The four weeks a year that catch most owners out
Sales look fine on paper, then a quiet month arrives and the account feels empty overnight. Here's how to spot those weeks early.
Most small businesses don't fail because they never make money. They fail because the money arrives unevenly, and the bills do not.
There are usually four stretches each year where cash gets tight even if the shop is busy overall: the week after a big stock order, the week tax or insurance lands, the quiet trading week after a holiday peak, and the week wages and supplier invoices stack on the same Monday.
Map those weeks on a simple calendar. For each one, note what is due and what usually comes in. The goal is not a perfect forecast — it is a clear picture of the weeks that surprise you.
Then decide one buffer for each stretch: a temporary hold on discretionary spending, a delayed non-urgent purchase, or a small cash reserve built in the weeks before.
Owners who do this once find the next quiet month feels planned instead of personal. The business still has swings. You just stop being blindsided by them.
