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Persona vault · For the finance lead

Read your business
by its numbers.

You don't need to be an accountant, you need to read your own business honestly. Cash, margins, pricing and the small set of numbers that tell you whether you're really growing or just getting busier.

9answers
37 minstart to finish
The Five Minute VaultUK · 2026
The
Finance Lead
The money lands on your desk and you'd like to actually understand it.
How Much Cash Should My Business Keep in Reserve?3 min
Can I Do My Own Bookkeeping?3 min
When Should I Create a Business Budget?5 min
How Do I Calculate Gross Profit Margin?3 min
+ 5 more · ~37 minutes, start to finish
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The reading order

The Finance Lead's path, in order.

Not a pile of links — a sequence. Read straight through, or drop in where you are. Every question opens its full five-minute answer in the library.

01
Start here Keep the lights on Cash first, everything else later.
3 answers
01
Finance
How Much Cash Should My Business Keep in Reserve?
Aim for three to six months of running costs. The right number is the one that lets you sleep and survive a bad quarter.
3 min
02
Finance
Can I Do My Own Bookkeeping?
Yes, with separate accounts, software from day one and a weekly habit. It is hygiene, not heroics, until complexity says hand it over.
3 min
03
Finance
When Should I Create a Business Budget?
Before you need one, not after. A simple budget turns guessing into deciding and shows the month you run tight.
5 min
02
Build on it Read the business The numbers that tell the truth.
3 answers
04
Finance
How Do I Calculate Gross Profit Margin?
Revenue minus the direct cost of delivering it, as a percentage. It is the clearest read on whether the core model actually works.
3 min
05
Finance
How Do I Read a Profit and Loss Statement?
Top line in, costs out, profit at the bottom. Read it for the trend and the ratios, not just the final number.
5 min
06
Finance
Bank Loan vs Equity Investment: Which Should I Choose?
Debt keeps ownership but must be repaid; equity shares the risk but also the upside forever. Cheap money is rarely free.
5 min Coming soon
03
When you're ready Price for profit The fastest lever you own.
3 answers
07
Pricing & Revenue
When Should I Raise My Prices?
When you're at capacity, when costs rise, or when you've simply been underpricing. Usually sooner than nerves allow.
5 min
08
Pricing & Revenue
Can I Raise Prices Without Losing Customers?
Mostly yes, with notice, a reason and more value attached. The few who leave on price were rarely your best customers.
3 min
09
Pricing & Revenue
Why Does Value-Based Pricing Increase Profit?
Because you charge for the outcome you create, not the hours you spend. Costs set a floor; value sets the price.
5 min Coming soon
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