Rule No. 20 đź“” Cash Flow Is King.

The Principle: You can have sales. You can have profits. You can have a great business on paper. If you don’t have cash on hand, none of it matters. Know when money is coming in, know when bills are due, and know where your cash is getting tied up or wasted. Keep enough cash on hand to handle a slow month, a bad customer, or a surprise expense. Cash flow isn’t an accounting issue. It’s a survival issue.

Cash flow is king.

The Hard Truth

Profitable businesses go broke every year.

Executive insights 👥 Let me tell you how that played out in my company.

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đź“– the book behind the Rule

Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits!, by Greg Crabtree

Greg strips away the complexity around business finance and gets straight to what matters: building a profitable, financially healthy business. He shows us how to understand our numbers, manage cash flow, price our products and services properly, and make smarter decisions about hiring and growth. His message is simple: you don’t need an accounting degree to run a successful business, but you do need to know your numbers and face the truth they reveal.

Executive Takeaway: Revenue makes headlines. Profit builds the business. Cash keeps it alive. Know your numbers, manage your cash, and never confuse growth with financial health.

“Profit is a theory. Cash is a fact.”

—Greg Crabtree


Financial Tech Lab by Clara CFO Group:
Interview with Simple Numbers Straight Talk Author – Greg Crabtree

Profitable businesses go broke every year. Not because they weren’t making money, but because they ran out of cash while waiting for the money to show up. Revenue on paper means nothing if the bills are due today. A customer can owe you $100k and you can still be unable to make payroll tomorrow. Profit is important. Cash keeps the doors open. Manage cash flow like your business depends on it —because it does.

🎓 MASTER Rule No. 20 —Cash flow is king.

  • When to Apply | Red Flags
  • Rule Overview
  • Ask the Right Questions
  • Contrarian View
  • Actionable Strategies
  • Real World Scenarios
  • Leadership Team Discussion
  • Rules to Results Workshop
  • The Right Track | Green Flags
  • Key Terms
  • Book Summary
  • Author Links
  • Executive Insights
  • Worth Watching
  • Related Reading

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