You invoice in January, book the revenue, show the profit — and collect in April. Meanwhile rent, payroll, and suppliers billed you in real time. Growth widens this gap mechanically: more sales mean more receivables, more inventory, more hiring, all funded before the corresponding cash arrives. This is why expansion, not recession, is when undercapitalized companies actually break.
The core instrument is a rolling 13-week cash forecast: expected receipts and required payments, week by week, one quarter ahead. Thirteen weeks is long enough to see trouble while options remain — accelerate collections, delay discretionary spending, arrange financing — and short enough to stay accurate. Updated weekly, it converts cash management from anxiety into administration.
On the inflow side: invoice immediately upon delivery, shorten terms where relationships allow, take deposits on large work, make paying you effortless, and chase aging receivables on a fixed weekly rhythm rather than when remembered. On the outflow side: use the full terms your vendors grant, match major purchases to strong-cash periods, and separate must-pay from can-wait before the pinch, not during it.
A cash reserve measured in months of operating expenses, and a line of credit arranged while the numbers look good. Credit is cheapest and most available exactly when you don't need it — which is precisely when disciplined operators secure it.
Manage the business on the cash forecast; judge it on the income statement. Companies that reverse this order judge themselves profitable right up until the payroll that doesn't clear.
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