Got it—let’s make it dead simple.

30-Second Version (5 checks)

Say “yes” to each. If you hit a “no,” pause spending.

1. Do you know how much of your sales is actually spendable each month?

2. Do you have three bank buckets (profit, tax, expenses) with weekly moves?

3. Can you see your price floor (the lowest you can charge without losing money)?

4. Do you know your runway in days (how long cash lasts at today’s spend)?

5. Is there a weekly expense cap and someone who enforces it?

Plain-English Checklist (what to ask vs. what “good” looks like)

1. Money you can really spend

   • Ask: “After materials/subcons, what’s my spendable money?”

   • Good: A single number shown monthly (“Real Revenue”).

2. Three-bucket bank setup

   • Ask: “Where do profit, tax and expenses live?”

   • Good: 3 accounts and a weekly transfer routine.

3. Price floor

   • Ask: “What’s the lowest price that still covers costs + profit?”

   • Good: A number you can quote without a spreadsheet.

4. Runway in days

   • Ask: “If I stop selling today, how long till cash hits zero?”

   • Good: “You have 67 days” (not “you’re okay”).

5. Weekly expense cap

   • Ask: “What’s my maximum I can spend this week?”

   • Good: A fixed dollar cap that resets every week.

6. Discount safety

   • Ask: “If I discount 10%, how much more must I sell to break even?”

   • Good: They can answer on the spot (e.g., “+40% sales”).

7. Labour mapped right

   • Ask: “Which team costs are delivery (per job) vs. overhead?”

   • Good: A simple list: “These affect price; these are monthly.”

8. Fast payback rule

   • Ask: “What’s the payback time for this spend?”

   • Good: “≤14 days or we don’t do it.”

9. Quarterly profit % target

   • Ask: “What profit % are we aiming for this quarter?”

   • Good: A clear target (e.g., “20% of spendable money”).

10. Cash-first reporting

• Ask: “Show me cash, then profit, then nice-to-have charts.”

• Good: A one-page view starting with bank balances.

Red Flag / Green Flag (quick read)

• Red: “It depends… we’ll see next quarter.”

• Green: “Today your cap is $31,000; runway 67 days; price floor $118.”

One-Minute Scorecard (copy/paste)

Mark Y/N:

• I know my spendable money each month (Y/N)

• I move cash weekly into 3 buckets (Y/N)

• I know my price floor (Y/N)

• I know my runway in days (Y/N)

• I have a weekly expense cap (Y/N)

Score: 5/5 = safe to grow; 3–4/5 = fix gaps first; ≤2/5 = stop new spend.

Want me to turn this into a tickable web scorecard that totals your score and shows a “what to fix first” message?