For leaders & implementers · printable

Five questions to ask your finance person

A quick way to tell whether your bookkeeper, controller, or accountant is giving you what an EOS company actually needs. Ask these; listen for the quality of the answers.

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Five Questions for Your Finance Person

Ask these; note the answers · ~15 minutes

1. Can you tell me when last month's books will be final — a specific date?

Why it matters: A good finance function commits to a close date. "Soon" is a red flag.

2. Which three financial numbers should be on our Scorecard, and why those?

Why it matters: Tests whether they think about leading measurables or just report history.

3. What's our cash position going to be 13 weeks from now?

Why it matters: Reveals whether anyone is forecasting cash or just watching the balance.

4. What drove our profit last month — not the number, the reasons?

Why it matters: Separates a recorder of numbers from someone who understands them.

5. If we hired one more person, what would it do to our P&L this year?

Why it matters: Tests whether finance can support a real decision, not just report the past.

Bring this to a one-on-one with whoever owns your numbers. A tool from The Finance Seat — an independent finance resource for the EOS community. Free to use and share. More at financeforeos.com.

How to use it

Use this when you're not sure whether your current finance support is enough. The quality of the answers tells you more than the answers themselves — hesitation, vagueness, or "let me get back to you" on these basics usually signals a controller-level gap. Pair it with Bookkeeper, controller, or CFO? to interpret what you hear.