The DIY CFO

If cash is the lifeblood of a business, this is the operating manual for keeping it moving-calmly, every week. It shows exactly how to think in **founder finance** terms: build a **13 week cash flow**, price for **contribution margin**, and run a **simple KPI dashboard** that turns numbers into action. No fluff, no jargon-just the decisions that keep you in control when markets are noisy and time is short. What's inside is plain-English, relentlessly practical. You'll map **unit economics for startups** that actually match your work, use **break even analysis** that reflects the real cost of staying alive, and set payment terms that make collections routine-not a monthly panic. You'll learn how **working capital management** becomes strategy, how a tight **collections playbook** lowers DSO without burning relationships, and how to pick capital you can live with. This book is for owners, freelancers, and small-team leaders who don't have a full-time CFO but still need to make board-level choices. If you've ever wondered why profit on paper feels nothing like cash in the bank, you'll find the missing link here. Expect checklists, short scripts, and clean models you can implement over a weekend-then refine every Friday. Read it to: - price with confidence using **pricing strategy for services** - protect margin with clear terms and deposits - build a weekly cadence that surfaces risks early - choose capital deliberately, not desperately By the last page, finance stops being a fog and becomes your footing: fewer surprises, steadier weeks, better sleep.