The #1 reason a company fails:

Cash flow issues.

Track this metric to thrive:🧵

There are 2 types of operators:

Those who...

1. Track everything
2. Track nothing

Whether ignorance or information overload - neither is ideal.

Instead, choose fewer, but more meaningful KPIs.

Cash Conversion Cycle (CCC) is simple, but has far reaching application - that's why I like it.

The info can be applied to:

1. Finance
2. Operations
3. Customer Management

One centralized KPI keeps departments working together.

The best part?

It's centered around cash.

What is CCC?

The time (in days) it takes a dollar to go from product or service to cash in the bank.

Note: CCC is used for inventory investments, but the service equivalent is called:

Service-to-Cash Cycle.

Same principles, so we'll use CCC for simplicity.

How is it measured?

In days, and...

Above 0 = longer to sell & collect cash than to pay vendors.

Below 0 = faster to sell & collect cash than to pay vendors.

The lower, the better.

Higher numbers indicate current or future cash flow issues.

Whilst accountants know how to prepare a BALANCE SHEET… 95% don’t know how to read them.

Interpreting balance sheets is the HARD bit.

So, here are the first 3 things I look for when reading a balance sheet.

Pull up a chair.

Let's go! 👇

When I review a balance sheet, I need a detailed picture of how the business is funded.

I’ll build out a picture under 3 headings;

1. Capital Structure
2. Working Capital Profile
3. Liquidity Headroom

Let's tackle them each in turn

1. Capital Structure.

The capital structure tells you how a business is funded / owned.

Is the business funded by debt or equity? What is the mix?

Who are the investors and what are their motives? And what are the rights and obligations attached to each?

Take each debt or equity instrument in the balance sheet and get clear on the following:

Who owns it?
How much have they put in?
What are they owed today?
What does their return look like if things go well
What are their rights if things don’t go well?
When does it mature?

I visualize this in a table.

I put the most senior ranking debt at the bottom.

Yes, this is upside down to the way you may have seen this presented before.

What can I say, I'm a rebel 😎

STOP focusing on Profit

START focusing on Cash Flow

Cash Flow Statement 101:

Every company has 3 reports in its financial statements

1. Balance sheet
2. Income statement
3. Cash flow statement

Most people focus on the Income Statement to look at PROFIT

There is nothing wrong with this…

But profit, isn’t CASH FLOW

Profit is an accounting measure

It doesn’t tell you how much MONEY actually came into the business

Sounds confusing?

Let’s look at an example:

In 2021 Google’s profit was: $76 billion

Everything about Free cash Flow Simplified!

What we will talk about in this 🧵🧵:

1⃣What is Free Cash Flow
2⃣How to calculate Free Cash Flow
3⃣Types of Free Cash Flow
4⃣Importance & Limitations of Free Cash Flow

Let's dive in ⤵️⤵️

What is Free Cash Flow?

Free cash flow means the cash that is left over after a company pays for its operating expenses and capital expenditures (Capex) like purchasing new machinery, equipment, land & building, etc. and satisfying all its working capital needs.

In simple words, suppose whatever cash that is left with you after you spend your salary or income is known as Free cash flow that you can use for different purposes.

The more FCF a company has, the better it is. Businesses which generate high FCF can:-

1⃣Give investors higher dividends
2⃣Do share buybacks
3⃣Build a war chest for acquisitions or Capex.
4⃣Reinvest in the business when opportunity arises with lesser dependence on debt.

How to calculate Free Cash Flow👇:

To calculate free cash flow, all you need to do is open the Cash Flow Statement and subtract "Net Capital expenditure" from "net cash from operating activities".

Amateurs focus on Profits.

Professionals focus on Cash Flow.

Cash Flow Statement 101: 🧵

The cash flow statement shows cash moving in and out of a company over specific time periods.

Since it's Jan right now, the two most common will be:

■ 3 Quarters
■ 1 Year

Below, we can see CrowdStrike's cash flow over the past 9 months. The time frame is at the top $CRWD

There are three key parts to a cash flow statement:

1️⃣ Operating Activities (Running the business)
2️⃣ Investing Activities (Investing in the business)
3️⃣ Financing Activities (Paying for the business)

There's freedom in how it gets reported, but this is the basic structure

Let's specifically look at operating activities

The top line-item is NET INCOME.

You'd think this would represent the money a company puts in the bank at the end of the year.

But that's NOT THE CASE

Net Income backs out NON-CASH charges. The cash flow statement adds them back in.

Including:

■ Depreciation: Value of asset decreasing
■ Amortization: Expensing pre-paid cost
■ Stock-Based Compensation: Paying employees w/ equity