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Money · 4 September 2026 · 6 min
Profitable on paper, empty in the bank
Profit is an opinion, cash is a fact. Here's how to stop being surprised at month end.
You can have a great P&L and an empty account at the same time. The gap is almost always between when you invoice and when you actually get paid.
The three holes
- Payment terms nobody consciously negotiated.
- Inventory bought 'just in case'.
- Upfront project costs billed only at the end.
A simple 13-week forecast
One sheet: by week - expected inflows, fixed costs, payroll, taxes. You update it Monday morning in 15 minutes. That's the difference between managing and hoping.
Businesses don't die from losses. They die from having no cash on one specific Tuesday.
About the author
Nikolay Kirilov
Nikolay Kirilov is an entrepreneur, business mentor and founder of NK Academy. He works across strategy, sales, operations and technology.
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