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The Asteropreneur

Your revenue isn’t real until this happens 😳

Published 3 months ago • 3 min read

April Showers

Reader, the magnificent! Really hope you took some time off since last month's email. My fam and I took a historical trip to the Midwest (Chi > Springfield > St. Louis) and celebrated my birthday with my larger family in Lake Forest, IL. Great getaway.

For this month's email, my recommendation is to stay lean, spend smart and keep your margins strong. You’ll not only survive, you’ll outpace those who don’t. Now let’s talk about how to do exactly that.👇

In this email...

  • Your Revenue Isn’t Real Until This Happens
  • Hot Takes ⤵️
  • Top Articles For You This Month
  • Tech To Help You

as·TER·o·pre·NEUR (noun) A growth-focused founder who starts and operates a profitable business while mastering the key drivers and KPIs.

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🔥 Your Revenue Isn’t Real Until This Happens

If you’re a founder chasing $2M/year, here’s a truth that might sting: revenue isn’t real until it turns into operating cash flow.

Too often, we hear things like, “We just closed a $250K deal!” But here’s the questions that really matter: when is that money hitting the bank? What’s it costing you to deliver? And how much of it is actually sticking around after the dust settles?

Here’s the funnel every dollar passes through:

Each step moves you closer to reality.

  • Booked Revenue is what you say you sold.
  • Collected Revenue is what you actually sold and got paid.
  • Gross Profit shows what’s left after you deliver the product or service.
  • Operating Cash Flow is the gold: how much real money is left to run, grow and invest in your business.

Each layer of the funnel removes assumptions and reveals the real picture. A founder who tracks all four is playing a very different game than one who just celebrates “sales.”

You’d be surprised how many founders hit $1M+ in sales but still can’t make payroll without panic. That’s because they’re building on a shaky foundation, counting revenue that hasn’t cleared, or worse, costs more to deliver than it brings in.

If you're nearing the $2M/year mark, now is the time to start tracking the flow of money, not just the appearance of it. A great fractional CFO will help you forecast it, tighten it and align your decisions to it. Because revenue is nice—but cash flow is freedom.

Hot Takes ⤵️

No new videos or podcasts spots to share this month but we are celebrating the launch of our new CFO chatbot, Cindy AI! 🦾 It's all part of how Astero Group continues to lead the AI charge in the accounting space.

If you haven't tried out Cindy AI yet, I highly recommend giving her a shot with your top accounting questions. She is equipped with plenty of proprietary info and templates to help you out. And it's 100% free! Our clients love it! Likely our competitors too. Where else can they get great advice this fast? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Cindy AI was built by Astero Group and exists to serve business owners climbing their way to $2m/yr in revenue. Our hope is that once you hit that $2m/yr milestone that you consider upgrading to our human-led fractional CFO services. And if not, that is okay. We hope it helped anyway!

Top Articles

Here are the top three news articles from the last thirty days to help you:

💡 Future-proofing
​The core skills you need in 2030—according to The World Economic Forum.
🏆 Startup Metrics and KPIs
​This glossary covers the basic startup metrics and startup KPIs to know and when to use them to help grow your business.
✔️ AI & IP law
​Jack Dorsey says IP law shouldn’t exist and Elon Musk agrees: ‘Delete all IP law’. What could this mean for you?

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Tech To Help You

Each month, I’ll share a few tools and platforms we’ve vetted ourselves. No fluff, real things that can actually help your business grow. Some even come with perks we’ve lined up for our community. 🎁

​Engine - If your company spends on travel, you must give this a try.
​Gusto - The next-generation payroll platform.
​Studio Arran - Design-driven merch that people actually want to keep
​Ramp - Our top credit card and bill pay platform. $500 bonus.

I hope you and your business are genuinely stronger after implementing the contents of this email. If you have questions, just reply here or reach out to me on social media.

Your Friend and Fan,

P.S. - If your business is below $2M/yr in revenue, you likely do not need a fractional CFO. If you are generating more than $2M/yr, you might be dragging your business down by not having a fractional CFO. Click here to explore. Honest advice. First come, first serve.

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