Cash Flow Habits That Work

If you run a small business, cash flow is the part you feel in your gut. This guide gives you three simple cash flow habits that busy owners actually keep. No fancy tools. Just accurate accounting, clear routines, and a weekly rhythm you can do in minutes.

Why habits beat hacks

Most owners do cash flow in bursts. Big push. Then silence. Habits fix that. When your accounting services for small business focus on a few repeatable moves, you collect faster, you pay on time, and your bank and credit card reconciliations stay clean. The result is real control, not noise.

The 3-part weekly rhythm

These are the same habits we set up with clients during QuickBooks training and Colorado QuickBooks consulting services. They work for contractors, trades, shops, and service teams.

1) Friday Cash Check: 10 minutes

Goal: Know where you stand before the weekend.

• Open your bank feed and credit card feed. Confirm everything is categorized and reconciled for the week.
• Scan your Profit and Loss and Balance Sheet. You are not diagnosing, just looking for anything odd.
• Peek at Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable. Who owes you. Who you owe.

What “good” looks like:

• Undeposited Funds is empty or close to zero.
• No uncategorized expense pile.
• Reconciliations up to the statement date.

This habit powers accurate accounting. It also makes Monday lighter because the data is ready.

2) Monday Morning Invoices: 15 minutes

Goal: Send invoices when customers are most responsive.

• Batch invoices by 10 a.m. with quick payment options.
• Add a plain-language line item note if work is still fresh in the client’s mind.
• For progress billing or job costing, keep descriptions consistent from estimate to invoice so Accounts Receivable automation stays clean.

Copy you can use:
“Hi [First Name], here is the invoice for the [project/service] completed on [date]. You can pay securely by card or bank transfer using the link in the invoice. Thank you for choosing us.”

Pro tip: Keep your item names simple. Owners read fast. Your bookkeeper and CPA will thank you at tax time.

3) Thursday Follow-Ups: 10 minutes

Goal: Collect politely and consistently.

• Filter open invoices by oldest first.
• Send three messages: friendly reminder, second reminder, final past-due note.
• Log each touch so your weekly pattern continues without thinking.

Three-line template:

1. “Hi [First Name], quick reminder about Invoice #[number] for [amount].”
2. “Here is the payment link again. Please let me know if you see anything that needs fixing.”
3. “Thank you in advance. I appreciate the quick reply.”

This is accounts receivable automation without extra software. It is a habit, not a chase.

Owner scorecard to keep you honest

Print this and tape it near your desk. Check boxes once a week.

• Friday Cash Check done
• Monday invoices sent by 10 a.m.
• Thursday follow-ups sent
• Bank and credit card reconciliations current
• AR total under [your target]
• AP total scheduled with approval

If you run a trades business, add job costing notes. Ten minutes a week is enough to see which jobs make money.

What to stop doing

• Stop waiting for month end to look at cash.
• Stop sending invoices at random times.
• Stop writing long past-due emails. Short messages work better.
• Stop letting Undeposited Funds grow. Make deposits match the bank.
• Stop relying only on your CPA in April. Good bookkeeping makes tax time boring.

Simple tools that help

You do not need new software to get results. If you already have QuickBooks Online and a basic payments tool, you are ready. Keep everything in one place, keep your chart of accounts tidy, and use classes or tags only if you will actually read the reports.

If you need a primer on cash flow basics for small businesses, the SBA has a clear overview you can bookmark. It pairs well with the habits above. Small Business Administration: Manage your finances

For trades and service teams

Electricians, plumbers, HVAC, and other field service teams can plug these habits into the week without slowing crews down.

• Before crews roll out Monday: invoices ready from last week’s completed work.
• Midweek check: unpaid estimates converted to invoices.
• Thursday follow-ups: priority to long-outstanding service calls.

Tie this to a short weekly huddle. Five minutes. One number each: AR, AP, cash on hand. That is small business bookkeeping that helps you decide, not guess.

Common pitfalls we fix for new clients

• The bank feed is not a reconciliation. You still need to reconcile to statements.
• Open invoices are not the same as cash. Keep your eye on due dates.
• Vendor names are duplicated which breaks reports. Merge and standardize.
• No approval rules. Even a two-step approval prevents surprise payments.
• Reports never match the way your team talks about work. Rename a few lines so the owner reads them.

The weekly checklist you can copy

Friday

• Reconcile bank and credit cards to statement dates
• Scan P&L and Balance Sheet for anything unusual
• Note cash on hand

Monday

• Invoices out by 10 a.m. with payment links
• Review new retainers or deposits to avoid Undeposited Funds build up

Thursday

• Follow-ups on open invoices, oldest first
• Schedule vendor payments for next week

That rhythm is light, repeatable, and friendly to real life. Most owners keep it because it feels human, not heavy.

Ready for the next step

When these habits are in place, you can add accounts payable automation solutions and a stronger month-end close. If you want help, we offer QuickBooks training for beginners and customized sessions for specialists. We keep it practical and local.

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About Perlinger Consulting
Perlinger Consulting is a trusted partner for accurate accounting, bookkeeping services for small business, and hands-on QuickBooks training. We serve Littleton, Centennial, the Denver Metro and beyond. If you want small business accounting and bookkeeping services that keep cash moving and decisions clear, we are here to help.

Book a session: perlingerconsulting.com
Call: 720-290-4389

Disclaimer
This article is for general education only and is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Information may change. Please verify details with your accountant, CPA, or legal advisor before acting. We are not affiliated with Intuit or the SBA.