Cash Flow Emergency (30 Days of Runway Left): The Triage Protocol for Operators at $70K–$90K/Year
At $76K/month with only 28 days of runway, it’s not a revenue crisis—it’s a timing crisis. You have 30 days to accelerate collections, cut burn, and extend runway to 120+ days. Now.
The Executive Summary
Operators at $70K–$90K/month who hit 28–30 days of cash runway and treat it as a temporary squeeze instead of an emergency risk waking up to payroll they can’t cover; a 30-day runway protocol buys 120+ days of survival and negotiation power.
Who this is for: Founders and operators doing $70K–$90K/month with only 28–60 days of runway, no meaningful reserves or credit line, and cash timing problems where invoices look fine on paper but the bank balance says otherwise.
The Cash Flow Emergency Problem: When runway drops under 60 days and you delay action past the 7–14 day window, you lose leverage with vendors, accept worse terms, and turn a timing crisis into layoffs, forced discounting, or shutting down a healthy revenue engine because cash simply arrived too late.
What you’ll learn: A 30-Day Cash Runway Extension Protocol that starts with a 60-minute triage, then runs Week 1 emergency cash acceleration, Week 2 systematic collection upgrades, Week 3 structural expense optimization, and Week 4 prevention architecture using tools like weekly cash reviews, a 90-day rolling forecast, and the Five Numbers plus 3% Lever frameworks.
What changes if you apply it: You move from staring at 28 days of cash in the account and guessing which bills to skip, to accelerating $40K+ in receivables, cutting $4K–$6K in monthly burn, renegotiating vendor timing, and extending runway past 120 days so decisions are made from strategy instead of panic.
Time to implement: Expect 7 days to stop the bleeding, 30 days to extend runway from roughly 30 days to 120+ days, and a follow-on 10 hours of setup to lock in weekly reviews, forecasting, and reserves so a Level 9–10 cash scare doesn’t repeat.
Written by Nour Boustani for $70K–$90K/month operators who want to turn a 30-day cash crunch into a 120-day runway without killing growth or burning relationships with clients and vendors.
At 28 days of runway, the danger isn’t revenue — it’s timing and inaction. Upgrade to premium and turn this 30-day window into a 120-day runway.
The 30 Days That Determine Survival
When runway drops toward 30 days, you’re no longer dealing with “cash flow management” — you’re in survival math. Use this snapshot to see exactly how much time you have and which levers to pull first.
Cash Flow Severity Scale:
Level 9-10 (Critical):
Cash runway under 30 days
Revenue is positive, but payment timing is broken
No credit line or reserves
Action window: 7 days for emergency measures
Level 6-8 (Severe):
Cash runway 30-60 days
Payment delays accumulating
Limited reserves
Action window: 14 days for correction
Level 4-5 (Warning):
Cash runway 60-90 days
Payment terms extending
Action window: 30 days for prevention
Every day you delay costs you negotiating power with vendors and increases panic decisions. A Level 6 becomes a Level 7 if you wait. Level 7 becomes Level 8. Cash crises compound daily.
Four Cash Flow Crisis Types:
Payment Timing Mismatch
Revenue growing, but collections slow?
Are extended payment terms killing cash?
This is you.
Expense Acceleration
Costs increased faster than revenue?
New hires or tools before revenue materialized?
This is you.
Seasonal Revenue Gap
Predictable slow period but insufficient reserves?
Annual expenses hitting during low revenue?
This is you.
Growth Investment Drain
Invested heavily in growth before payoff?
Marketing or hiring ahead of revenue?
This is you.
Your crisis type determines whether you fix collections, expenses, or both.
In the Next 60 Minutes:
Calculate the exact runway (15 minutes): Bank balance divided by the daily burn rate equals the days of survival
List all receivables (20 minutes): Every dollar owed to you with payment dates
Identify immediate cuts (25 minutes): Which expenses can you pause today
Do these now. Then return for the full protocol.
The 30-Day Cash Runway Extension Protocol
You’re not fixing cash flow permanently in 30 days. You’re buying time to fix the underlying structure. Goal: 28 days of runway becomes 120+ days.
Week 1 (Days 1-7): Emergency cash acceleration
Collect receivables immediately
Cut all non-essential expenses
Negotiate payment extensions
Week 2 (Days 8-14): Systematic collection improvement
Implement faster invoicing
Add payment terms and incentives
Build a cash flow forecast
Week 3 (Days 15-21): Structural expense optimization
Renegotiate vendor terms
Optimize recurring costs
Build cash reserves protocol
Week 4 (Days 22-30): Prevention architecture
Install early warning systems
Create cash flow forecasting
Build a 90-day cushion plan
After 30 days, you’ll have a runway extended to 120+ days, collections accelerated, and prevention systems active.
Days 1-7: Emergency Cash Acceleration
Day 1: Receivables Acceleration (8 hours)
List all outstanding invoices (2 hours)
Invoice 1:
- Client: ______
- Amount: $______
- Due: ______
- Days overdue: ____
Invoice 2:
- Client: ______
- Amount: $______
- Due: ______
- Days overdue: ____
Invoice 3:
- Client: ______
- Amount: $______
- Due: ______
- Days overdue: ____
Invoice 4:
- Client: ______
- Amount: $______
- Due: ______
- Days overdue: ____
Invoice 5:
- Client: ______
- Amount: $______
- Due: ______
- Days overdue: ____
- Total outstanding: $______
- Overdue (past net terms): $______
- Due this week: $______
- Due next 2 weeks: $______
---
Call every client with an outstanding invoice (4 hours)
Script:
“Hi [Name], checking on invoice #[X] for $[amount] due [date]. Can we get that processed this week? I can send another copy if helpful.”
Client 1
- Called: ______
- Committed to pay: ______
- Amount: $______
Client 2
- Called: ______
- Committed to pay: ______
- Amount: $______
Client 3
- Called: ______
- Committed to pay: ______
- Amount: $______
Client 4
- Called: ______
- Committed to pay: ______
- Amount: $______
Client 5
- Called: ______
- Committed to pay: ______
- Amount: $______
- Expected collections this week: $______
---
Offer an early payment discount (1 hour)
Email template:
“Hi [Name], if you can process payment this week instead of [due date], I can offer 3% discount. Invoice #[X] would be $[discounted amount] instead of $[full amount]. Let me know by end of day.”
- Discount offered to: ______ clients
- Accepted: ______ clients
- Accelerated cash: $______Day 2: Expense Emergency Cuts (6 hours)
List every expense (2 hours)
Fixed Monthly:
- Software/tools: $______
- Office/space: $______
- Team/contractors: $______
- Insurance: $______
- Other fixed: $______
- Total fixed: $______
Variable Monthly:
- Marketing: $______
- Professional services: $______
- Equipment/supplies: $______
- Other variable: $______
- Total variable: $______
- Total monthly burn: $______
- Daily burn rate: $______ (monthly ÷ 30)
---
Identify immediate cuts (2 hours)
Pause immediately (this week):
- Marketing spend: $______ savings
- Optional tools: $______ savings
- Consulting/services: $______ savings
- Discretionary: $______ savings
- Total cuts: $______
- New monthly burn: $______
- New daily burn: $______
---
Negotiate vendor payment extensions (2 hours)
Vendor 1
- Name: ______
- Owed: $______
- Due: ______
- Extended to: ______
Vendor 2
- Name: ______
- Owed: $______
- Due: ______
- Extended to: ______
Vendor 3
- Name: ______
- Owed: $______
- Due: ______
- Extended to: ______
- Cash preserved: $______Day 3: Updated Runway Calculation (4 hours)
Calculate new runway (1 hour)
- Bank balance today: $______
- Expected collections (Days 1–7): $______
- New daily burn: $______
- Available cash: $______
- Daily burn: $______
- New runway: ______ days (cash ÷ daily burn)
- Target: 120+ days
- Gap: ______ days
---
Build 7-day cash flow forecast (2 hours)
Day 1
- Starting balance: $______
- Collections: $______
- Expenses: $______
- Ending balance: $______
Day 2
- Starting balance: $______
- Collections: $______
- Expenses: $______
- Ending balance: $______
Day 3
- Starting balance: $______
- Collections: $______
- Expenses: $______
- Ending balance: $______
Day 4
- Starting balance: $______
- Collections: $______
- Expenses: $______
- Ending balance: $______
Day 5
- Starting balance: $______
- Collections: $______
- Expenses: $______
- Ending balance: $______
Day 6
- Starting balance: $______
- Collections: $______
- Expenses: $______
- Ending balance: $______
Day 7
- Starting balance: $______
- Collections: $______
- Expenses: $______
- Ending balance: $______
- End of Week 1 projected balance: $______
---
Identify Week 2 collection targets (1 hour)
- Additional invoices to accelerate: $______
- Payment plan conversations needed: ______ clients
- New invoicing to send: $______Days 4-7: Collection Sprint Execution
Daily collection calls (2 hours per day)
- Calls made (today): ______
- Commitments received (today): ______
- Payments received (today): $______
- Running total Week 1 collections: $______
---
Send new invoices immediately (1 hour per day)
- Work completed but not invoiced: $______
- Invoices sent (today): ______
- Payment terms: Net ______ (shorter than usual)
---
Daily cash position review (30 minutes per day)
- Balance this morning: $______
- Collections today: $______
- Expenses today: $______
- Balance tonight: $______
- Runway: ______ daysWeek 1 Results:
- Collections accelerated: $______
- Expenses cut: $______ monthly
- Runway extended from 28 to: ______ days
- On track for 120-day target: Yes / NoDays 8-14: Systematic Collection Improvement
Faster Invoicing Implementation:
Same-day invoicing rule (Day 8)
- Old process: Invoice ______ days after delivery
- New process: Invoice within 24 hours of delivery
- Impact: Accelerates cash by ______ days
- Monthly improvement: $______
---
Payment terms reduction (Day 9)
- Old terms: Net ______
- New terms: Net ______ (reduce by 50%)
- New client communication:
“Standard payment terms are Net [X]. Let me know if you need to discuss.”
- Expected acceleration: ______ days faster payment
---
Upfront payment for new projects (Day 10)
- Old structure: Bill after delivery
- New structure: 50% upfront, 50% on delivery
- Next 3 projects upfront: $______
---
Payment Incentives
Early payment discount structure (Day 11)
- Pay within 7 days: 3% discount
- Pay within 14 days: 2% discount
- Pay Net 30: Full price
- Client communication sent: Yes / No
- Adoption rate: ______ %
---
Late payment consequences (Day 12)
- After Net 30: 2% monthly interest
- After 60 days: Service pause until current
- Policy communicated: Yes / No
---
Cash Flow Forecasting
Build 90-day rolling forecast (Days 13–14)
Week 1–4 forecast:
- Expected collections: $______
- Confirmed expenses: $______
- Net position: $______
Week 5–8 forecast:
- Expected collections: $______
- Confirmed expenses: $______
- Net position: $______
Week 9–12 forecast:
- Expected collections: $______
- Confirmed expenses: $______
- Net position: $______
- End of 90 days projected balance: $______
- Projected runway at Day 90: ______ daysWeek 2 Results:
New invoicing speed: Within ______ hours
Payment terms: Net ______
Upfront payments secured: $______
Runway: ______ days
---
Days 15–21: Structural Expense Optimization
Vendor Renegotiation:
Software costs (Day 15–16)
- Current monthly: $______
- Renegotiation targets:
- Vendor 1: $______ → $______ (annual pre-pay discount)
- Vendor 2: $______ → $______ (downgrade plan)
- Vendor 3: $______ → $______ (eliminate)
- Total savings: $______ monthly
Service provider terms (Day 17–18)
- Current: Pay on delivery
- New request: Net 30 or Net 45 terms
Provider 1: ______
- New terms: ______
Provider 2: ______
- New terms: ______
Provider 3: ______
- New terms: ______
- Cash flow improvement: ______ days
---
Recurring Cost Audit:
Eliminate redundancy (Day 19)
- Tool 1 + Tool 2 = Same function
- Eliminate: ______
- Save: $______
- Tool 3 + Tool 4 = Same function
- Eliminate: ______
- Save: $______
- Total savings: $______ monthly
Usage-based optimization (Day 20)
- Underutilized subscriptions:
Service 1
- Paying for: ______
- Using: ______
- Downgrade save: $______
Service 2
- Paying for: ______
- Using: ______
- Downgrade save: $______
- Total savings: $______ monthly
---
Cash Reserve Protocol:
Build reserve target (Day 21)
- Monthly burn: $______
- Target reserve: $______ (3× monthly burn)
- Current reserve: $______
- Gap: $______
- Monthly contribution: $______
- Timeline to target: ______ months Week 3 Results:
- Vendor costs reduced: $______ monthly
- Payment terms extended: ______ days
- Reserve building started: Yes / No
- Runway: ______ daysDays 22-30: Prevention Architecture
Early Warning System:
Weekly cash review ritual (Day 22–23)
Every Monday morning (30 minutes):
- Current balance
- This week’s expected collections
- This week’s planned expenses
- Projected end-of-week balance
- Current runway in days
- Warning threshold: Runway drops below ______ days
- Action trigger: Immediate collection acceleration
---
Receivables aging report (Day 24–25)
Generated every Friday:
- Current (0–30 days): $______
- 31–60 days: $______
- 61–90 days: $______
- 90+ days: $______
- Action threshold: Any invoice over 45 days gets a personal call
---
Cash Flow Forecasting Automation:
90-day rolling forecast (Day 26–27)
- Updated every Monday
- Shows: Collections expected, expenses confirmed, net position
- Forecast tool: ______
- Review frequency: Weekly
Flags:
- Red: Runway forecast drops below 90 days
- Yellow: Runway forecast 90–120 days
- Green: Runway forecast 120+ days
---
Framework Integration:
The Five Numbers (Day 28–29) - https://clrdg.link/five-numbers
- Metric 1: Days of cash runway (daily)
- Metric 2: Receivables aging (weekly)
- Metric 3: Collection cycle time (weekly)
- Metric 4: Monthly burn rate (weekly)
- Metric 5: Cash flow forecast accuracy (monthly)
---
Prevention protocols (Day 30)
Build into operations:
- Same-day invoicing (standard)
- Upfront payments (new projects)
- Weekly cash review (calendar)
- Monthly reserve contribution (auto-transfer) Week 4 Results:
Early warning system: Active (Yes / No)
Cash forecasting: Automated (Yes / No)
Framework integrated: Yes / No
Final runway: _ days (Target: 120+)
Omar ran this protocol when his $76K monthly revenue business hit 28 days of runway. Revenue was growing, but payment terms had extended from Net 30 to Net 45-60 as he took on larger clients. Cash timing was broken.
His 30-Day Execution:
Week 1: Called every client with outstanding invoices ($68K total). Offered 3% early payment discount. Collected $41K in 7 days (normally would take 45+ days). Cut $4.2K in paused expenses. Runway: 28 → 47 days.
Week 2: Implemented same-day invoicing. Changed payment terms to Net 15 for new clients with 3% discount for 7-day payment. Secured $12K upfront on 2 new projects. Runway: 47 → 68 days.
Week 3: Renegotiated software costs (saved $1.8K monthly). Extended vendor payment terms to Net 45 (preserved $6K cash). Eliminated redundant tools (saved $900 monthly). Runway: 68 → 94 days.
Week 4: Built a weekly cash review ritual. Automated 90-day forecast. Started $3K monthly reserve contribution. Implemented The Five Numbers tracking. Final runway: 121 days.
Timeline: 7 days to stop the bleeding, 30 days to extend runway from 28 to 121 days, and for prevention systems to be operational.
The Prevention Architecture
Cash flow crises are 50X more expensive to fix than to prevent.
Prevention cost: $100 monthly (weekly cash review, 30 minutes). Recovery from Omar’s crisis: 60 emergency hours over 30 days, $41K in discounts given to accelerate payment, stress, and panic.
Build prevention now before you hit 30 days of runway again.
Critical Metric: Days of Cash Runway
Track every Monday morning (5 minutes):
Current bank balance: $_
Daily burn rate: $_
Days of runway: _ (balance divided by daily burn)
Warning levels:
Green (Safe): 120+ days
Yellow (Warning): 90-120 days
Orange (Concern): 60-90 days
Red (Critical): Under 60 days
Action protocols:
If Yellow (90-120 days): Accelerate the next 2 weeks of collections. Review and reduce non-essential expenses by 10-15%.
If Orange (60-90 days): Emergency collection sprint. Call all outstanding invoices. Offer early payment incentives. Cut expenses by 20-25%.
If Red (Under 60 days): Full cash crisis protocol. Daily collection calls. Pause all non-essential expenses. Negotiate vendor extensions. Weekend work if needed.
Review frequency: Every Monday morning, 5 minutes
Framework Integration:
The Five Numbers tracks cash runway as the primary metric. Weekly review prevents a crisis before it starts. Link:
The 3% Lever shows how small payment term changes create a massive cash impact. Net 15 vs Net 45 = 30 days faster cash flow.
Build prevention:
Start: Weekly cash review this Monday (30 minutes setup, 5 minutes weekly)
Add: 90-day cash forecast (update every Monday)
Maintain: Monthly reserve contribution (automatic transfer)
Timeline: 30 days to cash-proof operations. Cost: 10 hours total. Value: Never panic at 28 days’ runway again.
The cash crisis that hit Omar cost 60 emergency hours plus $41K in payment acceleration discounts. Prevention would’ve cost 2 hours monthly. That’s 30X cheaper to prevent.
Track the runway. Forecast the cash. Build the reserves. Never operate from panic again.
Emergency Communication Scripts
Script 1: Client Payment Acceleration
Call approach:
“Hi [Name], checking on invoice #[X] for $[amount] due [date]. Can we get that processed this week? Happy to send another copy if needed.”
If they say yes: “Perfect. I’ll send a fresh copy now. Can you confirm when the payment will be processed?”
If they say they need more time: “I understand. What if I offer 3% discount for payment this week? Invoice would be $[discounted amount] instead of $[full amount]. That work?”
If they’re having cash issues: “Got it. Would a payment plan help? $[amount] this week, $[amount] next week?”
Key principle: Direct ask, offer incentive, provide flexibility if needed. Get commitment to a specific date.
Script 2: Vendor Payment Extension
Email approach:
Subject: Payment Schedule Adjustment Request
Hi [Name],
I wanted to reach out about invoice #[X] for $[amount] due [date].
We’re adjusting our payment schedules, and I’d like to request that this be extended to [new date, 30-45 days later].
This is a one-time request to align our payment cycles. All future invoices will be on your standard terms.
Can you accommodate this?
Thanks, [Your Name]
Key principle: Respectful, specific new date; reassure it’s temporary; maintain the relationship.
Script 3: New Client Payment Terms
In a proposal or contract:
Payment Terms:
50% due upon project start (before work begins)
50% due upon delivery
Early payment discount: 3% if paid within 7 days
Standard terms: Net 15
Why this works:
Upfront payment protects cash flow
Fast payment incentive accelerates collections
Net 15 prevents extended terms drift
FAQ: 30-Day Cash Runway Extension System
Q: How do I know when a cash flow crunch is a 30-day runway emergency instead of a normal timing squeeze?
A: If you’re doing $70K–$90K/month with only 28–60 days of runway, no real reserves or credit line, and cash timing (not revenue) is the problem, you’re already in a Level 6–10 cash flow emergency and have 7–14 days to act before you lose leverage and are forced into layoffs or deep discounting.
Q: How do I use the 30-Day Cash Runway Extension Protocol with its four weeks before payroll or vendors become unmanageable?
A: In 30 days you run Week 1 emergency cash acceleration, Week 2 systematic collections upgrades, Week 3 structural expense optimization, and Week 4 prevention architecture so 28 days of runway becomes 120+ days by accelerating $40K+ in receivables, cutting $4K–$6K in monthly burn, and installing weekly cash reviews plus a 90-day rolling forecast.
Q: How do I use the 30-Day Cash Flow Emergency System with its 60-minute triage before I decide which bills to skip?
A: In the first 60 minutes you calculate exact runway (bank balance ÷ daily burn), list all receivables with due dates, and identify immediate cuts, so you know whether you’re at Level 4–5 (60–90 days), Level 6–8 (30–60 days), or Level 9–10 (under 30 days) and can pull the right mix of collection, expense, and negotiation levers in the next 7–14 days.
Q: What happens if I delay action past the 7–14 day window once runway drops under 60 days?
A: Every week you wait at 30–60 days of runway erodes negotiating power, pushes you from Level 6 to Level 7–8, and turns a timing crisis into layoffs, forced discounting, or shutting down a healthy $70K–$90K/month revenue engine simply because cash kept arriving 30–60 days too late.
Q: How do I run Week 1 of the protocol to quickly extend runway from around 28 days toward 40–50+ days?
A: In Days 1–3 you list all outstanding invoices, call every client, offer 3% early-payment discounts, and cut non-essential expenses while negotiating vendor extensions, then in Days 4–7 you keep making daily collection calls, send same-week invoices, and review cash daily so you can replicate Omar’s move from 28 to 47 days of runway in 7 days.
Q: How much runway can I realistically gain in 30 days using this system if I start at 28 days like Omar?
A: Omar accelerated $41K of a $68K receivables pile in Week 1, cut $4.2K/month in expenses, secured $12K upfront in Week 2, shaved $1.8K/month from software and preserved $6K in Week 3, then added a $3K monthly reserve in Week 4 and moved from 28 days of runway to 121 days in 30 days.
Q: How do I decide whether to focus on fixing collections, cutting expenses, or both during a 30-day cash crisis?
A: Identify your crisis type—Payment Timing Mismatch, Expense Acceleration, Seasonal Revenue Gap, or Growth Investment Drain—then use that to decide whether to prioritize receivables acceleration (calls, discounts, terms), structural cuts and renegotiations, or a combination, guided by the Cash Flow Severity Scale levels and their 7–30 day action windows.
Q: How do I install the prevention architecture so I don’t hit 30 days of runway again at $70K–$90K/month?
A: In Week 4 you set a weekly 30-minute Monday cash review, build and update a 90-day rolling forecast, track Days of Cash Runway as your primary Five Numbers metric, implement same-day invoicing, upfront payments, and a monthly reserve contribution so you keep runway in the 120+ day green zone instead of sliding back into sub-60-day red.
Q: How do I use The Five Numbers and 3% Lever frameworks to keep cash timing from silently drifting into crisis?
A: You track days of cash runway, receivables aging, collection cycle time, monthly burn, and forecast accuracy weekly while using the 3% Lever to tweak payment terms and incentives (like early-payment discounts or Net 15 vs Net 45) so small changes in terms compound into 30 days faster cash flow without cutting healthy growth investments.
Q: Why do 30-day cash flow emergencies keep blindsiding founders even when revenue is strong, like $76K/month in Omar’s case?
A: Because they treat extended terms—from Net 30 to Net 45–60—plus slow invoicing and loose expense creep as minor admin issues instead of a Level 9–10 timing crisis, so they only react when runway hits 28–30 days and payroll is at risk instead of using weekly reviews and forecasting to act while they still have 90–120 days of cushion.
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What this prevents: Hitting 28 days of runway at $76K/month and scrambling through a $41K discount-fueled cash crisis.
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