---
title: The five reports that matter in week one
slug: five-reports-that-matter-in-week-one
category: Reports & Analytics
url: https://alaga.io/help/article/five-reports-that-matter-in-week-one
audiences: business_owner, manager
updated: 2026-08-18
source: Alaga Help Center
---

# The five reports that matter in week one
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*.