A 13-week cash forecast for your L10
Profit and cash rarely move on the same timeline. A rolling 13-week cash forecast gives your leadership team a forward number worth bringing to every weekly meeting — and it's simpler to build than most expect.
- A 13-week cash forecast projects cash in, cash out, and ending balance for one quarter.
- The projected 13-week ending balance is an excellent leading Scorecard measurable.
- A profitable company can still run out of cash; the forecast makes that gap visible before it bites.
Many EOS companies track revenue and profit closely but fly nearly blind on cash timing — the thing that actually determines whether payroll clears and whether you can fund a Rock. A rolling 13-week cash forecast fixes that, and it belongs in the L10 conversation.
Why 13 weeks?
Thirteen weeks is one quarter — far enough ahead to see trouble while you can still act, close enough to stay accurate. It maps cleanly onto the EOS quarterly rhythm.
What does a 13-week cash forecast show?
- Cash in — expected collections timed to when money actually arrives.
- Cash out — payroll, vendors, taxes, debt, timed to when they clear.
- Net movement — inflow minus outflow each week.
- Projected ending balance — the running position, which matters most.
Which cash number belongs on your Scorecard?
You put one number on the Scorecard: projected cash balance 13 weeks out. It's leading, not lagging. When it dips below a threshold, it becomes an Issue to solve while you still have runway.
A profitable company can still run out of cash. Profit is recognized when earned; cash moves when it changes hands — and the gap, sitting in receivables and payables, is what the 13-week view makes visible before it bites.
How do you build one without over-engineering it?
- Start with today's actual cash balance.
- List expected collections by week from real receivables.
- List expected payments by week — payroll, vendors, taxes, debt.
- Carry the ending balance forward each week.
- Update weekly, rolling the window forward.
The first version is rough; the discipline of weekly updates makes it accurate within a quarter.