The 30-Minute Weekly Cash Check for Founders (A Simple Routine to Catch Problems Early)

Sales can be up, customers can seem happy, and Slack can feel busy. Then you open your bank account and the balance is down again. That moment is common in early-stage companies because cash doesn’t fail in a loud way at first, it fails quietly, then all at once.

The fix isn’t a complicated finance system. It’s a 30-minute weekly cash check you can do every week, even if your bookkeeping is a bit behind. Think of it like checking the fuel gauge before a long drive, not rebuilding the engine.

A “cash check” is not full accounting. It’s a quick review of bank cash, near-term bills, and runway so you can spot issues early, make calmer decisions, and avoid nasty surprises.

What you’ll review every week (and why it matters)

A weekly cash check works because it keeps the scope small. Founders don’t need twenty metrics and a perfect P&L to make good calls. You need a handful of numbers that reflect what’s actually happening in your bank accounts.

This routine also solves a timing problem. Most founders look at cash only when they feel anxious, which is usually late. Weekly rhythm turns cash into a normal input, like product bugs or pipeline, instead of an emergency.

It also helps clear up the confusion between revenue, profit, and cash:

Revenue is what you sold. Profit is what’s left after expenses (on paper). Cash is what you can actually use to pay bills this week. A company can be “profitable” and still run out of cash if money comes in later than money goes out, or if growth requires upfront spend.

This is why a weekly check should use real bank activity, not invoices you hope will be paid. If your books lag by a few weeks, you can still run this routine. The bank doesn’t lag.

The five numbers that tell the truth about cash

If you track only five numbers each week, track these:

Starting cash (bank balance)This is cleared cash in your bank at the start of the week. If you have multiple accounts, total them. If you keep a tax account, keep it separate so you don’t fool yourself.

Cash in (collected)Money that actually arrived, not invoices sent. Include payouts that cleared (Stripe, ACH, checks), not pending transfers.

Cash out (paid)Money that left the bank, including payroll, vendor bills, card payments, tools, refunds, and taxes.

Net cash changeCash in minus cash out. This is your weekly truth. A single week can be noisy, but trends show up fast.

Runway (weeks or months)A simple runway formula is: cash on hand divided by average weekly net burn. Net burn is average weekly cash out minus cash in (when out is bigger than in). Use a 4-week average so one odd week doesn’t distort it.

If you’re cash-flow positive, runway becomes less useful, but you still want the other four numbers because they reveal timing risk.

Cash traps that fool smart founders

Cash problems often look like “small issues” until they stack up. A few common traps show up again and again.

Growth can eat cash. Inventory needs cash before it turns into sales. Hiring adds payroll before output catches up. Paid ads can spike spend today while revenue arrives later, or not at all.

Slow collections can quietly shrink your options. If you invoice net 30 but customers pay in 45 to 60 days, your P&L can look fine while your bank account gets squeezed.

Annual renewals and one-time bills are sneaky. Insurance, software renewals, domain and hosting, and contractor retainers can hit in the same week. If you don’t look ahead, you get forced into bad trade-offs.

Taxes and refunds cause real damage when ignored. Sales tax, payroll tax, income tax estimates, refunds, and chargebacks all pull cash fast. They also tend to show up after “good months,” which makes them feel unfair, even when they were predictable.

The weekly check doesn’t prevent every surprise, but it turns most surprises into something you see early enough to act on.

The 30-minute weekly cash check, step by step

Put this on your calendar at the same time each week. Monday morning works for some founders, Friday works for others. What matters is consistency. You’re building a habit that keeps you out of panic mode.

Here’s a simple agenda that totals 30 minutes:

1. Minutes 0 to 5: Pull balances and last week’s movements

2. Minutes 5 to 15: Build a 2-week cash forecast

3. Minutes 15 to 25: Spot early warning signals

4. Minutes 25 to 30: Decide the next 3 cash actions

Keep it rough at first. A “pretty” cash check that never happens is worse than a messy one that runs every week.

Minutes 0 to 5: Pull bank balances and last week’s movements

Open your bank accounts and write down cleared balances. If you have a credit line, note the available amount and the current balance. If you use credit cards heavily, note the card balance and the payment due date, because that’s future cash out.

Then scan the last 7 days of transactions. You’re not categorizing like a bookkeeper. You’re looking for the big drivers: payroll, ad spend, vendor payments, large refunds, and anything unusual.

Also check pending payouts. Stripe, Shopify, Amazon, marketplaces, and ACH transfers can make you feel richer than you are. Separate cleared cash (in the bank) from pending cash (promised but not available yet). Pending cash is real, but it’s not usable until it clears.

Finally, confirm your payroll schedule. Payroll timing is a major cash risk because it’s non-negotiable and it hits in big chunks.

Minutes 5 to 15: Build a 2-week cash forecast you can trust

Two weeks is the sweet spot. It’s close enough to be accurate and long enough to prevent “oh no” moments.

Start with today’s cleared cash. Then list expected cash in by date. Be conservative here, only include collections you believe will land in that window. If a customer is often late, model them as late.

Next list cash out by date. Include payroll, contractor payments, rent, subscriptions that matter, taxes, loan payments, and must-pay vendors. If you pay by card, include the future card payment date too, because that cash will leave the bank.

Use dates, not totals. A business can be fine “this month” and still fail next Tuesday.

Add a small buffer line item for unknowns. Something will come up. Even a modest buffer keeps you from trusting a forecast that’s too clean.

At the end, you should see your projected low point over the next two weeks. That low point is often more important than your current balance.

Minutes 15 to 25: Spot the early warning signals

This is where the routine pays off. You’re not trying to predict the future perfectly. You’re trying to notice patterns before they become emergencies.

Watch for these red flags:

• Runway shrinking two weeks in a row

• Payroll risk, meaning payroll lands near your projected low point

• Cash low point below your floor, the minimum cash you refuse to cross

• Collections slowing, like rising days to get paid or more “we’ll pay next week” messages

• Customer concentration rising, where one customer becomes too large a share of cash in

• Credit card balance climbing faster than revenue

• No tax set-aside, especially after a strong month

Write down the single biggest risk you see this week. One sentence is enough. If you list five risks, you’ll fix none.

Minutes 25 to 30: Decide the next 3 cash actions

End with decisions, not worry.

Pick up to three actions. Assign an owner and a due date. Then save a one-page snapshot so next week is easy.

Good cash actions are simple and direct: pause a tool, push a non-critical hire, follow up on the top five overdue invoices, ask for a deposit, negotiate terms, cap ad spend, move money to a tax bucket, set a minimum cash floor in your bank alerts.

Schedule the next cash check before you close your laptop. The habit is the system.

How to turn the check into decisions that protect runway

A weekly cash check is only useful if it changes what you do. The goal isn’t to “watch cash,” it’s to make fewer desperate choices.

Treat cash like oxygen. When it’s plentiful, you can think clearly. When it’s tight, everything feels urgent and expensive. Your routine should help you act earlier, when options are cheaper.

The most helpful part is setting simple thresholds in advance. If you wait until cash is low to decide how to behave, you’ll negotiate with yourself every week. Rules reduce debate.

Simple rules of thumb for spending, hiring, and growth bets

Start by setting a minimum cash floor. This is the lowest cleared cash you’re willing to hit, even in a good month. Pick a number that covers payroll and must-pay bills with room for error. Many founders choose 4 to 8 weeks of fixed costs, then adjust once they see real volatility.

Next set a target runway range. For many small teams, 6 months is a workable target. Some businesses can run tighter, some need more cushion.

Then decide what changes when runway moves:

At around 9 to 12 months runway, you can plan bigger moves. Hiring is still a decision, but you can take measured bets on growth.

At around 6 months runway, invest carefully. You can spend, but you should know what you expect back and when. This is where the 2-week forecast keeps you honest on timing.

At around 3 months runway, cut noise fast. Freeze discretionary spend, delay nice-to-haves, and stop any spend you can’t explain in one sentence. Protect payroll and core delivery first.

These aren’t universal laws. A seasonal business, a services firm, and a venture-backed startup all behave differently. The point is to pick rules you can follow, then refine them as you learn.

What to do when the numbers look bad this week

When the forecast shows a scary low point, don’t jump straight to “we’re doomed.” Run a calm triage focused on the next 2 to 4 weeks.

First, collect cash faster. Send invoices early, add payment links, ask for deposits, offer ACH, and follow up on overdue accounts with a clear date request. If you have usage-based billing, make sure you’re not waiting a month to bill for work already done.

Second, slow cash out. Ask for better terms, split payments, pause tools, reduce ad caps, delay non-critical contractors, and push hires that don’t protect revenue in the near term.

Third, add a backstop if you need one. That can be a credit line, a short bridge from owners, pre-sales, or a customer annual prepay with a small incentive. Backstops are not “free money,” but they can buy time if used early.

If the issue will affect payroll or key delivery, communicate early. Vendors, partners, and even teams handle bad news better when it’s timely and specific.

Make it stick with a one-page template and a weekly habit

A weekly routine fails for one main reason: it lives in someone’s head. The fix is a one-page sheet that you update the same way every time.

Keep it simple enough that you can do it when you’re tired. If the template feels like homework, you won’t use it when you need it most.

Store it where it’s easy to find. A shared Google Sheet works well. A Notion page can work too, as long as it’s fast to update. The tool matters less than the habit.

Your one-page weekly cash sheet (what goes on it)

A one-page cash sheet should fit on a screen without scrolling much. Here’s a clean set of fields that most founders can maintain:

Field	What to write
Date	The day you ran the cash check
Starting cash (cleared)	Total bank cash you can use today
Pending cash	Stripe and marketplace payouts not cleared yet
Cash in (last 7 days)	Collected cash only
Cash out (last 7 days)	Paid cash only
Net cash change	Cash in minus cash out
Runway	Cash on hand divided by average weekly net burn
Lowest projected cash (2 weeks)	Date and amount of the lowest point
Top 3 upcoming payments	Amounts and due dates
Top 3 expected collections	Amounts and expected dates (conservative)
Top risk	One sentence
Top 3 actions	Owner and due date for each

Keep the last 8 to 12 weeks visible so you can spot trends. A single week can lie. A pattern rarely does.

Weekly rhythm and roles so it does not depend on willpower

Make the check a standing meeting, even if you’re solo. Same day, same time, same template. If you have a team, assign a default owner (often the founder, ops lead, or finance lead) and name a backup person.

Solo founders can do the full routine alone. Teams can split it: someone pulls balances and updates the sheet, then the founder reviews risks and actions. The key is that one person owns the output.

Once a month, take 10 minutes to compare forecast versus actual. You’ll notice the assumptions that keep being wrong, like “Stripe clears in two days” or “that customer always pays on Fridays.” Fix the assumptions and the forecast gets easier.

If you keep having cash surprises, payroll is complex, taxes are messy, or you’re making bigger hiring decisions, it’s time to involve a bookkeeper or a fractional CFO. You don’t need that to start, but you do need help if the business has outgrown your DIY system.

Conclusion

A weekly cash check doesn’t require perfect books or fancy dashboards. It needs 30 minutes, five numbers, a 2-week forecast, and three clear actions. Run it every week and cash stops being a scary mystery.

Start this week with a messy first version. Then improve it as you go. Put the weekly cash check on your calendar, create the one-page sheet, and run the first check today.