How do I actually read a P&L?
Short answer
Top is revenue. Subtract direct costs to get gross profit. Subtract overhead to get net profit. Three numbers, not 30. Look at them monthly.
Three numbers
Revenue. Gross profit (revenue minus what it cost to do the work). Net profit (gross profit minus everything else). Get those right and the rest is detail.
Compare to last month
Single-month P&Ls lie. Three-month and 12-month trends tell the truth. Gross margin slipping by 2 points a month for three months is a five-alarm fire. A single bad month usually isn't.
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Now run it against your numbers.
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