Cashflow Hygiene Checklist

• Speed and clarity in the first five days of the invoice lifecycle eliminate 80% of collection friction downstream

Every invoice goes out within 24 hours of work complete. Every invoice has a purchase order reference the customer's AP team can match instantly. Every invoice includes payment terms on the top line, not buried in small print. Every invoice lands in a named human's inbox, not a generic accounts@.

• Standard terms: Net 14 for services, Net 30 maximum for anything else
• Late fees written into every contract and actually applied
• Automatic reminders at day 7 pre-due, day 1 pre-due, day 7 post-due
• A human phone call at day 14 post-due
• A hold-new-work policy from day 30 post-due

The founders who enforce hate it for two months, and never want to go back after.

• Thirty minutes with the person who handles finance

Every Monday: total cash position, AR ageing by customer, upcoming major outflows for 30/60/90 days, and any customer past 45 days on payments. Most cashflow crises start weeks before the founder notices — the Monday review is how you notice in time to act, not react.