The Helm blog
Direct, concrete advice for operators — pricing, people, vendors, and the calls only you are around to make.
The Cash Conversion Cycle, and Why Profitable Businesses Run Out of Money
The number of days between paying for something and getting paid for it. How to calculate it, and which lever actually moves it.
Contract Deadlines Scattered Across Systems: How to Consolidate Them
Most businesses don't have zero contract tracking — they have a partial, stale version scattered across email, drives, and people's heads that everyone trusts more than they should. How to actually consolidate it.
The Auto-Renewal Clause That Costs You Every Year
Evergreen contract terms renew silently and lock you in for another full term. What to look for and how to fix it.
Your Vendor Keeps Missing Deadlines. What to Actually Do.
Chronic vendor lateness is a capacity problem, a priority problem, or a scoping problem — and the right response is different for each. How to diagnose it and have the actual conversation.
How to Evaluate a Vendor Price Increase
Most price increases get absorbed without checking. A framework for deciding which ones to accept, question, or negotiate.
How to Raise Prices Without Losing Your Customers
Most businesses raise prices too late, too little, and with too much apology. A practical approach to timing, amount, and communication.
How to Track Contract Renewal Dates Across Dozens of Vendors
A renewal tracker is not a list of expiration dates — it's a list of notice deadlines. What to capture, where it should live, and how to keep it from going stale.
How to Review a Vendor Contract: What Actually Matters
Most owners read a contract top to bottom and lose focus by page three. A practical reading order — what to check first, what's actually negotiable, and when to call a real lawyer.
When One Customer Is 30% of Your Revenue
Customer concentration is the risk most small businesses discover too late. How to measure it, what thresholds actually matter, and what to do before the call comes.
Fractional CFO vs. AI CFO: What Each One Is Actually For
A fractional CFO and an AI financial advisor solve different problems. A direct comparison of cost, capability, and where each one fails.
How to Read an AR Aging Report (And What It's Actually Telling You)
An accounts receivable aging report is a collections tool, a customer risk signal, and an early warning system for cash flow. Here's how to read all three.
When to Hire Your First Operations Manager
The signals that say it's time, the ones that don't, and how to know whether you can actually afford it.
How to Read Your P&L as a Business Owner (Without an Accounting Degree)
Your P&L tells you whether you're actually making money — not just whether cash is moving. Here's the five-minute read every owner should know how to do.
My Marketing Spend Is Up But Revenue Isn't — What's Actually Wrong?
Rising marketing spend with flat revenue usually means one of four things — and only one of them is "marketing doesn't work." Here's how to diagnose it before you cut the budget.
How to Review a Vendor Contract Before You Sign
Vendor contracts auto-renew, cap your remedies, and bury liability clauses most owners never read. Here's what to check before you sign — in plain English.
Vendor Missing Deadlines? Here's the Escalation Path
A vendor missing deadlines again isn't just bad luck. Here's how to tell if it's normal, and the escalation path that actually gets it fixed.
Should You Use ChatGPT for Business Decisions?
ChatGPT is useful for business questions — but only up to a point. Here's when it helps, when it misleads, and what to use instead when the stakes are real.
How to Price a Product When Your Costs Keep Changing
When input costs move every month, a fixed price list is a trap. Here's how to build pricing that protects your margin without confusing your customers.
How to Handle an Underperforming Employee Without an HR Department
No HR department means the documentation, the conversation, and the deadline all fall on you. Here's how to do it right — fairly, clearly, and without exposing your business.
Do You Need a CFO, or Just Better Financial Visibility?
A CFO makes strategic calls on your numbers. Visibility just means seeing those numbers clearly and fast. Most small businesses are missing the second thing, not the first.