The actual movement of money into and out of your business over a specific period.
Cash flow is the simple record of money arriving and money leaving. When more comes in than goes out, cash flow is positive. When more goes out than comes in, it's negative. Unlike profit, cash flow tracks real money movement — not invoices or promises of payment.
Net Cash Flow = Cash Inflows − Cash OutflowsMore businesses fail from poor cash flow than from poor sales. A business can have a full order book and a healthy profit margin but still fail if customers pay slowly and suppliers demand quick payment. Cash flow is the oxygen of a business — run out and you're in trouble regardless of everything else.
Upload your transaction data or sales and expense records. Ask "Show me my cash flow for the last 6 months." AskBiz maps your cash inflows and outflows, identifies patterns, flags high-risk months, and forecasts future cash positions.
Export a CSV or Excel file from your POS, accounting software, or spreadsheet and upload it to AskBiz.
Type your question in plain English. Try: "What is my cash flow?" or "What is Cash Flow? Simple Explanation for Business Owners"
AskBiz returns the calculation with a chart, KPI breakdown, and specific recommendations — in seconds.
A B2B services business looks profitable. But AskBiz reveals their cash flow has been negative for 3 of the last 6 months because one large client always pays 90 days late. AskBiz calculates the cost of this at £18,000 in financing charges and recommends renegotiating payment terms.
Upload your CSV or Excel file and ask "What is Cash Flow? Simple Explanation for Business Owners" — get the answer with a chart and recommendations in under 60 seconds.
Upload your data — free →No card required · 10 free questions · Results in seconds
Profit is revenue minus costs on paper — including invoices not yet paid. Cash flow tracks only actual money received and paid. You can have high profit and poor cash flow if customers pay late. You can have strong cash flow and low profit if you receive deposits before doing the work.
At minimum monthly, ideally weekly for businesses with tight margins or large seasonal swings. AskBiz can give you a cash flow snapshot on demand whenever you upload fresh transaction data.