Insights dashboard

In accounting, income (or revenue) means the sales you’ve made, not just the money that’s landed in your bank account. If you’ve issued an invoice, that’s income, even if the client hasn’t paid yet. Cash flow shows what’s been paid. Income shows what you’ve earned.

The Insights dashboard is your business command centre. At any point, you can see what’s happening without having to run detailed reports. It gives you the quick version of your business numbers so you can open it, scan the highlights, close it, and get back to work.

Quick cheat sheet: which report to open?

• Want to check profitability? → Profit & Loss
• Need to see if you have enough cash for that big purchase? → Cash Flow
• Prepping for tax? → VAT + Profit & Loss
• Curious what’s driving sales? → Sales report
• Trying to cut costs? → Expenses report
• Need a snapshot of your business’s value? → Balance Sheet
• Want to make sure everything adds up? → Trial Balance

What exactly is laid out in this dashboard

Overdue invoices: know what’s still outstanding

See which payments are still hanging around on the “to do” list. With one click, you can nudge the client without resorting to awkward “just checking in” emails.

Quick actions: raise a new invoice or quote on the spot

Need to invoice someone quickly? Create an invoice or quote right here before the job slips your mind.

Monthly profit: your performance this month

How you’re doing this month after expenses. stub shows decreases in profit in red so they don’t get lost in the numbers.

Year-to-date profit: your big picture

Your year rolled up so far. Great for spotting whether you’re building momentum or just spinning wheels.

Cash in vs cash out: real money movement

What’s actually hit your account versus what’s left it. If out is winning too often, you’ll know it’s time to act.

Income breakdown: where revenue comes from

See the shape of your earnings:

• By customer → who’s keeping you busy.
• By category → income types like sales, services, or interest earned. You can also filter by product to see your best- and worst-performing offerings. Comes in handy for spotting what to push and what to park.

Expense breakdown: where money is going

See where your money’s going:

• By supplier → who you’re paying most often (could be landlords, SaaS tools, or that coffee vendor you can’t quit).
• By category → what types of costs are eating into profit, from rent and subscriptions to once-off spends.

VAT snapshot (Not thrilling, but handy when tax time comes around.)

• Shows three pieces:
• VAT collected (from sales)
• VAT paid (on expenses)
• VAT adjustments (like paying SARS for a past period or postponing a payment to the next return period, i.e., deferring tax).

“Deferring tax” just means shifting a VAT payment into a later return period, For example, if SARS allows you to push June’s payment into July.

Tips for using the Insights dashboard

Think of Insights as your highlight reel. Formal reports (like Profit & Loss, VAT, or Balance Sheet) give you the full story, but Insights is where you get the quick answers to “How’s my business doing right now?”

Here are a few simple ways to get value out of it:

• Switch months with the arrows at the top to spot trends.
• Click into any figure to see the detail behind it.
• Keep an eye out for red flags:
  • Cash out > cash in for too long = check expenses or overdue invoices.
  • Profit looks off = see if something’s mis-categorised or missing.

💡 Extra tip: If you’re applying for credit, banks often ask for financial statements. Insights gives you the quick picture, but you’ll likely need the full P&L and Balance Sheet for applications.