It is common for self-employed professionals and entrepreneurs to get excited when they see a full schedule or long lines of clients waiting for service. However, according to Sebrae, about 30% of micro and small businesses with high sales volume still struggle with tight margins, precisely due to lack of robust financial control. What appears to be success at first glance may not, in practice, translate into enough profit to sustain the business.
“There is a confusion between revenue and profitability. In many cases, the professional ends the month exhausted, but without seeing this effort reflected in the bank balance,” explains accountant Danilo Fermino, from Flow Contabilidade. He points out that fixed and variable expenses – such as taxes, charges, and inputs – consume a good part of the revenue, and the entrepreneur ends up not knowing how to price correctly, leading to imbalance in the accounts.
This scenario affects workers in various fields, such as shop owners, consultants, and service providers in general. The situation can be exacerbated by a lack of prior planning and careful analysis of these variable and fixed costs. ‘One solution is to organize through cash flow reports, definition of profit margin goals, and renegotiation with suppliers,’ says Fermino.
In the specific case of dentists, the difficulty is accentuated. Many graduates leave universities fully capable in technical aspects, but without any preparation in clinic or office administration. At this point, Flow Accounting steps in to guide financial management, helping to price treatments, manage supplies, keep taxes up to date, and above all, ensure that all clinical efforts translate into real results. “Our focus is to transform these professionals into true entrepreneurs of dentistry so that they do not become prisoners of excessive hours worked with low pay,” says Danilo.
According to a survey by the Federal Council of Dentistry, Brazil currently has over 350,000 dentists. Many of them face the routine of crowded offices but experience physical and financial wear and tear due to lack of proper planning and accounting follow-up. Fermino emphasizes that the same applies to other sectors: managing resources inflow and outflow well is the only way to actually improve profitability.
Thus, the main lesson is clear: as important as attracting clients, understanding how each sale impacts the business’s health is crucial. Investing in specialized accounting consultancy, such as that offered by Flow Accounting, can be the decisive factor in converting intense movement into concrete results. After all, every professional effort deserves to be well rewarded – and this only happens when financial management becomes a priority.
