Operator playbooks for owner-operators of $1M-$50M businesses. Each cluster below covers one part of the operator's job — knowing your numbers, building the operator stack, strategic planning, and when to hire fractional. Articles ship weekly starting May 2026.
Knowing your numbers
Read your books like a doctor reads vitals.
- What is EBITDA, in plain English — upcoming ·
/learn/what-is-ebitda - How to read a P&L statement — upcoming ·
/learn/how-to-read-a-pl-statement - Cash vs accrual accounting — upcoming ·
/learn/cash-vs-accrual-accounting - Working capital, explained — upcoming ·
/learn/working-capital-explained
Building the operator stack
The minimum tooling for an operator who runs by numbers.
- QuickBooks vs Xero for owner-operators — upcoming ·
/learn/quickbooks-vs-xero - Gusto vs Rippling for SMB payroll — upcoming ·
/learn/gusto-vs-rippling - HubSpot vs Pipedrive for SMB CRM — upcoming ·
/learn/hubspot-vs-pipedrive - Integrating QuickBooks with everything — upcoming ·
/learn/integrating-quickbooks
Strategic planning for SMBs
How $1M-$50M operators plan, decide, and execute.
- A strategic plan template that survives contact — upcoming ·
/learn/strategic-plan-template - OKRs vs KPIs for SMBs — upcoming ·
/learn/okrs-vs-kpis - Quarterly business review template — upcoming ·
/learn/qbr-template - Exit-readiness checklist — upcoming ·
/learn/exit-readiness-checklist
When to hire fractional
The decision points that signal it's time to bring in help.
- Fractional CFO vs bookkeeper — which do you need first — upcoming ·
/learn/fractional-cfo-vs-bookkeeper - When to hire a fractional CFO — upcoming ·
/learn/when-to-hire-fractional-cfo - Coaching vs consulting for operators — upcoming ·
/learn/coaching-vs-consulting - What a $1M business actually needs — upcoming ·
/learn/what-a-1m-business-needs
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