A simple, consistent monthly workflow lets founders catch issues early, answer investor questions confidently, and avoid last‑minute scrambling before board updates. You don’t need to be a CFO. You just need a structured hour that touches books, metrics, and cash.

Below is a practical 60‑minute checklist you can use every month to keep your finances on track and help you prepare for investor updates.

Minutes 0-15: Spot Check the Books

Goal: Make sure your financials are clean enough to trust anything built on top of them.

  1. Confirm the month is “closed” (or close enough).
  2. Scan your P&L (income statement).
    • Look at this month vs. last month and vs. the same month last year (if you have it).
    • Ask yourself:
      • Any unusual spikes or drops in revenue?
      • Any big swings in categories like cloud, contractors, or marketing that you don’t recognize?
    • Flag anything odd for your bookkeeper/CPA to explain before you send investor updates.
  3. Glance at your balance sheet.
    • Check to see if your cash balance looks reasonable vs. your bank accounts.
    • Look for obviously wrong negative balances, like negative accounts receivable (AR) or accounts payable (AP).
    • Make sure any new debt, SAFEs, or notes you signed actually appear on your balance sheet.

You’re not trying to audit your books. You’re just validating that the numbers you’ll share aren’t obviously wrong.

Minutes 15-30: Cash, Burn, and Runway

Goal: Know exactly how much time you have before you run out of money.

  1. Calculate your burn for the last 3 months.
    • For each month: cash outflows minus cash inflows (excluding equity raises).
    • Average those three months to get a realistic monthly net burn.
  2. Update your runway.
    • Runway (in months): current cash ÷ average monthly burn.
    • Note both:
      • “Baseline” runway (current spend).
      • Any shorter runway you’d have if you layer in already‑planned hires or big contracts.
  3. Mark your “zero cash date.”
    • Even if it’s rough (“we hit zero in 13 months at current burn”), write it down.
    • Ask yourself: Does this align with your fundraising plans and milestones?

This is the section investors care about most, so make sure you can say the numbers clearly and confidently.

Goal: Pull a handful of metrics that actually tell the story of the month.

Pick 3-7 metrics that fit your model (don’t try to track everything). For example:

For SaaS / recurring revenue startups

  • MRR / ARR and month‑over‑month growth.
  • New customers and churned customers.
  • Net dollar retention (if you’re at that stage).

For consumer/marketplace/transactional businesses

  • Active users or buyers.
  • Orders or transactions.
  • Revenue per user/order and contribution margin.

For all types

  • Headcount by function (R&D, GTM, G&A).
  • Top 3 customer/product insights (e.g., one big win, one churn, one lesson learned).

In your 15 minutes:

  1. Pull the metrics from your systems or internal dashboard.
  2. Compare to last month and to your internal plan.
  3. Write 2–3 short bullets:
    • What went well.
    • What didn’t.
    • What you’re doing about it.

This turns raw numbers into a narrative your board can quickly absorb.

Minutes 45-55: Variance vs. Plan

Goal: Connect the dots between your model and reality.

  1. Compare actuals vs. budget for the month (or quarter‑to‑date).
    • Revenue: Above or below plan? Why?
    • Major cost buckets (R&D, S&M, G&A): Where are you ahead or behind?
    • Headcount: Did you hire faster or slower than planned?
  2. Write a “one‑screen” explanation.
    • 3-5 bullets on why you’re off plan (good or bad) and what you’re adjusting.
    • Example:
      • “Revenue +12% vs. plan: One large contract pulled in early.”
      • “Cloud spend +18% vs. plan: Usage grew faster than expected. We’re optimizing X and negotiating Y.”

Investors know plans are wrong by definition. They care more that you understand the gap and are acting on it.

Minutes 55–60: Board/Investor Update Prep

Goal: Turn your review into a concise, repeatable update.

In the last 5 minutes, draft the skeleton of your monthly update email or slide:

  • Headline: 1-2 sentences on how the month went (good, mixed, or challenging).
  • Key numbers: Revenue, burn, runway, and 3-5 core KPIs.
  • Wins: 2-3 bullets (customers, product, hiring).
  • Challenges/risks: 2-3 bullets with clear next steps.
  • Asks: Introductions, hiring help, or specific advice you need. Your investors want you to succeed, so let them help you!

Because you just spent an hour reviewing everything, this should go smoothly, and you won’t need to pull any all‑nighters before board meetings.

Make It a Habit!

This 60‑minute workflow works best when it’s on a recurring calendar invite at the same time each month, ideally 3-7 days after your books close. Over time, you’ll:

  • Catch accounting and metric issues early.
  • Walk into board and investor conversations with calm confidence.
  • Make better day‑to‑day decisions because you actually know your numbers.

Kruze Consulting’s startup-focused accounting team can help you set up the systems and reporting that feed this monthly finance review, so your hour is spent on insight, not on wrestling spreadsheets.