Growing Your Business

Understanding and Creating Financial Statements For Your Small Business

by
Lee Reams II
on
7/24/2023
Understanding and Creating Financial Statements For Your Small Business

Financial statements are vital tools for small business owners in all industries. They provide a comprehensive overview of a small business's financial performance and position. Furthermore, these documents offer critical insights into revenue, expenses, profits, and cash flow, helping business owners make informed decisions and plan for the future. In this article, we'll look at the key components of financial statements and teach you how to create them effectively as you manage your small business.

The Role of Accounting Software In Generating Financial Statements

Accounting software plays an essential role in generating accurate and reliable financial statements for small businesses. A software system will streamline financial data collection and analysis, automating calculations and reducing the chances of errors. By integrating transactions from various sources, accounting software creates a centralized and organized financial database, making it easier to generate the financial statements you need in real-time.

Modern accounting software, like Wave and QuickBooks, offers a range of features to tailor financial statements to your business's needs. Whether you require an income statement, balance sheet, or cash flow statement, most software can customize reports and present data in a clear and understandable format. 

How to Generate a P&L Statement For Your Small Business

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Credit: Carlina Teteris/Getty Images

An income statement, also known as a profit and loss statement (P&L), is a common financial statement that summarizes a business's revenue, expenses, and profits or losses over a specific period of time. To create an income statement for your small business, follow these steps:

1. Revenue: Record all sources of income, including sales, services rendered, and any other income streams.

2. Cost of Goods Sold (COGS): Calculate the direct costs associated with producing or providing goods and services. This includes raw materials, labor, and manufacturing costs.

3. Gross Profit: Subtract COGS from revenue to determine your business's gross profit.

4. Operating Expenses: Assess all operating expenses, such as rent, utilities, marketing, and employee or contractor salaries.

5. Operating Income: Subtract operating expenses from gross profit to find the operating income.

6. Non-Operating Items: Account for any non-operating items like interest income or expenses.

7. Net Income: Calculate the operating income versus non-operating items to arrive at your business's net income or net loss.

Keep in mind, it is likely that your accounting software will be able to automatically generate a P&L statement whenever you need one. However, you'll have to make sure all the data you enter is accurate in order to get a clear picture of your company's current financial status.

The Importance of Cash Flow Statements and How to Create One

A cash flow statement is an essential financial statement that tracks the inflow and outflow of cash within a business over a specific period of time. It provides insights into a business's ability to generate and manage cash, which is vital for sustainability and growth. To create a cash flow statement for your small business, follow these steps:

1. Operating Activities: List all cash inflow and outflow related to the day-to-day operations of your business.

2. Investing Activities: Include cash flow from investing activities, such as buying or selling assets and stocks under your business name.

3. Financing Activities: Record cash flow from financing activities, such as taking out loans or repaying debt.

4. Net Cash Flow: Add the cash flow from operating, investing, and financing activities to determine your business's net cash flow.

5. Cash Balance: Calculate the cash balance at the beginning and end of the accounting period.

Again, as with profit and loss statements, your accounting software will probably be able to generate cash flow statements when you need them. 

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Credit: Maskot/Getty Images

In addition to the income statements and cash flow statements, there are other types of financial statements that small business owners may need to use for comprehensive financial analysis. One of these is a balance sheet, which provides a snapshot of the business's assets, liabilities, and equity at a specific point in time. Balance sheets are generally used to gauge a company's overall financial health.

Some small businesses may also benefit from preparing a statement of retained earnings, outlining changes in the company's retained earnings over a given timeframe. This type of statement aids in understanding how profits are reinvested or distributed to shareholders.

Depending on the business's complexity and industry requirements, other specialized financial statements like a statement of changes in equity or segment reporting may be necessary to provide deeper insights into specific aspects of the business's financial performance. By utilizing a variety of financial statements, small business owners can gain a full view of their financial standing and make educated decisions to drive success.

Feature Image Credit: Maskot/Getty Images

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Lee Reams II

Lee Reams II

CEO

I am a tax and business news junkie who has spent the last 20 years developing and executing "best in class" word-of-mouth marketing campaigns for tax and accounting professionals. With TaxBuzz and CountingWorks we have taken that same commitment to quality content directly to the consumer. Keeping you up-to-date with the latest tax law changes, business growth tips and planning strategies to help you reach your best financial outcome.

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