Guide
Read your bank statement like a founder
Spend fifteen minutes a month actually understanding where your money went, and where it's going.
Set a fixed day each month
Pick a recurring date, right after month-end is ideal, and treat it as a non-negotiable appointment with yourself.
Separate recurring costs from one-off spend
Highlight subscriptions, rent, and payroll separately from one-time purchases. Recurring costs are the ones worth scrutinising, they compound.
Look for charges you don't recognise
Old free trials that quietly converted to paid, duplicate software tools, or small recurring fees are easy to miss in the moment and easy to catch here.
Compare income against the same month last year
A single month means little on its own. Comparing against the same period last year (once you have the history) shows you real growth or real trouble.
Note anything that needs following up
A late-paying customer, an unusually high supplier bill, a missed refund, write it down and chase it before it becomes a pattern you didn't notice.
That’s the whole thing.
Keep going
What to read next
- 01
Business Banking
Open a business bank account
Separate your business money from your personal money before it becomes a tangled, stressful mess.
- 02
Business Banking
Set up a separate account for tax money
Ring-fence what you owe the taxman so it's never sitting in your spending balance by mistake.
- 03
Business Banking
Get a business debit or credit card
Keep every business purchase on one card so expenses are traceable without extra work.