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E-Myth – “Why most small businesses don’t work & what to do about it”

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Vancouver Accountant | Profit Versus Cash Flow Is The Same But Different


Consider the similarities and the differences between profit and cash flow, explains Vancouver accountant. The revenue is going to hit the income statement before they’ve gotten paid for it is a matter fact it is legitimately just a receivable.

Business owners see that there is income in their accounts, however what they don’t understand is how that income doesn’t always affect their cash balance the way with which they would expect.

Some times what happens is the owners of cento invoices and the invoices will eventually hit the income statement as soon as the invoice itself. Vancouver accountant assures that it is showing up as revenue however, it is in fact showing up as income on the profit and loss statement.

Business owners have then overcome the expenses but the income hasn’t legitimately, in yet. This can be an issue month over month. One month they will have overcome the expenses but eventually what will happen is then they will have hit another loss. All of a sudden they have an increase in revenue, but expenses go up. The revenue doesn’t fact get collected sometime in the future.

Often times what happens is business owners aren’t legitimately prepared for that discrepancy in their bank account. As well, what will happen sometimes is they might see a discrepancy in their bank account all of a sudden because they have bought a whole bunch of equipment, a brand-new vehicle, or anything else for their business that is legitimately now considered an asset purchase. It is now on the balance sheet. Therefore, the expense doesn’t come out of the income statement immediately.

I difficulty between the owner and employees is what happens if they can’t necessarily pay them right away so they go on accounts payable. Once we pay off the credit card or pay off the payables, says Vancouver accountant, it is expected that the cash will indeed go down you’ll have to indeed start paying off those payables and the credit card as it is not on the income statements.

You have to consider as well that the money that the shareholder is withdrawing from their business will be processed and taken out of the shareholder loan. This is in fact good news. Normally we will be looking at a profit loss system. However, what we want to wait for is until year-end before we decide what is the proficient makeup of the salary and dividends. As well, if the business is making for example $6000 but the owner is taking $8000 that is obviously a cash flow problem.

That profit and loss has to be obviously at least higher that what the owner needs to draw on each and every month. Otherwise you will be running a deficit every single month, month over month.

Vancouver accountant says that the principal portion of the loan statement does not appear on the income statement either so don’t let it surprise you.

Vancouver accountant is very happy to try and clear up any specific confusion that one may have about profit versus cash flow. For example, when you speak of loans and loan statements. The principal portion of the loan statement will not in fact appear on the income statement at all.

Be aware that only the interest will appear on that income statement. Let’s say for example you have a $2000 loan payment every month, and $300 of that 2000 is the interest. Doing the math, that $1700 will not show up on the income statement. You will definitely get a business for $1700 worth of profit and the cash flow wouldn’t go up. We wouldn’t have any money in the bank because we paid off the prophets to pay off the loan balance. This is to reduce the liability. Therefore, any payment alone balances are going to decrease your cash.

Vancouver accountant alerts you to an exercise in that you usually have to understand in a business what the recurring draws at the owner is making is you’re going to have to understand what you need to take out of the business in order to live every month and pay all of your personal bills. What payments as well do they need to make on the loans? This may happen on a month-to-month on a long-term basis payable and credit card balances can fluctuate in the long term, so be aware. You have to understand what are the principal loan payments? And what are long term lease payments that don’t show up on the income statement.

As well, what does the owner need to take out every month and you will then get to a final tally. You need to shoot for that specific number, that specific tally. We need to get to that number every month of profit at least that high so that we don’t have a cash shortage and a cash deficit every month.

Vancouver accountant shares this example. There is revenue booked in month one, and collection in month to sometimes your billing big customers and these customers have 60 day payment terms or 45 day payment terms or indeed sometimes 90 day payment terms the key with this is trying to figure what the earliest time that you can bill on is an essentially not upset your customers so that he goes elsewhere.

Can you think about billing every week? If we expected to for example be 60 days, but we are billing every week, all of a sudden after 60 days we have money coming in. if we bill early and Bill often, and the clock starts sooner and every subsequent payment is just a little bit different. It’ll be much faster speed and ale be closer together and that will save a whole lot of cash flow concerns.

What you may want to do is you may want to tell the customer that you are very confident that you can do this job and you were successful in the bid.