That's the fear a lot of founders live with when they’re heading into an investor chat: I don't actually know what my numbers are, and I'm scared someone will ask.

Sound familiar?

Hi! I'm Candice, your weekly finance chick taking over FSC’s newsletter each week. 

I'm a Global CFO, I've helped raise over $2 billion for startups, and have more than 20 years experience in the world of numbers.

Every week I’ll be in your inbox to hand you one thing about your numbers that you can actually use (no jargon or shame!) and when we’re done you won’t need to pretend you know your numbers because you’ll understand them inside and out. 

Are you planning to raise in the next 12 months?

When an investor says “walk me through your financials” they’re not just asking you to read out the numbers. They’re testing whether you truly understand how your business works, how revenue turns into profit, how cash moves through the business, and how the balance sheet reflects the health of the company (yes, it’s a test). 

Remember my client above, the one who was ashamed of her numbers? This is what happened once she started forecasting her cash:

In the end it comes down to knowing your numbers well enough that they naturally weave into the story of your business.

If you’re planning to raise in the next 12 months, this is one of the first questions I ask my clients:

→ Do you know exactly how much cash you have today, and how long it'll last?

If you hesitate, keep reading. I’m going to help you get to your answer….

Cash is the only thing that’s going to keep your business alive. It's not revenue or profit or your customers. It's always cash.

🛍️ Ecommerce: You’re going to pay for inventory, manufacturing, shipping and advertising (sometimes months) before the customer ever pays you. That means an amazing sales month can still be your toughest cash month until you cover all the cash you spent on production.

💻 SaaS: Recurring revenue can create a false sense of security. MRR may look predictable, but it isn’t the same as cash collected. Annual contracts paid monthly, payment processing delays, the loss of clients, and the gap between “signed” and “paid” can mean your revenue dashboard and your bank account tell two very different stories.

1️⃣ Open your bank account/s
→ Write down today's balance
→ In Xero use the ‘’Bank Summary’’ report for a quick summary of all your bank accounts

2️⃣ List every payment due in the next 2 weeks:
→ inventory
→ ads
→ payroll
→ subscriptions

3️⃣ Subtract it

That number is closer to the truth than anything on your P&L. It's uncomfortable the first time but iIt gets easier every time after that (I promise!).

Next week, we're turning this from a once-off gut-check into a repeatable system.

- Candice, FSC’s Finance Chick

Know Your Numbers is a weekly feature from Founded To Be Counted, helping female founders build real confidence with their business finances.

Female Startup Club is where 160,000 founders, side hustlers & ambitious professionals come to grow their income & influence. And the smartest women you know are already subscribed…