Cash-Flow Sparring Partners

Field Notes

Lending growth to euro-area businesses stalled at 2.5% in May. The monthly flow of new loans actually went negative for the first time in over a year. Banks blame “trade uncertainty” and “inventory adjustments.” Translation: they don’t buy your rosy sales pipeline. So you need to show them dashboards that spell out cash discipline, channel ROI, and backlog quality before they ask for it.

What to watch

• Loan demand fell because founders withdrew applications rather than accept tougher terms.
• Banks expect further tightening, especially for inventory-heavy sectors.
• The firms still getting approvals can prove exactly how debt fuels measurable revenue, not vanity KPIs.

Marketing Pulse

Run a profitability mixdown. Pull every active channel into the trainer, mark its cash burn and cash return. Kill the underperformers for 30 days and reallocate that energy to owned channels. Document the delta so you can show a banker you trim sails proactively.

Operations Flow

Pair up with a “cash sparring partner”—maybe your bookkeeper, maybe another founder. Every Friday, exchange one-page liquidity snapshots. Include receivable status, supplier negotiations, and the next automation you’re testing. Upload the ritual into the PBT so it nudges you both. Consistency beats theatrics.

Innovation Muscle

Reframe R&D as “pipeline insurance.” Use signal boards inside the trainer that marry customer interviews, failed experiments, and new hypotheses. When someone questions your innovation budget, you can show the conversion path from prototype to invoice.

Experiments for this week

1. Build a “loan packet” inside the trainer: 12-week cash forecast, marketing efficiency tracker, ops automation roadmap. Refresh it monthly so you’re never scrambling.
2. Host a live session called “What My Banker Actually Asked.” Blur names, share the real due-diligence list, and invite your audience to rehearse their responses.
3. Swap audit rights with another founder: each of you reviews the other’s cost stack and returns one process improvement to ship immediately.