Three numbers every business owner should check monthly

Three numbers every business owner should check monthly:

1. Cash runway — how many months of operating expenses can you cover with current cash? Less than 3 months? That's a red flag, not a yellow one.

2. Gross margin trend — not just this month's margin, but the direction over the last 6 months. Declining margins with growing revenue is a problem hiding behind good news.

3. Debtor days — how long are customers taking to pay? If it's creeping up, you're funding their cash flow with yours.

These aren't complex metrics. You don't need an MBA to understand them. But most business owners don't track them consistently, and that's where the trouble starts.