A short, private review completed with your own information

Knowing where your money actually stands — before anything else has to happen.

By Dawn Porthouse, MBA, EA

Most business owners check their bank balance when something feels off. This short, private guide helps you separate what is safe to use today from what is already spoken for by taxes, payroll, and upcoming commitments.

The number is real. It is rarely the whole story.

Most service-based owners don’t suffer from a lack of financial reports. You have banking apps, invoicing software, and tax portals.

Yet when looking at the bank account on any given Monday, the real questions remain unanswered:

  • How much of this balance can I safely transfer to personal pay or operations today?
  • How much of this cash is already spoken for by quarterly tax estimates or upcoming contractor invoices?
  • Why does cash feel tight even when recent revenue was steady?

When a deposit lands, it feels reassuring. But without looking closely, project retainers, future tax obligations, and near-term commitments sit pooled together in the exact same balance.

The Cash Review is a straightforward, 6-page guide designed to give you clarity on what is truly available to your business right now—without complex software, budgeting lectures, or sharing your documents with anyone.

A calm look at your current numbers

This free guide walks you through a deliberate, four-step exercise you can complete by hand in roughly 15 minutes:

  • Separating available cash from total cash:Looking at operating, reserve, and separate accounts without letting one combined total hide timing gaps.
  • Making near-term commitments visible:Clarifying payments due before month-end versus the next 30 days—including taxes, payroll, and regular commitments—so timing pressure doesn’t come as a surprise.
  • Distinguishing money collected from revenue earned:Seeing what actually reached your accounts in the last 30 days versus invoices that remain outstanding.
  • Comparing today with 30 days ago:Observing whether balance shifts are driven by the total amount of money or simply the timing of cash movements.
  • A structured five-question reflection:Quiet questions to help you spot patterns across months rather than reacting to balances week by week.

Designed for independent service businesses

This guide was built specifically for owners running service-based companies who want to read their own numbers without becoming accountants:

  • Project & video production operators:Dealing with equipment overhead, contractor payouts, and the uncertainty of quarterly tax reserves.
  • Independent consultants & advisors:Managing the cash lag between sending high-ticket invoices and client payment timing.
  • Creative strategists & solo operators:Navigating uneven project deposits and wanting certainty around what is safe to transfer for owner pay.

Ready to review your cash?

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