How to Set Your Cash Balance in AskBiz
A step-by-step guide to entering and updating your current cash balance in the AskBiz CFO dashboard and understanding what it drives.
Key Takeaways
- Your cash balance is entered in the Cash Balance tab of the Cost Configuration Drawer and is the foundation of your runway calculation.
- Enter the combined total of all liquid cash your business currently holds, including bank accounts and accessible reserves.
- Update your cash balance regularly — at least weekly — to keep runway figures accurate.
Why the Cash Balance Input Matters
The Cash Balance card on the CFO dashboard shows a single number: how much liquid cash your business currently holds. This number is the most important input in the entire dashboard because it determines your Cash Runway — the number of months you can keep operating at your current burn rate. If your cash balance is out of date, your runway figure is misleading. A business owner who last updated their balance two months ago may believe they have eight months of runway when in reality they have four. Keeping this number current is one of the highest-value habits you can build when using AskBiz.
How to Enter Your Cash Balance
Step 1: Open the Cost Configuration Drawer by tapping the configure button on the CFO dashboard (gear or sliders icon). Step 2: The drawer opens on the Cash Balance tab by default. If it opened on a different tab, tap Cash Balance at the top of the drawer. Step 3: You will see a text field labelled "Current Cash Balance" or similar. Tap the field to focus it. Step 4: Type your current cash balance using the numeric keyboard. The field uses inputMode decimal so a clean number pad appears on mobile. Do not add currency symbols; type the number only (for example: 24500). Step 5: Double-check the amount against your most recent bank statement or accounting system. Step 6: Tap Save at the bottom of the drawer. The Cash Balance card and Cash Runway card will immediately update.
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For the most accurate runway calculation, your cash balance should represent all liquid cash the business can access within a few days. This typically includes your main business current account, any secondary business savings accounts that are not locked in fixed terms, and petty cash held physically. Do not include outstanding receivables (money customers owe you but have not paid), inventory value, or equipment value. Those are assets but not liquid cash. If you have a credit line you regularly draw on, you can include the available credit amount if your business relies on it as operating cash, but be consistent in how you define this across updates.
How Often to Update Your Cash Balance
AskBiz does not pull your cash balance automatically from a bank feed, so you are responsible for keeping it current. A good rhythm is to update it every Monday morning before you start your week, or every time you reconcile with your accounting system. Some business owners update it daily during tight cash periods and weekly when cash is stable. You do not need to be perfect to the dollar — an accurate figure within a few hundred dollars is close enough for meaningful runway planning. Set a recurring reminder in your calendar titled "Update AskBiz cash balance" to make this a habit rather than something you only do when things feel uncertain.