Setting Up Management Control in an SME (Without Hiring a Controller)
Build a lean management control system without hiring a controller: three deployment levels, key indicators by function, and how an outsourced CFO can drive performance.
123 articles in this category
Build a lean management control system without hiring a controller: three deployment levels, key indicators by function, and how an outsourced CFO can drive performance.
Banking covenants are contractual clauses imposed by your lenders to secure their loan. Gearing, DSCR, leverage: understanding these ratios and respecting them prevents a default acceleration clause.
Cost of production, direct and indirect costs, allocation keys: practical guide for SMEs to calculate reliable costs and set prices protecting margin. Common mistakes and examples.
The cash flow statement breaks every cash movement into three categories: operating, investing and financing. How to read it, calculate free cash flow and decide.
Compare fixed annual budget and rolling forecast (rolling 12-18 month plan updated quarterly). When to switch? Reactivity, workload, reliability, and a decision grid for your SME or startup.
Why shift your year-end (seasonality, group, cash flow), the procedure (meeting, bylaws, single window, legal notice) and the 2026 tax and filing impacts of the transition year.
A realistic budgeting process for SMEs: calendar, assumptions, line-by-line build and variance tracking. A complete method to turn the annual budget into a genuine management tool in 2026.
Calculate your break-even point and break-even date, interpret them and find the levers to lower them: step-by-step method, formulas, worked examples and sensitivity analysis to manage your SME in 2026.
Gross margin, markup rate, profit margin on price, contribution margin, break-even point: a complete guide to telling each metric apart, understanding its uses, and avoiding the pitfalls. Managing by the right margins changes the profitability trajectory of any business.
The three cash conversion cycle ratios explained: DSO (days sales outstanding), DPO (days payable outstanding), DIO (days inventory outstanding), their formulas and 7 concrete actions to accelerate cash and optimise working capital.
Not without risks. In a company, mixing personal and business funds exposes you to misuse of corporate assets, a prohibited debtor shareholder current account, and deemed distributions. In a sole proprietorship, it is tolerated but not deductible. Here are the proper mechanisms.
Three frequently confused notions. Turnover measures sales, profit what remains after costs, and cash flow the money actually available. Here's why you can be profitable yet short of cash.
Diagnosing business losses: secure cash flow first, analyse margins and fixed costs, then pinpoint action levers. And know when to activate insolvency prevention tools.
Sole trader, SASU or EURL: we work backwards from a €2,000 net target to the revenue you actually need, with verified 2026 contribution rates and a worked example for each status.
Why and how to departmentalise accounting in a car dealership or garage — new vehicles, used vehicles, workshop, parts, bodywork — with key indicators, internal recharges, and reading real profitability versus the overall result.
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