The Mini CFO Dashboard. Find out which part of your business is carrying the rest.
A CFO doesn't guess at "good margin." They set a target from overhead and a profit goal, then hold every segment to it. This free Excel workbook does the same in about 10 minutes — split your business into up to three segments and see which clear the bar and which quietly drag.
"A good margin isn't a number you feel. It's overhead plus the profit you actually want."
A quick take from Joe on building a real margin target — and why the segment that looks busiest isn't always the one paying for everything.
Your margin target, and a verdict on every segment.
Set your overhead rate and income target once and the workbook builds your margin target. Drop in each segment's revenue and direct costs, and it grades them against that target — clears or drags, in plain language.
- Excel Workbook — margin-target formula built in
- Up to 3 segments graded against your own target
- 30 / 35 / 45 gross-margin zones for context. Free, no upsell.
Mini CFO Dashboard
Set overhead as a percent of revenue and the income you want to clear. The workbook turns that into your margin target, then grades each segment's gross margin against it — and shows what each kicks in toward overhead and profit.
- Margin target = overhead rate + income target
- Gross margin in dollars and percent per segment
- Contribution toward overhead and profit
- Clears-or-drags verdict on every segment
The busiest segment isn't always the one paying
Revenue hides this. A segment can be loud and still earn below your target while a quieter one carries the company. Side by side against one target line, the truth shows up — and so does where your next marketing dollar belongs.
- One target line, every segment held to it
- Find what's carrying you and what you're funding
- Aim growth at the work that actually earns
The 30 / 35 / 45 gross-margin zones.
Your own target line is the bar that matters. The zones are the context every segment lands in.
Won't cover overhead.
A segment below 30% gross margin can't carry its share of the company. If it's also your biggest, that's where the leak is.
Survival range.
Covers overhead on a good month and slips into a loss on a bad one. Fine for a small share of revenue, dangerous as the main event.
The target for most trades.
Overhead covered, owner paid, margin in the bank. This is the floor for a segment you want to grow.
Put your dollars here.
A segment clearing 45% is proof of where you're good. Feed it more leads and the margin multiplies instead of the loss.
Set the target. Drop in the segments. Read the verdict.
Build your margin target
Enter overhead as a percent of revenue and the income you want to clear. The workbook adds them into the gross-margin target every segment has to beat.
Drop in up to 3 segments
Residential, commercial, service — or however your work divides. Enter each segment's revenue and direct costs and the workbook does the margin math.
See clears or drags
Each segment is graded against your target line, in plain language. Now you know which part of the business is carrying the rest — and where growth pays.
See your numbers the way a CFO does.
Joe builds the margin target on Behind the Books — overhead rate plus income target — then holds each segment of the business to it to find what's carrying the company and what's quietly dragging. The workbook on this page is that dashboard.
Watch on YouTube →Prefer to do it in the browser?
The online Mini CFO Dashboard runs the same margin-target math without a download — set overhead and your income goal, drop in your segments, and read the verdict instantly. Same model, same zones, designed to be used together.
Open the Mini CFO DashboardPair it with these.
Software Stack Cost Calculator
Add up every tool you pay for and see your stack's true annual cost.
Open the tool →Job Cost Calculator
Score one job against the healthy gross-margin range for your trade.
Open the tool →Profit First Bank Flow
The five-account setup — percentages, triggers, transfers.
Download →We'll keep the segment scoreboard current for you.
Best Decision Bookkeeping builds segment profitability into your monthly books, so the clears-or-drags read is always there when you need it. 30-minute call. No pitch. We'll walk your numbers together.