Work sample · Example figures
13-week cash view for a trades business
A simple weekly view of cash for the next quarter, built from open invoices, open bills and known overheads in Xero, with a minimum buffer line and the assumptions written down.
A walkthrough of how I would approach this project. The figures are examples for a fictional business, not a client.
- Area
- Cash
- Tools
- Xero · Google Sheets
- Typical scope
- US$180–400
- Timeline
- About 3 weeks · 4 fixed milestones
01The problem
Profit and cash are not the same thing. Jobs are paid late, materials are paid early, and the business can be tight on cash in a profitable month.
- A bank balance that dips after a big materials order
- Late-paying customers not factored in
- Supplier bills paid before cash arrives
- No view of next month, only last month
02Approach
- Look
Read-only review of open invoices, open bills, and 12 months of how customers actually pay.
- Model
Open invoices are timed on each customer’s real days to pay. Bills are timed on due dates. Overheads sit on their actual dates.
- Check
The opening balance is agreed to a reconciled bank account. Week 1 is compared to what actually happened.
- Update
A weekly update takes about 20 minutes and shows what changed and what to do.
03Exhibit
| Week | W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 | W7 | W8 | W9 | W10 | W11 | W12 | W13 | 13 wks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash in | ||||||||||||||
| Open customer invoices | 26,000 | 22,000 | 16,000 | 11,000 | 7,000 | 4,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | – | – | – | – | – | 89,000 |
| New work invoiced | – | – | 4,000 | 10,000 | 16,000 | 22,000 | 26,000 | 29,000 | 31,000 | 32,000 | 33,000 | 34,000 | 34,000 | 271,000 |
| Total cash in | 26,000 | 22,000 | 20,000 | 21,000 | 23,000 | 26,000 | 28,000 | 30,000 | 31,000 | 32,000 | 33,000 | 34,000 | 34,000 | 360,000 |
| Cash out | ||||||||||||||
| Open supplier bills | 13,000 | 10,000 | 8,000 | 5,000 | 3,000 | 1,500 | 500 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 41,000 |
| Materials, new orders | – | 2,500 | 5,500 | 8,500 | 11,000 | 13,000 | 14,500 | 15,500 | 16,500 | 17,000 | 17,500 | 17,500 | 18,000 | 157,000 |
| Subcontractors | 3,500 | 3,500 | 4,000 | 4,000 | 4,000 | 4,500 | 4,500 | 4,500 | 4,500 | 5,000 | 5,000 | 5,000 | 5,000 | 57,000 |
| Rent and overheads | 9,500 | 3,200 | 3,200 | 3,200 | 9,500 | 3,200 | 3,200 | 3,200 | 9,500 | 3,200 | 3,200 | 3,200 | 9,500 | 66,800 |
| Loan repayments | – | 2,400 | – | – | – | 2,400 | – | – | – | 2,400 | – | – | – | 7,200 |
| Total cash out | 26,000 | 21,600 | 20,700 | 20,700 | 27,500 | 24,600 | 22,700 | 23,200 | 30,500 | 27,600 | 25,700 | 25,700 | 32,500 | 329,000 |
| Net movement | – | 400 | -700 | 300 | -4,500 | 1,400 | 5,300 | 6,800 | 500 | 4,400 | 7,300 | 8,300 | 1,500 | 31,000 |
| Closing cash | 22,000 | 22,400 | 21,700 | 22,000 | 17,500 | 18,900 | 24,200 | 31,000 | 31,500 | 35,900 | 43,200 | 51,500 | 53,000 | 53,000 |
Assumptions written under the table
- Opening cash $22,000, the bank balance on the first day, agreed to the Xero bank reconciliation.
- Open customer invoices are collected on each customer’s usual days to pay from the last 12 months.
- New work uses booked jobs plus a prudent run-rate; it is a range, reviewed each week.
- Supplier bills are paid on their due dates. Materials follow new work at a fixed share of revenue.
- Overheads and loan repayments are on their actual dates.
04How to read it
- The lowest week is marked. In this example, week 5 closes under the minimum buffer.
- Cash in and cash out are split so the cause of a dip is easy to see.
- The assumptions are listed under the table, so anyone can challenge them.
05Scope
| Area | Included |
|---|---|
| Review | Open invoices, open bills and 12 months of payment timing, with findings |
| Model | A 13-week Google Sheets model, with cash in, cash out and closing cash by week |
| Buffer | A minimum cash buffer agreed with the owner and shown on the chart |
| Opening position | Opening balance agreed to a reconciled bank account |
| Assumptions | Written under the model and reviewed with the owner |
| Weekly update | A 20-minute routine and a checklist, run together for the first two weeks |
| Not included | Annual budgets and profit forecasts, which are scoped separately |
06Milestones and fee
| Milestone | Deliverable | Timing | Share of fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| M1 Review | Findings and assumptions list | Week 1 | 25% |
| M2 Model built | 13-week model on your Xero data | Week 2 | 35% |
| M3 First two updates | Two weekly updates run together | Weeks 2 to 3 | 25% |
| M4 Handover | Checklist and walkthrough | Week 3 | 15% |
Typical scope for this kind of project: US$180–400
About 3 weeks · 4 fixed milestones. The systems health check (US$150, fixed) comes first and confirms the scope. Extra hourly work is US$40 per hour, agreed before it starts.
Tell me what is going wrong in your books and I will say where I would look first.
Send a short note through the form on the home page. I will reply with where I would start, and whether the US$150 systems health check is the right first step.