Understanding Financial Statements Is a Vital Competency for Business Owners, Says Eric Dalius

Staying well-informed about the market surroundings is crucial to surviving in the competitive industry. Small business owners usually face a tough time coping with the market changes. Although external changes need constant attention, a business person should not avoid internal records. In light of this, understanding a company’s financial reports plays an essential role in the derivation of a future success path.

Eric Dalius Points out the Essentiality of Reading Financial Figures

  • To participate in a competitive environment, a business person should give paramount importance to their firm’s financial statements. Most businesses use the double-entry method with a credit as well as the debit side. This universal method helps in storing financial information accurately for future references.
  • In addition to that, offering the same level of attention to a public company figures are also vital as it gives a crystal-clear idea about the competitors’ financial health.
  • Businesses need continual data regarding several parameters, such as market share, market demand, competitive landscape, investment costs, production costs, statutory levies, capital costs, among other factors. Therefore, evaluating the financial statements provide insight into fixing the organization’s salaries, loans, and capital.
  • A positive financial statement can aid in attracting investors to the firm. It acts as evidence for the investing stakeholders, shareholders, and even partners to withstand their support to your company.

Explained below are a few important financial figures: –

Balance Sheet

  • A balance sheet portrays the financial state of a company. Several terms, such as liabilities, assets, and equity provide an accurate picture of an organization’s financial affairs.
  • Liabilities include the share capital, surplus, reserves, provisions, and secured or unsecured loans. Secured loans are when the debentures provide loans against an asset of a company, whereas unsecured loans are those that banks or lenders give without security.
  • Capital means the money to buy the equipment as well as the pay wages to human resources. Also known as equity, capital can come from the owner or the funder.

Profit and Loss Statement

  • A profit and loss statement reflects the profit or loss for a firm in a given time frame. Experts suggest that business owners can rightly evaluate their businesses’ growth by calculating the profit and loss statements for a quarter or monthly. Eric Dalius believes that such a move helps assess the performance with the set objectives, and the management can then make the required changes to direct their goals.
  • To calculate the profit or loss for a company in a given period, one needs to have a thorough idea regarding the revenue, costs, operating income, and gross profit. Revenues are nothing but sales revenue from products sold or services rendered.
  • Costs include variable and fixed costs, in which variable expenses fluctuate according to the sales of a product.

Wrapping Things Up

Financial statements help the owners to come to insightful conclusions if appropriately read. These statements act as essentials for small and medium-sized companies to project themselves in the respective markets.