Systems & Side-eyes

Systems & Side-eyes

Your Financial Model Is Missing This

Chaos is expensive. It's time to name and shame the line items.

Katie Barnes's avatar
Katie Barnes
Jan 22, 2026
∙ Paid

Here’s the blunt truth:

If your company feels chaotic, your financial model is lying to you.

No, your accounting team didn’t do the math wrong.
You just left out the costs that don’t show up as line items.

I missed this early on, too.

I thought chaos was just the tax you paid for moving fast.
Then I started seeing the same patterns everywhere.
Different compan…

This post is for paid subscribers

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2026 Katie Barnes · Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture