Visibility before the shortfall, not after
Cash Flow Management Services
Working capital and cash flow structuring for businesses managing tight or seasonal liquidity — before a shortfall becomes a crisis, not discovered the week payroll is due and the account balance doesn't cover it.
Profitable businesses run out of cash more often than owners expect
Key facts
| Typical output | A rolling cash flow forecast, commonly on a 13-week or 90-day horizon |
| Common triggers | Seasonal revenue patterns, rapid growth, or recent liquidity stress |
| Focus areas | Receivables timing, payables timing, and available financing headroom |
What this actually involves
A healthy profit and loss statement doesn't guarantee healthy cash flow — a business can be genuinely profitable on paper while running a real liquidity crunch because receivables are collected slowly, payables are due quickly, and inventory ties up cash for longer than the sales cycle suggests. This mismatch between accounting profit and actual cash timing catches growing businesses especially often, since growth itself typically consumes cash even while it builds profit.
A rolling short-term cash flow forecast — typically 13 weeks, sometimes a 90-day view — makes this visible before it becomes a crisis, projecting actual expected cash in and out with enough lead time to act: accelerate a collection, delay a discretionary payment, or draw on financing headroom proactively rather than reactively.
Working capital review complements the forecast by identifying where cash is unnecessarily tied up — receivables terms that are longer than necessary for your specific customer relationships, inventory levels beyond what actual demand justifies, or payment terms with suppliers that could be renegotiated to better match your own collection cycle.
Is this actually relevant to you?
- Your business experiences seasonal revenue swings that create predictable but challenging cash flow periods
- You're growing quickly and profit isn't translating into available cash at the rate you'd expect
- You've experienced recent liquidity stress and want visibility to prevent a repeat
- You want to understand your actual financing headroom before you're forced to seek it under pressure
Our process, step by step
Cash flow forecasting
Rolling short-term forecast, typically 13 weeks, to see shortfalls before they arrive.
Working capital review
Identifying where cash is unnecessarily tied up in receivables, inventory or payment terms.
Financing headroom planning
Understanding your borrowing capacity and options before you actually need them urgently.
Action planning
Specific, prioritised actions to close any projected gap — collection acceleration, payment timing, financing.
Scope of work
Cash forecasts are only as good as the bookkeeping beneath them. We tie them to your budgeting and forecasting and, where funding is needed, to bank financing support.
The mismatch between accounting profit and actual cash timing
- Assuming a healthy P&L automatically means healthy cash flow, without examining the actual timing gap between when revenue is earned and when cash is collected.
- Growing revenue without proportionally managing the working capital that growth consumes — more inventory, more receivables outstanding, tighter cash at exactly the moment success should feel comfortable.
- Waiting until a cash shortfall is imminent to explore financing options, rather than establishing headroom proactively while the business is in a stronger negotiating position.
Related accounting and bookkeeping services
Monthly accounting, reporting and year-end statements from one team — ready for audit and tax filing.
Related guides from our team
Practical explanations of the rules behind this service, written by our chartered accountants.
Common questions
How far ahead should a cash flow forecast look?+
13 weeks is a common standard for tactical, near-term management; a 12-month view is useful for strategic planning, but the two serve genuinely different purposes and both have value.
Can you help if we're already in a tight spot?+
Yes — the sooner we're involved, the more options remain; waiting until the shortfall is imminent narrows what's realistically achievable in the time available.
What's the difference between cash flow management and budgeting?+
Budgeting and forecasting focus on the P&L view over a longer horizon; cash flow management focuses specifically on near-term cash timing, which can diverge meaningfully from the profit picture.
Does this help with negotiating better terms with suppliers or customers?+
Yes — understanding your specific cash flow gaps often reveals exactly which terms (customer payment terms, supplier payment terms) would have the most impact if renegotiated.
Is this relevant for a business that isn't currently struggling?+
Yes — proactive cash flow visibility is valuable even for a healthy business, particularly one growing quickly or with seasonal revenue patterns.
Managing tight or unpredictable cash flow?
Tell us your current situation honestly — the earlier we see the real picture, the more we can help.