Book · book (~224 pages)

Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster

Mike Michalowicz · mikemichalowicz.com Paid Beginner

A behavioral, dead-simple cash-management system used by over a million businesses to stay permanently profitable. Perfect for bootstrappers and solo founders who need discipline, not spreadsheets.

  • Flip the formula: Sales - Profit = Expenses, taking profit off the top first
  • Allocate revenue into separate accounts to force profitability and cover taxes
  • A behavioral system beats willpower for keeping a business cash-healthy
Open on mikemichalowicz.com ↗

It answers 4 questions

  1. How should I manage cash flow so my startup doesn't run out of money?
  2. Do I need an accountant and proper bookkeeping from day one?
  3. What does healthy cash flow actually look like for a bootstrapped business, and how do I stop confusing revenue with money in the bank?
  4. How do I pay myself a real salary from a bootstrapped startup without starving the business?

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