What this guide covers
Most small business owners have a bookkeeper, a CPA for taxes, and accurate monthly financials. What they do not have is a reliable view of what is coming. They know what happened last month. They do not know what is going to happen next month, and they are not sure what to do about it.
This guide is written for that owner. It explains what financial planning and analysis actually means at the $1M to $10M level, which reports matter and why, how to build a cash flow forecast that is actually useful, and what it costs to get FP&A support without hiring a full-time executive.
What's inside — 9 sections- What FP&A actually means for a business your size
- The five financial reports you should have but probably don't
- Building a 13-week cash flow forecast that actually works
- Budgeting when you've never had a real budget
- When to graduate from FP&A to a fractional CFO
- What FP&A support actually costs with a pricing reference table
- Five mistakes that kill the value of FP&A
- The financial reporting stack: a reference guide for every report you need
- FP&A readiness self-assessment: 16 questions across 4 categories