Václav’s notes

Self-hosting in the age of cloud

Václav Zoubek — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Running your own services is both educational, fun and is futureproofing your personal workflow. At least I hope it does to me.

AI fad

Václav Zoubek — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0200

AI is not dying any time soon, so I wrote a script for my needs.

What does future hold for micro and small business finances

Václav Zoubek — Fri, 28 Feb 2025 23:30:30 +0100

Discover how fintech and AI are transforming small business finance, offering faster access to information and streamlined financial management.

External sources of capital

Václav Zoubek — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 23:30:30 +0100

Sometimes a company needs a little capital to grow. What are your options?

Depreciating assets

Václav Zoubek — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 23:30:30 +0100

Depreciation spreads asset costs over time, reducing taxes and reflecting true financial health. Key methods include straight-line and accelerated depreciation.

Lifetime value of your customers

Václav Zoubek — Tue, 25 Feb 2025 23:30:30 +0100

Customers come and go, but they have a value for you. And their lifetime value is a measure to plan for.

Managing relationship risk

Václav Zoubek — Mon, 24 Feb 2025 23:30:30 +0100

Every business has key relationships. Manage the risk most important employee or your top customers bring to you.

Navigating uncertainty - Risk management for SMEs

Václav Zoubek — Sun, 23 Feb 2025 23:30:30 +0100

In the dynamic environment of small businesses, the world is constantly changing. Identify, analyse, handle and monitor your risks and win.

Discounted cash flow

Václav Zoubek — Sat, 22 Feb 2025 23:30:30 +0100

Introduction to concepts of discounted cash flows, modelling and choosing discount rate

Comparable valuations comparing your business

Václav Zoubek — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 23:30:30 +0100

Discover how to value a small company for acquisition. Learn key metrics like EBITDA, revenue multiples, and debt considerations. Essential tips for accurate business valuation.

How much does you capital cost?

Václav Zoubek — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 23:30:30 +0100

Your company has some capital. Maybe from you, investors or maybe from banks. How much does it all cost?

Cost of debt may be easy to get. It's the interest you pay on your bank loans. However, there are bonds that do not need to pay interest, they are just …

Liquidity and solvency - no problems for you

Václav Zoubek — Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:30:30 +0100

Learn key financial ratios to identify company distress and insolvency. Understand liquidity tests and balance sheet solvency measures.

Financial ratios - compare yourself to

Václav Zoubek — Mon, 17 Feb 2025 23:30:30 +0100

Sometimes you need a comparison. A benchmark. Are you better then yesterday? Are you better than your competitor?

Capital budgeting is capital

Václav Zoubek — Sun, 16 Feb 2025 23:30:30 +0100

Explore essential capital budgeting techniques for small investments. Maximize returns with NPV, IRR, Payback Period, and Profitability Index.

Accessing Government Funding for Small Businesses

Václav Zoubek — Sat, 15 Feb 2025 23:30:30 +0100

Governments offer funding like subsidies, grants, and loans to small businesses. These options provide stability but come with bureaucracy and public scrutiny.

Working the capital

Václav Zoubek — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 23:30:30 +0100

Managing working capital is a crucial task for any business. Inventory management, AP and AR management and cash management.

Long-term commitments

Václav Zoubek — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 23:30:30 +0100

You can get over cash constraints in the short term, but what about borrowing for the long term?

Sunk costs

Václav Zoubek — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 23:30:30 +0100

You can get over cash constraints in the short term, but what about borrowing for the long term?

Quick Cash in Business

Václav Zoubek — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 23:30:30 +0100

Struggling with cash flow? Explore short-term financing options like lines of credit, short-term loans, invoice financing, and trade financing to bridge gaps and ensure business stability.

Don't dry up your cash flow

Václav Zoubek — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 23:30:30 +0100

Making money is just half the battle. Managing it well is what keeps your business alive. Learn ins and outs of cash flow management before sudden hick-ups become irrepressible.

Even money gets tired

Václav Zoubek — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 23:30:30 +0100

Is it better to earn 100 USD today or 100 USD tomorrow? Time value of money explained

Cost-benefit analysis

Václav Zoubek — Sun, 09 Feb 2025 23:30:30 +0100

CBA helps small businesses evaluate decisions to optimize outcomes.

Opportunity costs

Václav Zoubek — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 23:30:30 +0100

A short explanation on how opportunity costs present themselves to small business owners

Break-even points in your micro cosmos- FF

Václav Zoubek — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 23:30:30 +0100

Find the simplest metric of your business success. Find the right break-even point.

Bulging budgets - FF

Václav Zoubek — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 23:30:30 +0100

Budgets are crucial for the financial management of micro and small companies.

Forecasts or tea leaves? - FF

Václav Zoubek — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 23:30:30 +0100

You made your plans. But how well are you executing? On forecasting the results.

Planning your future - FF

Václav Zoubek — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 23:30:30 +0100

Statements are the past, Plans are the future. How should you plan your business?

The statements - FF

Václav Zoubek — Sun, 02 Feb 2025 23:30:30 +0100

When accountants hand in the statements, where do you look? Into revenue and expenses in income statement, inventory changes in balance sheet or investments in statement of cash flow?

Why care about finance - FF

Václav Zoubek — Sat, 01 Feb 2025 23:30:30 +0100

Finance is vital for all businesses, even the small and micro ones. involving planning, capital management, risk assessment, and financial analysis. Steady work in these areas ensures stability without needing fancy tools.

Sleeping Europe

Václav Zoubek — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 01:02:03 +0100

European innovation is lacking, there are many reasons for it, many initiatives and no certainty

Mistralised

Václav Zoubek — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 23:45:43 +0100

Joining the AI bandwagon European style.

Accounting primer

Václav Zoubek — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 12:34:56 +0100

Simple answer to questions on accounting, where it comes from, what it does, how it works, what are the basics

Year of no profits

Václav Zoubek — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 01:02:03 +0100

"After about a year dealing with a non-profit sector, I've learned quite a few things: Your long-term plans are supported by short-term funding; Planning anything is excruciatingly difficult; You can't effectively diversify; Everybody checks on everything; Nobody understands what you are doing; And nobody on the internet likes you"

Buy or rent, the story of houses, cars and properties

Václav Zoubek — Mon, 29 Jul 2024 01:02:03 +0100

Here's the thing: If you browse the internet long enough in the personal finance space, you will inevitably stumble upon pieces discussing renting or buying a house. And as much as it is an important decision, it's also a profound question. Especially when you can read too many articles regarding …

How to add Marginalia search to Firefox

Václav Zoubek — Sun, 30 Jun 2024 12:34:56 +0100

As a fan of underdogs and European projects, here's how to add Marginalia Search between supported searchengines in Firefox.

Never stop learning

Václav Zoubek — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 12:34:56 +0100

Worst thing to do is to stay still when the world is spinning around and moving away.

First pelican text

Václav Zoubek — Sun, 12 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

I'm moving house and changing landlor; from Jekyll to Pelican.

Dead companies walking

Václav Zoubek — Mon, 02 Aug 2021 12:34:56 +0100

Zombie companies are bothering economies all the time. When is the right time to get rid of them?

25 minutes

Václav Zoubek — Mon, 03 May 2021 12:34:56 +0100

A lifehack, that isn't a lifehack. On remembering the pomodorro technique...

"Newsletters are (not) new"

Václav Zoubek — Thu, 01 Apr 2021 12:34:56 +0100

Newsletters are becoming popular by a minute. One reason is, you are in charge. What you get into your inbox - or what you send to people - is completely in your control. Sure, I write this blog, no one tells me what to do and if someone wants to read it …

Reading list for 2021

Václav Zoubek — Sun, 14 Mar 2021 12:34:56 +0100

I've compiled a non-comprehensive booklist for 2021 (that is for me, you should read whatever you want). I've created a Twitter thread to feel a bit more accountable, because Want to read list on Goodreads is just a pile of ideas without a shred of pressure (and I'm not going to read 400 books in a year!).

Buffers

Václav Zoubek — Sat, 06 Mar 2021 12:34:56 +0100

Doing things just in time has consequences. No wiggle room, no buffers. Sure, on-demand is great when you are watching Netflix, but is it great when working a corporate job?

JIT

Václav Zoubek — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 12:34:56 +0100

What started as a crisis for all of us will have to have a result. That would be optimistic assumption but a worthy one. When people start getting locked in their homes, a lot of service industries disappear. There is the commute, there is catering, there is hospitality. Sorry, there were. How many people were working there? How many students, elderly, parents... How many people, who would otherwise be considered something else - and not unemployed - lost their income thanks to our crisis today?