Cash Before Growth – How To Stay Liquid Without Losing Momentum

When revenue pipelines tighten and market conditions wobble – like with the recent “Trump-tariff” turbulence -cash management quickly becomes the loudest KPI in the boardroom.

At Scaled, we’ve been in the trenches with B2B executive teams navigating exactly this challenge. One thing’s clear: when sales velocity slows, the ability to actively manage cash becomes mission-critical. But slamming on the brakes isn’t the answer – protecting liquidity doesn’t have to mean stalling growth.

Here’s our pragmatic, no-fluff C.A.S.H. Framework – a proven structure for stabilising cash flow while keeping your growth ambitions intact.

Collections Efficiency: Fix the Flow First

If you do one thing, do this. Speeding up cash is the fastest way to regain control.

• Automate invoicing. Manual PDFs and ad-hoc reminders aren’t cutting it anymore. Switch to a tool that gets your invoices out faster and more reliably.
• Implement a 3-step dunning process. Reminder → escalation → collection. Standardising this tightens your A/R timeline without souring client relationships.
  
• Offer early-payment incentives. A small discount today is often cheaper (and less stressful) than chasing overdue invoices for weeks.

Accurate Forecasting: Know What’s Coming

If you don’t know your cash position 2–4 weeks out, you’re flying blind.

• Build a rolling 13-week forecast. Weekly views of cash-in and cash-out let you spot problems before they hit.
  
• Refresh it regularly. Update your forecast after each major payroll run, PO, or ops shift. Cash flow is a living metric, not a set-it-and-forget-it dashboard.
• Blend actuals with pipeline projections. This gives you a more dynamic, realistic view of what’s likely to happen next.
  

Streamlined Expenses: Cut Smart, Not Deep

If you need to trim, start where the ROI is highest – and the pain is lowest.

Use the 10 / 20 / 30 rule:

• 10%: Low-hanging fruit – subscriptions no one uses, outdated tools, vanity spend.
• 20%: Costs you can renegotiate – vendors, contracts, office space.
• 30%: Strategic but tough choices – bigger structural changes like product lines, org design or pivoted projects.

Healthy Inventory: Free Up What’s Just Sitting There

If you’re carrying product or people capacity that isn’t moving, it’s costing you.

• Start with data. Identify your 10 slowest-moving SKUs or underutilised resources. That’s where the drag lives.
  
• Work with Ops and Supply. Find root causes – minimum order quantities, lead times, or scope creep.
  
• Make inventory (and resourcing) a habit. It’s not a one-off audit. Keep reviewing it monthly or quarterly.

📉 Quick-Hit Wins When You Need Oxygen Fast

• -10%: Get ruthless with “misc” spend. Every little line item matters when you’re managing daily burn.
• -20%: Redesign internal processes. Automating repetitive work frees up cash and time.
  
• -30%: Reassess big cross-functional initiatives. Sunset those zombie projects that aren’t delivering ROI anymore.

Final Thought: Cash is Not the Enemy of Growth

If you’re a founder, CEO, or revenue leader feeling the pressure of a slowing pipeline – this is your moment to lead, not react. Strong cash management isn’t about cutting your way to survival. It’s about making confident, data-driven moves that buy you time, flexibility, and the right to keep growing.

At Scaled, we’re helping B2B businesses do just that – turning stress into strategy and building resilience for what’s next.