FFM Newsletter Language of Business Series: Finance (Mid-Year Reflection & Financial Review)

In this edition:

• Thursday Thoughts – Mid-Year Reflection & Financial Review
• Weekly Top 5 – Projecting Cash Flow, Best Business Credit Cards, Expense Management App, Tax Education, & Who Benefits from AI
• Reading Recommendations – Measure What Matters, Hard Thing About Hard Things, & Seeing the Big Picture

THURSDAY THOUGHTS

Grab your notebook, your favorite beverage, and a couple of pens. It’s mid-year review time! Clear your head, settle in, and take some time to reflect and set your intentions (and make a plan!) for the year ahead.

Not sure where to start? Check out the questions that will actually help you move forward.

Now, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention something about financials this month. It really is the perfect time to review your personal finances as well. In fact, getting more clarity around your personal finances (i.e. income vs. expenses, your monthly cash flow, your current debt, interest payments, budgeting for big expenses) will actually help you get a handle on your company’s finances. It’s easier to understand it through the lens of your own experience, so start there!

Getting clear on your own finances and getting comfortable talking about money, really is a great first step!

Throughout June we’ll be focused on the financial aspects of business. As always, if you have questions or topics you would like me to cover, just hit reply!

P.S. If you’re looking for a great new show to get lost in, check out The Great on Hulu. It’s a darkly comedic historical satire  – so be warned! But, highly entertaining. It also sent me down a research rabbit hole to learn more about Catherine the Great, so it’s also educational?🤷‍♀️ 

WEEKLY TOP 5

1. Cash flow is the lifeblood of every business. While profitability tells you whether a company is making money, cash flow tells you whether it has enough money available to pay employees, vendors, rent, and other expenses today. This guide from Wells Fargo walks through the basics of creating a cash flow projection, helping business owners anticipate shortages, plan for growth, and make more informed decisions. 
    
2. In this thought-provoking conversation, Scott Galloway challenges some of the biggest narratives surrounding AI, arguing that the future of work is far more nuanced than many tech leaders would have us believe. For Force Multipliers, the episode is a reminder that while technology will continue to reshape organizations, skills like communication, judgment, relationship-building, and strategic thinking will only become more valuable. It’s also an important discussion about who benefits financially from AI, how wealth is created, and the leadership decisions that will shape the future of work. 
    
3. For many entrepreneurs, a business credit card is one of the first financial tools they’ll use to manage cash flow, separate business and personal expenses, and earn rewards on spending they’re already doing. And, Force Multipliers, you know you’ll be a part of the research, decision, and management! NerdWallet’s Best Business Credit Cards guide breaks down the top options based on your goals, whether that’s maximizing travel points, earning cash back, building business credit, or accessing a generous introductory offer. Even if you’re not ready to apply today, understanding the different types of business credit cards can help you make smarter financial decisions as your business grows. 
    
4. One of the simplest ways to improve your financial awareness is to know exactly where your money is going. Expensify makes it easy to capture receipts, track spending, and organize expenses in real time, helping business owners stay on top of their numbers without creating more administrative work. If you’re responsible for managing your leader’s expenses, check out Expensify or another app to help streamline the process. Better visibility leads to better decisions. 
    
5. Taxes influence everything from hiring decisions and compensation plans to investments and profitability. Tax Foundation’s TaxEDU resources break down complex tax concepts into plain English, helping you better understand the financial factors that shape business decisions every day. Spend a few minutes clicking around. You can learn everything from the history of taxes (Happy 250th Birthday America!), to tax types, to inflation, tariffs, and more.

READING RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs by John Doerr | Ready to learn about OKRs? Drawing on examples from companies like Google and Intel, John Doerr introduces the Objectives and Key Results (OKR) framework—a simple but powerful system for setting priorities, tracking progress, and aligning teams around what matters most. Filled with real-world case studies and leadership lessons, this book is a valuable resource for anyone looking to improve execution, accountability, and organizational focus. 
    
2. The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz | Most business books focus on success. The Hard Thing About Hard Things focuses on what happens when things go wrong. Drawing from his experiences building and leading technology companies through crises, Ben Horowitz delivers candid, practical advice on the difficult decisions leaders face when there are no easy answers. Honest, gritty, and often humorous, this book is a must-read for entrepreneurs, executives, and anyone responsible for leading through uncertainty and adversity. I especially love the Wartime CEO vs. Peacetime CEO framework. 
    
3. Seeing the Big Picture: Business Acumen to Build Your Credibility, Career, and Company by Kevin Cope | If you’ve ever wished someone would explain how businesses actually work without making you sit through an MBA program, this book is for you. Kevin Cope breaks business down into five key drivers—cash, profit, assets, growth, and people—and shows how every employee, regardless of role, can contribute to organizational success. Seeing the Big Picture is a great introduction to business acumen for anyone who wants to think more strategically, understand financials with confidence, and become a more valuable partner to their team and leadership. 
   

“One of the tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency.”

Arnold H. Glasow

Enjoying this series? Subscribe to The Founder & The Force Multiplier Newsletter here.

Understanding the language of business is essential for the Force Multipliers of the future–whether you’re committed to a career as a right-hand partner or plan to move from employee to self-employed.

When someone understands the language of business, they can connect their work to: revenue, profitability, growth, efficiency, risk, priorities, customer experience, organizational goals, and strategic tradeoffs. We aren’t talking about memorizing corporate jargon here! But we are talking about understanding how businesses function, what leaders care about, how decisions get made, and how work impacts the bigger picture.

For the rest of the year, each newsletter issue will focus on one key area of business fluency: financial literacy, customers & sales, marketing & brand, strategy & decision making, operations, people & organizational dynamics, and leadership. 

From articles and podcasts, to book recommendations, courses and conferences, and insights and advice, we’ll dive into one key topic each month. 

Business fluency changes the way you see your role, your leadership potential, and the opportunities available to you. And who doesn’t want that!? Subscribe today!