💼 Business
Small Business Owner Prompt: Monthly Numbers Review and Plan
Paste this month's sales, costs, and cash notes for a plain review of what changed and why, a 30 day cash check, three priorities, and accountant questions.
0Reviews
Prompt
Act as a small business advisor and fractional bookkeeper who helps an owner read one month of numbers in plain words and turn them into a short plan, using only the figures and notes the owner provides. Inputs: - What the business does, team size, and how customers buy: [BusinessSnapshot] - This month and last month, line by line (sales, direct costs, wages, rent, other main expenses): [MonthNumbers] - Bank balance, money owed to the business, and bills due in the next 30 days: [CashPosition] - What happened this month (promotions, staff out, price changes, weather, new services): [WhatHappened] - The goal for the next quarter: [OwnerGoal] - Hours per week the owner can spend on improvements: [TimeAvailable] Generate: 1. A month over month numbers table: each line, this month, last month, change in dollars and percent. Show the math and compute only from MonthNumbers. 2. Profit before owner pay and taxes for both months, gross margin (sales minus direct costs), and the three largest expense lines as a share of sales. 3. What drove the change: link each big movement to WhatHappened. Label it likely when the owner's notes explain it and unexplained when they do not. 4. A 30 day cash check from CashPosition: money expected in, bills going out, the gap or cushion, and two practical levers if cash is tight. 5. Three priorities for next month that move OwnerGoal and fit TimeAvailable, each with one number to watch weekly. 6. One small, low cost test (pricing, booking, or customer offer) with how to tell if it worked. 7. Questions to bring to the accountant or bookkeeper. Rules: - Never invent figures. Mark missing numbers as [NEED]. - No tax, legal, or investment advice. - Keep the whole review readable in five minutes.
Instructions
Replace every [bracket] with numbers from your bookkeeping app or bank statements. Works on ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. Check the math yourself, and take tax or financing questions to your accountant. This is not financial advice.
Generated Output
This image was generated using the prompt above.
Examples
Example Input
BusinessSnapshot: Dog grooming salon with one mobile grooming van. Owner plus 3 groomers and 1 front desk person. Customers book online or by phone and pay at pickup. MonthNumbers: September vs August. Sales $38,400 vs $42,100. Grooming supplies $2,300 vs $2,500. Groomer wages $17,800 vs $18,200. Rent $3,900 vs $3,900. Van fuel and upkeep $1,450 vs $1,100. Card fees $1,150 vs $1,260. Marketing $600 vs $250. CashPosition: Bank balance $9,800. Customers pay at pickup, so nothing is owed to us. Bills due in 30 days: rent $3,900, two payrolls about $8,900 each, supply order $2,400, quarterly van insurance $1,200. Owner expects about $36,000 in sales next month. WhatHappened: One groomer was out 6 days mid month on paid sick leave. Back to school slowed weekday bookings. The van started a new route in two neighborhoods on Sept 15. Marketing was flyers for the new route. Prices unchanged since January. OwnerGoal: Reach 40 van bookings a month by December and keep monthly profit at or above $12,000. TimeAvailable: About 5 hours a week outside grooming.
Example Output
1. NUMBERS TABLE (Sept vs Aug) | Line | Sept | Aug | Change | % | | Sales | $38,400 | $42,100 | -$3,700 | -8.8% | | Supplies | $2,300 | $2,500 | -$200 | -8.0% | | Groomer wages | $17,800 | $18,200 | -$400 | -2.2% | | Rent | $3,900 | $3,900 | $0 | 0% | | Van fuel and upkeep | $1,450 | $1,100 | +$350 | +31.8% | | Card fees | $1,150 | $1,260 | -$110 | -8.7% | | Marketing | $600 | $250 | +$350 | +140% | | Total costs | $27,200 | $27,210 | -$10 | 0% | 2. PROFIT AND MARGIN Profit before owner pay and taxes: Sept $38,400 - $27,200 = $11,200. Aug $42,100 - $27,210 = $14,890. Down $3,690. Gross margin (sales minus supplies and groomer wages): Sept $18,300 / $38,400 = 47.7%. Aug $21,400 / $42,100 = 50.8%. Largest costs as share of Sept sales: wages 46.4%, rent 10.2%, supplies 6.0%. 3. WHAT DROVE IT - Sales down $3,700: likely the 6 sick days (paid, so wages barely moved) plus slower weekday bookings after back to school. - Van costs up $350 and marketing up $350: likely the new route launch on Sept 15. Van sales are not split out, so the route's return is unexplained. [NEED] van sales for September. - Margin fell 3.1 points because wages stayed nearly flat while sales dropped. 4. 30 DAY CASH CHECK In: $9,800 bank + about $36,000 expected sales = $45,800. Out: $3,900 rent + $17,800 payroll + $2,400 supplies + $1,200 insurance = $25,300. Cushion before other costs and owner pay: $20,500. [NEED] fuel, card fees, and other bills for a full picture. If it gets tight: split the supply order across two deliveries, and ask the van insurer whether monthly billing is an option. 5. PRIORITIES FOR OCTOBER 1. Track van bookings separately in your booking tool. Watch: van bookings per week (goal pace is about 10). 2. Fill weekday gaps with a weekday nail trim and bath slot for regulars. Watch: weekday bookings vs last October. 3. Plan coverage for sick days with a groomer swap list. Watch: lost booking hours per week. Time: about 2 hours setup for 1, 2 hours for 2, 1 hour for 3. 6. SMALL TEST Offer van customers on the new route a rebook now card at pickup for the same time in 6 weeks. It worked if at least a third of route customers rebook before leaving. 7. QUESTIONS FOR YOUR ACCOUNTANT - How should van fuel and insurance be tracked so the van's profit is visible? - Is the sick pay recorded correctly for payroll reporting? - What owner pay is safe given an $11,200 month?