The five reports that matter in week one
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Sidebar: Reports.
The library is deliberately large, which is unhelpful on day one. Start with these five and ignore the rest until you have a question they cannot answer.
1. End of Day
Run it daily, before you lock up. Takings by payment type, tips owed per person, refunds, and whether the cash drawer balances.
This is the only one on this list with a fixed time to run it. Discrepancies are solvable on the day and mysterious a week later. See The End of Day report and closing out.
2. Executive Summary
Run it weekly. The overview: how the business is doing, in one screen.
Use it as your Monday morning read. If a number surprises you, that is the prompt to go and find the report that explains it.
3. Revenue Summary
Run it monthly. What you actually earned, over a period you choose.
Two things to remember when it looks wrong:
- Revenue comes from completed appointments. A day never closed out is a day of missing revenue — which is nearly always the explanation for a month that looks worse than it felt.
- It is trading, not banking. Money reaches your bank on the payout schedule, so this will not match your bank statement on any given day.
4. Accounts Receivable Aging
Run it fortnightly. Who owes you money and how long it has been outstanding.
The single most commonly ignored report in a small business, and the one most likely to find you money you have already earned. A groom delivered in March and unpaid in June is not a bookkeeping issue, it is your margin.
5. Client Retention
Run it monthly. Who is coming back and who has quietly stopped.
Retention is the number that decides whether a pet business grows, because a groomer's income is overwhelmingly repeat work. A client who came every six weeks and has not been seen in four months has not told you they have left — this report is how you find out while you can still do something about it.
When you are ready for more
Once those five are habit, pick up the ones that answer specific questions:
- Cancellation & No-Show — if your diary keeps evaporating. It only works if you mark no-shows.
- Peak Hours Analysis — before changing your opening hours or hiring.
- Revenue by Service — before changing your prices.
- Revenue by Staff and Staff Productivity — before hiring, or at review time.
- Vaccination Compliance — a working chase list rather than reacting pet by pet.
- Occupancy and Average Stay Duration — for boarding businesses.
Two things that will confuse you early
- Reports run in your business timezone, so "today" means your trading day.
- Reports reflect what was recorded. Appointments left un-completed, no-shows never marked and cash taken without an open drawer all quietly distort them. If a report looks wrong, check the underlying habit before doubting the number.
Anything on the list can be exported for your accountant — see Exporting reports for your accountant.