Guides › Small Business Admin
See your monthly money position on one page
Each month, get a one-page summary of money in, money out, unpaid invoices and upcoming bills, built from your own figures.
When to use it
First Monday of each month
Step by step
Keep a simple money sheet
In Google Sheets or Excel, keep tabs for Sales (or invoices sent), Expenses, Unpaid invoices and Upcoming bills. If you use Xero or QuickBooks, export their summary reports instead.
Book a monthly money hour
Create a recurring calendar event on the first Monday called 'Money check' with the sheet linked.
Ask for a one-page summary
Copy the month's totals and lists (no bank account numbers) into your AI assistant with this prompt.
Prompt to copyUsing the figures below for [month], write a one-page money summary for my small business: 1) money in, money out and the difference, compared with last month, 2) unpaid invoices, oldest first, with how many days overdue, 3) bills due in the next 30 days and their total, 4) the 3 biggest expense categories and any that changed by more than 20%, 5) 3 questions I should look into or ask my accountant. Show your sums so I can check them. Describe the figures only; don't give financial advice. [paste figures]Check and act
Check the sums, chase the oldest unpaid invoices and make sure there's enough set aside for upcoming bills.
Email it to yourself or a partner
Paste the summary into an email to yourself or your business partner so you have a record of each month.
What you get
October: in £8,420, out £6,180, difference +£2,240 (Sept +£1,310). Unpaid: Harper & Co £960 (38 days), Mill Lane Gym £420 (12 days). Bills next 30 days: £2,035 incl. van insurance £640. Materials up 34%. Ask accountant: how much to set aside for tax?
Tips
- For decisions about tax, borrowing or pricing, talk to your accountant. The summary helps you ask the right questions.