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FROM THE FOUNDER
Uncertainty ahead
It’s time to take some action inside your business; do these 10 things now to be ready for whatever lies ahead.
I t has been said before that “business likes certainty,” as if there ever is such a thing! There may be a perception of certainty, but the facts are that nothing is ever certain and we live in an unpredictable world. In any case, right now, in light of all of the changes being made at the federal government level, things do seem more volatile and less certain. So it’s time to take some action inside your business to be ready for whatever lies ahead.
Mark Zweig
Here are some things I would do if I was running an AEC firm right now: 1. Get all the credit you can. Now is the time to take a look at your banking relationship and get the largest line of credit you can get nailed down for the longest possible term. You may never even use it at all but if you do find yourself in a tough position you will be glad to have it so you have time to get through it. You may also want to look into converting some of your existing line balance into amortizing debt if that gives you more total credit. Talk to your banker! 2. Get your cash flow forecasting working properly. It’s not that hard to do a week-by-week cash flow forecast that shows whether or not you will be up or down. A simple spreadsheet will do. Put
weeks across the top. Then vertically list all of your predicted cash in categories and all cash out categories. Start with cash on hand and look week by week to see if you will have the money you need or not. If not, take action to stave off the problem. 3. Speed up billing. Never wait to bill all your clients at a certain time every month. Bills need to go out as soon as your contract allows you to bill. Clear out all the impediments to fast billing now. The longer you wait to send a bill the longer it’s going to take to get paid. So why lose even a single day? Time is the enemy. 4. Clear out unbilled WIP. This is a problem for probably 75 percent or more of the companies I
See MARK ZWEIG, page 6
THE ZWEIG LETTER APRIL 14, 2025, ISSUE 1581
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