10 Tips for Great Cashflow Management (That Actually Work)

Ever had that heart-stopping moment when you check your business bank account… and it’s way lower than you expected?

You’re not alone. In fact, 82% of business failures come down to poor cashflow, not poor ideas. The good news? Cashflow mastery can be learned, and is the difference between scraping by and building that dreamy, thriving business you’ve been visualising.

Here are the top 10 tips that keep our clients in control of their cashflow

1. Know Your Cashflow Cycles Cash doesn’t move in a straight line, it flows in and out like tides

Map out when money lands in your account (sales, client payments) and when it leaves (expenses, subscriptions, salaries).

Our clients use Notion or Excel for tracking recurring payments and big-ticket inflows. You’ll never be blindsided again.

2. Forecast Like a Pro.

Cashflow forecasting isn’t just for CFOs, it’s for any business owner who wants to sleep at night. Create a simple projection for the next 90 days, and understand your cash runway. Review it weekly to make sure you’re on track or to tweak anything that has changed. A cashflow runway will let you know how long you have until cash runs out (invaluable information!)

Check out Tide  to get a bank-integrated forecast or use our Clever Finance Club Runway Calculator to predict exactly when you could run out of cash

3. Separate Your Money Pots

Visibility of your money is made musch easier with One account for taxes. One for expenses. One for paying yourself. One for profit. This single move makes your finances feel instantly in control, allows you to manage your finances seamlessley and not risk confusion or dipping into funds which should be untouched.

4. Pay Yourself First

You’re not running a charity, even if it feels like it sometimes!

Automate a founder “salary” transfer at the start of each month. Plan for it, make sure it’s in the budget, and stay consistent. You can’t grow a business if you’re worrying about your own bills. This requires careful balance of course, however if you don’t take care of yourself, there won’t be a business to build. The question is how much should you pay yourself?

5. Get Paid Faster

Stop letting clients treat your invoice like a suggestion. If you work with other businesses, it’s common for them to have 30, 60 or even 90 day payment terms. Let’s be frank, this sucks for cashflow (although it can be managed when planned for), but where possible this can be negotiated. One simple way to do this is to ask for a deposit for work upfront, or request payments at certain milestones.

6. Slash Slow Leaks

Go through last month’s expenses ruthlessly. Asses them, cancel anything you don’t use, determine which ones are necesessary or simply nice to have. Remember client satisfaction is key so bare this in mind when making any decisions. Client satisfaction is key to your business succeeding so don’t get rid of that complimentary bottle of water if it keeps them coming back.

Use the Clever Finance Club Expense Leak Guide to see at one glance what’s draining you.

7. Have an Emergency Buffer

Emergencies happen, both in life and in business. We recommend our clients build at least three months of expenses in order to move from panic to peace. It can take time to build, but this is one of the key building blocks to a financially robust business which can withstand the the surprises that so often arise. Not all expenses need to be part of your emergency budget. After all, those complementary waters aren’t absolutely crucial to the running of your business. So which expenses are necessary?

8. Make Seasonal Adjustments

Your sales will have peaks and troughs (hello, December boom, January slump). Plan now so slow months don’t hurt. You know your customers, and you understand their needs. Use this to build into your forecasts and understand where you might need to do more to get more customers through the door (hello seasonal marketing campaigns!).

9. Invest Back Into Growth

Healthy cashflow isn’t about hoarding. It’s about reinvesting smartly, whether it’s better software to improve the customer experience, automation and tools to make the business run more smoothly, team members, or marketing. These are all important factors to consider and growth doesn’t come without some investment. Before you invest, it is crucial to understand the return on anything you invest in. After all there are so many options, which one do you pick? How do you assess ROI for a new investment?

10. Review Weekly (Not Yearly)

Money moves fast. If you only check your cash once a year, you’re basically blindfolded.

It’s not sexy, but the paperwork is the key. Set aside time each week to review your goals for the week, performance last week, and anything important to remember. Understand your cashflow position, what you need, and any opportunities. Having this focus will drive your business in the right direction.

Clever Finance tip: Block a Friday morning “money date” and stick to it.

All of these tips are easier when you have the right tools and systems. The Clever Finance Cashflow Clarity Guide was built for founders like you.

Checkout The Toolkit for plug-and-play templates, automated trackers, and no-fluff training to turn your cashflow chaos into clarity.