Going into next year blind?

Do You Have a Plan for the New Year? No? Time to change that you all!!

The best time to prepare for success is before the year actually starts. Too many business owners flip the calendar and hope momentum carries them through January or they do what many continue doing and that’s flying blind and hoping for the best…. Hope is not a plan. The companies that thrive are the ones that take time right now to prepare, forecast, and map out what the next twelve months should look like. Be one of those prepping.

Whether your business is small or growing fast, here are five practical steps to enter the new year with confidence and control that we’ve helped cover for other clients and discuss on our socials!

1. Review Financial Performance

Start by looking back before you look forward. Review revenue, expenses, profit margins, customer trends, and cash flow from the current year. Identify what worked, what failed, and what changed. Pay attention to rising costs, slower customers, and revenue dips. The past twelve months provide the most realistic picture of what needs improvement. You cannot build next year’s plan on old assumptions. Use real data and real patterns to get ahead. I’m thinking 2026 is going to be a wild ride, so time to get things in line.

2. Build a Financial Forecast

Create a simple profit plan. Estimate sales, expenses, payroll, cost of goods, and debt obligations for each month of the new year. Include a cash flow forecast so you can see when money will be tight or strong. When you forecast, you can prepare. When you do not forecast, you react. Just like I preach on AR, be proactive. Same applies here. A forecast helps you time investments, schedule hiring, plan purchases, and avoid cash crunches.

Let me help you build one out if you aren’t sure where to start. A simple tracker goes a long way for many businesses.

Will A Book Grow Your Business?

No one buys a beach house from book sales—they buy it from what the book makes possible.

Author.Inc helps founders turn ideas into world-class books that build revenue, reputation, and reach.

Book a free 15-minute ROI call to see if your book is a go—or a smart wait.

Schedule Your Book ROI Assessment.

3. Focus on Receivables and Payables

Cash flow is the heartbeat of your business. Go into the new year with a clean AR aging report and no 90+ day invoices. Follow up with overdue customers now. On the payables side, verify all vendor balances, confirm terms, and schedule payments responsibly. Do not drag poor cash habits into January. If you want a stronger year, start with clean books, accurate numbers, and a clear cash picture.

Also….please please please reconcile your books and don’t go into Tax season not having a dang clue what’s going on!

4. Set Operational and Financial Goals

Pick a few measurable targets. For example: reduce DSO by five days (that’s lofty…), improve gross margin, increase revenue, or cut non-essential spending. Do not set goals that sound good on paper but are not tied to real business challenges. Pick goals that improve profit, improve cash flow, or protect the company. Then communicate them clearly to your team so everyone is aligned.

5. Strengthen Your Systems and Processes

Take inventory of your bottlenecks. Are you behind on invoicing? Does month end take too long? Do customers pay late because your billing is slow or unclear? Small improvements in process create large improvements in financial results. Clean data, accurate reports, and consistent routines separate organized businesses from chaotic ones.

Planning for the new year is not about perfection….it is about clarity. When you set direction now, you remove guesswork later. You make smarter decisions, avoid surprises, and start January with confidence instead of stress.

The calendar is about to flip. The question is simple: will you be ready, or will you wing it….again?

If you want help building a stronger financial plan, reply to this email or join The Profit Platoon. You do not have to build your business alone.

Sponsoring the Cash Flow Chronicles today is LINDY AI!

Thank you for supporting our newsletter. Each time a reader engages with our sponsor’s ad, this directly supports CFC’s mission to be the TOP FINANCIAL newsletter Beehiiv has to offer.

Even if you do not buy a product, subscribe, etc. this greatly supports our mission. Take 5 seconds today and check them out!

The Simplest Way To Create and Launch AI Agents

Imagine if ChatGPT, Zapier, and Webflow all had a baby. That's Lindy.

With Lindy, you can build AI agents and apps in minutes simply by describing what you want in plain English.

→ "Create a booking platform for my business"
→ "Automate my sales outreach"
→ "Create a weekly summary about each employee's performance and send it as an email"

From inbound lead qualification to AI-powered customer support and full-blown apps, Lindy has hundreds of agents that are ready to work for you 24/7/365.

Stop doing repetitive tasks manually. Let Lindy automate workflows, save time, and grow your business.

Get $20 Worth of Free Credits

Veteran business owner? Take command of your cash flow and tighten your financial systems. Join The Profit Platoon — a community built for Veterans.