The 13-week cash view: a founder's early-warning system
Profit does not pay suppliers; cash does. A simple rolling forecast shows the squeeze weeks before it arrives.
By HMG Editorial Team · Published
Profitable, and still short of cash
Growing businesses often run short of cash precisely because they are growing. Stock is bought, salaries are paid and customers take 45 days to settle.
A 13-week view lays out expected receipts and payments week by week. It is deliberately simple: the point is to see the shape of the next quarter.
How to keep it useful
Update it weekly, compare it to what actually happened and note why it differed. Include the lumpy items — tax payments, payroll, rent, loan repayments — first, then the routine ones.
When the forecast shows a dip, you have options: chase invoices, re-time a purchase, negotiate terms or arrange short-term funding while it is still cheap to do so.
This article is general guidance only and is not individual tax, legal or accounting advice. Rules change; confirm your position with an HMG consultant before acting.
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