Finance in Plain Language

A blog for entrepreneurs who want to stay in control of their business finances. Here you'll find clear explanations of financial management, real-life case studies, practical insights, relevant news, and step-by-step guides.

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Beauty

New

Chair rental or an employed master: which earns a barbershop more

Rent out the chair for a fixed fee, or employ the master and keep the service revenue? One is stable but capped, the other has a higher ceiling and real risk. Here is the math that decides it, chair by chair.

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How much a developer really earns you: the truth about outstaff margin

You bill the client $35 an hour and pay the developer $20 — looks like a fat margin. Then bench, taxes and non-billable hours quietly eat most of it. Here is how to see the real profit per developer, with a full-year example.

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The food cost that eats your profit: how to find the real margin on a dish

The room is full, the reviews are great, and the profit is thin. Usually the answer is on the menu: a bestseller with a 48% food cost quietly drags the whole kitchen down. Here is how to find it and fix it.

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How many months will the company survive: counting runway between tranches in defence tech

A signed grant on paper is not money in the account. In defence tech, tranches arrive late, components are prepaid in euros and contracts pay after delivery — so runway decides survival. Here is how to count it, with a month-by-month scenario.

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6 min

02.09.2026

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Manufacturing

New

Where the R&D money goes: tracking development cost by direction in defence tech

You run three R&D directions, only one will win a contract — but which is quietly eating the budget? Here is how to see the real cost of each prototype, with a worked example, before you bet on the wrong one.

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5 min

02.09.2026

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Technology

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SaaS unit economics in plain words: is your product actually making money?

Revenue is growing but the bank balance isn't. Here is how to tell, in one evening, whether you earn or lose on each customer — CAC, LTV, payback and the traps in between, with a worked example.

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7 min

02.09.2026

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Finance

New

Margin vs Markup: The Difference That Costs Agencies Money

"We have a 50% markup" — and we're working at a loss. Why a 50% markup ≠ a 50% margin, how to calculate each, and why confusing them quietly eats an agency's profit.

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Finance

New

Currency Risk: Foreign Clients and Losses on the Exchange Rate

You agreed in dollars, but by the time the client paid, the rate had moved and the profit was gone. Where an agency's currency risk with foreign clients comes from, and how not to lose on exchange rates.

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Finance

New

Project Budget: How to Avoid Blowing the Estimate (Scope Creep)

The project started out profitable, and at the end there were pennies. The most common cause is scope creep. How to keep a project within the estimate and not give your margin away for free.

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