Cash Flow Isn’t Just Finance, It’s Strategy

Let’s be honest: in both tech and consulting, “cash flow” rarely makes it to the top of a leadership meeting agenda until there’s a problem. But it should.

Because cash isn’t just a number on a balance sheet, it’s the pulse of your business. It’s what gives you choices. Choices to hire, invest, experiment, or hold steady when markets get weird.

Lately, those choices have gotten harder. Rising costs, delayed payments, longer sales cycles — they all conspire to tighten the gap between what you earn and what actually lands in your account.

So let’s talk about what the leading firms are doing differently.

Build Visibility, Not Just Reports

Most companies forecast revenue; very few forecast cash with the same rigor. The smart ones run a rolling 13-week cash forecast, updated weekly, tied directly to their CRM, PSA, or billing system.

They don’t do it for fun — they do it to see around corners. When you can see your cash position three months out, you don’t have to rely on gut feel to make decisions. You can plan hiring, time payments, and catch shortfalls early instead of reacting to them later.

Rethink How You Get Paid

In consulting, this often means tightening your order-to-cash process — clear SOWs, milestone billing, and polite but firm follow-ups when invoices drift. In tech, especially SaaS, it’s about aligning billing models with value — annual prepay incentives, usage floors, or hybrid pricing that balances predictability and growth.

And across both worlds, RTP (real-time payments) and automated invoicing are quietly transforming how fast money moves. The days of “the cheque’s in the mail” are numbered.

Make Payables a Cash Strategy, Not a Survival Tactic

There’s a big difference between “stretching” suppliers and managing payables. Leading firms categorize vendors and negotiate strategically — paying early when discounts make sense, and using supply-chain finance tools where they can share liquidity benefits on both sides.

It’s a more mature, partnership-based approach that reduces friction and strengthens vendor relationships. Because in the end, your suppliers’ cash flow strategy affects yours.

Don’t Let Working Capital Drift

The best-run companies treat working capital like a business line. They track DSO (days sales outstanding), DPO (days payables outstanding), and Net Working Capital days as carefully as utilization or ARR.

This discipline creates something magical: predictable flexibility. You can lean into growth without constantly asking, “Can we afford this?”

Cash Flow in Tech vs. Consulting — Different Games, Same Goal

In SaaS, cash is oxygen. The new north star metric is burn multiple — how much cash you burn to generate a dollar of new ARR. Investors reward efficient growth now, not just fast growth. That means tightening renewal cycles, automating collections, and turning subscription data into a true cash engine.

In consulting, the focus is on time-to-cash — turning effort into payment faster. That means timesheet hygiene, milestone discipline, and progress billing that keeps you ahead of work-in-progress. The top-performing firms keep DSO below 40 days; everyone else is still chasing.

What’s Changing Fast

A few trends are quietly rewriting the rules:

• AI forecasting tools that predict which clients will pay late (and why).

• API-driven treasury systems that sync real-time bank balances with your ERP.

• Dynamic discounting platforms where you can offer suppliers early payment for a small return — a win-win.

• Usage-based pricing in SaaS, giving customers flexibility while keeping cash more predictable.

Cash management isn’t at back-office chore anymore. It’s becoming a data game — faster, smarter, and more transparent.

Why We’re Hosting a Cash Flow Strategy Workshop

At ALTA Consulting, we’ve been helping tech and consulting firms get real about their growth systems, and cash flow keeps coming up as the make-or-break variable.

So we’re running a Cash Flow Workshop designed for founders, finance leads, and practice heads who want to:

• Map their 13-week cash cycle,

• Spot their biggest cash leaks,

• Compare models (retainers vs. milestones vs. subscription billing), and

• Walk out with a 90-day plan to strengthen cash flow without slowing growth.

It’s not a finance lecture, it’s a strategy session. Because managing cash flow well is one of the smartest competitive advantages you can build right now.

Come and talk to us today!