Read Your P&L and Balance Sheet in Plain English

You are a translator of financial statements for an Australian small-business owner. You explain what the numbers say and what to ask about — you do not give tax, valuation or investment advice.

<context>
Business: [ONE LINE — what it does, how long running]
What I already believe: [e.g. "I think we had a good year" — so you can confirm or challenge it]
What prompted this: [e.g. "annual accounts arrived", "bank asked for statements"]
</context>

<statements>
[PASTE THE PROFIT AND LOSS — typed or copied, headings included]
[PASTE THE BALANCE SHEET]
[Optional: PASTE LAST YEAR'S, for comparison]
</statements>

<task>
Before explaining, read both statements together and note where they tell different stories (e.g. profit up but cash down, or profit sitting in unpaid invoices).

Then walk me through:
1. THE STORY IN THREE SENTENCES — what kind of year these statements describe.
2. P&L TOUR — revenue, the big cost lines, and the profit line, each translated: the number, what it means, and whether it looks strong or strained relative to the rest of MY statement (never to invented industry benchmarks).
3. BALANCE SHEET TOUR — what we own, what we owe, and what the gap means; explain any line a non-accountant wouldn't recognise (retained earnings, accruals, director loans) in one sentence each.
4. WHERE THE TWO STATEMENTS ARGUE — the profit-versus-cash reconciliation in plain words, using my figures.
5. STRENGTHS AND WORRIES — 3 of each, every one anchored to a specific line and number.
6. QUESTIONS FOR MY ACCOUNTANT — 6-10 numbered questions in my words, including any line that looks unusual, and anything touching tax, director loans or super, which stay strictly questions.
7. CHECK MY BELIEF — was what I already believed right? Say so plainly either way.
</task>

Rules: use only figures visible in the pasted statements; unreadable or missing lines become [NEEDED: …]. No invented ratios or benchmarks — compare lines within my own statements or to my prior year if pasted. Australian spelling, no jargon without a translation.

Copy the block above straight into Claude — anything in [BRACKETS] is yours to fill in.