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Let’s cover some lessons learned today, but first head over to Roku and see if you can save some $$ going into the holidays and new year! Click the image below of the Roku at the top of this page!
2025 exposed a lot of financial weak spots for small business and veteran-owned companies. Cash flow pressure, tighter margins, slower customers, and rising costs made it clear that running loose financial processes no longer works. The good news is this: every painful lesson from 2025 can become a strength in 2026 if you address it now.
Here are the top five lessons business leaders learned the hard way and should not repeat next year.
Extending Credit Without Discipline Leads to Bad Debt
Friendly customers became slow payers. Net 30 turned into Net 90 and invoices that should have been collected quietly became write-offs. Credit must be earned, monitored, and limited. Sales without cash is risk, not revenue.Posting Cash Late Breaks Receivables Visibility
Payments came in, but AR reports never changed. Teams chased the wrong customers and missed real problems. Cash must be posted quickly so aging reports reflect reality and collections stay focused.Vendor Costs Rise Quietly and Kill Margins
Price increases were small, but they stacked up over time. Without regular invoice review and cost tracking, profit slipped away unnoticed. Margin protection requires constant attention.Month-End Close Should Not Be a Fire Drill
Behind books created rushed closes, inaccurate reports, and leadership decisions based on outdated data. When work is spread throughout the month, close becomes predictable and clean.Lenders Demand Clean, Credible Financials
Growth opportunities stalled because the books were not ready. Banks lend on proof, not potential. Clean financials open doors to capital, flexibility, and better terms.
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2026 does not need to repeat 2025’s mistakes. Strong AR and AP discipline, timely bookkeeping, cost awareness, and clean reporting give business owners control instead of chaos. These are not advanced strategies. They are fundamentals done consistently.
If you want help fixing these areas before the new year begins, reply to this message. Let’s turn 2025’s lessons into 2026’s advantages. If you want help throughout 2026, I’m accepting NEW CLIENTS now! Come work with me!
Sponsoring the Cash Flow Chronicles today is ROKU!
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