Rules that don’t live in one person’s head.
Most margin doesn’t leak in one big mistake. It leaks in small exceptions nobody was told to catch. Controls are the handful of rules that catch them.
Who can approve what.
An example, not a template. The limits are yours to set. What matters is that they’re written down, everyone knows them, and the exceptions get a name on them.
The same steps, in the same order, every month.
What owners ask us
Isn’t this just bureaucracy?
It’s five or six rules, written down. Most businesses already have them. They just live in the owner’s head, so they only work when the owner is in the room.
Do you need controls before reporting?
Yes. A report built on numbers nobody approved is a report you’ll stop trusting. Controls are what make the reporting floor worth reading.
Will this slow down my team?
The limits are set so the everyday call never needs a sign-off. Only the exceptions do, and those are the ones costing you money.
Start with the Read.
It’ll tell you which rules you’re missing and what each one is costing.