Who This Helps
You’re a founder-operator juggling product and operations. You need fast, clear evidence to decide where to focus this week. The Finance Basics for Operators program gives you a simple weekly ritual so you stop guessing and start acting.
Mini Case
Meet Viktor. He runs a SaaS startup with 12 team members. Last month, his profit looked healthy at 18%, but his cash dropped 7% in one week. He couldn’t explain why. Using the Cash vs Profit Reality mission from the program, Viktor built a one-page finance card. Now he checks two numbers every Monday: cash balance and contribution margin. Last week, he spotted a weak line—a feature that cost 30% more to support than it earned. He cut it in 3 days.
Do This Now (5 Steps)
- Pick one metric to watch weekly. Start with cash runway or contribution margin. Write it on a sticky note.
- Block 30 minutes every Monday. No meetings. Just you and your numbers.
- Pull your last 7 days of data. Revenue, expenses, cash in, cash out. Keep it simple.
- Compare profit vs cash. If profit is green but cash is red, dig into timing gaps (like unpaid invoices).
- Decide one action. Example: reduce a cost driver by 10% this week. Write it down.
Avoid These Traps
- Looking at profit alone. Profit can smile while cash cries. Always check both.
- Waiting for monthly reports. By then, you’ve lost a week of reaction time.
- Overcomplicating it. You don’t need a dashboard. A notebook works.
- Skipping the “why.” If a number moves, ask why for 2 minutes. It saves hours later.
- Forgetting to celebrate. When you catch a cash leak early, high-five your team.
Your Win by Friday
By Friday, you’ll have a weekly finance habit that takes 30 minutes. You’ll know your cash position, spot one weak line, and take one action to fix it. Viktor did it. He saved 12% of his monthly burn in one week. You can too.