What to Look for in Your Startup's P&L

by Curt Mastio
on May 14, 2024

Your startup's Profit and Loss statement (P&L) is a treasure trove of information. Mastering its intricacies empowers you to optimize your business, putting you in the driver's seat of your ...

Want to learn more?

Dive deeper into our insights on accounting, tax, and CFO topics for venture-backed technology startups in the blockchain, crypto, and SaaS industries.

Tax

Illinois Sec. 1202 QSBS Tax Changes: Implications for Startups and Investors

IL's decoupling its tax code from federal law and will begin to tax capital gains from the sale of QSBS, which were previously excluded at the state level.

News

Illinois Senate Bill 1911

On December 12 2025, Governor Pritzker signed Senate Bill 1911 (SB 1911), introducing several notable business income tax changes.

Accounting

What entity type is best for my startup?

Your entity type determines how you are taxed, what kind of liability protection you have, how you can raise capital, and your long-term exit options.

CFO

Cash Flow & Runway Analysis for Startups

How to run a cash flow and runway analysis: building the 13-week view, stress-testing assumptions, and knowing when the trendline demands action.

CFO

Startup Fundraising Due Diligence: What Startups Need to Know

Prepare your startup for investor due diligence with these essential tips on financials, legal documents, and effective communication to secure funding.

Tax

A Startup Founder's Checklist for Dissolving a Business

Expert advice for founders on dissolving a startup business, from adopting a board resolution to filing final tax returns. Read our comprehensive checklist to navigate the process ...

Accounting

Best Bill Pay Apps For Startups and Small Businesses

Discover the best bill pay apps for startups and small businesses to streamline payments, improve cash management, and enhance Accounts Payable accuracy. Learn about top options ...

CFO

Best Cap Table Management Software for Startups

The best cap table management tools for startups compared — Carta, Pulley, and alternatives — with tradeoffs and when each fits.

Crypto

Year-End Crypto Tax Planning: Moves to Make Now

Year-end crypto tax planning: loss harvesting before the deadline, broker reporting changes, safe harbor allocations, and the moves that expire on 12/31.

Accounting

Year in Review: Financial Reporting and Analysis

Savvy business owners know that year-end financial reporting and analysis present an opportunity to reflect on the year and guide decisions.

Accounting

Building a scalable accounting function for startups

Learn how to build a scalable accounting function for startups to establish a strong foundation and build investor confidence as you scale.

Accounting

Equity Compensation Accounting Under ASC 718

How startups account for stock options and RSUs under ASC 718 — grant-date fair value, expense recognition, and the disclosures auditors look for.

Accounting

An Overview Of Accounting Ethics

A financial accountant is in a unique position; they have access to the financial information of people or companies. With this power comes responsibility.

Accounting

Some Of The Top Accounting Softwares For Small Businesses

More companies, whether they’re small or large, are taking advantage of accounting software. However, not all accounting softwares are the same.

Accounting

QuickBooks vs. Quicken: What's the Difference?

QuickBooks vs. Quicken compared: what each is built for, pricing, and which fits a business vs. personal finances. Plus alternatives worth considering.

Accounting

What Is Cost Accounting? A Quick Guide

Running a successful business requires overseeing many moving parts, one of the most important being its costs.

Accounting

The Basics Of QuickBooks And Help With QuickBooks Support

Most accounting professionals are familiar with QuickBooks, a software aimed at helping small or medium-sized businesses navigate their finances.

Accounting

What Are Accounts Receivable? Definition And Uses

Accounts receivable, also referred to AR, is an accounting term that refers to the money that’s owed to a business for goods or services.

Accounting

Controller vs. CFO: What's Right for Your Startup?

What controllers and CFOs each actually do, where the roles overlap, and how to decide which your startup needs at your current stage.

Accounting

Cash vs. Accrual Accounting: Which Should You Use?

The difference between cash and accrual accounting, what each does to your reported numbers, and which basis your startup should use — and when to switch.

Accounting

Track and Improve Customer Retention Metrics

Customer retention metrics sometimes go unnoticed, but they are crucial metrics that determine a company's success.

Want to learn more?

Dive deeper into our insights on accounting, tax, and CFO topics for venture-backed technology startups in the blockchain, crypto, and SaaS industries.

Illinois Sec. 1202 QSBS Tax Changes: Implications for Startups and Investors

Tax

Illinois business owners and investors are facing new tax considerations following the passage of the state's fiscal year 2027 budget. Signed into law by Governor J.B. Pritzker, ...

Illinois Senate Bill 1911

News

On December 12 2025, Governor Pritzker signed Senate Bill 1911 (SB 1911), introducing several notable business income tax changes. The legislation expands Illinois’s taxation of ...

What entity type is best for my startup?

Accounting

Choosing the right legal entity is one of the most important decisions you’ll make for your startup. Your entity type determines how you are taxed, what kind of liability ...

Cash Flow & Runway Analysis for Startups

CFO

As a startup manager, you know that understanding your cash position is critical to understanding how long your company can survive. One helpful concept to help you put this in ...

Startup Fundraising Due Diligence: What Startups Need to Know

CFO

Due diligence is an essential part of fundraising that allows potential investors to evaluate a startup's viability and financial health. The process will look at everything about ...

A Startup Founder's Checklist for Dissolving a Business

Tax

Dissolving a business, such as a corporation or LLC, can be challenging for startup founders. The emotions involved are difficult enough but the stress of the unknowns founders ...

Best Bill Pay Apps For Startups and Small Businesses

Accounting

Determining the best process for tracking and paying bills from vendors can be a challenging problem for many business owners, especially as the business grows and expands. By ...

Best Cap Table Management Software for Startups

CFO

Cap table software is a category where the standard listicle does founders a disservice: a dozen tools described in identical adjectives, no framework for choosing, and pricing ...

Year-End Crypto Tax Planning: Moves to Make Now

Crypto

The 2024 calendar year has brought with it major milestones and new regulatory considerations for cryptocurrency investors. Among those milestone events are Bitcoin surpassing ...

Year in Review: Financial Reporting and Analysis

Accounting

Do you know how your business performed this past year? Savvy business owners know that year-end financial reporting and analysis present a perfect opportunity to reflect on the ...

Building a scalable accounting function for startups

Accounting

In the early days of a startup, founders are focused on getting their product to market, achieving product-market fit, and growing as quickly as possible. As the business scales, ...

Equity Compensation Accounting Under ASC 718

Accounting

Offering an appealing compensation package can be key to attracting the right talent for your business. This can be difficult for startups on a tight budget with little cash to ...

An Overview Of Accounting Ethics

Accounting

A financial accountant is in a unique position; they have access to the financial information of people or companies. With great power comes great responsibility, which leads to ...

Some Of The Top Accounting Softwares For Small Businesses

Accounting

More companies, whether they’re small or large, are taking advantage of accounting software. However, not all accounting softwares for small business needs are the same.

QuickBooks vs. Quicken: What's the Difference?

Accounting

Financial management tools such as Quicken or QuickBooks for accounting are two of the most widely recognized names across the globe.

What Is Cost Accounting? A Quick Guide

Accounting

Running a successful business requires overseeing many moving parts, one of the most important being its costs. This is where accounting for cost (commonly referred to as cost ...

The Basics Of QuickBooks And Help With QuickBooks Support

Accounting

The majority of accounting professionals are familiar with QuickBooks, a software aimed at helping small or medium-sized businesses handle and navigate their financial ...

What Are Accounts Receivable? Definition And Uses

Accounting

If you’re looking for the receivables accounting definition, you’re in the right place.

Controller vs. CFO: What's Right for Your Startup?

Accounting

Have you settled the controller vs. CFO debate for your startup? Both pivotal leadership positions help you steer your startup toward financial success.

Cash vs. Accrual Accounting: Which Should You Use?

Accounting

Cash and accrual accounting answer the same question — how is the business doing? — on two different clocks. Cash basis records money when it moves; accrual basis records ...

Track and Improve Customer Retention Metrics

Accounting

Customer retention metrics sometimes go unnoticed, but they are crucial metrics that determine a company’s success. Businesses must track customer retention and identify trends to ...

Accounting

Financial Operations in Your Saas Company

Posted by Curt Mastio, May 10, 2024

Establishing robust financial operations will help you tackle the complexities of building a successful Software as a Service (SaaS) company.

Accounting

7 Financial Trends for 2022 (and how they affect your startup)

Posted by Curt Mastio, May 08, 2024

Building a business and keeping up with financial trends can be a wild ride.

Accounting

Accounting for Startup Growth

Posted by Curt Mastio, May 08, 2024

Accounting for startup growth is often viewed in the rearview mirror for the business, but instead it should be considered a driving factor.

Accounting

Beyond Excel: Modern Financial Modeling Tools

Posted by Curt Mastio, May 08, 2024

Excel financial modeling is probably the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions business finance.

Accounting

SaaS Revenue Recognition: Do’s and Don’ts

Posted by Curt Mastio, May 08, 2024

Have you struggled to figure out how to handle your startup’s SaaS revenue recognition properly?

Accounting

Strategies for Management of Working Capital

Posted by Curt Mastio, May 07, 2024

Management of working capital is a critical area that many businesses neglect.

Accounting

7 Hidden Startup Costs to Watch Out For

Posted by Curt Mastio, May 07, 2024

When making a plan to bring your business idea to fruition, it’s critical to consider your startup costs.

Accounting

How Profit Growth is Found in Your Accounting

Posted by Curt Mastio, May 07, 2024

Every business strives for profit growth, but they experience it at different rates. Only the highest-performing companies post consistent profit growth over some time.

Accounting

7 Business Systems Every Growing Startup Needs to Define

Posted by Curt Mastio, May 07, 2024

Every business is different, and whether you’re a tool & die shop, a SaaS startup, or something in between, consistently achieving success requires applying a set of core business systems. None ...