Blog
Profit insights for small business owners.
Industry-specific writing on profit optimization, margin growth, cash flow, and getting more out of QuickBooks Online.
July 21, 2026 · 5 min read · Overhead Breakeven
HVAC contractor breakeven: your YTD sales target explained
Learn how HVAC contractors calculate a YTD breakeven sales target so every install and service call actually pays for the shop.
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July 6, 2026 · 7 min read · Overhead Breakeven
Restaurant breakeven: how to know if this year is paying for itself
A plain-English guide to year-to-date restaurant breakeven — the exact sales number you need to cover rent, food, and labor.
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June 29, 2026 · 7 min read · Overhead Breakeven
Landscaping breakeven in a seasonal business
How landscaping companies hit overhead breakeven year-round — even when winter cash flow drops to zero.
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June 22, 2026 · 7 min read · Overhead Breakeven
Auto repair shops: the year-to-date number that keeps the lights on
The one YTD revenue number every auto repair shop owner should track to cover overhead and stay profitable.
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June 15, 2026 · 7 min read · Overhead Breakeven
Dental & medical practice breakeven by chair and provider
How to calculate breakeven for a dental or medical practice — by chair, by day, and by provider — so every seat pays.
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June 8, 2026 · 7 min read · Debt Service
Construction: covering equipment loans without starving payroll
How construction firms track debt service on equipment loans, SBA notes, and LOCs so payroll never gets squeezed.
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June 1, 2026 · 7 min read · Debt Service
Trucking & logistics: debt service on trucks, trailers, and fuel
A guide to debt service planning for trucking companies — trucks, trailers, fuel cards, and factoring costs, all in one number.
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May 25, 2026 · 7 min read · Debt Service
Manufacturers: SBA loans, LOCs, and the debt-service ratio
How small manufacturers plan for SBA loan payments, lines of credit, and equipment financing without cash surprises.
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May 18, 2026 · 7 min read · Debt Service
Franchise owners: juggling royalty, rent, and debt payments
How franchise owners keep royalty fees, rent, and loan payments from colliding — and how POP models it all together.
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May 11, 2026 · 7 min read · Debt Service
E-commerce brands: funding inventory without drowning in debt
A practical guide to inventory financing, ad debt, and net-terms for e-commerce brands — and how to size safe debt service.
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May 4, 2026 · 7 min read · Working Capital Reserve
Roofing contractors: building a storm-season cash cushion
How roofing contractors build the working capital reserve they need to survive slow months and staff up before the next storm.
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April 27, 2026 · 7 min read · Working Capital Reserve
Retailers: how much cash to hold for slow months
A working capital guide for retail — how many weeks of reserve to hold, and how to build it from operating cash.
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April 20, 2026 · 7 min read · Working Capital Reserve
Agencies & consultancies: covering payroll between invoices
The reserve math every agency owner needs so payroll never depends on whether the biggest client pays this Friday.
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April 13, 2026 · 7 min read · Working Capital Reserve
Wholesalers & distributors: reserves for AR gaps and vendor prepays
How wholesalers and distributors size a reserve for AR delays, vendor prepays, and seasonal inventory swings.
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April 6, 2026 · 7 min read · Working Capital Reserve
Home service businesses: a reserve target that survives a bad month
The exact working capital reserve target home service business owners should hit — and how to fund it from monthly operating cash.
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March 30, 2026 · 7 min read · Owner Draw
Plumbing owners: paying yourself without breaking the business
How plumbing business owners set a safe, sustainable owner draw — without starving the shop or missing payroll.
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March 23, 2026 · 7 min read · Owner Draw
Salon & spa owners: owner draw vs. reinvestment
A framework for salon and spa owners to split profit between owner pay, chair expansion, and product inventory — without guesswork.
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March 16, 2026 · 7 min read · Owner Draw
Real estate brokers: variable-commission owner pay done right
How real estate brokerage owners smooth variable commission income into a predictable owner draw — and keep the office funded.
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March 9, 2026 · 7 min read · Owner Draw
CPAs & law firms: partner draws without cash surprises
A partner-draw playbook for CPA and law firm owners — sizing distributions so tax, retirement, and payroll all clear.
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March 2, 2026 · 7 min read · Owner Draw
Contractors: the owner-pay formula for LLCs and S-corps
A simple owner-pay formula for contractors running an LLC or S-corp — reasonable salary, distributions, and reserve, in that order.
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February 23, 2026 · 7 min read · Retirement Funding
Small manufacturers: funding a SEP-IRA from operating cash
How small manufacturers turn a SEP-IRA into a monthly P&L line item — funded from operations, not year-end scramble.
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February 16, 2026 · 7 min read · Retirement Funding
Restaurant owners: retirement funding on tight margins
A tight-margin retirement plan for restaurant owners — modest, monthly, and automatic, so it survives the slow weeks.
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February 9, 2026 · 7 min read · Retirement Funding
Medical & dental practices: 401(k) funding as a P&L line item
How medical and dental practice owners treat 401(k) contributions as a monthly expense — not a year-end afterthought.
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February 2, 2026 · 7 min read · Retirement Funding
Trades business owners: retirement without selling the business
A retirement funding plan for trades business owners who don't want to sell the company to fund their next chapter.
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January 26, 2026 · 7 min read · Retirement Funding
Agency founders: the 'pay yourself last' retirement plan
Why agency founders under-fund retirement — and the monthly cash-flow discipline that fixes it without cutting into growth.
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January 19, 2026 · 7 min read · Minimum Mandatory Revenue
Construction: the revenue number every project bid should clear
Why every construction bid should be tested against a minimum mandatory revenue number — and how to calculate yours.
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January 12, 2026 · 7 min read · Minimum Mandatory Revenue
Restaurants: the weekly MMR your GM should chase
How restaurant owners hand their GM a single weekly revenue target that guarantees a profitable month.
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January 5, 2026 · 7 min read · Minimum Mandatory Revenue
E-commerce: MMR by channel — Amazon, Shopify, and wholesale
Break your e-commerce revenue target into channel-level minimum mandatory revenue for Amazon, Shopify, and wholesale.
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December 29, 2025 · 7 min read · Minimum Mandatory Revenue
Field service: MMR per truck, per tech
How field service businesses break their monthly MMR into per-truck, per-tech, per-day numbers dispatch can actually hit.
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December 22, 2025 · 7 min read · Minimum Mandatory Revenue
Professional services: MMR by biller and by month
Turn your professional services firm's monthly MMR into a per-biller, per-month target that keeps every hour on target.
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