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Cash Flow Clarity - How to Finally Understand Where Your Money Is Going – Ep. 235

Business By The Books with Danielle Hayden

Release Date: 08/12/2025

4 Balance Sheet Red Flags - The Risk of not Understanding your Balance Sheet

Business By The Books with Danielle Hayden

Cash is the number one reason small businesses fail, and it usually happens quietly. In this episode of Business By The Books, I walk you through four balance sheet red flags I see business owners ignore all the time, even when revenue and profit look strong. We talk about why the income statement alone can create a false sense of security, how debt and owner draws quietly drain cash, and what warning signs to watch for before financial stress takes over. My goal is to help you understand what your balance sheet is actually telling you so you can take action with clarity and confidence as a...

11 Lessons in 11 Years

Business By The Books with Danielle Hayden

After 11 years in business, I’ve learned this: becoming a CEO isn’t a finish line. It’s a practice. The lessons that shape you most don’t come from perfect plans or polished systems. They come from starting before you feel ready, trusting yourself through uncertainty, asking for help, navigating loneliness, and continuing to grow even when leadership feels heavy. In this episode, I’m reflecting on the lessons that mattered most and how they’ve shaped the way I lead today. This episode is for business owners who are learning as they go and want to lead with more clarity and...

Reasonable Compensation for S Corp Owners

Business By The Books with Danielle Hayden

Paying yourself incorrectly as an S Corp owner creates quiet IRS risk, cash stress, and year-end cleanup that many business owners don’t see coming. In this episode of Business By The Books, Danielle explains what reasonable compensation actually means, why payroll must come before owner draws, and how setting this up early can save you stress later in the year. You’ll learn: What reasonable compensation means for S Corp owners Why underpaying yourself through payroll creates future tax problems The IRS rule that requires payroll before owner draws How paying yourself through...

Sunk Costs: The Silent Trap Sabotaging Your Goals (And How to Break Free)

Business By The Books with Danielle Hayden

Every January, business owners set big, impressive goals for the new year… but drag last year’s mistakes, sunk costs, and emotional baggage with them. It’s no wonder most of these exciting goals fade away by February. But it doesn’t have to be that way! In this episode, we break down what sunk costs are, why they quietly sabotage your decisions, and how to finally break free from them. You’ll learn how to identify old contractors, software, offers, and spending that no longer serve you, so you can protect your business, gain financial clarity, and make smarter, forward-focused...

I'm Not Setting Goals This Year — And Why You Shouldn’t Either

Business By The Books with Danielle Hayden

Why do most small business owners never achieve their goals? It’s rarely a lack of ambition. It’s usually a lack of systems, habits, and financial leadership. This episode is about why goals alone don’t create results and how a proven, repeatable financial framework builds CEO confidence. I share a five-part monthly financial system designed to help you shift from an owner mindset to thinking like a CEO. I also talk about why bookkeeping for small businesses isn’t about doing the work yourself, and why understanding your numbers matters most when money anxiety and cash flow problems...

How to Use AI Without Creating Financial or Operational Risk

Business By The Books with Danielle Hayden

AI isn’t going anywhere. But for small business owners, using it the wrong way can create financial blind spots, bad decisions, and long-term risk. This episode is about what happens when AI replaces judgment instead of supporting it, especially when it comes to your numbers. I’m joined by Carol Cox, founder of Speaking Your Brand and an early adopter of AI with a background in software development. We break down how small business owners can use AI to save time and reduce overwhelm without outsourcing financial leadership or losing clarity in decision-making. Carol explains: 04:39...

Beyond the Budget: The Hidden Psychology of How Entrepreneurs Think About Money – Ep. 254

Business By The Books with Danielle Hayden

If you’ve ever delayed looking at your numbers, dreaded a bookkeeping meeting, or felt a pit in your stomach when someone says “Let’s review your finances,” this episode is going to feel like a deep exhale. In this conversation, Danielle sits down with financial advisor and partner at Brad Cunningham for an honest look at why entrepreneurs struggle with money clarity and why confidence doesn’t come from spreadsheets. It comes from understanding your numbers and applying that knowledge to your life and your business. Key Takeaways: Money Avoidance Is Emotional, Not...

The Year-End Reflection Framework: The Truth About How Real CEOs Grow – Ep. 253

Business By The Books with Danielle Hayden

Most entrepreneurs skip reflection altogether. They’re busy, tired, and ready for a fresh start. But if you don’t pause to reflect, you repeat the same mistakes. You carry old habits into a new season. You build goals on top of unclear patterns. Reflection is where leadership starts. It’s where clarity lives. It’s simple, but not easy. In this episode, Danielle walks you step-by-step through the Year-End Reflection Framework built into the Kickstart system. It’s the tool that helps you understand what worked, what didn’t, and where you can step more fully into your CEO role next...

Why Most Entrepreneurs Stay Stuck (and the Framework That Fixes It) – Ep. 252

Business By The Books with Danielle Hayden

Most entrepreneurs stay stuck for one simple reason: they do bookkeeping for taxes, not for leadership. They record their numbers, send them to the accountant, hope the IRS is happy… and then cross their fingers the rest of the year. But, you can’t lead a business with guesses, gut feelings, or your bank balance alone. In this episode, Danielle Hayden, reformed corporate CFO and founder of Kickstart Accounting, Inc., covers the same systems she used as a corporate CFO in boardrooms with top executives and brings them to entrepreneurs through Kickstart’s 3-step framework, so you can...

AI Won’t Tell You the Truth About Your Numbers—But I Will: The Dark Side of Bad Bookkeeping – Ep. 251

Business By The Books with Danielle Hayden

If you’ve ever thought, “My books are fine,” because you’re using QuickBooks’ automations or have uploaded your QuickBooks file into ChatGPT for analysis, this episode is your wake-up call (delivered with love!). Bad bookkeeping covered up by pretty software dashboards or people-pleasing AI chatbots hides real problems. This week, Danielle Hayden, CEO and founder of Kickstart Accounting, Inc., gets honest about one of the biggest dangers facing entrepreneurs today: the false sense of confidence created by messy books, automation, and AI “insights” built on inaccurate...

More Episodes

Ever look at your cash flow statement and want to crawl under your desk and hide? You're not alone! Cash flow statements aren’t really made for business owners, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore them. So, how do we read them?

In this episode, Danielle Hayden, reformed corporate CFO and CEO of Kickstart Accounting, Inc., is here to show you exactly how to understand your cash flow without needing an accounting degree through the Snapshot Cash Overview, Kickstart Accounting’s simple, business owner-friendly report that shows you exactly what’s coming in, what’s going out, and how much cash you really have to work with.

Key Takeaways:

Traditional Cash Flow Statements Aren’t Made for You: They’re built for bankers and accountants, not entrepreneurs. That’s why Danielle and our team created the Snapshot Cash Overview, a simpler, visual tool built with business owners in mind.
Profit Doesn't Mean Cash in the Bank: You can show a $20k profit on your income statement, but if you’re paying off debt or taking owner’s draws, your bank account can still feel empty.
The Snapshot Cash Overview: Green means Money In. Red means money out. The Snapshot uses a color-coded system to help you quickly understand your revenue, expenses, debt payments, and draws.
Know Your Free Cash Flow Before You Invest: Before making big decisions like hiring or upgrading tools, check if your business is generating enough cash.
Use Net Cash Flow to Guide Your Owner’s Draws and Savings: Want to know how much you can pay yourself or set aside for taxes? Your year-to-date net cash flow will give you the clearest answer.
The Snapshot Bridges the Gap Between Profit and Cash: It ties together your income statement and balance sheet so you can finally see where your money is really going.

Topics Discussed:

(00:11 – 01:57) Why Traditional Cash Flow Statements Don’t Work for Business Owners

(02:27 – 04:30) Introduction to the Snapshot Cash Overview and Its Key Components

(04:31 – 07:42) How Balance Sheet Items Affect Your Cash and Why They Matter

(07:43 – 10:06) Real Client Case Study: $109k in Income But Only $5k Added to Cash

(10:06 – 11:39) How to Use Your Snapshot to Make CEO-Level Decisions with Confidence

Book a Call with Kickstart Accounting, Inc.:

https://kickstartaccountinginc.com/book-a-call/

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Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/Kickstartaccounting

YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@businessbythebooks

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