The 13-Week Cash Flow Forecast

I’ve been harping on using the 13-week cash flow forecast (13WCFF) process for years.  It is one of the basic tools for the turnaround professional to quickly get a handle on the short-term cash needs.   It forces the business owner to run their business based on cash the typical income statement lens.

The typical monthly balance sheet and income statement are not enough to effectively run your business.  I’ve seen many profitable businesses run out of cash – and conversely, I’ve worked with struggling companies that have stayed alive for months allowing them to the runway needed to return to profitability.

Whatever stage your business is in, I highly recommend implementing a 13wcff process now to help in these extremely uncertain times.

The concept is the 13WCF forecasts cash receipts and cash disbursements by week for a 3-month period.   In a turnaround, the 13WCF is updated constantly, but for a typical business, I like to update it weekly so it’s always a rolling 3-month look forward.

With all the current uncertainty it’s more important than ever to use the 13wcf process to better predict your cash position, see any bumps in the road, and help you sleep better at night.

The 13wcf forces businesses to think in terms of cash vs typical GAAP accounting.

I created this short demonstration video on how to use the 13-Week Cash Flow template in my resource section.  It takes some work to get started and discipline stay with it update it weekly, but I guarantee this process with help your business.

I hope this helps.

As always, if you need help, reach out to me.

Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.

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