In this guide
Cash flow is timing
A profitable business can still run out of money if the bills are due before the customers pay. Cash flow is about when money arrives and leaves, not just how much.
The thirty-minute check
Pick a day and a time and keep it.
- List what is due to come in this week and next: invoices, credit repayments, expected sales.
- List what has to go out: rent, suppliers, wages, restocking.
- Compare the two. If the outgoings win, decide now what to do.
- Chase the three biggest overdue amounts.
- Set a little aside for the lean weeks.
When you are short
Ask a supplier for a few more days before you are late, not after. Collect a deposit on large orders. Send invoices the day the work is done, not at month end. Delay non-urgent purchases.
When you have a surplus
Set some aside for restocking or emergencies before it gets spent. A rule such as a fixed share of every good week makes it automatic.
The short version
Look at what is coming in and going out every week, chase the big overdue amounts and put something aside in the good weeks.
General information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Last reviewed 26 September 2026.