The problem it solves
A business can sell more and earn less. It can report a profit and still lack cash for payroll. A popular service may barely cover its direct costs. When sales, expenses and collections live in separate files, those differences stay hidden. The owner ends up relying on instinct or waiting for a financial close that arrives too late to make the next month better.
The issue is not always missing data. Often what is missing is a review connecting the financial results to the way the business operates: which costs increased, which channel earns a margin after commissions, which client holds up collections and which payment commitments are coming due. A revenue total cannot answer those questions. You need to separate the causes, review the detail and agree on an action someone can carry out.
Goals also need more than a meeting at the start of the year. They need a baseline, an owner and regular review. If a source is missing or a figure is estimated, conclusions must stay provisional. Before recommending a price change, a hire or a new location, we review what information supports the decision and which questions still need an answer.
What's included
- Monthly analysis of revenue, costs, margins, operating expenses and results, compared with the previous period and the goals you agree on.
- Profitability by product, service, location or channel, including the relevant direct costs, commissions and discounts in each case.
- Cost control: significant changes, items needing review and people responsible for explaining variances before proposing cuts.
- Cash and upcoming commitments, separating recorded sales from money actually collected and payments that remain outstanding.
- Accounts receivable review: aging, past-due invoices, payment commitments and priorities for the person responsible for collections.
- Goals and growth decisions: capacity, cost, resources and assumptions reviewed before expansion or a new business line.
- Additional consulting-hour packages when you need more support; we agree on scope before starting, without publishing unconfirmed prices or hours.
How we work
We first define the decisions you need to make and the sources available to answer them. We prepare a demo under your brand with sample data. Once you approve the approach, we work with your real information and verify that totals agree with the original records. Each metric keeps its explanation and missing sources are flagged, so an absence of information cannot turn into a misleading financial result.
From a dashboard to a monthly conversation
Every review covers results, trends, differences and decisions. We identify which product, service or channel explains a change, review costs and receivables requiring attention, and leave a prioritized list with owners. At the next conversation we check what was done and what changed. The engagement focuses on the information your business needs, rather than producing reports nobody uses. Your team remains responsible for execution and for approving business commitments.
More hours when your business needs them
Some months call for a deeper review: evaluating a new business line, organizing budgets or supporting a team through change. You purchase an additional consulting-hour package for that work. Before you commit, we agree on the questions to address and the expected deliverables. We do not assume a fixed number of included hours, a minimum term or a price that has not been discussed with you. This keeps the extra work tied to a clear need rather than an open-ended promise.
Deliverables
- A branded financial dashboard with identified data sources.
- Monthly review of results and meaningful variances.
- Agreed goals with progress tracking and clear comparisons.
- A prioritized decision list with responsible owners.
- Documented scope for additional consulting-hour packages.
Who it's for
- Small business owners who need to know what they earn and how much cash they have.
- Businesses with multiple products, services, locations or channels whose margins are unclear.
- Companies selling on credit that need better information for collections.
- Teams seeking support to turn financial reports into practical decisions.
Zigma Consulting LLC is not an investment adviser, law firm or licensed accounting firm. On those matters we provide guidance and coordinate with licensed professionals.