Finance

1. 1

   Open Finance, then Books & taxes

   Finance is in the Money group. Books & taxes is one of the views along the top.

2. 2

   Connect your bank or credit card

   Press Connect your bank or credit card. You sign in to your bank in a secure Plaid window. Your password goes to your bank, not to Winston.

3. 3

   Add Stripe

   If you take card payments with Stripe, press Add Stripe. It brings in your sales, refunds and Stripe fees. If Stripe isn't set up yet, press Set up Stripe; it asks a few questions, then brings you back.

4. 4

   Or upload a statement

   No bank connection? On your bank's website, download your transactions as a CSV file, then press Upload a bank statement (CSV).

1. 1

   Choose the CSV file

   Pick the file you downloaded from your bank.

2. 2

   Say which account it is

   Pick an existing account, or A new account and give it a name, such as Chase business checking.

3. 3

   Credit card files

   If it's a credit card file where purchases show as positive numbers, tick the box so spending isn't counted as income.

4. 4

   Upload

   Winston reads every row and sorts it.

Uploaded statements show spending, but not your bank balance. Connect the bank to see live cash on hand.

1. 1

   Find the list

   Your transactions are listed under your accounts. Use Search and the Money in, Money out and Not counted filters.

2. 2

   Check Winston's categories

   Categories Winston picked are marked. If one is wrong, pick the right one from the list.

3. 3

   Let him learn

   When you correct a category, Winston fixes matching transactions too and remembers it for next time.

1. 1

   Press Find tax savings

   It takes about a minute while Winston checks this year's rules against your books.

2. 2

   Read the write-offs

   Write-offs in your books lists spending you can likely deduct, and what to keep as proof.

3. 3

   Look at the strategies

   Strategies to look at, each with a next step, and Watch out for, things that could cause trouble.

4. 4

   Check with a professional

   These are ideas, not tax advice. Confirm every write-off and strategy with a CPA before you file.

1. 1

   Cash on hand

   Your total across connected accounts.

2. 2

   Budget status

   Each category marked On track, Near limit or Over budget. Press Set your budget to add limits; switch between Monthly and Annual.

3. 3

   Top 5 vendors by annual cost

   Who you pay the most over the last 12 months, with recurring ones marked.

4. 4

   Upcoming payments

   Bills and bonuses Winston expects soon.

5. 5

   Estimated cash flow

   Money in minus money out, with a forecast that follows your last three months. Switch between Month, Quarter and Year.

6. 6

   Winston's highlights

   What changed and what needs you. Once there are a few months of numbers, he points out trends.

1. 1

   Read the tiles

   Cash on hand, Runway (how many months your cash lasts at the current rate) and Net cash this month.

2. 2

   Cash flow, last 12 months

   Income and expenses month by month.

3. 3

   Cash by account

   How much is in each account.

4. 4

   Recurring bills

   Vendors that charged you in at least three of the last six months, with the monthly and yearly cost and when they're next expected.

Recurring bills is the quickest place to find subscriptions you forgot about.

1. 1

   Read the year so far

   Revenue, expenses and net profit year to date.

2. 2

   Profit & loss by month

   Every month side by side, so you can spot good and bad months.

3. 3

   Download

   Press Download CSV to send it to your accountant or open it in Excel.

1. 1

   Open Planning

   Under Budget vs. actual, every category shows its budget per month and what you really spent.

2. 2

   Fill it for you

   Press Fill from last 3 months and Winston sets each budget from your recent spending. Then adjust.

3. 3

   Watch the gaps

   Each row shows how far over or under budget you are.

1. 1

   Start from the base case

   The chart shows cash in the bank month by month if things carry on as now.

2. 2

   Build your scenario

   Change revenue, set growth each month, change costs, or add a new monthly cost such as a hire or rent.

3. 3

   Read the ending cash

   See how much cash you'd have, and whether it ever runs low.

Before hiring, add the person's monthly cost as a scenario and check your runway.

1. 1

   Add a team member

   Choose W2 employee or 1099 contractor, then salary (monthly pay) or hourly (rate and hours per week). Press Add team member.

2. 2

   Schedule a bonus

   Enter the amount, date and an optional note.

3. 3

   Read the chart

   Payroll by team member and your monthly payroll total. Regular pay runs on the 1st and 15th of every month; bonuses pay out on their own date.

1. 1

   Open Business plan

   If there's no plan yet, Winston can generate a full business plan and a separate investor-facing plan from your business's blueprint.

2. 2

   Generate

   Press the button and wait a minute or two.

3. 3

   Read and share

   Open each plan to read it.

1. 1

   Open Legal

   Company formation and legal documents are handled by Winston's partner, RocketLawyer. Winston doesn't give legal advice himself.

2. 2

   Request a service

   Choose what you need (forming an LLC, an EIN, an NDA, a contract review, a trademark and more), add your details and send the request.