新手CEO最容易犯的10大财务错误及应对之策

在过去，我们没有必要过多担心公司财务。公司发展相对缓慢，对于一名财务官来说，在那些年真的没什么可忙的。并且你可以把一切都外包，仅需留意一下银行的对账单。

现在事情发生了天翻地覆的变化。基于SaaS模式的会计和财务变得非常复杂，并且错误的后果也变得越来越严重。

我接触过大量的创业公司，这些公司将会计业务外包而自身却没有任何SaaS经验，并且这些公司并未意识到现有的这套蹩脚的记录系统不包含自动销售和额外的座位。这些公司的成长率通常很高，能够高达30-40%。

在一开始，我想这并不重要。只要能赚钱就好。但是在SaaS模式下，一旦你的平均会计收益达到大约200万美元，你就应该适时整顿一下你的财务。

作为新创者，你是否熟悉下面列举的某些内容呢？

•资金流入和资金流出。我大概知道我们账户有多少钱。

•我知道我必须偿还账单和支付工资，但是我现在有太多急于先做的事情。

•我已经利用Excel表格向我的投资者、顾问和朋友们解释收入成长形势有多么好。

•我和会计援助服务方达成协议。他们会帮助偿还账单、报税以及完成会计工作。

以下我列举了新创者所犯的10种错误，我希望你能避免这些错误。我就“如何才能快速检测你们公司正确的财务和会计支持系统”这一问题给出了我的建议，相关建议也同样应该引起你的足够重视。

错误1 ：预订并不等于收入

在过去的20年，我指导了许多首次出任主管的管理者。我常问的第一个问题是，“你有多少收入？”我常常得到的答案是，“嗯，我的预订有________”。我接下来的问题是，“你如何定义预订？”我敢说我听到的关于预订定义的答案像我吃到的冰琪淋口味一样多。

建议：无论早晚，你必须既了解预订量又了解收入量，并且你也得知道二者的区别。不这样的做的话会使你的公司估值降低以及投资额降低，甚至还会导致你丧失一名感兴趣的购买者或投资者。在你进行首轮或次轮融资的时候，或是在包含第三方的情况下做任何财务决策的时候，会计师将会按照公认会计准则进行某类尽职调查来定义收入。

错误2 ：将收付实现制和权责发生制混淆

我发现新任CEO并没有过多经验和时间去理解全套财务报表的具体细节。根据我对那些基于预定量的主管的了解，你做一个精美的幻灯片向他们做月度总结，这样做价值并不大。其实更为重要的是给他们普及相关知识以使其在做生意方式上由收付实现制向权责发生制转变。

收付实现制是我们每天都会做的事。在一月末我的银行账户里有1000美元。二月份我收到工资1500美元，而我每月的花销仅为500美元。在二月底我的现金余额为2000美元。在收付实现制下，你可以基于你的现金收入和支出了解你在给定月份的净收益或净损失。

当然你也可以在公司中做同样的事。不过别好还是别这样做。

我知道这样一个事，一名CEO按照他的收入实现制报表以数百万美元的价格将其公司出售。在购入方进行调查时，那些基于收入实现制机制的数据必须转化为基于权责发生制的数据，这名CEO因此损失了数百万美元。

建议：从今天开始，按照权责发生制管理你公司的帐务。简单来讲，你需要按月核算收入或成本。假设你从一名客户那里收到一份合同，这份合同大意是他们会按月付给你100美元的订阅费，但采用月结30天的支付方式。在权责发生制机制下，就意味着你在一月份把100美元的发票寄给顾客，但是你直到二月份才能收到钱。你仍可将这100美元视为一月份的收入，因为你在提供服务的同时也获取了相应的报酬。简而言之，当你挣到一笔钱或花费了成本，你就把相应的款项记录到收入和成本中，而不是在现金交易发生之时。

错误3 ：收入确认方式错误

收入确认一直以来都是一件复杂的事情，这些年收入核算变得更为复杂。除此之外，具体到SaaS公司，它们所面临的问题在于，随着交易量的增加，正确/保守的收入确认方式与简单核算方法之间的差异更为凸显。

有时你或许会被要求重新评估你的收入。最糟糕的事情莫过于告诉董事会和投资方你需要调整已经经过确认的收入或是收入预测。

建议：你需要藉助于Excel表格记录你的确认收入和递延收入余额。如果没在一开始就树立这个模式，你之后的清理工作会不仅变得更加苦难而且更为昂贵。一旦你的收入量达到某一数值，你就应该引入相关工具或是藉助于全职帮助(参见错误#4)，这些手段能帮助你采用正确无误的收入确认方式，而这种收入确认方式能适应不断成长的收入。今后你需要藉助于一款工具帮助你进行自动收入确认。

错误4 ：自己完成会计工作

有了一开始的收入作为本钱，你现在开始关注你所花费的每一笔钱，并且你也注意到那些优先项正在快速不断涌现。你需要达到下一个收入水平和关键绩效指标，这些会在你进行下一轮融资时起到帮助作用，这也引出了我接下来想说的话：你需要获得会计师的帮助，而不是靠自己去努力正确地完成偿还账单、支付工资以及确认收入的工作。

寻找一些合适的会计公司，把不同的职责分配给它们。它们会核算出你需要协助的时间，比如说，帮助你正确建立第一个会计系统，协调好每月的银行对账单，并且帮助你构建一套紧急收入确认过程。

建议：千万不要糊弄自己，认为填写一张支票或是藉助于在线银行服务就是在做会计工作。你需要得到正规的会计服务支持，这件事你拖得越久，日后要做的清理工作会越多，账单数额也会变得更为庞大。

错误5 ：把财务总管和首席财务官混淆

你最终意识到你需要引入高级财务支持去帮助你完成一些工作，这些工作包括帮助你完成给董事会和投资方所做的财务报告，构建一些扩展过程，完成预算和规划，并为日后的投资做准备。不过这时你很可能会将两种不同的头衔混淆，即将财务总管和首席财务官混淆。

二者的区别：财务总管会照看公司的日常会计事务，包括结账和报账，不过财务总管的职责也止于此。而财务官则会基于这些报导的实际结果，着手处理这些数据，且财务官还要考虑公司的未来目标、预算、规划和战略转型。

这并不是说对于早期的创业公司不可以灵活对待这两种角色，也不是说这两种角色不能在一定程度上在各个领域相互协助。财务官也能够进行月末结算，而一些财务总管也可以协助公司完成规划。

建议：财务总管不能插手一切工作，特别是随着你公司的不断壮大。如果你雇佣了一名优秀财务官，只需几个月你就会发现他的战略价值。雇佣一名具备指导创业公司经验的财务官，这样他就会帮助你判断公司所需，你甚至都不需要思考这件事。

错误6 ：当你满足于当下“外包财务官”的状态时，就会把聘雇财务官这一议程不断推迟

尽管“外包首席财务官”十分方便，这种小时结算制也意味着你雇不起一名全职财务官。鉴于此，这名外包财务官只能帮助你准备董事会和投资人会议，并协助你完成预算规划。由于和公司日常业务脱节，她只能从宏观角度进行分析，更为重要的是，对于票据和托收、现金流管理、收入报告以及公司顺应性等诸多方面的重要过程，仅从宏观角度加以分析往往是不够的。

这种租赁机制会加重你的负担。随着公司的成长，你可能会在创建弹性会计机制上错过一些重要的环节，而这些环节又恰好能帮助公司成长。

建议：不要担心比你预计的时间更早引入全职财务官。当你面临尽职调查或是你需要将资金多延伸几个月的时候，你就会发现这笔钱花的值。

错误7 ：没有建立详尽完整的预算表

我相信大多数的新创者都会用一张Excel表格记录收入。你也可能藉助于一些工具记录生产、升级和新的收入。这很棒，不过这并不是预算。

一个正确的预算不仅能帮助你记录当下的表现，还能帮助你规划未来的需求。我知道一些引入资金的新创者，但是他们并不知道如何才能把这笔钱战略性地投到最需要培养的业务领域。另一方面，我肯定见过一些投资人急需资金，但是他们并能向投资者充分表达他们的需求。

建议：通过共同努力制订一个时间跨度为12到24个月的预算。这个预算需要帮助你回答三个十分重要的问题：

（1）“你需要多少资金才能达到你设定的收入目标？”

（2）“你将如何利用这笔资金？”

（3）“这笔投资的回报是什么？”

错误8 ：没有定期阅读财务报告的习惯

如果你采纳了我第6和第7点建议，那么你已经聘请了合适的会计师，他们正在进行结账，这意味着他们会将一揽子财务计划分给投资方和董事会，当然会首先发给你。

你需要花点时间去了解这个一揽子计划的细节。你不必学习注册会计师的相关知识，但是你至少应该理解收入报告以及它与现金流量表、资产负债表以及递延收入之间的关系，并且你还需要知道你的支付能力。

建议：如果你仅仅关注收入，那么你并不是在帮自己忙。让你的会计为你解释细节。如果他们的语言过于专业话，你可以让他们用直白的话再解释一遍。如果我面对你，我可以选择用清晰的语言进行解释，或者我也可以采用专业术语，这样你就会迷惑不解。而糟糕的做法是，当我用专业术语进行解释时，你并没有问问题。相反，你选择退出，并说：“这就是我为什么需要你去理解所有这些东西的原因。”

错误9: 不要忘记合规管理

合规管理十分繁琐。我下面举一个简单的例子。你将公司的合规管理外包给一家法律公司，这家公司采用“创业公司一揽子”计划，这一计划能够帮助你进行公司注册、建立董事会决议并批准股权文件。在大多数情况下你需要在特拉华州进行注册，在获得授权后你就可以在你所在的州做生意了。你认为你准备好了一切。

对于我所工作的每家公司，我都会主动调查它是否在特拉华州具有良好的声誉，这家公司的年度特性经营税是否如期支付。经过一番调查，我会获得意外的惊喜，这不仅仅是一些大量的未缴税（比如说一张价值7万美元逾期票据）！

建议：在你完成注册之后，公司的合规管理任务并未结束。类似的任务还有税务、美国公认会计原则、合同、契约等等。不过，不必恐慌。你需要采用正确的办法：你需要有人知道哪项合规仅是一次性的行动，哪些合规需要长久坚持，并且还得知道哪些合规需要随着公司的规模做出调整，这样才能使你未来免受处罚。

错误10 ：一致性数据呈现出不一致

当遇到下列情况我会感到抓狂，我相信你遇到这样的事你也会这样。设想这样一种场景，你的投资者或是董事长问你:“为什么你的销售收入和财务报表中的收入不一致?”或者,“为什么你的销售生产数据和营销流失数据不一致?”尽管这不是会计领域的错误，但这是企业管理的错误。

建议：公司的哪一个部分为哪一项关键业绩指标负责，在这一问题上达成一致，并且财务官需要为公司的收入下定义。之后，确保公司的各个部门在关键业绩指标报告中使用相同的数据。这就要求企业各部门进行跨职能合作并建立持续的沟通。这样做的一个好处就是可以避免每个团队在记录相同数据上浪费时间。

避免以上列举的十种错误，当面对公司会计领域健康营运的问题时，你就能以轻松的状态面对。尽快雇到需要的人员，但是这并不意味着你不需要去理解财务责任。不断去问问题直到你把它们都弄懂，用你自己的方式去问问他们都是什么意思。（财富中文网）

In the old days, we didn’t have to worry about finance too much. Companies grew more slowly, there was nothing for a CFO to really do for years, and you could sort of outsource everything and just keep an eye on the bank statement.

Things have changed a lot. SaaS accounting and finance has gotten pretty complicated, and the impacts of getting it wrong have gone up substantially.

I’ll give you a couple of examples. Last year, I met with the founder of a start-up I really, really liked. The plan and numbers he had, both for last year and the coming year, were impressive and aggressive. But it was on the margin — the ACVs were low, and the CAC was high. And then — he sent me his financials. They didn’t make any sense. I simply couldn’t get them to even remotely tie to his presentation deck. Was it misunderstanding bookings vs. ARR vs. GAAP revenue, was that the issue? I couldn’t even figure that out. Anyhow, the gap, the delta was so large … I just had to pass. It was too big a flag for a company at the edge of where I like to invest.

I’ve also seen upside surprises, which sound good, but sometimes aren’t. I’ve worked with numerous start-ups that used outsourced accounting services with zero SaaS experience, and these firms didn’t even recognize automatic upsells, additional seats, etc. that weren’t captured in existing, crappy tracking systems. The delta was often huge — as much as 30-40%.

In the early days, I guess it doesn’t matter. Cash is king. But in SaaS, once you even get to about $2m ARR — it’s time to get your finances in order. You may blow a financing round, get your cash runway wrong, or at least, freak your investors out if you don’t.

As a first-time founder, does any of the following sound familiar to you?

Cash goes in and cash goes out. I know, roughly, how much money is in our account.

I know I’ve got to pay all the bills and do payroll, but there are so many other pressing priorities right now.

I’ve got my Excel sheet to help me explain to investors, advisers and friends how well revenue will increase.

I’ve contracted accounting help. They will pay the bills, file tax returns and do the accounting.

If it were only that simple. Here are 10 mistakes made by other first-time founders that I want you to avoid. Equally important, is my advice on how to fast track your company’s proper finance and accounting support systems.

Mistake #1: Bookings are not revenue

I’ve advised many first time executives in the past 20 years. Always, my first questions is, “What’s your revenue?” More often than not, the response is, “Well, our bookings are ________”. My next question is then, “What do you define as booking?” I swear I’ve heard as many different definitions of “bookings” as there are flavors of ice cream.

Advice: Sooner or later, you will have to know both booking and revenue numbers, and the difference between them. Not doing so may cost you in a lower valuation, less investment, or even losing an interested buyer or investor. During your first or next round of financing, or during any type of financial decision involving a third party, some type of due diligence will be performed by accountants that will define revenue per Generally Accepted Accounting Practices (GAAP).

Mistake #2: Cash accounting and accrual accounting are equal

I’ve found that first-time CEOs haven’t had much experience (or time) understanding the gritty details of a full set of financial statements. With “bookings-based” executives I’ve learned there’s little value in creating a pretty financial slide deck summing up the month, when what’s more important is an education and shift from doing business in “cash-based” to “accrual-based” accounting terms.

Cash-based accounting is something we do in our everyday lives. I have $1,000 in my bank account at the end of January. I receive a paycheck for $1,500 in February and pay my only monthly bill for $500. At the end of February my cash balance is $2,000. In cash-based accounting you recognize your Net Income/Loss in a given month based on your cash in and cash out.

You are allowed to do this in business, too. But don’t.

I know a CEO who sold his company for many millions of dollars with his cash-based financial statements. During the acquisition’s due diligence, those cash-based books had to be converted to accrual-based figures. He probably lost several millions in his purchasing price because of it.

Advice: Beginning today, think of your business in terms of accrual-based accounting. Simply put, you recognize revenue or cost in the month it incurred. Let’s say you receive a contract from a customer that outlines they will pay you $100 for the monthly subscription with an invoice of terms Net 30. Accrual accounting means you send the invoice for $100 to your customer in January, but will not receive the money until February. You can still recognize $100 as January revenue because this is when you provided the service and when you earned that money. In a nut shell, you are recording your revenue/cost based on when you earned it/incurred the cost, rather than based on when the cash exchange took place.

Mistake #3: Recognizing revenue improperly

Revenue recognition has always been complicated, and is even more so these days. Additionally, specific to SaaS companies, the problem is that with increasing transaction volume, the gap between correct/conservative revenue recognition and some “improvised” approach becomes more material.

You might at some point be asked to re-state your revenue. There is nothing worse than telling your board and investors you need to adjust your revenue recognized or revenue forecast.

Advice: With an Excel sheet model, start tracking your recognized/deferred revenue balances. If this model doesn’t get set up early enough, your clean-up effort later will be much harder and more costly. Once you reach certain revenue volumes, you should invest in a tool or full time help (see Mistake # 4) that can manage correct and error-free revenue recognition with increasing sales volumes. Down the road you will need a tool that might offer some automation in revenue recognition.

Mistake #4: DIY Accounting

With initial revenue traction under your belt, you’re now diligently watching every dollar you spend and those spending priorities are ticking up quickly. You need to get to that next revenue level and KPIs that will help you with your next round of funding, which confirms my next statement: Instead of trying to pay your bills, process payroll and recognize revenue (correctly), make sure you get help from an accountant.

Find accounting firms that outsource different roles. They will help you identify how many hours of support you may need to, for example, set up your first accounting system properly, reconcile monthly bank statements, and set up a much needed revenue recognition process.

Advice: Don’t fool yourself into believing that writing a check or paying via your online banking service is all it takes to “do accounting.” The longer you wait to get that formal accounting support, the bigger the clean-up effort and larger the bill will likely be.

Mistake #5: Controller = CFO

When you finally admit you need to bring in more senior finance support to help with financial reporting to the board and investors, set up some scalable processes, planning/budgeting exercise, and prepare for future investment rounds, you will most likely stumble upon two different titles — Controller and CFO. Here’s the difference between the two: A controller will take care of everyday accounting business, close the books and report numbers, but the responsibilities end there. A CFO, on the other hand, starts working with numbers after the actual results are reported and, additionally, takes into great consideration future indicators, budget, planning and strategy variables.

This is not to say that both roles in early-stage start-ups should not be flexible and not assist with all areas to some extent. CFOs should be able to manage the month-end close and some controllers can assist with planning.

Advice: A controller can’t do it all, especially as you grow. If you hire well, you should be able to see the strategic value of your CFO within a matter of months. You should look to hire a CFO with start-up experience, someone who will help you identify business needs that you might not be even thinking about it.

Mistake #6: Putting off that CFO hire when you’re comfortable with your current “Rent-a-CFO”

While convenient, the hourly rate of your current “Rent-a-CFO” means you can’t afford that role full-time. Given that, the contractor is only asked to prepare for board/investors meetings and help with budget planning. Removed from everyday business, she can only speak to the larger picture, which is important, but that’s often not enough with the fundamental processes of billings, collections, cash flow management, revenue reporting, corporate compliance and more.

With a rental engagement, the burden falls on you. As you grow, you might miss some important steps to set scalable accounting practices that will help you along the way.

Advice: Don’t be afraid to bring in a “right-stage” CFO earlier in process than you might think warranted. It will be worth it down the road when you are facing due diligence or find that you need to stretch cash for a few more months.

Mistake #7: Not creating a detailed and complete budget

I am certain most of you first-time founders have an Excel sheet set up to track your revenue projections. And you probably have some kind of tool tracking churn, upgrades, and new revenue numbers. That’s great, but that is not a budget.

An actual budget helps you track performance and, subsequently, plan for future needs. I know of first-time founders who get money in, but they don’t know how to strategically invest in the business areas that need the most nurturing. On the flip side, I’ve certainly seen founders who need money desperately, but can’t adequately justify their ask to investors.

Advice: Make a concerted effort to define a detailed 12 to 24-month budget. It will help you answer three very critical questions: (1) “How much money do you need to get you to $X revenue?” (2) “What will you do with that money?” and (3) “What is the return on that investment?”

Mistake #8: Not reading your financials regularly

Taking my advice on numbers 6 and 7, you’ve already hired yourself appropriate accounting help and they are currently closing your books, which means they are issuing a financial package to your board, investors, the bank and, firstly, to you.

Take time to understand its details. You don’t have to do CPA-speak, but at least absorb the Income Statement and its correlation to Cash Flow Statement, your Balance Sheet, deferred revenue, and your liabilities to be paid.

Advice: You are not doing yourself a favor if you look solely at that revenue number. Have your accountant walk you through the specifics. If they get too technical, ask them to explain it again in non-accountant speak. Simply looking at you, I can tell whether I am clear enough in my explanation, or if I am losing you with terminology. Unfortunately, more often than not, once I lose you, you don’t ask questions. Rather, you opt out, saying, “That is why I have you to understand all of this.”

Mistake #9: Don’t forget about compliance

Compliance can be complicated. Here is just one simple example. You’ve likely outsourced corporate compliance using a law firm’s “start-up package” that’s helped you incorporate, create board resolutions and confirm equity documents. In most cases, you’re incorporated in the State of Delaware and qualified to do business in the state where you are located physically. You think you’re all set.

With every company I’ve worked, I proactively check whether it’s in good standing in Delaware and if the annual franchise taxes are paid to date. I’ve had more than a few crazy tax balance surprises (say a $70,000 past due bill)!

Advice: Your compliance responsibility doesn’t end after you incorporate. The same is true for taxes, US GAAP, contracts, HR….Don’t panic. Get in place the right type of resource — someone who knows which compliance is a one-time action and which have to be maintained on an ongoing basis, which, by the way, change with the size of the company and can’t be avoided without future penalties.

Mistake #10: Data Consistency Inconsistencies

I go nuts, as I’m sure you do, when found in a situation where an investor or board director says, “Why is your sales revenue different than revenue reported on your financial statements?” Or, “Why is your sales churn figure different than your marketing churn?” While not necessarily an accounting-specific mistake, it is a business management offense.

Advice: Agree on what business unit is responsible for what KPI and that the CFO defines revenue for the company. Then, make sure all departments use the same data sources for KPI reporting. This will require cross-functional collaboration and ongoing communication. A benefit is that it will reduce time each team independently spends tracking the “same” number.

By avoiding these top 10 first-time founder mistakes, you can have an easy(ier) state of mind when it comes to the accounting health of your company. Hire what’s needed sooner rather than later, but don’t remove yourself from understanding the finance responsibilities. Ask questions (again and again) until you understand, in your own way, what it all means.