The Margin · Guides from R.E.Q.M.
The Margin.
Notes in the Margin, From People Who Read the Whole Page.
Plain-English guides on bookkeeping, accounting, taxes, and the financial reports that run your business — written the way we wish someone had explained it to us. Numbers are serious. Reading about them doesn’t have to be.
Latest Guides
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Messy Books? What Bookkeeping Services for Small Business Fix
Why good businesses end up with messy books, what bookkeeping services actually do about it, and a dedicated section on restaurant bookkeeping — COGS, tips, prime cost, and the nightly close.
Read → RestaurantsHow Much Does It Cost to Open a Restaurant?
The real 2026 numbers, line by line — buildout, equipment, licenses, working capital — plus a free startup budget template and the one line item that quietly kills new restaurants.
Read → RestaurantsHow to Create a Restaurant Budget
The operating budget that keeps the doors open: the restaurant budget percentages that matter, a step-by-step method, and the weekly budget-vs-actual habit.
Read → Financial LiteracyThe Financial Reports Every Owner Should Read
The income statement, the balance sheet, and the cash flow statement — what each one is really telling you, including the difference between a balance sheet and an income statement.
Read → Roles, ExplainedBookkeeper, Accountant, or CFO?
Three titles, three very different jobs — what each one does, the difference between a bookkeeper and an accountant, and which one your business actually needs right now.
Read → RestaurantsUnderstanding Prime Cost
Why prime cost matters more than food cost alone, healthy benchmarks by concept, and what breaking labor into FOH, BOH, management, and contract actually reveals.
Read → Free ToolFood Cost & Prime Cost Calculator
Four calculators in one: per-item food cost, overall food cost, prime cost with a full labor breakdown, and beverage cost. Nothing saved, nothing uploaded.
Use it →More guides on the way. Check back, or tell us what you’d like explained.
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Reading About It Is a Fine Start. Talking Is Better.
When you’re ready to stop reading about your numbers and start understanding your own, that’s a conversation — no pressure, no pitch.
Begin the Conversation520.354.8883 · info@reqmllc.com · Tucson, AZ