Book · INOMA Compass Business Series, Volume 1
Financial Analysis & Business Intelligence For Business Owners
Understand what your business numbers are really telling you. A practical guide for business owners who want to understand profit, cash flow, working capital, inventory, financial statements and internal controls — without complicated accounting language.
The problem
Profit Is Not
Always Cash.
A business may report a healthy profit and still struggle to make its payments.
The profit may be waiting with customers as receivables. It may be blocked in inventory. It may have been used to purchase machinery, renovate an office or open a new branch. A good bank balance can also be misleading if it comes from an overdraft, customer advances or unpaid supplier bills.
This book helps business owners understand the complete story behind their numbers. It connects financial information with the actual decisions, people, processes and risks inside the business.
It is not written to turn business owners into accountants. It is written to help them ask better questions, identify warning signs and make better-informed decisions.
A simple example from the book
Suppose a business sells goods costing ₹70,000 for ₹1,00,000 on 60 days' credit.
The Profit and Loss Account immediately shows a profit of ₹30,000. The Balance Sheet shows an increase in customer receivables and a reduction in inventory. But the business has not yet received any cash.
One transaction produces three different financial pictures, and all three are correct. This is why a business should never be judged only by its sales, profit or bank balance.
Who should read it
Written for people
who run the numbers.
No advanced accounting knowledge is required. The concepts are explained in simple business language, supported by practical examples and calculations.
- Business owners who want to understand their accounts independently
- Entrepreneurs experiencing growth or cash-flow pressure
- Owners who receive reports but are unsure how to interpret them
- Managers responsible for business performance
- Finance and accounting professionals preparing information for management
- Internal auditors and business consultants
- Family businesses introducing professional systems
- Growing businesses that need better controls and management information
What's inside
Nine parts, forty-four
chapters, one story.
- I
The Owner's View
Understand how the business changes as it grows and why the owner can no longer manage everything from memory.
- II
The Language Behind the Numbers
Learn what your accounts are trying to tell you, how the three financial statements differ and what must be checked before trusting a number.
- III
Position, Funding and Working Capital
Understand the Balance Sheet, assets, liabilities, owner's funds and the places where business cash becomes locked.
- IV
Profit and Cash
Learn how to read sales, gross profit, expenses, EBITDA, final profit and cash flow. Understand why a profitable business can still face a shortage of cash.
- V
Analysis and Decisions
Use ratios, budgets, variance analysis, forecasting, break-even calculations, ROI and payback to support real management decisions.
- VI
Management Information
Build practical MIS reports for sales, collections, inventory, operations and management. Learn how to select KPIs and design dashboards that lead to action.
- VII
Control and Risk
Strengthen internal controls over cash, banking, purchases, inventory, suppliers, payroll and expenses. Understand fraud risks, warning signs, business continuity and crisis readiness.
- VIII
Technology and Intelligence
Understand ERP, digital transformation and the proper use of artificial intelligence in business decision-making.
- IX
Leadership, Strategy and Growth
Connect financial intelligence with leadership, strategy, growth, employee management and the development of a business that can operate beyond the owner.
What you'll learn
Through practical explanations
and business examples.
- Understand the Balance Sheet, Profit and Loss Account and Cash Flow Statement
- Identify the difference between accounting profit and available cash
- Understand where money gets blocked in receivables and inventory
- Analyse sales, gross profit, expenses, EBITDA and final profit
- Use financial ratios without becoming confused by formulas
- Recognise financial warning signs before they become serious problems
- Prepare budgets, forecasts and business scenarios
- Calculate break-even, return on investment and payback period
- Evaluate expansion, branch and investment decisions
- Build useful management information systems and dashboards
- Strengthen cash, bank, purchase, inventory, payroll and payment controls
- Identify fraud risks, control failures and management override
- Use technology, ERP and artificial intelligence more responsibly
- Grow the business without losing financial and operational control
- Reduce excessive dependence on the owner
Look inside
A few pages from
the actual book.
About the author
Written from
firsthand experience.
Salman OT is an internal auditor, business consultant, entrepreneur, compliance advisor and finance professional with more than thirteen years of practical experience.
His work covers financial reporting, taxation, compliance, internal audit, management information systems, process improvement, risk management, ERP implementation and business advisory.
As Founder and CEO of INOMA RIDGE Business Solutions, he works closely with business owners and management teams on financial, compliance and operational matters. His professional experience covers trading, manufacturing, healthcare, travel and tourism, education, software, construction and professional services.
This book brings together lessons and observations from his professional journey to help business owners understand their numbers, ask better questions and make better-informed decisions.
Salman OT
More about INOMA RIDGE ↗What readers are saying
Read by owners,
managers and auditors.
What connected with me was that the book is not talking only about accounts. It also speaks about responsibility, staff, controls and the problems that start coming when a business grows bigger. As a manager, these are the areas we face on a regular basis. I also liked the format because if I have a doubt on one particular subject, I can go back to that chapter without reading everything again.
Being in finance and internal audit, some chapters were very relatable to me, especially the portions dealing with internal control, management override and warning signs of fraud. In many organisations, accounts may be correct from a reporting point of view, but that alone does not mean management is receiving the right information or taking timely action. I liked that the book brings these areas together instead of discussing accounting, MIS and controls separately.
Over the years, I have seen many capable entrepreneurs struggle to convert financial statements into meaningful business decisions. This book addresses that gap well. It explains, in a practical manner, how profitability, cash flow, working capital, inventory and internal controls are connected to the everyday functioning of a business. The language is accessible, yet the financial principles remain sound.
Normally I was checking three things only: how much we sold, what profit we made and how much balance is there in bank. After reading this book, I understood business cannot be judged like that alone. Sometimes profit is there, but cash is not there because money is lying with customers or blocked in stock. Now when I see my accounts, I am looking at it in a different way.
The stock and cash flow part was very useful for me. In manufacturing, we may have good sales, but a lot of money will be sitting in materials, finished stock and customer credit. This book made me look at that side more seriously.
I enjoyed this because it doesn't make finance sound scary. The book keeps bringing the discussion back to real business decisions: pricing, people, stock, technology, expansion and cash. That is how an entrepreneur normally thinks anyway. You don't need to know accounting terminology before starting the book, and that made it an easy read for me.
Book details
Everything about
this edition.
- Title
- Financial Analysis and Business Intelligence for Business Owners
- Subtitle
- How to Read the Numbers, Manage the Business and Make Better Decisions
- Series
- INOMA Compass Business Series, Volume 1
- Author
- Salman OT
- Format
- A5 Paperback
- Printing
- Black and White
- Language
- English
- Length
- 301 Pages
- Chapters
- 44
- Edition
- First Edition, 2026
- ISBN
- 978-93-345-2416-1
- Price
- ₹849
- Publication
- Independently published by Mohammed Salman
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