookkeeping Cost for a Small Business?
A plain-English breakdown of what bookkeeping actually costs for a $1-5M service business, what drives the price up or down, and how to tell if you are overpaying or underpaying.
Read →Getting Paid
What Is a Healthy DSO, and How Do I Get Clients to Pay Faster?
What a healthy DSO is for a service business, the one-line formula to measure yours, and the playbook to get paid faster.
Read →Margins and Pricing
What Is a Good Profit Margin for a Service Business?
A plain-English look at what a healthy net margin really is for a service business, why the number is fake until you pay yourself a real wage, and the honest metric to use instead.
Read →Roles and Help
Bookkeeper vs. Controller vs. CFO: What's the Difference?
A plain-English breakdown of what a bookkeeper, a controller, and a CFO each actually do, what each roughly costs, and how to tell which layer your business is missing.
Read →Clean Books
Are Owner Expenses Revenue on My Books, or Just Pass-Throughs?
Owner spend on managed vessels is not your revenue. How yacht management firms should book pass-throughs, vessel funds, and fees.
Read →Margins and Pricing
Why Is My Marina Full but My Profit Flat?
A full marina with flat profit is a pricing problem, not a demand problem. Why occupancy is a vanity metric and the per-foot math that fixes it.
Read →Margins and Pricing
How Much Should a Yacht Management Company Charge Per Boat Per Month?
Market rates run $1,500 to $8,000 per boat per month. Here is how to price from your loaded labor cost per vessel instead of guessing.
Read →Roles and Help
Should a $2M Business Hire an In-House Accountant or Outsource?
Should a $2M service business hire in-house or outsource? Fully loaded costs, what each option covers, and when in-house starts to pay.
Read →Margins and Pricing
What Is a Realistic Profit Margin for a Boat Repair Shop?
Well-run boat repair shops keep 10 to 15 percent net, far above the 5 to 6 percent industry average. Here is where the gap comes from and how to close it.
Read →Clean Books
Do Yacht Brokers in Florida Have to Keep Client Deposits in a Separate Escrow Account?
Yes, client deposits belong in a separate trust (escrow) account with its own per-deal record. Here is what that actually means for your books, in plain English.
Read →Reporting
What Is WIP, and Why Does My P&L Look Wrong Mid-Project?
What WIP is, why a boat shop's busiest month can print a loss on paper, and the one month-end entry that makes your P&L tell the truth.
Read →Clean Books
How Should a Marina Account for Slip Fees Paid a Year in Advance?
Annual slip fees paid up front are deferred revenue, not January income. The QuickBooks setup, the monthly entry, and the two tie-outs that keep it honest.
Read →Roles and Help
How Much Does a Fractional CFO Cost Per Month?
A plain-English breakdown of what a fractional CFO costs per month for a $1-5M service business, what moves the price, and how to tell if you are overpaying.
Read →Margins and Pricing
How Do I Set My Boat Repair Shop's Hourly Labor Rate?
Build your boat repair labor rate from cost up, not from the shop down the street. Wage, burden, overhead, profit, and the efficiency trap that sinks rates.
Read →Clean Books
Should a Yacht Management Company Keep Each Owner's Funds in a Separate Account?
Yes in substance: a bank account per vessel, or one pooled account with strict per-owner sub-ledgers. Never your operating account.
Read →Getting Paid
How Should a Boat Repair Shop Handle Customer Deposits?
How much deposit a boat repair shop should take, where it sits on the books, what happens on cancellations, and the Florida sales tax wrinkle.
Read →Getting Paid
Are Charter Deposits Income When I Receive Them?
No. A charter deposit is a liability until the trip runs. How to book deposits, forfeits, and rebooking credits so your P&L matches the season.
Read →