5 Financial Decisions You Should Make Before Q4

Sep 1

4 min read

September can feel like there is still plenty of time left in the year. But for small business owners, the decisions made now can have a significant impact on how the year ends.

By September, you have months of real financial data to work with. You can see where revenue is trending, which expenses have increased, how cash flow is behaving, and whether the goals you set at the beginning of the year are still realistic.

At Maverick Business Partners, we see September as a decision-making month. Instead of waiting until Q4 to react to your year-end numbers, now is the time to use what you already know to make informed adjustments.

May is where momentum either builds or begins to slip. The second quarter is underway, and now is the time to stay consistent, reinforce strong financial habits, and ensure your business is tracking toward its goals.

At Maverick Business Partners, we see May as a month of discipline and follow-through. With Q1 behind you and Q2 in motion, this is the opportunity to stay proactive, refine your approach, and avoid small issues becoming larger challenges.

Here are five financial decisions worth making before the final quarter begins.

1. Decide Which Goals Still Deserve Your Attention

Not every goal you set in January needs to remain a priority in September.

Your business has changed throughout the year, and your financial priorities may need to change with it.

Pro Tip 1: Compare your year-to-date performance against the goals you established at the beginning of the year.

Pro Tip 2: Identify which goals are still realistic, which need to be adjusted, and which no longer make sense for the business.

Key Insight: Adjusting a goal based on real financial information is not giving up on the plan. It is using the plan more effectively.

2. Decide Where Your Remaining Budget Should Go

With only a few months left in the year, every dollar in your remaining budget should have a purpose.

Your Budget vs. Actual report can help you see where you have spent more or less than expected and where resources may be better allocated.

Pro Tip 1: Identify categories that are significantly over or under budget.

Pro Tip 2: Determine whether unused budget should be preserved, redirected, or invested in another priority.

Key Insight: A budget should guide decisions throughout the year, not simply document what you planned months ago.

3. Decide Whether Your Pricing Is Still Working

Revenue can increase while profitability quietly declines.

Changes in labor, vendor costs, software, materials, or other operating expenses can reduce margins without an obvious change in sales.

Pro Tip 1: Review the current cost of delivering your products or services.

Pro Tip 2: Compare current margins with what you expected at the beginning of the year.

Key Insight: If your costs have changed but your pricing has not, your business may be working harder without becoming more profitable.

4. Decide What Your Cash Needs to Do Before Year-End

Profitability matters, but businesses also need enough available cash to operate confidently.

Before Q4 begins, consider what your business will need cash for during the final months of the year.

Pro Tip 1: Forecast cash flow through December, including expected revenue, payroll, taxes, equipment, seasonal expenses, and other significant obligations.

Pro Tip 2: Review accounts receivable and identify invoices that need attention before they create a cash flow gap.

Key Insight: Knowing what is coming allows you to make decisions before cash becomes a constraint.

5. Decide What Needs to Change Before January

January should not be the first time you identify what did not work this year.

September gives you an opportunity to improve processes while there is still time to see the impact.

Pro Tip 1: Identify one financial habit, process, or expense that has consistently created challenges this year.

Pro Tip 2: Make a specific adjustment now and monitor the results throughout Q4.

Key Insight: The strongest year-end planning often begins before the year actually ends.

Your Numbers Should Help You Decide What Comes Next

Financial reports are most valuable when they lead to action.

A Profit and Loss Statement can show you what happened. A Balance Sheet can help you understand your financial position. A Budget vs. Actual report can show you where expectations and reality differ. But the real value comes from using that information to decide what happens next.

September is an opportunity to do exactly that.

Instead of waiting for year-end to determine whether the business had a successful year, use the information available now to influence the outcome.

Partnering With You Beyond the Numbers with Financial Reviews

At Maverick Business Partners, monthly financial reviews are designed to help small business owners understand what their numbers are telling them and use that information to make informed decisions.

From budgeting and financial reporting to ongoing planning and accountability, the goal is not simply to keep accurate books. It is to give business owners greater clarity about where they stand and where they are going.

About Maverick Business Partners

Maverick Business Partners provides small businesses with expert bookkeeping, budgeting, and financial management at an affordable monthly fee. The focus goes beyond compiling financial records to provide ongoing clarity, strategy, and support throughout the year.

Before Q4 begins, ask yourself: What are your numbers telling you to do differently?

Contact us today to learn how consistent financial reviews can help you make more informed decisions for the remainder of the year.