The Profitjets Blog
Finance Writing for People Running the Business
Practical articles on bookkeeping, accounting, tax, payroll and financial strategy, written for founders and operators rather than for other accountants.
Start here
What is Bookkeeping: A Step-by-Step Guide
What bookkeeping covers, how it differs from accounting, and the five-step process behind a clean set of books.
The library
Browse the articles
Filter by the area you are working on.
CFO vs CAO: Key Differences in Roles and Responsibilities
Chief Financial Officer against Chief Accounting Officer, and why larger companies keep both.
CFO vs COO: Key Differences in Business Leadership
Where the finance chief ends and the operations chief begins.
CFO vs CPA: Key Differences and Importance for Business
Two finance roles that get confused, what each is for, and which you need first.
CFO vs Director of Finance: Key Differences and Which You Need
The CFO Role, The Director of Finance Role, and CFO vs Director: Side-by-Side Comparison.
COO vs CEO: Key Differences in Leadership Roles
The operator and the leader, and how the two roles divide day-to-day control.
CRO vs CFO: Key Differences in Finance and Risk Roles
Revenue leadership against financial leadership, and where the two meet.
Calculating the ROI of an Outsourced Accountant
The Cost Side, The Value Side, and Worked Example: $3M Revenue Business.
Chief Financial Officer (CFO): Duties, Roles and Responsibilities
What a CFO is responsible for, how the role has changed, and when a business needs one.
Controller vs CFO: Which Finance Leader Does Your Business Need?
What a Controller Does, What a CFO Does, and The Correct Hire Order.
Days Sales Outstanding (DSO): What It Is, How to Calculate It, and How to Reduce It
The formula, what the average hides, and how to bring it down.
Debt Financing vs Equity Financing: Key Differences for Business Owners
Cost, control, and what each provider is actually underwriting.
Debt-to-Equity Ratio: What It Is, How to Calculate It, and What It Means
The formula, what counts as debt, and why lenders watch it.
EBITDA: What It Is And How To Calculate
How to calculate it, why buyers use it, and what it hides.
Everything You Need to Know Before Implementing Zero-Based Budgeting
How it works, where it repays the effort, and how to make it stick.
Fractional CFO Services: What They Do, What They Cost, and Who Needs Them
What a Fractional CFO Does, Engagement Models, and What Fractional CFO Services Cost.
Fractional CFO: Everything You Need To Know
What a fractional CFO does, what it costs, and the point at which it pays for itself.
How Much Cash Is Required for Your Business's Safety Net?
What it is for, how much, where to keep it, and how to build it.
How Outsourced Accounting Services Can Boost Your Cash Flow
The Cash Flow Problem Most Businesses Have, Faster Invoicing Accelerates Collections, and AR Aging Management Reduces.
How to Acquire an Existing Accounting Practice
Why Buy an Accounting Practice, How Accounting Practices Are Valued, and What to Evaluate in Due Diligence.
How to Calculate Burn Rate: A Guide for Startups and Small Businesses
Gross and net burn, runway, and where the cost hides.
How to Calculate TAM, SAM, and SOM: A Guide for Startups and Small Businesses
Two approaches, a worked example, and what gets challenged.
How to Open a Company in the USA from India: Step-by-Step Guide
The structures, the steps, and dealings between the two entities.
Invoice Financing vs Factoring: What's the Difference?
Cost, notification, accounting treatment and the dependence risk.
LTV:CAC Ratio for Startups: What It Is, How to Calculate It, and What It Means
What belongs in each input, and where the ratio still misleads.
What we write about
Eight topics we come back to
Pick a topic and the library above filters to it.
Bookkeeping
Clean books, reconciliations, chart of accounts and month-end close.
Accounting
Close process, financial statements, cash against accrual, and reporting that gets used.
Tax
Preparation, planning, entity choice, deductions, quarterly estimates and the IRS forms behind them.
CFO
Forecasting, cash flow, fundraising readiness and the executive roles founders confuse.
Payroll
Withholding, payroll taxes, W-2s and 1099s, and multi-state teams.
Metrics
The ratios and statements that tell you what is actually happening in the business.
Software
QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite and the tools that feed them.
Business Finance
Entity formation, banking, budgeting, funding and getting the finances in order.
Would You Rather We Just Did It?
Reading about reconciliation is useful. Not having to do it is better.