Most people think that cash management, cash flow, and cash forecast are the same - they are not. If you don’t know the difference, you may have a false sense of security about where you are and the progress you are making.

Even if you do know the differences between the three, you also need to know how to use them to run your business.

I’ll give you a rundown of each one, what they are used for, and some key ideas for using them to run your business.

What is a “Cash Forecast” and What is It Good For?

A cash forecast is a way to predict when cash is coming in and going out, based on your business model. I like to call this “business modeling” because it creates a sense of how your business is run. Sometimes it is also called “cash modeling.”

A cash forecast is also a predictive model of your cash-based profit and loss statement.

Cash forecasts are usually set-up for monthly calculations, which go out 1-3 years. They use cash-basis...