Cash Protection

1. We keep a rolling 13-week cash forecast and update it every week.

2. I can state today's cash position within 5% without asking anyone.

3. We know the date cash would fall below our minimum balance if revenue dropped 20%.

4. Our revenue forecast landed within 10% of actual in each of the last two quarters.

5. Our plan is built from real drivers like pipeline, pricing and capacity, not last year plus a percentage.

6. Our board, lenders or investors trust our numbers without asking us to redo them.

7. Less than 10% of what customers owe us is more than 60 days old.

8. Invoices go out within three business days of delivery or milestone.

9. We know how much cash is tied up in inventory or work in progress and how fast it turns.

10. We know gross margin by product, service line or major customer.

11. We have a written plan for which costs we would cut, and in what order, if revenue fell 20%.

12. Nobody can commit significant money outside a clear approval process.

13. We know our covenant headroom and check it monthly.

14. We could hand over diligence-ready financials within two weeks.

15. We know when we will next need capital, how much, and from whom.