The bank is rarely the first to notice that cash has stalled
The bank is rarely the first to notice that cash has stalled.
The first is the finance team, when it starts choosing which bill to pay on Friday.
The second is the supplier, when 28-day terms turn into 45 without anyone saying a word.
The owner is usually the last. Not for lack of intelligence. Out of trust in the operation: it has always closed the month, it will close it again.
And it does. Profit on the income statement (the DRE), cash in the red. When it reaches the bank, it arrives out of breath, and the bank charges for the breath it lacks.
As an owner and as an executive, I have always worked with something simple I call the bread paper, after the plain sheet bakeries wrap bread in. One sheet with the cash balance, the receivables for the next 15 days, the payables for the same period and the inventory.
It is what keeps me from losing track of cash. And it is step zero of every job I take on. Cash is the heart of the company. The income statement is not.
Three signs that cash has stalled before you admit it:
1. Finance decides who gets paid, not the owner.
2. Supplier terms stretched without any negotiation.
3. Discounting receivables stopped being the exception and became routine.
If someone asked for your company's bread paper today, would it be ready in ten minutes?
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