For a lot of new business owners, numbers feel like some secret language nobody bothered to teach them. They’ll admit it with a shrug: “I don’t really get my business’s numbers.”
And honestly? Fair enough. When you’re busy finding customers, building something from scratch, and handling a million tiny fires, who has the brain space for spreadsheets?
Money comes in. Money goes out. And as long as the bank account isn’t on life support, it kinda feels like everything is fine. But under all that day-to-day noise, a bigger story is playing out—the one hidden in your numbers. It’s the story that tells you if you’re growing, stuck in neutral, or quietly sinking. And the issue is: if you don’t know how to read it, you’re flying blind.
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Why the numbers matter
Michelle Kvello of Lantern Partners sees it every day. At first, when it’s small and exciting, you can pretty much feel how your company is doing without looking at the numbers. There’s energy. Sales are happening. Profit? Sure, probably so. Who needs a balance sheet when the mojo is working? But then you grow. Things get messy. Suddenly, what used to work doesn’t.
Expenses creep in. Customers become finicky. And then something unforeseen strikes—a pandemic, a shift in the market, a dry period—and with no hard numbers to rely on, it’s far too easy to make the wrong decision. That’s when Sharon Crombie of MicroChilli typically gets the call. Because as much as we adore us all the idea of it being a business that’s passion-driven and community-driven and doing what we love, none of that pays the bills. “Cash is queen,” she responds. And when that’s depleted? So is the dream. Her response is ruthlessly simple. Pay your bills. Budget. Track your cash flow. Weekly. Glance at your balance sheet once in a while. You do not need to be some sort of financial wizard. You simply need to know if your company will survive the month.
The point when it becomes real
Survival, naturally, isn’t the objective. You’re not here to survive. You’re here to grow. You’re here for freedom. You’re here for more. But growth makes the numbers count all the more. Will Drysdale of ActiveCampaign has seen it time and time again: some companies build stunningly, while others collapse under their own weight. And the reason usually comes down to who’s monitoring the data.
He quotes the statistic that more than half of startups don’t even make it three years. But the ones that do? Those are the ones keeping their numbers in real time, as opposed to calling the accountant in to get caught up on the numbers quarterly. And indeed, that is where Jason Toshack of Oracle NetSuite believes technology really delivers. “When your company starts getting big and complicated, trying to do it all manually is a fast way to burn out. But live dashboards? They cut through the noise. Now you can see instantly how you’re performing—today, this week, this month—and make better choices without being drowned in spreadsheets.”
You don’t have to love the numbers. You just need them to work for you.
Get help, but stay in the loop
And if all of that still sounds daunting? Crombie’s answer is simple: ask for help. Hire a bookkeeper. Call in an accountant. No gold star for doing it yourself. But—and it’s a big but—don’t tune out completely. Kvello warns that it’s too tempting to dump your numbers and have someone else looking out for you. But if you stay plugged in, you won’t see the warning signs until it’s too late. Toshack agrees. Of course, the right systems can make life easier, but they should enable you to make decisions faster, smarter, and with less stress.
The numbers don’t trump your gut—they augment it. “Listen, you might get lucky. Plenty of people have. Businesses have grown on hustle and intuition in the past, and some continue to do so. And long-term success? That takes more than mojo. Is it keeping a healthy balance of cash flow, recognizing opportunities for growth before they get away from you, or avoiding the slow drain of unseen costs? Numbers place you in control. Not just of your business—but of your future. So no, you don’t have to be a math geek. You don’t have to spend your weekends spelunking through reports.”
You need only to care enough to observe.
You need tools that make it easier.
And you need people who can help when things get tough.
Profit is not magic. It’s mathematics. But the best news? It’s easier than you think.
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