What is a 13-week cash flow runway for a small business in Los Angeles, CA?

It is a week-by-week projection of beginning cash, money you will actually collect, and money that must leave the account — payroll, rent, insurance, vendors — over the next 13 weeks. Runway is how many weeks you can operate before cash hits your minimum cushion. It is not a P&L and it is not last January’s budget.

How is burn rate different from runway?

Burn rate is how fast cash leaves net of inflows, usually expressed per week or per month. Runway is beginning cash (minus a cushion) divided by that burn. In Los Angeles, CA, high labor and occupancy mean a firm can look profitable on the P&L and still have a four-week runway.

When does this simulator say I hit a cash crunch?

The first week ending cash falls below the minimum cushion you set — or below zero. The cushion exists because payroll, sales tax, and occupancy in Los Angeles do not wait until the account is empty.

Is this tool for HVAC or another industry?

No. Key Forecasts does not target a single industry. This simulator is for small businesses in Los Angeles, CA. Use your real collections and expenses, whatever you sell.

Does the simulator send my numbers to Key Forecasts?

No. The math runs in your browser. Nothing is posted to our servers unless you copy figures into the contact form yourself.

Why 13 weeks instead of a 12-month forecast?

Thirteen weeks is long enough to see payroll risk in Los Angeles, CA and short enough that collections estimates can still be honest. We still build a 12-month outlook for hiring and leases. This tool is the working 13-week layer.

Is a static spreadsheet the same as cash forecasting?

No. A file you built once is a snapshot. Dynamic cash forecasting means you update inflows when a customer pays late and expenses when you add a person. This simulator shows why the update matters: one slow week moves the crunch date.

Can I use this instead of a fractional controller?

Use it to see the question. A controller-built model uses your bank, aging, fully burdened payroll, and California tax timing. If the sketch shows a crunch inside eight weeks, book a strategy session.

Tool · Small businesses in Los Angeles, CA

13-week cash flow runway and burn rate simulator.

Enter beginning cash, projected weekly inflows, and weekly operating expenses. The simulator shows weekly ending cash, burn rate, runway to your cushion, and the first week you may hit a cash crunch. It is for small businesses in Los Angeles, CA — not a single industry. It is a sketch that makes the case for a rolling forecast, not a substitute for one built from your books.

Cash crunch: week 9. The account goes negative (-$1,500) if these numbers hold.

Weekly burn: $5,500
Monthly burn: $23,833
Runway to cushion: 5.1 weeks
Week 13 ending cash: -$23,500

Copper dashed line is your minimum cash cushion. Dots turn copper when you breach it.

Thirteen-week cash calendar

Week	In	Out	Net	Ending cash
1	$24,000	$29,500	-$5,500	$42,500
2	$24,000	$29,500	-$5,500	$37,000
3	$24,000	$29,500	-$5,500	$31,500
4	$24,000	$29,500	-$5,500	$26,000
5	$24,000	$29,500	-$5,500	$20,500
6	$24,000	$29,500	-$5,500	$15,000
7	$24,000	$29,500	-$5,500	$9,500
8	$24,000	$29,500	-$5,500	$4,000
9	$24,000	$29,500	-$5,500	-$1,500
10	$24,000	$29,500	-$5,500	-$7,000
11	$24,000	$29,500	-$5,500	-$12,500
12	$24,000	$29,500	-$5,500	-$18,000
13	$24,000	$29,500	-$5,500	-$23,500

Educational only. Not tax, legal, or investment advice. Not a client engagement. How we build a live 13-week cash forecast · Method guide.

Why a static cash number is not a forecast

The bank balance is a fact about yesterday. A 13-week cash flow forecast is a calendar of what will hit the account next — including slow collections that are common for small businesses in Los Angeles, CA, and payroll that does not flex when a customer pays in 47 days. If week 4 inflows drop and week 6 has a lump expense, the crunch date moves. That is dynamic forecasting. This tool exists so you can feel that move before you hire, lease, or take a deposit-heavy job.

Who this is for

Owners of small businesses in Los Angeles, CA, typically about $500k to $5M+ in revenue, who can fill in cash, collections, and weekly costs. We do not specialize in HVAC, construction, or any other vertical. If the sketch shows a crunch inside two months, the next step is a controller-built model, not another industry template.

Questions owners ask about cash runway

If the crunch is inside eight weeks, do not wait for a prettier spreadsheet.

Book a strategy session. We will tell you whether the books can support a real 13-week forecast this month — for a small business in Los Angeles, CA.

Book your strategy session

13-week cash flow runway and burn rate simulator.

13-week cash flow runway & burn rate

Why a static cash number is not a forecast

Who this is for

Questions owners ask about cash runway

If the crunch is inside eight weeks, do not wait for a prettier spreadsheet.