The Pilot Blog

Financial tips and best practices for growing businesses

43% founder pay cut: The new reality of startup compensation in 2026

Founder pay is down 43% in 2025 as capital efficiency becomes critical for startups. Explore trends, benchmarks, and expert insights in Pilot’s Founder Salary Report to guide your compensation strategy.

For Founders
Waseem Daher
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Bench accounting: reviews, features, and alternatives

Accounting and Bookkeeping
Pilot Team

The 5 best alternatives to Aprio in 2026

Accounting and Bookkeeping
Pilot Team

The 5 best alternatives to every.io in 2026

Accounting and Bookkeeping
Pilot Team

2025 Year-End VC Market Insights

Growth
Pilot CFO Services Team

What Happens During a Series A Fundraise

Startups 101
Pilot CFO Services Team

Pilot just launched a free trial so any business can see its finances

SMB
Mark Gervase

The 5 best alternatives to financial wing in 2026

Accounting and Bookkeeping
Pilot Team

Pilot Unveils AI Accountant: A Major Leap Toward Artificial General Intelligence in Accounting

Pilot updates
Pilot Team

The 5 best alternatives to Burkland in 2026

Accounting and Bookkeeping
Pilot Team

The 5 best alternatives to SimpleCFO solutions in 2026

Accounting and Bookkeeping
Pilot Team

The 5 best alternatives to Armanino LLP in 2026

Accounting and Bookkeeping
Pilot Team

How to write a great investor update (new template)

For Founders
Mark Gervase

The 5 best alternatives to Proseer in 2026

Accounting and Bookkeeping
Pilot Team

The 5 best alternatives to Countsy in 2026

Accounting and Bookkeeping
Pilot Team

The 5 best alternatives to Bookkeeper360 in 2026

Accounting and Bookkeeping
Pilot Team

Top 5 bookkeeping audit software

Accounting and Bookkeeping
Pilot Team

The 5 best alternatives to Premier Consulting & Integration in 2026

Accounting and Bookkeeping
Pilot Team

The 5 best alternatives to Attivo Partners in 2026

Accounting and Bookkeeping
Pilot Team

The 5 best alternatives to Finaloop in 2026

Accounting and Bookkeeping
Pilot Team

The 5 best alternatives to E2E in 2026

Accounting and Bookkeeping
Pilot Team

The 5 best alternatives to NOWCFO in 2026

Accounting and Bookkeeping
Pilot Team

The life sciences fundraising landscape: What founders need to know right now

Life Sciences
Mark Gervase

The ultimate guide to outsourced bookkeeping in 2026

Accounting and Bookkeeping
Mark Gervase

What are key tax deadlines for startups?

Taxes
Mark Gervase
tax extension how to

How to file a business tax extension in 2026 and avoid penalties

Taxes
Mark Gervase

Does my business have to pay quarterly taxes?

Taxes
Han Shi

Want to save on taxes? Get a bookkeeper

Taxes
Han Shi

A small business tax guide for beginners [2026]

Taxes
Han Shi

The 5 best alternatives to airCFO in 2026

Accounting and Bookkeeping
Pilot Team

Top 14 small business tax deductions & write-offs: the ultimate guide

Taxes
Mark Gervase

5 things to add to your business's end-of-year checklist: budgeting, tax prep, and bookkeeping essentials

SMB
Mark Gervase

What Clean Books Actually Look Like at Pre-Seed

Accounting and Bookkeeping
Mark Gervase

Pilot Launches Local Partner Program to Empower Bookkeepers and Strengthen Small Businesses Nationwide

Pilot updates
Pilot Team

Your small business tax questions answered

Taxes
Pilot Team

Your startup tax questions answered

Taxes
Pilot Team

Should you start a founder podcast? AI just made it easier

For Founders
Mark Gervase

Financial pitfalls to avoid with your startup

Startups 101
Pilot Team

How to start an agency according to 8 successful founders

Creative Agencies
Mark Gervase

How your AI startup’s legal strategy can help secure enterprise customers

AI Startups
Mariana Antcheva

How to manage business expenses like a CFO

SMB
Mark Gervase

How to grow revenue—a business owner’s cheat sheet

SMB
Mark Gervase

The 6 small business metrics that matter and how to use them

SMB
Mark Gervase

How Barbara Stephenson scaled 300feetout by fixing operations

Creative Agencies
Mark Gervase

The most-used AI tools according to 2,500 companies

AI
Mark Gervase

How former freelancer Rebecca built all the ops at the agency Beam

Creative Agencies
Mark Gervase

How Todd has kept the web agency Four Kitchens thriving for 19 years

Creative Agencies
Mark Gervase

How to raise early-stage health tech rounds

Life Sciences
Pilot Team

How AI is changing financial reporting + what founders should do now

AI
Kenny Moulton

Ross' personal brand generated millions for his agency

Creative Agencies
Mark Gervase

Get clear cash views with new graphs and dashboards

Pilot Product
Justin Wiguna

How much does a fractional CFO cost? Estimate your monthly spend

Back Office Operations
Bridget Martinez

The agency model is broken—so how do some still thrive?

Creative Agencies
Mark Gervase

How to use AI for bookkeeping without losing control

Accounting and Bookkeeping
Kenny Moulton

How Alex Birkett built a brand that landed his agency its biggest client yet

Creative Agencies
Mark Gervase

2026 VC market update: The 5 trends defining startup fundraising

Finances and Fundraising
Pilot Team

Get instant answers with Pilot AI

Pilot Product
Justin Wiguna

How Tyler generated a $500K new deal for his agency through brand-building on Linkedin

Creative Agencies
Mark Gervase

How Mariya 10x’d her agency’s rates by building a founder brand

Creative Agencies
Mark Gervase

Pilot will now do your work chores—bill pay, payroll, stock admin, and more

Pilot Product
Pilot CFO Services Team

Bills won’t make your beer taste better

Back Office Operations
Pilot Team

Founders and funders: Riley Rodgers

AI
Mark Gervase

Bookkeeping basics: A small business owner's guide to Bookkeeping

Accounting and Bookkeeping
Lauren Kola

How AI can save small business owners 10+ hours per week

AI
Pilot Team

Why hire a fractional CFO? Here’s when it makes sense

Back Office Operations
Bridget Martinez

Top 10 bookkeeping mistakes small businesses make and how to avoid them

Accounting and Bookkeeping
Cole Levin

From seats to success: The new economics of AI pricing in 2026

AI
Cole Levin

Can my startup pay my rent? What founders need to know

Taxes
Waseem Daher

6 essential charts for raising a healthtech round

Finances and Fundraising
Pilot CFO Services Team

How to set up your small business bookkeeping system

Accounting and Bookkeeping
Mark Gervase

From idea to launch: A business startup checklist for small businesses and startup founders

SMB
Mark Gervase

Founders and funders: Mike Vernal

AI
Mark Gervase

How to build your startup’s sales team

Startups 101
Mark Gervase

How to hire remote employees without tax and payroll surprises

Taxes
Darin Moriki

Your annual business tax checklist

Taxes
Mark Gervase

What should you pay yourself as an AI founder?

AI
Mark Gervase

The bookkeeping checklist every SMB should be following

Accounting and Bookkeeping
Mark Gervase

What’s included in bookkeeping services? A complete breakdown

Back Office Operations
Mark Gervase
pixabay download

How a fractional COO can help you set up your business for growth

Startups 101
Pilot CFO Services Team

When to fire a client you actually like

Creative Agencies
Mark Gervase

Bench vs. Pilot: a comprehensive comparison for business owners

Pilot Product
Mark Gervase

How to automate your bookkeeping (without doing it all yourself)

AI
Mark Gervase

Medtech fundraising advice from a CFO

Life Sciences
Pilot Team

Double-entry vs. single-entry bookkeeping: What’s the difference?

Back Office Operations
Mark Gervase

20+ bookkeeping software options worth your time (and how to pick one)

AI
Mark Gervase

How to choose the right accounting software for your business

AI
Mark Gervase

How to tell a better value story for your healthtech startup

Finances and Fundraising
Mark Gervase

What should you pay yourself as a medtech or healthtech founder?

Life Sciences
Mark Gervase

How much do bookkeepers charge? A state-by-state breakdown

Accounting and Bookkeeping
Mark Gervase

Bookkeeping vs. accounting: Which one do you really need?

Accounting and Bookkeeping
Mark Gervase

A complete small business finance starter kit

AI
Sara Whitaker Eggers

43% founder pay cut: The new reality of startup compensation in 2026

For Founders
Waseem Daher

Which AI startup founders earn the most?

AI
Mark Gervase

Founder salaries fell 43%—but why?

For Founders
Mark Gervase

Contract or full-time? A hiring guide for creative agencies

Creative Agencies
Mark Gervase

80% utilization makes agencies more profitable—here’s why

Creative Agencies
Mark Gervase

How to stop scope creep from wrecking your agency’s profits

Creative Agencies
Mark Gervase

Goldilocks fine print: Customer terms that build trust and fuel growth

For Founders
Mariana Antcheva

Understanding startup valuations: A CFO’s guide for founders

For Founders
Cole Levin

Raising as an AI startup? Make your case with 3 metrics

For Founders
Cole Levin

You almost certainly don't have to do a BOI filing anymore

Back Office Operations
Waseem Daher
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