As I’ve maintained over the past couple of articles, cash is the lifeblood of any business. If you run out of cash, your business will probably die. Wisely managing cash can fuel profitable growth. But, a company’s demands for cash will change as it matures from a small, early stage startup into a large and stable enterprise. Even if you’ve hired a Chief Financial Officer, as founder or CEO, you ultimately are responsible for ensuring that your company has the cash it needs. Understanding these needs as your business grows, and managing the business appropriately is critical for your business to survive and thrive.
In the article linked below I look at the cash management needs of a business as it moves from pure startup to scaling business to a stable enterprise and finally to a mature business. I use the timely example of OpenAI and ChatGPT to demonstrate how cash needs can quickly change.