Grow Profit.
Stay Ahead of
Cash Needs.
See what sales leave after costs and whether cash will cover upcoming commitments. AI OS connects margins, spending and cash forecasts so you can protect earnings and plan your next investment.
Where Should We Focus?
See What Revenue Leaves After Costs
Assess what remains to cover overhead and profit before increasing spending. Open the cost stage that needs closer review.
Amounts rounded
Older Receivables Need a Collection Plan
Separate collectible balances from disputes before assigning receipt dates in the cash forecast.
Aging and dispute measures may overlap
Check Cash Before Approving the Next Commitment
Review the lowest weekly balance, not only the closing position. A receipt arriving later than a payment can create an earlier shortfall.
Weekly actual variance and 13-week forecast
Higher Sales Should Strengthen the Business
Revenue can grow while margins tighten and cash becomes harder to manage. You need to see what is changing before making the next financial commitment.
Growth With Thinner Margins
Orders increase, but product, fulfillment and marketing costs absorb more of each sale. The extra revenue leaves less than expected to cover the rest of the business.
Profit Without Available Cash
The accounts show a strong month, but customers have not paid. Supplier bills and payroll fall due before the receipts arrive.
Overspending Hidden in the Total
Several expense lines run above budget. Their combined effect becomes clear only after the business misses its profit target.
Decisions With an Unclear Return
A promotion promises more orders. Its value looks different once Discounts, Returns, delivery fees and the cost of acquiring those orders are included.
The Questions Your Financial Review Should Answer
Get clear answers on earnings, cash and commitments before deciding what the business can spend next.
Are we earning more as sales grow?
Which costs are taking the largest share of revenue?
Will we have enough cash when the next payments fall due?
Which unpaid invoices should finance follow up first?
Where is spending above budget?
How would a proposed promotion change contribution after acquisition and fulfillment costs?
Introducing Profitability & Financial Insights Within AI OS
AI That Brings Financial Priorities Into Focus
Spot the signal. Explore the evidence. Ask the next question.
Explore each capability
Start With the Financial Gap
AI OS highlights financial measures needing attention and points to the supporting report. See whether the priority is earnings, spending or cash before opening the detail.
Week 3 Forecast
A $100,000 buffer shortfall appears before the stronger closing balance. Review receipt and payment timing before approving another commitment.
See Where Revenue Is Being Absorbed
AI OS identifies costs affecting contribution as revenue passes through product, fulfillment, payment and marketing expenses. Follow the figures to understand where the margin needs attention.
These deductions absorb contribution between CM1 and CM3 in the current period. Compare a prior period before describing them as increases.
Ask the Question Behind the Figures
Ask which overdue balances are affecting expected receipts, or what is driving a change in contribution. Follow up within the financial report to examine the customers, costs and periods behind the result.
Make Informed Financial Decisions
Protect the return on sales, plan for upcoming payments and assess the financial effect of a commercial decision before committing.
Contribution Margins
See what remains from sales after product costs, fulfillment, payment fees and marketing. Use the cost breakdown to decide where pricing or spending needs attention.
- Identify costs growing faster than revenue.
- Track whether extra sales leave more contribution.
- Give marketing a consistent Contribution Margin definition while keeping overhead and Net Profit distinct.
Profit from growth. Establish whether the sales plan leaves enough contribution to cover overhead and support the profit target.
CONTRIBUTION AFTER COSTS
Marketing absorbs about 17 percentage points. Check whether growth leaves enough contribution for overhead and profit.
Contribution Margin Details · YTD to August 20, 2026
Cash Planning
Look ahead across 13 weeks of expected receipts and payments. Identify when cash could become tight while there is still time to follow up collections or adjust planned spending.
- Plan supplier bills alongside recurring and card payments.
- Check the balance each week, not just at the end.
- Revise the plan as receipt and payment dates change.
Capacity to commit. Decide which investments the business can fund without creating a cash shortfall before expected receipts arrive.
13-WEEK CASH FORECAST
Opening Cash $12.175M · Weekly Forecast Balances
Collections
Review outstanding invoices by age, then check due dates and disputes before assigning collection priorities. Keep invoice-date aging distinct from days past due.
- Focus on large balances that have remained unpaid longest.
- Give disputed invoices a clear resolution priority.
- Use realistic collection dates in the cash forecast.
Cash tied up in receivables. Reduce reliance on new funding by prioritizing the release of cash already owed to the business.
AGED RECEIVABLES
Start with the oldest balances and separate disputes from invoices ready for collection.
Total $11.270625M · Age From Invoice Date
Spending Against Budget
Trace a difference against plan to the revenue or expense line behind it. Decide where spending needs control and where the budget needs to reflect a genuine business change.
- Compare revenue, Gross Profit and net income with plan.
- Open the expense schedules behind an overrun.
- Keep actual results distinct from future budget assumptions.
Control of the profit plan. Distinguish spending that supports a revised business plan from overruns that erode the intended return.
OPERATING EXPENSE CONTROL
Favorable Variance$25,000
Operating expenses are $25,000 below budget. Check individual cost lines before treating the total as evidence that every expense is under control.
Profit & Loss · February 2026
Decision Simulator
Test changes in Discounts, order value, acquisition spending and costs. Compare the estimated effect on contribution before approving a promotion or a larger marketing commitment.
- Assess whether more volume could justify a deeper discount.
- Include the costs of acquiring and serving the orders.
- Agree the assumptions with finance before acting.
Financial impact before approval. Give commercial proposals a financial basis before the business commits money to them.
DISCOUNT SCENARIO COMPARISON
| Result | Baseline | Scenario | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net Sales | $193.431M | $195.566M | +$2.135M |
| CM1 | $136.500M | $138.635M | +$2.135M |
| CM2 | $72.500M | $74.635M | +$2.135M |
| CM3 | $0.8725M | $3.0075M | +$2.135M |
A one-point discount reduction adds $2.135M to contribution if volume and other costs stay unchanged.
Scenario Estimate · Separate From the YTD Contribution Overview
Set Up, Connected and Maintained for You
We connect accounting, commerce and operating costs so finance and leadership can work from one financial view. We align calculations with your accounting methods and maintain the model as the business changes. A traditional ERP is not required.
Financial Systems Review
- Review financial and payment records alongside Shopify, QuickBooks, Xero and any ERP in use.
- Identify the records needed for product costs, fees and operating expenses.
- Confirm the available budgets, invoice history and cash-planning inputs.
Data and Calculation Setup
- Bring the agreed sources into a shared financial data model.
- Match revenue, cost and margin definitions to your accounting methods.
- Reconcile key totals with finance before the reports are handed over.
Rollout and Team Access
- Set access for finance, operations and leadership.
- Agree targets and the financial reports used in regular meetings.
- Assign budget ownership to finance, cost follow-up to operations and acquisition assumptions to marketing.
Ongoing Support
- Maintain the data connections and account mappings.
- Add agreed sources and cost categories as the business expands.
- Update calculations with your team when accounting or reporting requirements change.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers on contribution margins, cash planning, financial controls and how the figures connect.
What do the contribution margin stages tell us?
Each stage shows what remains after another group of costs. This model deducts product costs at CM1, fulfillment and payment costs at CM2, and marketing costs at CM3. Finance agrees those definitions before the figures guide commercial spending. Contribution Margin still needs to cover overhead; it is not Net Profit.
Where do Landed Costs, Taxes and Tariffs enter the margin calculation?
We agree which freight, duties, tariffs and other costs belong in product cost, and how taxes are treated. Separating recoverable taxes from costs avoids overstating the amount each sale consumes.
Why does the bank balance look different from the profit in our accounts?
Profit and cash are measured differently. Customers may not have paid for recorded sales, while inventory and other payments may use cash before the related revenue is earned. Cash Flow brings receipts, payments and outstanding balances into the same planning view.
What can change the cash forecast after we have reviewed it?
Late customer payments, revised supplier dates and changes to expected spending can all move the projected balance. Review weekly receipts and payments against the latest information, including any shortfall before the end of the forecast period.
Can we compare spending with budget and test a proposed change?
Yes. Review actual spending against the plan, then use the supported scenario inputs to assess changes such as Discounts or marketing spend. A scenario shows the effect of its assumptions; it does not predict how customers will respond.
How does AI OS support a regular finance review?
Start with profit, cash and budget performance, then follow exceptions into costs, overdue invoices or planned payments. Finance and leadership can discuss the decision using connected figures instead of assembling separate reports for each meeting.
What does AI flag for the finance team?
AI OS highlights financial measures needing attention across earnings, spending and cash. Your team can see where to start, then inspect the relevant financial report.
Can AI help explain a change in contribution?
It identifies the costs absorbing revenue across the configured margin stages. Compare the affected period and cost lines to establish what changed before deciding on a response.
Can I ask about cash or overdue customer balances?
Yes. Ask about the figures within the financial report and follow up on the customers, invoices or expected receipts behind them. Answers depend on the connected records and forecast assumptions.
How can finance verify an AI explanation?
Check the source accounts, period, cost definitions and supporting transactions. For cash findings, also review expected receipt and payment dates.
Does AI make payments or change the books?
AI analysis does not itself post entries or authorize payments. Finance retains those decisions through your accounting controls and approval process.
Do we need to replace our accounting system?
No. Your accounting system remains the source of the financial records. We connect it with the agreed commerce and cost data so finance and leadership can work from a connected view in AI OS.
How are financial definitions agreed?
We work with finance to map accounts, confirm revenue and cost treatment, and align reporting periods and currencies. Key totals are reconciled with source reports before handover.
What does our team need to provide?
We review access to the relevant systems, your chart of accounts, budgets and planning inputs. Your finance team confirms the business definitions and assumptions; we build and maintain the agreed connections and model.
Who maintains the reports as the business changes?
Our team maintains the agreed data connections and financial model. We work with you to incorporate source changes, new cost categories and revised reporting requirements as part of the ongoing engagement.
How long does it take to get started?
Plan for roughly a month, depending on access to your systems, the quality of cost data and the initial scope. We agree the sequence after reviewing the sources, then maintain the connections and financial model as an ongoing engagement.
Know What the Business Can Afford Next
Bring earnings, expected receipts and upcoming payments into the same conversation before approving the next investment.
Prefer email? business@rudderanalytics.com
