#financial-analysis
Analyze financial data and metrics to evaluate business performance and health
A three-statement financial model links the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement so one set of assumptions flows through all three — answering whether a business is profitable and when it runs out of cash. This guide covers the seven-step build order, the three links that make the model balance, and the errors that quietly break it.
A Quality of Earnings (QoE) report decides whether a buyer accepts your EBITDA or re-trades the deal price. This guide breaks down the 12 add-backs buyers accept, the 8 they reject, and how the working capital peg quietly cuts seller proceeds at closing.
Calculate your break-even point using the contribution margin formula, covering fixed and variable costs, margin of safety, and multi-product pricing scenarios.
Activity-Based Costing replaces volume-based overhead allocation with cause-and-effect cost drivers, revealing which customers and SKUs actually pay and which silently lose money. This guide explains how ABC and its modern successor TDABC work, the five implementation steps, and why roughly 20% of customers and 30–40% of SKUs often destroy value.
Three valuation approaches — asset, income, and market — can produce 50% differences in indicated value for the same closely-held business. This guide explains when each fits, how DLOM and DLOC discounts apply, and what records owners need before a sale, partner buyout, or estate transfer.
Track the SaaS metrics that win term sheets in 2026: LTV, CAC, NRR, churn, CAC payback, and Rule of 40. Includes benchmarks and calculation traps to avoid.
Owner's equity is what your business is worth after debts. Learn how to calculate it, what changes it, and why tracking it matters for smarter decisions.
A 5% profit margin can thrive in one industry and fail in another. See benchmarks for gross, net, and operating profit margins and proven ways to improve yours.
Learn what equity means in accounting, how to calculate it using the accounting equation, understand the difference between owner's equity and shareholders' equity, what negative equity signals, and practical strategies to grow your business equity over time.
Learn about the four core financial statements every business needs: balance sheet, income statement, cash flow statement, and statement of retained earnings. Includes practical examples, key ratios, common mistakes to avoid, and a framework for using financial data to make better business decisions.
Learn what fixed costs are, how to calculate total and average fixed costs, the difference between committed and discretionary fixed costs, how they compare to variable costs, break-even analysis, and proven strategies to reduce fixed overhead expenses.
Learn what gross margin is, how to calculate it with the gross margin formula, industry benchmarks, the difference between gross margin and net margin, and seven proven strategies to improve your gross margin.
