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Use a spreadsheet + a Claude subscription and ~20 minutes to build a Finance…

2026-05-12 · 19:01 UTC ·@coreyganim ·2 min read

Brief

Corey Ganim outlines a Finance Summary to stop cash leaks: build a Profit First–based report (spreadsheet + Claude, ~20 minutes) that pulls five accounts, shows revenue and separate F5 lines with TAPS benchmarks, and flags three metrics: 3‑month trend, OpEx >10% MoM, and cash weeks <8. Spot‑check 10 transactions per report for the first 3 months; schedule monthly or weekly.

Why it matters

Use a spreadsheet + a Claude subscription and ~20 minutes to build a Finance Summary based on the Profit First model that pulls data from your Foundational Five accounts: Income, Profit, Owner's Comp, Tax, and OpEx.

Key details

  • Report must output total revenue, each F5 line as separate line items, real profit margin after Owner's Comp, and a TAPS (target allocation percentage) benchmark for your revenue tier; OpEx must be broken into meaningful categories (no 'miscellaneous').
  • Always surface three critical numbers: trailing 3‑month revenue trend (with direction arrow), any OpEx category that grew >10% MoM (named with dollar amount), and cash reserves in weeks of OpEx (RED FLAG if <8 weeks); spot‑check 10 random transactions per report for the first 3 months; schedule monthly on the 1st or weekly on Mondays.
Source evidence

Most operators don't actually know their numbers.

They have a bookkeeper.
They have QuickBooks.
They have a CPA.

But they're still bleeding from useless subscriptions or missing out on revenue maximizing opportunities.

So here's the Finance Summary skill that tells me exactly how my business is doing every single month (or week):

(built on top of the Profit First model)

All you need to implement this is a spreadsheet, a Claude subscription, and 20 minutes.

Step 1. Choose your data source

Your data already lives somewhere (Google Sheets, QuickBooks, bank CSV, etc.)

Pull from each of your Foundational Five accounts:

-Income
-Profit
-Owner's Comp
-Tax
-OpEx

Step 2. Build the skill

Make sure the skill separates expenses from each bucket as SEPARATE line items. Not lumped into one generic "expenses" bucket.

Inside OpEx, break out the categories that matter for your business. Generic categories like "miscellaneous" hide the details that actually matter.

Output: total revenue, each F5 line separately, real profit margin (after Owner's Comp), with a TAPS (target allocation percentage) benchmark next to it for your revenue tier.

Step 3. The 3 critical numbers in every report

1) Trailing 3-month revenue trend, with a direction arrow
2) Any OpEx category that grew >10% MoM, named with the dollar amount
3) Cash reserve in weeks of OpEx. RED FLAG if below 8 weeks.

Those three numbers tell you whether you're growing, leaking, or exposed.

Step 4. Test it with real data

-Are the categories accurate?
-Are Owner's Comp, Profit, Tax, and OpEx on separate lines?
-Are the 3 monthly numbers correct?
-Is the TAPS benchmark right for your tier?

Refine until the summary is something you'd actually read.

Step 5. Spot-check the categorization

For the first 3 months, pull 10 random transactions per report and confirm they were categorized correctly.

Miscategorization is the #1 failure mode in this skill. It cascades into the trend numbers.

After 3 months, you'll know which categories are reliable.

Step 6. Schedule it

Monthly on the 1st. OR Weekly on Mondays if you want tighter control.

When your quarterly profit distribution fires, run a quarterly version that compares actual percentages to your TAPS targets.

That's the whole build.

One example of many different Intelligence Systems you can build inside your AI Operating System.