Cash Flow Forecasting for Your Industry

Cash flow problems look different in every industry. A contractor waits 90 days on retainage. An ecommerce brand pays for inventory four months before it sells. A law firm covers salaries while a contingency case drags on. Each guide below shows the cash flow pattern for one industry, a worked forecast example with real numbers, and how Cash Flow Frog handles it.

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Small Businesses

Most small businesses find out about a cash gap the week it happens. See your cash position weeks and months ahead, from your books or straight from your bank.

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Construction Companies

Paid in 60 to 90 days, retainage held until closeout, payroll due every Friday. Forecast the gap on each project before it lands.

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Ecommerce Businesses

Cash leaves months before revenue arrives: inventory in August, sales in November, payouts two weeks late. Time the buys against real cash.

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SaaS Companies

MRR is not cash. Annual prepays, churn, and fixed burn decide your real runway, and it is usually shorter than the average says.

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Retail Businesses

The biggest bills arrive in the quietest months. Forecast the holiday buy, the January slump, and every store in one view.

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Manufacturers

Materials paid today, collected on net-60 after production. Forecast the 90 to 120 day cycle and fund the next run with confidence.

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Restaurants and Food Businesses

A 5% margin leaves no room for timing errors. Weekly cash visibility for one location or a group.

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Property Management and Real Estate

Rent in early, disbursements out by the 10th, maintenance fronted in spikes. Every entity forecast separately and consolidated.

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Law Firms

Settlements arrive in lumps, salaries do not, and trust money is not yours. See the pre-settlement gap quarters ahead.

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Creative Agencies

Deposits, delivery payments, and retainers that quietly lapse. Know the cost of a slipped deadline the day it slips.

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"Quick & simple to use"

It makes cash flow forecasting dead simple, all QuickBooks updates are automatically updated in the app, new invoices or bills are integrated into the forecast.

Maria Davis

One connection — One Forecast

One forecast, every industry

Every forecast starts from your accounting data. Cash Flow Frog connects to QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, Xero, Sage Intacct, Odoo, Zoho Books, and FreshBooks, or imports bank transactions through Excel with no accounting software required. Start a free trial and see your first forecast in minutes.

What people are saying about us

Tieshena Davis

CEO, Publish Your Gift®

A true life saver!

I've been trying to find an efficient and simplified way to forecast our cash flow and expenses, this is the complete solution.

Robert Hughes

Owner, Hughes Engineering, PLLC

Extremely useful

Extremely useful, helping me maintain my cash flow through an aggressive growth period, evaluate the financial planning for the future, and sleep better at night.

Cara Curphey

Founder Albion Bookkeeping & Consulting

Peace of mind

Finally found one that works for us! We tried several and finally found one that actually gave us what we needed - great UX, intuitive software, accurate forecasting.

FAQ

It works for any business that runs QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, Xero, Sage Intacct, Odoo, Zoho Books, or FreshBooks, or that can export bank transactions to Excel. The guides above cover the most common cash flow patterns.

The forecast builds from your actual transactions, so it fits any business model. Start with the small business guide, which covers the pattern shared by most companies: money out on a schedule, money in with a delay.

No. You can import bank transactions through Excel and build the forecast from those.

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