It's common for freelancers and entrepreneurs to get excited when they see a full schedule or long lines of clients waiting to be served. However, according to Sebrae (Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service), about 30% of micro and small businesses with high sales volume still suffer from tight margins, precisely due to a lack of robust financial control. What at first glance seems like success may, in practice, not translate into enough profit to maintain the sustainability of the business.
“There’s a confusion between revenue and profitability. In many cases, the professional ends the month exhausted, but without seeing that effort reflected in their bank balance,” explains accountant Danilo Fermino, from Flow Contabilidade. He points out that fixed and variable expenses — such as taxes, charges, and supplies — devour a good portion of the revenue, and the entrepreneur ends up not knowing how to price correctly, which creates an imbalance in the accounts.
This scenario affects workers in various fields, such as shopkeepers, consultants, and service providers in general. The situation can be aggravated by a lack of prior planning and careful analysis of these variable and fixed costs. "One solution is to organize oneself through cash flow reports, setting profit margin targets, and renegotiating with suppliers," says Fermino.
Specifically for dentists, the difficulty is even greater. Many graduates leave universities fully skilled in the technical aspects, but without any preparation in managing clinics or practices. This is where Flow Contabilidade comes in to guide financial management, helping to price treatments, manage supplies, keep taxes up to date, and above all, ensure that all clinical effort translates into real results. "Our focus is to transform these professionals into true entrepreneurs in dentistry, so that they are not held hostage by excessive working hours with little pay," says Danilo.
According to a survey by the Federal Council of Dentistry, Brazil currently has more than 350,000 dental surgeons. Many of them face the routine of overcrowded practices, but accumulate physical and financial strain due to a lack of adequate planning and accounting monitoring. Fermino emphasizes that the same applies to other sectors: managing income and expenses well is the only way to truly improve profitability.
Thus, the main lesson is clear: as important as attracting clients is understanding how each sale impacts the health of the business. Investing in specialized accounting consulting, such as that offered by Flow Contabilidade, can be the deciding factor in converting intense activity into concrete results. After all, all professional effort deserves to be well rewarded—and this only happens when financial management becomes a priority.
