Cash Flow Stress Test Toolkit. See how thin your runway really is.
A profitable P&L and an empty bank account aren't a contradiction — they're a timing mismatch. This workbook runs your business through three scenarios so you can read the runway before the bank does. Comes with a one-page survival checklist for when the number looks bad.
"A profitable year and an empty bank account aren't a contradiction."
A quick take from Joe on why cash and profit move on different clocks — and why "we had a good year" doesn't always mean "we can make payroll next month."
An Excel workbook for the math. A checklist for the next move.
Two artifacts, built to work together. Run the workbook to see your runway under three scenarios. Use the checklist when one of those scenarios shows red — seven things to do this week, five habits to run every month.
- Excel Stress Test — three live scenarios + 13-week forecast + Profit First banking setup
- PDF Survival Checklist — this-week actions, monthly habits, when to call
- Free. No upsell. Runway zones: green 4+ mo, yellow 2–4 mo, red <2 mo.
Cash Flow Stress Test Workbook
Enter your numbers once. Three scenarios compute live — Current, Mild stress (revenue drop), Severe stress (drop plus collection delay). A 13-week forecast you can override as real numbers land. A Profit First account setup ready to open at Relay.
- Stress Test — Current / Mild / Severe runway in months
- 13-Week Cash Flow — weekly forecast with override columns
- Banking Setup — Profit First for Contractors structure
- Methodology pages with sources and citations
Cash Flow Survival Checklist
If the stress test shows runway under 2 months in any scenario, this is the page. Seven things to do this week, five habits to run every month, and a clear line for when it's time to call.
- Seven this-week actions, in priority order
- Five monthly habits that keep you out of the next crunch
- The break-even number to know cold
- The "call now" line — when DIY stops working
The runway zones. Green, yellow, red.
Every scenario in the workbook lands in one of three zones. The zone tells you whether this is a someday problem or a this-week problem.
Danger. This-week problem.
One slow customer, one bad week, and payroll doesn't clear. The survival checklist is the page for this — start at the top and work down.
Thin. Don't take the risk.
You're surviving but not resilient. A slow patch, a bad-paying customer, or a sub overrun and you're in the red zone. Build cushion before you need it.
Healthy reserve. Hold it.
You can absorb a bad month and still pay the crew. This is the floor for a business that can say no to the wrong customer instead of yes to every job that comes through the door.
Enter once. Read three scenarios. Forecast 13 weeks out.
Your numbers, the blue cells
Monthly revenue, overhead, crew size, average job length, payment terms, late-payment rate. Cash on hand today. Eleven inputs, plain English — no accounting jargon.
Three scenarios, side by side
Current, Mild (revenue drop), Severe (drop plus longer collection delay). Each one returns months of runway. The red / yellow / green zone tells you what kind of problem you're looking at.
Run the 13-week cash flow
Week-by-week money in, money out, running balance. The week the balance goes negative is your danger week. Update Monday, drop in actuals, roll it forward — the routine that keeps small problems from becoming late-payroll problems.
The episode this toolkit was built for.
Joe walks through the timing mismatch on the Behind the Books podcast — why "profitable" and "solvent" are two different words for a reason, how the stress test reads in real contractor numbers, and the Profit First account structure that keeps the next bad month from becoming the last one.
Watch on YouTube →Already have the math. Need the bigger picture?
The stress test reads your runway today. The Cash Flow 101 Template gives you the 12-week rolling forecast you maintain every Monday — the routine that makes sure today's "green" stays green next quarter.
Open the Cash Flow 101 TemplatePair it with these.
Profit First Bank Flow
The five-account setup the workbook recommends — percentages, triggers, transfers.
Download →Financial Health Checklist
The 12-point owner checklist we walk through with every new client.
Download →Job Cost Tracking Toolkit
Stop guessing what each job actually made. The system we run with every contractor client.
Get the toolkit →Don't sit on a red zone. Let's talk this week.
Best Decision Bookkeeping installs the cash-flow system from this workbook — bank setup, 13-week forecast, weekly cadence. 30-minute call. No pitch. We'll walk your numbers and tell you what the survival checklist would actually look like for your business.