Why a 13-week cash forecast is more use than a yearly budget

A yearly budget tells you roughly how the year should go. A 13-week cash forecast tells you which Friday the wages, the rent and the tax bill land in the same week.

Set it up once: money expected in, money going out and the balance at the end of each week. Put late payers in the week they really pay, not the week the invoice says.

Then spend thirty minutes on it every Monday. Roll the oldest week off, add a new one at the end, and look at the lowest balance in the quarter. If it worries you, you still have weeks to act.