STRICTLY BUSINESS If you were to chart cash on hand alongside profits, you would find that their cycles are quite different. A heavy volume of work over a period of several months may produce good profits, but you need lots of cash to pay for materials, labor, and subs. Often, draws do not keep up with expenditures, so despite the profitable work, your bank account is low. The reverse is also true. A string of highvolume months may be followed by a slow period, but because you're still collecting payments from earlier work, your bank account is flush. Running your company by reacting to the ebb and flow of cash is a quick road to disaster. Only a
