Finance, decoded.
The Decipher blog, page 4
Practical finance for founders and owners: cash and runway, SaaS metrics, planning, fundraising, and buying or selling a business.
Quality of earnings and EBITDA adjustments before a sale
What a quality of earnings report examines, which EBITDA adjustments hold up in diligence and which ones buyers push back on, how the working capital peg works, and how to prepare in the 6 to 12 months before a sale.
Rolling forecast vs annual budget: how to run each one
The annual budget is the commitment; the rolling forecast is the best current view. How the two work together, how to choose a horizon and cadence, how driver-based forecasting works, and a step-by-step monthly process with a worked example.
Venture debt for startups: how it works and when it fits
What venture debt is, how the common structures and covenants work, how it compares with equity, when it helps and when it hurts, and how to model debt service and covenant headroom before signing.
What is a fractional CFO? Role, work and when to hire one
A fractional CFO is a senior finance leader who works with a company part time. What the role covers, how it differs from an interim CFO, a full-time CFO or a controller, what it costs, and the signs it is time to bring one in.
What is FP&A? Financial planning and analysis explained
FP&A (financial planning and analysis) is the finance work that looks forward: budgets, forecasts, variance analysis and decision support. What an FP&A function produces, how it runs each month, and when a company needs one.