I’ve reviewed hundreds of small business P&Ls over the last decade, and here’s what surprises me every time: founders can tell me their monthly revenue down to the dollar, but ask them about their operating income, and I get this nervous laugh followed by “Uh, that’s after expenses, right?” Close. But not quite. Here’s the…
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I remember the first time a client called me in panic. “Mohnish, the MCA portal rejected my company registration. Something about DIN not matching. What even is a DIN?” This happens more than you’d think. Here’s the thing: DIN—Director Identification Number—is the first compliance step most founders encounter, yet it’s where 40% of incorporation delays…
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You’re three months into your startup. Revenue is trickling in. You’ve got five SaaS subscriptions charging different cards, a contractor billing you in USD, and payment gateway settlements landing in your account two days after customers pay. Your co-founder just Venmo’d you for that AWS bill they covered. And now your investor wants to see…
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At ProfitBooks, we often see business owners staring at their balance sheet with one recurring question: “What’s this retained earnings number, and why doesn’t it match my bank balance?” I’ll be honest—retained earnings trips up more founders than almost any other accounting line item. Not because the math is hard, but because the concept sits…
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I remember the first time a small business owner asked me, “Mohnish, is $3,000 too much for tax filing?” I paused. Because the honest answer wasn’t yes or no—it was “it depends on what you’re actually getting.” That conversation happens more often than you’d think. At ProfitBooks, we work with thousands of business owners who…
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I still remember the afternoon when a long-time client called me, frustrated. “Mohnish, they’re saying I owe ₹84,000. But I’ve paid invoices. I have bank statements. Why can’t we just sort this out?” The problem? They were both looking at different invoices, different payment dates, and nobody had a single document showing the complete picture.…
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I’ll never forget the day a frustrated client called me about a “quote” we’d sent him three months earlier. “Mohnish, you said it would cost ₹50,000,” he said, clearly annoyed. “Now you’re telling me it’s ₹65,000?” The problem? What we’d sent wasn’t actually a quote—it was an estimate. But we’d labeled it “Quotation” at the…
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What Are Intermediate Goods? A Clear Guide for Business Owners I remember the first time a manufacturer asked me, “Mohnish, I buy fabric rolls and turn them into curtains. The fabric supplier calls it a ‘finished product,’ but my accountant says it’s an intermediate good. Who’s right?” That question captures the confusion most business owners…
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Freelancing has become one of the most flexible ways to build a career. People control their hours, choose their clients, and shape their work. Many even watch their income grow year after year. Yet something interesting happens behind the scenes. The moment tax season arrives, frustration sets in. Higher income doesn’t make taxes easier. In…
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