By Brian Keyser | Director of CFO Services at Anthem
Most business owners don’t know that some simple cash-flow checks could save their business.
I’ve seen it happen too many times: profitable businesses that failed because they ran out of cash at the wrong moment. The warning signs were there for weeks, but no one was looking at the right numbers.
Here’s the simple weekly routine that keeps my clients’ businesses financially healthy.
Why Weekly Reviews Beat Monthly Reports
Monthly financial statements arrive too late. By the time you see last month’s numbers, you’ve already made dozens of financial decisions, some good, some not so good.
Weekly reviews catch problems early. That vendor who usually pays in 30 days but is now at 45? You’ll spot it in week two, not week six when it becomes a crisis.
You make better real-time decisions. Knowing your cash position helps you confidently say yes to opportunities and no to expenses that can wait.
It becomes automatic. After a few weeks, this review takes less than 15 minutes and becomes as routine as checking your email.
The 15-Minute Weekly Cash Flow Review Framework
Step 1: Check Your Current Cash Position (3 minutes)
What to do:
- Log into your business bank account(s)
- Write down your current cash balance
- Compare it to last week’s balance
- Note the change (up or down)
What you’re looking for:
- Is your balance trending up or down over the past 4 weeks?
- Did any unexpected large transactions hit your account?
- Are you hovering dangerously close to your minimum operating balance?
Red flag: If your balance dropped significantly without a planned expense, investigate immediately.
Step 2: Review Money Coming In This Week (4 minutes)
What to do:
- Pull up your accounts receivable aging report
- Identify which invoices should be paid this week
- Note any invoices that are overdue
- Check if expected payments actually arrived
What you’re looking for:
- Are customers paying on time?
- Is anyone moving from 30 days past due to 60+ days?
- Did you receive the payments you expected?
- Are there any surprisingly large outstanding invoices?
Action item: If someone is 45+ days overdue, make a follow-up call this week. Don’t wait for them to hit 60 or 90 days.
Pro tip: Keep a simple spreadsheet tracking your top 5-10 customers’ payment patterns. When someone who usually pays in 25 days suddenly takes 40, that’s your early warning system.
Step 3: Review Money Going Out This Week (4 minutes)
What to do:
- Check your accounts payable for bills due this week
- Review your upcoming payroll (if this week or next)
- Note any automatic payments scheduled to process
- Identify any large upcoming expenses
What you’re looking for:
- Can you comfortably cover everything due this week?
- Are there any payment terms you should renegotiate?
- Can any expenses be delayed without damaging vendor relationships?
- Are there duplicate charges or billing errors?
Money-saving move: Review subscription services and automatic payments monthly. Most businesses have at least 2-3 subscriptions they forgot about or no longer need.
Step 4: Project Next Week’s Position (3 minutes)
What to do:
- Start with today’s cash balance
- Add expected deposits for next week
- Subtract known expenses for next week
- Calculate your projected ending balance
The simple formula:
Current Balance + Expected In – Expected Out = Projected Balance
What you’re looking for:
- Will you be comfortable next week, or tight on cash?
- Do you need to accelerate any collections?
- Should you delay any non-critical payments?
- Do you need to tap a line of credit?
Critical threshold: If your projected balance drops below 2 weeks of operating expenses, you’re entering the danger zone. Take action now, not next week.
Step 5: Document One Action Item (1 minute)
What to do:
- Based on what you found, write down ONE specific action
- Set a deadline (usually within 2-3 days)
Example action items:
- “Call Johnson & Co about their 52-day-old invoice by Wednesday”
- “Delay equipment purchase until after October 15th payment arrives”
- “Review all SaaS subscriptions and cancel unused ones by Friday”
- “Request payment plan from vendor for large invoice due next week”
- “Transfer $X from savings to operating account before Friday payroll”
Why one action matters: It’s not about creating a huge to-do list. It’s about taking consistent, small corrective actions that prevent big problems.
Making It Stick: Implementation Tips
Pick the same day and time every week. Friday afternoons or Monday mornings work well. Block it on your calendar like any other important meeting.
Use a simple tracking sheet. Create a one-page template with spaces for each step. Keep it simple, fancy spreadsheets that take 30 minutes to update defeat the purpose.
Start now, not “next week.” The best time to start this habit was three months ago. The second-best time is today, even if it’s Wednesday afternoon.
Involve your bookkeeper or accountant. If someone else handles your books, ask them to have your weekly cash flow review information ready at the same time each week.
Celebrate small wins. When your weekly review helps you catch a problem early or make a better decision, acknowledge it. Positive reinforcement builds habits.
What This Weekly Habit Prevents
I’ve watched this simple 15-minute routine save businesses from:
- Bounced checks and NSF fees because they saw the shortage coming
- Late payment penalties by catching tight cash weeks early
- Emergency loan situations by addressing cash flow gaps proactively
- Vendor relationship damage from unexpected payment delays
- Missed opportunities because they knew exactly what cash they had available
- Sleepless nights wondering if the business has enough money
The Bottom Line
You can’t manage what you don’t measure. A weekly cash flow review isn’t about creating more work, but instead about preventing disasters and making smarter decisions.
Quick Reference: Your 15-Minute Checklist
Copy this checklist and use it every week:
☐ Current cash balance: $________ (Change from last week: ___%)
☐ Expected deposits this week: $________
☐ Overdue invoices requiring follow-up: ________
☐ Bills due this week: $________
☐ Large upcoming expenses: ________
☐ Projected balance next week: $________
☐ Action item for this week: ________________________________
☐ Deadline: ________
Start today. Pull up your bank and do your first weekly cash flow review!
P.S. Join my free seminar for business owners this November!
