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13-Week Cash Flow System
A weekly-updated cash flow tracking system that shows exactly when money comes in and goes out over the next 13 weeks, prioritizing actual cash movements over accounting revenue recognition
How It Works
Creates a living document with three columns: starting cash (actual bank balance), cash in (cleared payments only), and cash out (all committed expenses). Updated weekly to catch cash crunches before they become fatal
Components
Set up three-column spreadsheet: starting cash, cash in, cash out
Input actual bank balance, not accounting cash
List only cleared payments in cash in (not invoices sent)
Include all committed expenses: payroll, rent, vendors, subscriptions
Update every Monday morning without exception
Share with trusted team members in dedicated finance channel
Concentrate all cash in one account to eliminate self-deception
When to Use
For any business with more than 4 weeks of operating expenses, especially service businesses with irregular payment timing, or companies with quarterly customer payments
When Not to Use
For businesses with same-day payment (like retail), or companies with less than 1 month of expenses total
Anti-Patterns to Avoid
Example
“SaaS company thinks they have 8 months runway based on P&L. 13-week cash flow reveals customer pays quarterly, payroll hits Fridays, and actual runway is 11 weeks. Forces immediate $40K/month cost cuts to survive.”