Cash Flow Forecasting Without the Jargon

Cash in the bank is not the same as profit, and profit on paper is not the same as money you can spend. A 12-week cash-flow forecast bridges the gap.

List expected inflows by week — invoices due, retainers, sales — then outflows: payroll, rent, suppliers, tax set-asides. The difference each week is your runway. Update it every Friday; it takes twenty minutes once the template is set.

Clients who do this stop being surprised. They hire, buy stock and plan tax payments from the forecast instead of from the balance.