Know where your cash is going before it gets there.
A 13-week cash flow forecast shows you the next three months of cash coming in, cash going out, and the decisions that can't wait.
By Michael Achman, CFO and author of The Scale MapProfitable on paper. Tight in the bank.
You can run a profitable business and still run short of cash. Customers pay later than expected. Payroll and vendors come due on schedule. Growth adds inventory, people, and expenses before the cash catches up.
A 13-week forecast closes that gap. It gives you an early warning system, so you can ask better questions and make decisions while you still have time to act.
What is a 13-week cash flow forecast?
A rolling, week-by-week view of the cash your business expects to receive and pay over the next 13 weeks. A profit and loss statement tells you whether you made money. A cash forecast tells you when money actually reaches or leaves your bank account.
Beginning cash
The cash you actually have available at the start of the week.
Cash in and out
Customer collections, payroll, vendors, rent, loan payments, and taxes, week by week.
Ending cash
Your projected balance each week. The low weeks tell you where to act first.
What it looks like
Here are the first six weeks of a simple forecast for an example service business with a $25,000 minimum cash floor.
| Example ($) | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beginning cash | 48,000 | 33,000 | 33,000 | 36,000 | 32,000 | 19,000 |
| + Customer collections | 32,000 | 18,000 | 41,000 | 22,000 | 35,000 | 20,000 |
| − Payroll | (24,000) | 0 | (24,000) | 0 | (24,000) | 0 |
| − Vendors & materials | (14,000) | (16,000) | (12,000) | (18,000) | (15,000) | (13,000) |
| − Rent & fixed costs | (9,000) | (2,000) | (2,000) | (2,000) | (9,000) | (2,000) |
| − Taxes & loan payments | 0 | 0 | 0 | (6,000) | 0 | 0 |
| Ending cash | 33,000 | 33,000 | 36,000 | 32,000 | 19,000 | 24,000 |
Illustrative numbers only. Scroll the table sideways on a phone.
How to use your forecast each week
- Update what happened. Replace last week's estimates with actual cash receipts and payments.
- Recheck what's coming. Adjust collection dates, expenses, and commitments using what you know today.
- Find the tight weeks. Focus on the weeks where projected ending cash is lowest.
- Make the next decision. Follow up on receivables, time your spending, or line up credit while you still have options.
- Roll it forward. Add a new week so you always see 13 weeks ahead.
The goal is a repeatable conversation about cash, ownership, and the next decision. A rough forecast you update every week beats a perfect one you build once.
13-week forecast FAQ
Why 13 weeks?
How is this different from a profit and loss statement?
How long does it take to update each week?
Do I need accounting software to build one?
Cash visibility is step one.
The Scale Map connects cash visibility to the three disciplines that get owners out of daily firefighting: Metrics That Matter, Alignment & Accountability, and Priorities That Move the Business Forward.
Start with the next 13 weeks.
Get the free 13-Week Cash MAP and see what's ahead. No purchase required.