Cash runway and working capital
How much runway do we actually have?
If you can't answer that with confidence, every other decision gets harder: hiring, pricing, spending, and raising. Ignition's CFOs help founders and operators see their cash clearly, maintain a weekly view, and act before the pressure arrives.
Talk to a CFO about your cashIllustrative example
Cash on hand, week by week
Recognize the situation
What it looks like.
- Revenue is booked, but the cash isn't arriving when you need it.
- Burn is moving faster than the plan said it would.
- You're making hiring or spending decisions without seeing the cash effect first.
- A lender, investor, or board member asks about runway and the answer takes a week to build.
- Collections depend on who happens to follow up.
Why it becomes urgent.
Cash problems rarely announce themselves early. They show up when a large customer pays late, a financing conversation starts, a hire is already committed, or payroll gets closer than anyone expected. By then, the options are fewer and more expensive.
What usually causes it.
- Revenue forecasts that do not account for when cash is collected
- No weekly view, only month-end reporting that arrives too late to act on
- Receivables and payables managed as accounting tasks rather than cash decisions
- A growth plan that isn't connected to what the business can fund
Illustrative example
Revenue booked isn’t cash collected.
- Week 1Revenue recorded
The work is complete and the invoice is issued.
- Between the twoBills still come due
Payroll and suppliers may need paying before the customer pays.
- Week 7Cash collected
The customer’s payment reaches the bank.
The work, in practical terms
How we approach it.
We build a rolling 13-week cash forecast from actual collection and payment timing, then use it to test the decisions in front of you. Ongoing weekly updates can be included in the engagement.
Build from real timing
When customers pay, when payroll is due, and when other bills go out.
Test the decision
See how a hire, a price change, or a late payment could affect cash.
Tighten cash management
Set clear ownership for collections and payment timing.
Keep the view useful
Agree who updates it and how often. Weekly support is available.
Illustrative example
Same hire, two start weeks
- Hire in week 4
- Hire in week 10
Start with the decision in front of you
A sensible first step.
A short conversation about where cash feels uncertain today. From there, we can usually tell you what a first forecast would require and give you a realistic implementation timeline.
Talk to a CFO about your cashBefore we talk
Common questions.
Do we need a full-time CFO for this?
Usually not. Most companies need senior judgment on cash, not another full-time salary. That's the gap a fractional CFO fills.
We already have a bookkeeper. Isn't that enough?
Bookkeeping records what happened. Cash forecasting looks forward and ties it to decisions. The two work together.
How soon would we see something useful?
It depends on the state of your books and banking data. We'll give you an honest answer on the first call.
Tell us what is changing