I wanted to share a recent outcome from a CFO session that’s a great example of why planning ahead matters.
The business is highly seasonal. In the past, they’ve struggled with cash flow toward the end of the year and into the slow season. It’s been a recurring source of stress — one of those issues that never quite gets solved, just endured.
During our session, the CEO and I dug into their projections. We analyzed seasonality, projected upcoming revenue, and overlaid everything else competing for cash: a major software upgrade, a critical new hire, and some very specific owner withdrawals. When we stepped back and looked at the full picture, the answer was clear — and uncomfortable.
If nothing changed, cash would run dangerously low by year-end.
That’s never a fun way to start a strategy conversation. But instead of panicking, we shifted into problem-solving mode. We explored timing adjustments, savings strategies, and realistic levers the business could pull. The biggest takeaway surprised the CEO: it would only take an additional $70,000 in sales over the next seven months to comfortably cover the slow season. For a $2–3M business, that wasn’t an outlandish goal.
That’s when the light bulb went on. The CEO immediately started naming warm leads and near-term opportunities — a $15k contract here, a $30k+ project there — all realistic, all within the team’s capacity. The issue wasn’t opportunity. It was visibility.
With clarity in hand, the next steps became obvious. We mapped out a simple, month-by-month roadmap: close this contract by this date, wrap this project by that date, and keep momentum steady. Nothing complicated. Just clear targets and a plan that was easy to follow.
The best part? The CEO felt motivated to do the work now, so he could head into the slow season without anxiety — and actually enjoy the holidays with his family. That’s the real value of planning ahead. When you see the problem early, you give yourself options. And options change everything.
