Cash Flow Management Course

Lesson 1 • Cash Flow vs. Profit Explained

Defines cash flow and profit as distinct financial metrics and explains why a profitable business can still fail. Establishes the conceptual baseline for the entire course.

Lesson 2 • The Cash Flow Cycle

Maps the movement of cash through operating, investing, and financing activities. Students trace how each cycle phase affects available liquidity.

Lesson 3 • Stakeholders and Cash Flow Decisions

Identifies who uses cash flow data and how each stakeholder group interprets it differently. Connects cash flow literacy to real decision-making contexts.

Lesson 1 • Analyzing Operating Cash Flow Quality

Teaches how to assess whether operating cash flow is sustainable and reflects true business performance. Students identify earnings quality issues and manipulation signals.

Lesson 2 • Red Flags and Warning Signs

Identifies patterns in cash flow statements that signal financial distress or aggressive accounting. Students apply a diagnostic checklist to real statement examples.

Lesson 3 • Comparative and Trend Analysis

Applies multi-period comparison techniques to reveal cash flow trends and turning points. Students build a trend analysis framework usable in any business context.

Lesson 4 • Structure of the Cash Flow Statement

Breaks down the three-section format of a standard cash flow statement and explains each section's purpose. Provides the structural map students use for all subsequent analysis.

Lesson 1 • Data Inputs and Sources

Identifies the internal and external data sources required to build an accurate forecast. Students evaluate data reliability and adjust for known biases.

Lesson 2 • Building a 13-Week Cash Forecast

Guides students through constructing a rolling 13-week cash forecast, the standard short-term tool. Each row and column is built step by step with real data logic.

Lesson 3 • Forecasting Principles and Horizons

Establishes the logic of cash flow forecasting and defines short-, medium-, and long-term horizons. Students select the appropriate horizon based on business context.

Lesson 4 • Assumptions and Sensitivity Testing

Teaches how to document forecast assumptions and test their impact on projected outcomes. Students build sensitivity tables that reveal forecast vulnerability.

Lesson 1 • Extending Accounts Payable Strategically

Teaches how to negotiate favorable payment terms with suppliers without damaging relationships. Students balance payable extension against early payment discount value.

Lesson 2 • Accelerating Accounts Receivable

Presents strategies to shorten collection cycles and reduce days sales outstanding. Students design a receivables acceleration plan tailored to their business model.

Lesson 3 • Working Capital Components Deep Dive

Examines receivables, inventory, and payables as the three primary working capital levers. Students quantify each component's contribution to the cash conversion cycle.

Lesson 4 • Measuring Working Capital Efficiency

Introduces key ratios and dashboards to monitor working capital performance over time. Students build a working capital scorecard linked to cash flow outcomes.

Lesson 1 • Seasonal and Cyclical Cash Planning

Addresses cash flow volatility caused by seasonal demand patterns and economic cycles. Students build a seasonal cash plan with pre-arranged liquidity buffers.

Lesson 2 • Integrating the Cash Budget into Governance

Embeds the cash budget into monthly management reporting and board-level oversight processes. Students design a cash budget review cadence with clear escalation rules.

Lesson 3 • Cash Reserves and Minimum Balance Policy

Establishes the rationale for holding a cash reserve and methods for sizing it appropriately. Students set a minimum cash balance policy aligned with their risk tolerance.

Lesson 4 • Linking the Operating Budget to Cash

Shows how revenue and expense budgets translate into cash inflows and outflows with timing lags. Students convert an accrual-based operating budget into a cash-based plan.

Lesson 1 • Short-Term Financing Instruments

Surveys revolving credit facilities, overdrafts, trade credit, and short-term loans as gap-filling tools. Students evaluate each instrument's cost, flexibility, and suitability.

Lesson 2 • Long-Term Financing for Growth Cash Needs

Covers term loans, equity raises, and hybrid instruments used to fund sustained cash investment. Students align financing tenor with the cash flow profile of the investment.

Lesson 3 • Asset-Based Financing Options

Explores receivables factoring, invoice discounting, and inventory financing as asset-backed solutions. Students calculate the effective cost and liquidity benefit of each option.

Lesson 4 • Financing Cost and Risk Trade-offs

Builds a decision framework for comparing financing options on cost, risk, and strategic fit. Students produce a financing recommendation supported by quantitative analysis.

Lesson 1 • Recognizing a Cash Crisis Early

Identifies the leading indicators of an approaching cash crisis before it becomes unmanageable. Students build an early warning dashboard with defined trigger thresholds.

Lesson 2 • Stakeholder Communication in a Crisis

Teaches how to communicate transparently with lenders, suppliers, and employees during a cash crisis. Students draft a creditor communication plan that preserves trust and buys time.

Lesson 3 • Building a Turnaround Cash Plan

Guides students through creating a 13-week turnaround cash plan with milestones and accountability. The plan integrates preservation tactics, financing, and operational recovery steps.

Lesson 4 • Restructuring Cash Obligations

Covers debt restructuring, payment deferrals, and covenant waivers as tools to reduce near-term cash pressure. Students model the cash impact of restructuring scenarios.

Lesson 1 • Optimizing the Cash Flow Structure

Identifies structural changes to business model, pricing, and contracts that permanently improve cash flow. Students redesign one business process to generate a measurable cash flow gain.

Lesson 2 • Building a Cash Flow Resilience Strategy

Designs a multi-layered resilience strategy combining reserves, credit facilities, and diversified revenue. Students produce a resilience scorecard with measurable liquidity targets.

Lesson 3 • Capital Allocation and Cash Deployment

Establishes a disciplined framework for deciding how to deploy surplus cash across competing uses. Students rank capital allocation options using return and risk criteria.

Lesson 4 • Cash Flow and Business Valuation

Connects cash flow projections to discounted cash flow valuation and enterprise value. Students build a simplified valuation model driven by cash flow assumptions.