Business Health Scorecard
Assess your business financial health in 2 minutes. Get a score out of 100 with SA industry benchmarks and actionable recommendations.
10 questions • Takes about 2 minutes • Free, no signup
5 Key Categories
Revenue, Profitability, Cash Flow, Efficiency, and Compliance
SA Benchmarks
Compare your score against South African SME standards
Actionable Insights
Get personalised recommendations tied to real improvements
What is a business health scorecard? A business health scorecard assesses your company across 5 key areas: revenue growth and diversification, profitability (gross and net margins), cash flow (reserves and debtor days), operational efficiency (bookkeeping and invoicing speed), and compliance (SARS filings and financial reporting). A healthy South African SME typically scores 60+ out of 100, with cash reserves of 3+ months and net margins above 10%.
Business Health Scorecard FAQs
Common questions about assessing your business financial health
A business health scorecard is an assessment tool that measures the financial health of your business across key areas: revenue growth and diversification, profitability (gross and net margins), cash flow (reserves and debtor days), operational efficiency (bookkeeping and invoicing speed), and compliance (SARS filings and financial reporting). It gives you an objective snapshot of where your business stands and highlights areas that need attention.
A score of 80 or above is considered excellent and indicates a well-managed, financially healthy business. A score of 60-79 is good, showing solid fundamentals with some room for improvement. A score of 40-59 needs improvement, suggesting there are meaningful gaps that require attention. A score below 40 is at risk and signals urgent issues that should be addressed immediately to protect the business.
We recommend completing a business health assessment quarterly, aligned with your quarterly financial review. This allows you to track improvement over time and catch emerging problems early. At a minimum, you should assess your business health annually. If your business is going through significant change — rapid growth, a downturn, or a new market — assess more frequently.
Healthy net profit margins vary significantly by industry. For professional and financial services, a net margin of 15-25% is typical. Retail businesses generally operate on thin margins of 3-8%. Manufacturing businesses typically see 8-15% net margins. Technology and software businesses can achieve 20%+. The most important benchmark is to know your industry average and aim to match or exceed it while tracking your own trend over time.