All business functions
Finance

Stop being surprised
by cash.

Cash flow surprises are the #1 killer of small businesses — and they don't have to happen. You should know your runway in real time, see your P&L before the accountant sends it six weeks later, and make spending decisions with data, not anxiety. Coherence's fractional finance service builds the financial infrastructure that gives you that visibility.

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What financial blindspots actually cost

Cash surprises — you're always behind the curve

You find out about a cash problem three weeks after it started. Big invoice lands, payroll's next week, and you're calling banks. Your financial reporting is always historical, never predictive.

No real P&L — you don't know your actual margins

Your accountant sends financials quarterly, and when they arrive you don't know how to interpret them. Which products are actually profitable? Which clients are draining you? You don't know — and that means you're probably leaving money on the table.

Spending decisions made on gut, not data

Hiring a new person, investing in equipment, committing to a contract — these are decisions that need financial modeling, and you're making them on instinct. Then you're surprised when the quarter is tighter than expected.

Tax surprises — a bill at the worst possible time

You didn't set aside enough for quarterly estimates, or you missed a deduction you didn't know existed. The tax bill shows up and it's a cash crisis. Your accountant sends a report, not a plan.

The price of financial blindness

Cash crisis cost (per incident)
$10K–$50K
Average cost of a cash crisis triggered by lack of visibility — including high-interest borrowing, delayed vendor payments, and late fees. Most are preventable with 13-week cash flow forecasting.
Unprofitable client/product revenue
10–25%
Of revenue from clients or products that cost more to serve than they generate. Without margin visibility, you're chasing revenue that erodes your profitability.
Overpaying for accounting services
$2K–$8K/yr
In unnecessary fees for transactional accounting when what you need is strategic finance. Most small businesses pay for bookkeeping and get accounting; they need finance leadership.

A company at $3M ARR that discovers 15% of revenue is unprofitable is essentially working for free on $450K of their revenue. Financial visibility turns that around — within 90 days of having real margin data.

Finance leadership, not just accounting

01

13-week cash flow forecasting — you see problems before they hit

We build a rolling 13-week cash flow model that shows you what's coming. You'll know your runway at any point in the future, which big payments are coming, and when you need to accelerate collections — not discover it on a Friday.

02

Monthly P&L with product and client margin visibility

We build a chart of accounts that actually tells you what you need to know. Monthly reporting shows you margins by product, service line, and client — so you can make decisions about where to invest and where to wind down.

03

Budget vs. actual tracking and variance analysis

We'll build your annual budget and track it monthly. When you're off plan, you'll know why, when it started, and what the correction options are. Not a report that shows what happened — a tool for managing what's happening.

04

Financial decision support for major commitments

When you're considering a hire, an equipment purchase, a contract, or an acquisition, we build the financial model. You'll know the actual impact on your margins and runway before you commit — not after you realize you over-extended.

05

Tax planning and quarterly estimate management

We coordinate with your accountant so estimates are accurate and you're never caught off guard. You'll set aside the right amount, make the right elections, and never face a tax bill you didn't see coming.

Built for companies where money is more stressful than it should be

You're 15–100 employees, over $1M in revenue, and you still don't have clear financial visibility. You react to cash more than you manage it. You've probably had at least one cash scare or made a hiring decision you couldn't fully justify with numbers.

$1M–$10M ARR
No CFO or dedicated finance person
Reactive cash management
At least one cash surprise or bad spending decision

Ready to know your numbers before they become problems?

Book a 90-minute Clarity Lab focused specifically on your financial gaps. We'll review your current financial state, build a 13-week cash flow model, and show you exactly where you're leaving money on the table. Then decide if Coherence's fractional finance is right for you.

The Coherence Brief

Practical insights on running leaner, smarter operations for small business owners. No fluff — just what works.