There are lots of forces calling for more and more performance measures, assuming the work to produce the information is easy and cheap.

Rarely is it so.

For a small business owner, being able to go home at night, and get some sleep, is often a function of how he/she feels the business performed that day. How much cash was collected, how much in sales was written, how many transactions were completed. Get those three right, and sleep will usually come.

It is a cliche, but cash is the lifeblood of a business, so knowing your cash position is as important as breathing.