Using Ask AI When Cash Positive for Growth Planning
Learn how the Ask AI feature shifts from runway extension advice to growth planning recommendations when your AskBiz dashboard shows a cash-positive status.
Key Takeaways
- When cash positive, Ask AI shifts from survival-mode advice to surplus deployment recommendations.
- Key growth questions for Ask AI include reinvestment timing, reserve adequacy, and scaling opportunities.
- The Target Calculator and scenario table become tools for growth modelling rather than crisis management.
What Cash Positive Means in AskBiz
When the Daily Net Gain/Burn card shows a green label reading 'Cash +', your daily revenue is exceeding your daily costs. Cash is accumulating rather than depleting. The Cash Runway card may show a very long runway or a surplus accumulation state. In this context, the question is no longer 'how long until we run out?' but rather 'what should we do with the surplus?' Ask AI is designed to recognise this shift in context and provide growth-oriented guidance instead of the cost-cutting and fundraising advice it would give in a burn scenario.
Opening Ask AI in the Cash-Positive Context
Step 1: Navigate to the /intelligence page and confirm the Daily Net Gain/Burn card shows green 'Cash +' status. Step 2: Click the Cash Runway card to open the runway drill-down panel. Step 3: Scroll to the bottom of the panel and click the Ask AI button. Step 4: The AI will read your current surplus figure, cash balance, and cost data before responding. You do not need to provide these numbers in your prompt — they are loaded automatically.
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Start for free →Growth-Focused Prompts to Use
Here are effective prompts when cash positive. Try: 'We are cash positive by $400 per day. How much of this surplus should we reinvest vs hold as reserve?' The AI will suggest a split based on your runway and growth stage. Try: 'We want to hire one additional team member. Can we afford it without dropping below Healthy runway status?' The AI will calculate the burn impact of a new hire against your current surplus. Try: 'We have been cash positive for 2 months. Is this the right time to increase marketing spend?' The AI will assess whether your cash buffer is sufficient to absorb a marketing ramp. Try: 'What is the maximum monthly investment we can make in growth while maintaining 6 months of runway?'
Using the Scenario Table for Growth Modelling
Step 1: In the runway drill-down panel, locate the 4-Scenario Table. When cash positive, the Base scenario will show a very long or indefinite runway. Step 2: The Pessimistic scenario is particularly important here — it models what happens if revenue drops 15 to 20 percent. Step 3: Ensure the Pessimistic scenario still shows at least 3 months of runway before committing to significant new spending. Step 4: Use the Target Calculator to set a minimum cash reserve — for example, $30,000 — and confirm that your planned growth investments would not bring the balance below that floor. Step 5: Ask AI can help you interpret whether a specific growth investment is prudent given these constraints.
Reinvestment vs Reserve — The Core Decision
The fundamental tension when cash positive is between deploying surplus for growth and holding it as a resilience buffer. Ask AI can provide a framework, but the decision depends on your risk tolerance and market conditions. As a starting point, consider this approach: maintain a minimum reserve equal to 6 months of current gross burn, and deploy everything above that floor into growth activities with the highest expected return. Use the Cost Config Drawer to model the cost of each growth option — add it as a temporary cost category, save, and observe the runway impact. If the runway stays above 6 months under the Pessimistic scenario, the investment is within a conservative risk boundary.