03 / 08 · Control
Budget, forecast & cash flow
Know how much cash you have, how long it lasts, and what you can afford.
The problem“Every month I find out at the 25th whether we can pay everyone. I want to know on the 1st.”
A 13-week cash forecast updated every Monday. No surprises.
How cash control is built
- Build a 13-week rolling cash forecast and keep it alive
- Annual budget by department, with owners and monthly checkpoints
- Scenario planning: base, slow quarter, big win
- Working-capital rules: collections, payment terms, inventory
Rolling cash · 13 weeks
- weeks ahead
- 13
- minutes to update weekly
- 20
- surprises on the 25th
- 0
What you get
Not a feature list. What changes next Tuesday.
- BeforeA budget looked at once a yearAfterNo more cash surprises
- BeforeThe bank balance is the forecastAfterA number for “what can we afford this quarter”
- BeforePayroll goes out, then you lookAfterA budget people are measured against
- BeforeEvery slow quarter becomes a crisisAfterEarly warning, weeks ahead
- 13weeks
- 20minutes a week
- 3scenarios
- 1email to the CEO
Why it matters
Know how much cash you have, how long it lasts, and what you can afford.
13-week forecast
A quarter ahead, week by week. Long enough to see payroll, VAT and the slow customer. Short enough that numbers are real.
A budget with owners
Every budget line belongs to someone. Variance is reviewed monthly, not at year end.
Scenarios
Base, slow quarter, big win. When something happens, the answer already exists.
How it unfolds
- Week 1–2
Set up
Opening cash, collections by real behaviour, payments by the day they leave. First forecast.
- Week 3–4
Budget
Annual budget by department vs last year’s actuals. An owner per line.
- Month 2
Habit
The Monday ritual: 20-minute update. The CEO gets one email: what changed this week.
- Month 3+
Control
Scenarios, working-capital rules, early warnings. Decisions are made against the number.
What it looks like in practice
A 13-week cash forecast updated every Monday. No surprises.
- Monday 9:00
- Last week’s actuals replace the estimate. The horizon rolls one week.
- Monday 9:20
- Email to the CEO: balance in week 9, three things worth knowing.
- Mid-month
- Budget vs actual. Variances over 10% get an explanation.
- Quarter end
- Scenarios for next quarter. What can we afford?
What people say, and what’s true
- They say
They say: “We have a budget in Excel.”
In practiceA budget looked at once a year is a wish. A budget is a tool only if you compare to it every month.
- They say
They say: “We’re profitable, cash isn’t an issue.”
In practiceProfitable companies close because of cash. Profit on paper and cash in the bank are different things, sometimes 90 days apart.
- They say
They say: “You can’t forecast.”
In practiceYou don’t need to forecast. You need to see what is already known: invoices issued, payroll due, loan repayments. That’s 80% of the picture.
“Asaf leverages data to provide the strategic edge and financial clarity On The Way Records needs.”
Frequently asked
- We have a budget in Excel. Isn’t that enough?
- A budget you look at once a year is a wish. We turn it into a monthly instrument with owners and variance.
- What is a 13-week cash flow forecast?
- A 13-week cash flow forecast shows, week by week, what will come in, what will go out and what the balance will be. It is updated every week in about 20 minutes, so surprises show up weeks ahead, not on the 25th.
Not sure you need a CFO yet?
30 minutes. You tell us what’s happening; we tell you honestly whether a CFO is what you need.
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