Client snapshot: Timber wholesaler, wholesale distribution and construction supply chain · $20M–$25M revenue · 17 employees Focus: Cash flow stabilisation · financial systems · working capital control
If you’re running a growing business and still feel like you’re making payment decisions on the fly, this one’s for you. It’s a good example of how quickly cash flow can spiral out of control and how a structured, no-nonsense approach can bring it back under control within a matter of months.
The result, in a nutshell
- 13-week forward cash flow visibility established across the business
- Full compliance restored across all statutory payment obligations
- Supplier trust rebuilt through consistent, on-time payments
- Leadership-level clarity on weekly cash position and capital allocation
Where they started
This timber wholesaler was trading in the $20M–$25M revenue range with a lean team of just 17 people. Trading activity was strong the issue wasn’t demand, it was control.
Cash flow had become entirely reactive. Every week, payment decisions were made based on whatever felt most urgent that day, rather than any kind of forward plan. The owner, along with operations and finance, was buried in daily cash management essentially firefighting just to keep the business trading without disruption.
Supplier relationships started to suffer as payment timing became unpredictable. Long-standing suppliers who’d worked with the business for years began losing confidence as payments got later and less consistent. On top of that, statutory obligations started slipping too, creating real compliance risk and adding even more pressure on leadership.
Earlier attempts to get on top of it relied on spreadsheets, bookkeeping updates and short-term cash tracking. None of it gave the business a reliable forward view — visibility rarely extended more than a few days out.
The real problem underneath
The underlying issue wasn’t cash pressure itself it was the absence of a structured financial system linking day-to-day operations to actual cash outcomes.
There was no reliable connection between order processing, supplier commitments and cash timing. Financial information was fragmented and inconsistent, which made forward planning next to impossible.
What leadership assumed was simply “cash coming in too slowly” was, in reality, a structural visibility and governance problem. Without clean, controlled data flowing through the order-to-cash and procure-to-pay cycles, any forecast built on top of it was always going to be unreliable.
Left unaddressed, this was heading toward deeper supplier disengagement, growing compliance exposure, and real constraints on trading due to weakened working capital discipline.
What we did
The engagement started with a full mapping of how financial and operational data actually moved through the business order processing, purchasing workflows, supplier payment processes and banking transactions to pinpoint exactly where things were breaking down.
This diagnostic phase uncovered inconsistencies in data flow and approval structures that were undermining any chance of reliable forecasting. Before any forecasting could begin, these inputs needed to be stabilised first.
Financial governance controls were then introduced around order processing, approval hierarchies and banking transactions, so the data feeding the financial system was accurate and consistent.
Once that foundation was solid, forward-looking tools were introduced:
- A 13-week cash flow collection forecast, projecting incoming cash based on realistic timing assumptions
- A 13-week payment forecast, covering statutory obligations, supplier commitments and operational requirements
- Both were then integrated into a unified 13-week rolling cash flow model, giving the business its first genuinely reliable forward view of liquidity
A key call made early in the engagement was to pause broader growth and planning initiatives until cash visibility was stabilised — keeping leadership’s attention on restoring financial control before chasing expansion.
In the founder’s words
For the business owner, the biggest shift was the removal of daily uncertainty around cash availability and payment decisions.
Instead of reacting to whatever financial pressure hit that day, leadership could operate with a genuine forward view across a 13-week horizon. That created space for more deliberate decision-making and took a lot of the operational stress out of the business.
“For the first time, there was real visibility over what was coming. It stopped being a daily scramble and became something we could actually plan around.” — Founder, Timber Wholesaler
Before and after
It took 90 days to get a fully operational cash flow forecast in place.
Before:
- No reliable forward cash visibility beyond a few days
- Supplier payments inconsistent and reactive
- Statutory obligations falling behind schedule
- Leadership stuck in daily cash firefighting mode
After:
- 13-week forward cash flow visibility established and maintained
- Statutory payments brought fully back into compliance
- Supplier payments stabilised and returned to on-time execution
- Leadership aligned on weekly cash position and the key drivers behind it
- Better ability to plan capital allocation with genuine forward clarity
These weren’t quick fixes they came from structural improvements to data flow, governance and forecasting discipline.
What this unlocked
With financial visibility restored, the business shifted from reactive cash management to proper, controlled financial planning. That gave them the ability to:
- Pay suppliers with confidence, rebuilding relationships that had started to fray
- Reduce slow-moving and obsolete stock, which had previously gone largely unmanaged
- Free up the business owner to focus on strategic growth and customer relationships, instead of daily cash oversight
- Ease the pressure on finance and operations teams, enabling much better collaboration between them
Procurement decisions and supplier negotiations could now be made with confidence, backed by a clear picture of future cash availability. That, in turn, meant better working capital management and less avoidable financial strain across the board.
At the leadership level, the owner was able to step back from day-to-day cash oversight and refocus on the bigger operational and strategic priorities. Cash flow management stopped being a constant constraint and became a structured input into decision-making instead.
Does this sound like your business?
- Your business is growing, but cash visibility hasn’t kept pace with operations
- Payment timing feels reactive rather than planned or controlled
- Supplier relationships are being strained by inconsistent payment patterns
- You’ve got financial reporting, but it doesn’t actually support forward decision-making
- You’re relying heavily on gut feel because the numbers aren’t giving you clarity
The next step
If any of that sounds familiar, the first step isn’t a long engagement it’s clarity.
A focused conversation can help pinpoint exactly where cash visibility is breaking down in your business, and what it would take to build a reliable forward view of your financial position.
It’s a no-pressure discussion to assess where things stand and whether a structured forecasting approach makes sense for you.
