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VOL. I · № 01A MONTHLY PUBLICATIONAPRIL · 2026
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Established 2026— New Orleans & Atlanta —First Tuesday
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The Trades CFO
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Letter
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— S A P E R E A U D E —
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CFO-grade thinking for owners of $5M–$50M businesses
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TRADES · MANUFACTURING · DISTRIBUTION · CONSTRUCTION
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ISSUE №01 · THE TWENTY-ONE NUMBERS
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The 21-Metric KPI Dashboard
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A working template. Four lenses. Twenty-one metrics.
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HOW TO USE THIS DASHBOARD
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Fill in the blue input cells on each lens tab. The black cells calculate themselves. If a metric falls outside the benchmark range, the cell will tint copper.
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COLOR KEY
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INPUTBlue, bold — you fill these in
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CALCULATEDBlack, bold — Excel calculates these for you
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OUT OF RANGECopper tint — metric is outside healthy benchmark
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THE FOUR LENSES
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Lens 1Profitability5 metrics — what your business actually earns
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Lens 2Working Capital6 metrics — whether cash is flowing through the business
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Lens 3Productivity5 metrics — whether people, equipment, and assets pull their weight
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Lens 4Exit Readiness5 metrics — what a buyer will price the business off
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Sean McGregor
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EDITOR & AUTHOR · THE TRADES CFO LETTER
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Published from New Orleans & Atlanta · © 2026 OpsFlow Finance
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