Build a practical weekly cash worksheet around expected receipts, committed payments and uncertain timing before making a business decision.
Choose one decision and one time horizon
Start with the decision in front of you: adding staff, accepting a large order, replacing equipment or getting through a quieter period. Choose enough future weeks to cover the expected receipts and payments involved. A forecast is a planning tool, not a promise of results. Keep it separate from your formal financial statements and ask your accountant how the two should connect. Use the same worksheet each week so changes are visible.
Record available cash and expected receipts
Begin with the cash the business can actually use, identifying money that is restricted or already committed. List expected customer receipts by realistic payment date rather than treating every issued invoice as immediate cash. Mark uncertain receipts separately. For a contractor serving several Richmond-region localities, a signed job, a submitted invoice and a received payment are distinct events. Assign someone to confirm the timing instead of silently replacing an unknown date with an optimistic estimate.
Place payments in the week they are expected
List payroll, rent, supplier commitments, debt payments and other known obligations using the business’s actual records. Ask the appropriate professional about uncertain tax or contractual amounts; do not insert a generic percentage as though it applies to your business. Make planned purchases visible as choices, separate from existing commitments. Record the assumptions behind each material line so another person can understand the worksheet when its author is unavailable.
Discuss the gap before choosing a response
Calculate an expected closing balance for each week and identify where the plan becomes tight. Compare the base case with a clearly labeled scenario in which a major customer pays later. Discuss options with the people authorized to make them, including your professional advisers where needed. A spreadsheet does not establish borrowing eligibility or justify delaying an obligation. Its purpose is to reveal the timing question early enough to make an informed decision.
Replace estimates with actual results
At the next meeting, enter what happened and explain the largest differences. Choose a small number of actions, each with an owner and a date: confirm a customer payment, resolve an invoice dispute or obtain an accurate purchase quote. Keep a dated copy of the assumptions behind a significant decision. The Capital Region SBDC offers a Richmond counseling entrypoint for business-planning support; confirm current availability directly. Bring the questions and a sanitized example, not account credentials.