The Dangers of Neglecting Bookkeeping
In the fast-paced world of Silicon Valley, where innovation knows no bounds, there’s a tale that’s becoming all too familiar. It’s a story of startups that rise to glory and then crash and burn, leaving everyone asking, “How did this happen?” The recent FTX meltdown, the abrupt shutdown of Fast, and Bird’s admission of revenue overstatement are just a few chapters in this troubling pattern.
On the surface, it’s easy to dismiss these incidents as cases of fraud or bad leadership, but there’s a more insidious problem at play here—one that affects nearly every startup. It’s a problem that often lurks in the shadows, underestimated and overlooked: founders not caring about bookkeeping.
Tech startups are notorious for being data-driven, meticulously measuring metrics like Monthly Active Users (MAUs), Daily Active Users (DAUs), Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Net Promoter Scores (NPS), downloads, churn, and retention right from day one. Yet, curiously, the numbers in the financial books are often treated as an afterthought.
This cavalier attitude towards bookkeeping can set a dangerous precedent, leading to mismanagement at best and outright malfeasance at worst. To illustrate this point, let’s dive into a few cautionary tales.
Fast, the one-click checkout sensation, soared to success one day and vanished the next. TechCrunch reported a burn rate that skyrocketed to “as high as $10 million per month,” far exceeding revenue and gross profit. The result? Fast simply ran out of money. The startup’s rapid demise can be attributed to one significant oversight—the neglect of financial records.
Bird, the electric scooter giant, found itself in hot water when it admitted to the SEC that it had overstated its revenue for two years. The reason? A mistake in recording revenue versus deferred revenue, which might be understandable for someone not well-versed in bookkeeping but is concerning for a publicly traded company.
Even FTX, a crypto exchange, saw its fortunes plummet due to a seemingly minor issue—internal labeling of bank-related accounts. This labeling error led to a miscalculation that transformed the company from a $32 billion juggernaut to bankruptcy within 48 hours.
Have Clean Books from Day 1
From an external perspective, these issues might appear as deliberate attempts to evade taxes or conceal a company’s true financial health. However, in most cases, they stem from founders lacking the knowledge to handle these matters correctly, assuming they aren’t at a stage that warrants better financial systems, or simply not knowing where to find expert guidance.
Naturally, nobody embarks on the entrepreneurial journey excited about managing financial books. The motivation typically centers on changing the world through AI, simplifying lives with software, or revolutionizing an industry. This is the way it should be. Leaders should focus on their mission and vision. However, there’s a stark distinction between finding bookkeeping tedious and ignoring it altogether.
In some respects, it’s understandable why bookkeeping can become a second-tier priority. The venture capital model prevalent in Silicon Valley prioritizes growth over immediate profitability, granting startups years to scale. The issue arises when founders treat this phase as an everlasting state, overlooking critical financial housekeeping.
For some startups, the realization of bookkeeping’s importance dawns when they contemplate going public. Preparing for public markets can be an arduous process, often prompting companies to hire a CFO late in the game. The first task at hand is cleaning up past financial practices and revamping systems to ensure the books can withstand Wall Street’s scrutiny. This process frequently uncovers issues such as inaccurately booked revenue, incorrect margins, and duplicate payments. In the worst-case scenario, poor financial records can derail or delay the company’s plans to go public, as exemplified by WeWork’s high-profile IPO withdrawal.
Choose Haven and Save your Precious Time
It’s disheartening to witness this cycle repeatedly because it doesn’t have to be this way. Founders can change the narrative by shifting Silicon Valley’s culture to recognize that bookkeeping is a mission-critical function. Implementing robust financial systems from day one can spare startups the pain of years of bookkeeping cleanup. It allows them to allocate resources to unique company priorities like product development, customer satisfaction, talent acquisition, and strategic partnerships where a CFO can make a real impact. In essence, it empowers them to focus on building the future of their business rather than rectifying past mistakes.
The saga of Fast serves as a poignant reminder of the consequences of neglecting bookkeeping in the startup world. It’s a story of a startup that had everything going for it but failed to appreciate the hidden hero of financial management. As the startup landscape evolves, founders must recognize that bookkeeping is an integral part of their journey, vital for long-term success, and a safeguard against becoming tomorrow’s cautionary tale.