reaperinvest Financial Dashboard
When to Use This Skill
- User wants a single-view financial dashboard for their business
- User needs to track revenue, expenses, and margins over time
- User wants to set up KPI tracking for financial health
- User is growing and needs visibility into burn rate or runway
- User wants to compare financial performance across months or quarters
Core Principle
A DASHBOARD THAT TRACKS EVERYTHING TRACKS NOTHING — LIMIT TO 8-12 KPIS THAT DIRECTLY ANSWER "AM I MAKING MONEY AND WILL I KEEP MAKING MONEY?"
Financial Disclaimer
IMPORTANT: This dashboard is for internal tracking and planning purposes only. It does not constitute audited financial reporting. Always consult a qualified accountant for official financial statements, tax filings, and compliance. Accuracy depends on the data entered by the user.
Workflow
Phase 1: Define the Business Model
- Confirm the business type to select relevant KPIs:
- Service business (freelancer, consultant, agency): Focus on revenue per client, utilization rate, project margin
- E-commerce: Focus on AOV, COGS, gross margin, customer acquisition cost
- Digital products/SaaS: Focus on MRR, churn, LTV, CAC
- Hybrid: Combine relevant metrics from above
- Determine tracking frequency: monthly (default) or weekly
- Identify data sources (bank account, Stripe, PayPal, QuickBooks, spreadsheet)
Phase 2: Select KPIs
- Choose 8-12 KPIs from the master list below. Default selections are marked.
Revenue KPIs:
| KPI | Formula | Default For |
|---|---|---|
| Total Revenue | Sum of all income | All businesses |
| Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) | Recurring subscriptions/retainers | SaaS, memberships |
| Revenue by Source | Revenue broken down by channel/product | All businesses |
| Average Order Value (AOV) | Revenue / Number of orders | E-commerce |
| Revenue per Client | Revenue / Active clients | Service businesses |
Profitability KPIs:
| KPI | Formula | Default For |
|---|---|---|
| Gross Profit | Revenue - COGS | All businesses |
| Gross Margin % | (Gross Profit / Revenue) x 100 | All businesses |
| Net Profit | Revenue - All Expenses | All businesses |
| Net Margin % | (Net Profit / Revenue) x 100 | All businesses |
| Operating Expense Ratio | Operating Expenses / Revenue | All businesses |
Growth & Health KPIs:
| KPI | Formula | Default For |
|---|---|---|
| Month-over-Month Growth | (This Month - Last Month) / Last Month x 100 | All businesses |
| Cash Runway | Cash on Hand / Monthly Burn Rate | Startups, new businesses |
| Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) | Marketing Spend / New Customers | E-commerce, SaaS |
| Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) | Avg Revenue per Customer x Avg Retention (months) | SaaS, memberships |
| Accounts Receivable Aging | Outstanding invoices by days overdue | Service businesses |
Phase 3: Build the Dashboard Structure
- Create the dashboard layout with these sections:
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ FINANCIAL DASHBOARD — [MONTH YEAR] ║
║ [Business Name] ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ SNAPSHOT (Top-line numbers) ║
║ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ║
║ │ Revenue │ │ Expenses │ │Net Profit│ │Net Margin│ ║
║ │ $XX,XXX │ │ $XX,XXX │ │ $X,XXX │ │ XX.X% │ ║
║ │ ▲ +12% │ │ ▲ +5% │ │ ▲ +22% │ │ ▲ +3.1pp │ ║
║ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ ║
║ ║
║ REVENUE BREAKDOWN ║
║ [Revenue by source — bar chart or table] ║
║ ║
║ EXPENSE BREAKDOWN ║
║ [Top 5 expense categories — bar chart or table] ║
║ ║
║ TREND (Last 6 months) ║
║ [Revenue, Expenses, Net Profit line over time] ║
║ ║
║ HEALTH INDICATORS ║
║ [CAC, LTV, Runway, AR Aging — as applicable] ║
║ ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
- For each KPI, define:
- Green/Yellow/Red thresholds (what's healthy, warning, critical)
- Data source (where the number comes from)
- Update frequency
Phase 4: Populate with Data
- If the user provides financial data, populate the dashboard with real numbers
- Calculate all derived metrics (margins, ratios, growth rates)
- Flag any KPIs in the red zone with specific commentary
Phase 5: Deliver
- Output the complete dashboard structure
- Output a data collection template (what to track and where to enter it)
- Provide threshold definitions so the user knows what green/yellow/red means
Example 1: Freelance Copywriter Dashboard
Context: Solo copywriter earning $6,000-$9,000/month from retainer clients and one-off projects. Wants to track if the business is healthy.
Selected KPIs (8): Total Revenue, Revenue per Client, Gross Margin, Net Profit, Net Margin, MoM Growth, Operating Expense Ratio, Accounts Receivable
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ FINANCIAL DASHBOARD — JANUARY 2026 ║
║ Cole Bradley Copywriting ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ SNAPSHOT ║
║ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ║
║ │ Revenue │ │ Expenses │ │Net Profit│ │Net Margin│ ║
║ │ $8,200 │ │ $1,340 │ │ $6,860 │ │ 83.7% │ ║
║ │ ▲ +8.6% │ │ ▼ -2.1% │ │ ▲ +11.4%│ │ ▲ +2.1pp │ ║
║ │ 🟢 GOOD │ │ 🟢 GOOD │ │ 🟢 GOOD │ │ 🟢 GOOD │ ║
║ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ ║
║ ║
║ REVENUE BREAKDOWN ║
║ Retainer Clients (3) $6,000 73.2% ║
║ - Greenline Marketing $2,500 ║
║ - FreshPress Juicery $2,000 ║
║ - Oakmont Financial $1,500 ║
║ One-Off Projects (2) $2,200 26.8% ║
║ - Website copy (Bloom Yoga) $1,400 ║
║ - Email sequence (indie author) $800 ║
║ ║
║ Revenue per Client: $1,640 ║
║ ║
║ EXPENSE BREAKDOWN ║
║ Software & Tools $144 10.7% ║
║ Jasper AI $49, Grammarly $30, ConvertKit $29, ║
║ Google Workspace $12, Notion $8, Zoom $16 ║
║ Marketing $450 33.6% ║
║ LinkedIn ads $300, portfolio hosting $50, ║
║ networking event $100 ║
║ Contractor $400 29.9% ║
║ VA (16 hrs x $25) ║
║ Professional Services $150 11.2% ║
║ Bookkeeper ║
║ Office & Operations $145 10.8% ║
║ Co-working $120, supplies $25 ║
║ Education $51 3.8% ║
║ Newsletter subscription ║
║ ║
║ TREND (Last 6 months) ║
║ Aug $5,800 ████████████ ║
║ Sep $6,400 █████████████ ║
║ Oct $7,100 ██████████████ ║
║ Nov $7,550 ███████████████ ║
║ Dec $7,550 ███████████████ ║
║ Jan $8,200 ████████████████ ║
║ MoM Growth: +8.6% (6-mo avg: +7.2%) ║
║ ║
║ HEALTH INDICATORS ║
║ Operating Expense Ratio: 16.3% 🟢 (target: <30%) ║
║ Accounts Receivable: $1,400 🟡 ║
║ - Bloom Yoga: $1,400 outstanding (22 days) ║
║ - All retainers: paid current ║
║ ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Threshold Definitions:
| KPI | Green | Yellow | Red |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net Margin | >60% | 40-60% | <40% |
| MoM Growth | >5% | 0-5% | Negative |
| OpEx Ratio | <30% | 30-50% | >50% |
| AR Aging | <30 days | 30-60 days | >60 days |
Action item: Follow up with Bloom Yoga on the $1,400 outstanding invoice — approaching 30-day threshold.
Example 2: E-Commerce Skincare Brand Dashboard
Context: Small skincare brand selling through Shopify, $15K-$22K/month revenue, 3 product lines.
Selected KPIs (10): Total Revenue, AOV, Gross Profit, Gross Margin, Net Profit, Net Margin, MoM Growth, CAC, Revenue by Product Line, Cash Runway
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ FINANCIAL DASHBOARD — JANUARY 2026 ║
║ GlowRoot Botanicals ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ SNAPSHOT ║
║ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ║
║ │ Revenue │ │Gross Mrgn│ │Net Profit│ │ AOV │ ║
║ │ $19,400 │ │ 68.2% │ │ $7,180 │ │ $54.20 │ ║
║ │ ▲ +6.0% │ │ ▼ -1.3pp │ │ ▲ +4.2% │ │ ▲ +$2.40 │ ║
║ │ 🟢 GOOD │ │ 🟢 GOOD │ │ 🟢 GOOD │ │ 🟢 GOOD │ ║
║ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ ║
║ ║
║ REVENUE BY PRODUCT LINE ║
║ Serums $9,800 50.5% ▲ +12% ║
║ Cleansers $5,600 28.9% ▼ -3% ║
║ Moisturizers $4,000 20.6% ▲ +8% ║
║ ║
║ EXPENSE SUMMARY ║
║ COGS $6,168 31.8% ║
║ Marketing $3,200 16.5% ║
║ Fulfillment $1,450 7.5% ║
║ Software $372 1.9% ║
║ Contractors $600 3.1% ║
║ Other OpEx $430 2.2% ║
║ Total Expenses $12,220 63.0% ║
║ ║
║ GROWTH METRICS ║
║ New Customers: 142 CAC: $22.54 ║
║ Repeat Customers: 86 Repeat Rate: 37.7% ║
║ CAC Trend: $22.54 🟢 (target: <$30) ║
║ ║
║ TREND (Last 6 months) ║
║ Aug $14,200 ████████████ ║
║ Sep $15,800 █████████████ ║
║ Oct $17,600 ██████████████ ║
║ Nov $21,300 █████████████████ ║
║ Dec $18,300 ███████████████ ║
║ Jan $19,400 ████████████████ ║
║ ║
║ CASH POSITION ║
║ Cash on hand: $28,500 ║
║ Monthly burn: $12,220 ║
║ Runway: 2.3 months (at zero revenue) 🟡 ║
║ Note: Runway is conservative — assumes no income ║
║ ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Threshold Definitions for E-Commerce:
| KPI | Green | Yellow | Red |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | >50% | 30-50% | <30% |
| Net Margin | >20% | 10-20% | <10% |
| CAC | <$30 | $30-$50 | >$50 |
| Cash Runway | >3 months | 1-3 months | <1 month |
| AOV | >$45 | $30-$45 | <$30 |
Data Collection Template:
Track these numbers weekly, compile monthly:
- Revenue: Export from Shopify Admin > Analytics > Sales by product
- COGS: Track per-unit costs in a spreadsheet, multiply by units sold
- Marketing spend: Sum of ad platform dashboards (Meta, Google) + any other promo costs
- New vs. repeat customers: Shopify Admin > Customers > filter by "First order this month"
- Cash on hand: Business checking account balance on the last day of the month
Recovery and Fallback
- If the user has no historical data, set up the dashboard structure with empty fields and help them start tracking from the current month
- If the user uses multiple payment processors, help them consolidate by listing all sources and suggesting a monthly reconciliation process
- If a KPI is in the red zone, provide one specific action to address it (not a list of 10 options)
- If the user finds the full dashboard overwhelming, start with the 4-metric snapshot only (Revenue, Expenses, Net Profit, Net Margin) and add KPIs over time
Constraints
- Always include the financial disclaimer
- Limit to 12 KPIs maximum — more than that reduces usability
- Do not include vanity metrics (social followers, website visits) in a financial dashboard
- Do not calculate or estimate tax liability
- Cash runway calculation assumes zero revenue as worst-case — always note this
- Thresholds are guidelines, not rules — they vary by industry and business stage
- Do not recommend specific accounting software unless the user asks
- All financial data must come from the user — do not estimate or fabricate numbers