Read his numbers

This is the title of the catalog that doesn't age: the basic rules don't change.

Part I — The three documents

The income statement, the balance sheet, cash flow: what question each answers, and why they never move at the same time. The two lines of the income statement you need to be able to read. The three lines of the balance sheet that matter for a small structure, including the one that traps all freelancers: the money that is in your account and that doesn't belong to you. Then the complete scenario, month by month, of a profitable company that dies from growth.

Part II — The price

The three ways to set a price, and why the most common one is the worst. The full cost price, with the three classic omissions. The three margins that are all called "margin", and the trap of the markup rate versus the profit margin. Then the arithmetic of price increases: +10% on the price means +25% margin, and you can lose a fifth of your sales while earning the same amount.

Part III — The threshold

Fixed and variable costs, classified according to what happens if you sell zero. The break-even point, calculated, with a complete example — and what this figure concretely changes: you know the real cost of a €50 monthly subscription, and if a discount is sustainable. Operational leverage, and why you should prefer variable costs at startup, even if they are more expensive per unit.

Part IV — Cash flow

Working capital requirements, and the three scenarios — including the one where growth brings you cash instead of consuming it. The three deadlines that decide, and the levers to reduce them, for convenience. The thirteen-week forecast: the complete table, the three rules for it to be useful, and the only line to look at. Then getting paid: the provision for each collection, the remuneration integrated into fixed costs, and the cushion.

Part V — Managing

Eight indicators, once a month, in a spreadsheet — including available cash, which almost no one calculates correctly. The monthly review in six questions, including the one that protects the most: what fixed cost did I add this month? And when to call a professional — with the list of six moments, and amicable procedures that are effective early and useless late.

What you take away

• The eleven formulas gathered on one page
• The thirteen-week cash flow forecast table
• The table of eight indicators
• A monthly eight-point checklist
• The toolbox: accounting, banking, provisions, reminders, difficulties
• A seven-day startup program
• A glossary of twelve terms

For whom

Freelancers, traders and small businesses who make money without knowing exactly where it comes from or where it goes. No accounting knowledge is required: everything is explained from scratch, with numerical examples that can be followed without a calculator.

For whom it is not

Those who seek to do their own accounting: this is not an accounting manual. Nor for structured companies that already have management control.

What the book does not cover

Maintaining accounting, entries, tax returns and declarations. The choice of your status and your regime. Bank financing, fundraising and business valuation.

Format

PDF, 25 pages, approximately 3,800 words divided into 5 parts, 18 chapters and 5 appendices. Immediate access after purchase.

This book is not an accounting course and does not replace an accountant. It does not contain any sectoral reference figures or any "normal" profit margins: the values in the examples are arithmetic illustrations chosen to be easy to follow. Tax and accounting rules evolve and depend on your status.