CHAPTER 9

Understanding Key Financial Statements

If you don’t have regular and accurate financial statements, you’re driving your business 100 mph down a one way street the wrong way, at night, in the fog, without lights.

—Jim Blasingame

Understanding the key financial numbers associated with your business is critical and can make or break your venture. Having a strong grasp of what amount of money goes out and what comes in and the overall financial health of your business can be as daunting as it is necessary.

Ultimately, a business is started to make a profit and to make a living for the entrepreneur who started it. Any business needs to make more than it spends to sustain itself and to be successful. That means understanding and controlling ...

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