Our goal is not to turn business owners into accountants. Business owners do not need to learn how an asset balance increases with a debit or how to close the books.

Business owners need our help understanding how

• prices drive cash flow
• money decisions are made by every employee, every day
• financial decisions should be driven by operational financial reports, not the tax return

Hi! I’m Tina White. Over my career, I’ve morphed from a CPA to a CFO to an HVAC service company owner to a Business Financial Coach. The short version of my story is I’ve discovered that charging the right prices and hiring great people solves 96% of business problems.

I’m on a mission to help businesses stop running out of money. I teach business owners how money flows in and out of their company and how all employees affect sales, profitability and cashflow.

Accountants, I need your help!

We help entrepreneurs elevate their business skills, so they can have a two-way conversation with you about business finances.

Here's where you can help...business owners need accountants to support them on their journey. They need your help answering questions like

• Why is gross profit 5% less than expected?
• Is it time to grow?
• Can we afford to buy the assets we need?
• Should we pay cash or borrow money?
• How long will it take for the new assets to pay for themselves?

You’ll become invaluable when you make the switch from the historical functions like closing the books and tax deadlines to helping leaders use data to increase profitability and cash flow.

Business owners often think all the “money stuff” belongs in the accounting department. But, you and I both know the money was spent long before the paperwork made its way to the accountant.

4 Key Financial Viewpoints

One of the easiest ways to support business owners is to help them understand there are various financial viewpoints. Here are the four most common:

1. Tax – focus on complying with IRS rules and meeting deadlines.
2. GAAP – focus on helping external users (investors and bankers) make decisions.

The above two financial viewpoints do not provide the insights business owners need to make daily operating decisions or improve efficiency. The information is used to learn from the past, manage the present and predict the future.

3. Operational – focus on the efficiency of the company. It considers all of the costs of doing business including the owner's salary, income taxes and use of assets (aka depreciation expense). Help your clients confirm the business is a profitable as it should be.
4. Cashflow - focus on the fuel every business needs. It helps everyone understand how money flows in and out of the business...even across department lines. 

Operational accounting

• Presents financial information in a way that is easy for the user to understand and use.
• Helps non-accountants understand how numbers work together to tell stories and consider their options before making a decision.
• Goes beyond GAAP and tax to provide the information leaders need for day-to-day operations.
• Creates a collaborative environment where leaders cross department lines to help the company boost profitability and cash flow.
• Reduces the guess work. Instead of assuming the company needs to sell more, operational accounting helps identify the real problem which could be price, marketing, sales, operations, invoicing, or collections.
• Looks beyond the numbers to provide a big picture that supports strategic planning.

Operational accounting is not focused on reducing costs. All costs are not created equally. Some costs provide a return on the investment. Some costs are like pouring money down the drain. The key is understanding why the money is being spent. What are the expectations? Will spending the money generate more leads, close more sales, deliver more efficient service or boost employee morale?

Business owners need your help!

Do you wish business owners knew more about business finances? No sense in reinventing the wheel. Share these resources.

• Money is not limited to accountants. Money decisions are made every day by everyone. This is why business literacy training is vital to financial success.
• Revenue vs Profit vs Cash: Which one is most important?
• Income Taxes 101: Why are business taxes complicated?
• 3 Activities to Jump Start Your Business Literacy Training Program

More accounting resources are coming soon.

We've created a training library to help entrepreneurs boost their business literacy skills. If your clients have an issue with the money stuff, send them to our training classes.