Cash Flow Myth 4 - That's What Our Bank and Credit Line are For

Banks and sureties know that as a rule, poor cash flow is typically a sign of deeper problems.

D. Brown Management Profile Picture
Share
Cash Flow: Myth 4 - That's What Our Bank and Credit Line are for

Fact 4.1:  Banks will only finance a portion of your cash flow needs.  They will have specific loan covenants related to how much working capital you need to have, quality of receivables and customer concentration. 

Fact 4.2:  Banks and sureties know that as a rule poor cash flow is typically a sign of deeper problems. 

Fact 4.3:  When the economy is good the loan covenants and their enforcement will loosen up.  Combined with the optimism of strong backlogs this causes many contractors to take their focus away from some of the basics of great capital management practices.  

Fact 4.4:  When contractors are smaller; especially emerging ones the loan covenants and capital ratios that sureties work off of are significantly looser than when there are many millions of dollars at stake.  If you are a contractor planning to grow make sure you put great capital management policies in place early.

Fact 4.5:  When the economy tightens and contractors need the most help with cash flow banks and sureties will tighten their covenants, restrict lending and enforce much more rigorously. This cycle is what causes debt crises including the mid-1980’s and the recent one in 2010.

We are revamping our publicly available cash flow workshop that includes 18 techniques that contractors can use to accelerate cash flow. Stay informed of updates on release. 


Cash Flow
Great cash flow is a key driver of valuation and successful successions. Running out of cash is is the #1 reason contractors fail. Improving cash flow improves your Return on Equity. Protect yourself and never let cash flow be the limitation to your profitable growth....

Cash Flow
Great cash flow is a key driver of valuation and successful successions. Running out of cash is is the #1 reason contractors fail. Improving cash flow improves your Return on Equity. Protect yourself and never let cash flow be the limitation to your profitable growth....

Pull Planning - 4 Most Powerful Words
“What do you need?” are the four most powerful words for driving productivity in the construction industry.
Effectively Marketing Preconstruction Services for Subcontractors
Subcontractors can build an unbeatable competitive advantage by being engaged early in the preconstruction phase. This ultimately requires a combination of design, estimating and operational excellence.
Cash Flow Tip 5 - Flowchart Your Cash Flow
You can only see the full value-stream of cash flow including the waste, the people and the opportunities for improvement by mapping out every step.