Definition

The total money a company brings in before subtracting any expenses, which is like bragging about your salary before mentioning your rent, taxes, and crippling avocado toast habit. Startups love to talk about revenue growth while conveniently forgetting to mention they spend two dollars for every dollar earned.

Example Usage

"Our revenue hit $100 million! Our profit is negative $40 million, but nobody puts that on the press release."

Related Terms

Beginner

aged receivables

Outstanding customer invoices categorized by how long they've been unpaid, typically in 30-day buckets. The older they get, the more they resemble wine—except instead of improving with age, they become increasingly worthless.

💰 Finance / Accounting
Beginner

accrued expenses

Costs incurred but not yet paid, recorded as liabilities on the balance sheet because accrual accounting insists on acknowledging unpleasant realities before the bills arrive. Financial statements' way of saying 'don't get too excited, you owe money.'

💰 Finance / Accounting
Intermediate

audit trail

A documented sequence of transactions showing every step from origin to final entry, allowing auditors to trace financial data backward like forensic accountants solving a very boring crime. When the trail goes cold, so does your credibility.

💰 Finance / Accounting
Intermediate

zombie company

A business that generates just enough revenue to service its debt but not enough to pay it down or grow, essentially the corporate undead. They're alive, but only technically.

💰 Finance / Accounting
Intermediate

internal rate of return

The discount rate that makes the net present value of an investment zero—basically the breakeven return that justifies the project. If IRR exceeds your hurdle rate, it's theoretically a go; if not, it's a hard pass.

💰 Finance / Accounting
Advanced

adverse opinion

The auditing equivalent of a failing grade, where auditors formally declare that financial statements are materially misstated and unreliable. It's the corporate kiss of death that sends investors running for the exits.

💰 Finance / Accounting

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