Capital Control Beta Decision Check

On a phone?The sample case is the fastest way to see what the engine does. Tap for a filled example and result.

Beta + data-dependentThe Guided and Advanced Checks are directional demos. They do not clean books, verify bank cash, or replace a reviewed Decision Packet. Better source data means higher-confidence output.

First check (Beta)

Four short steps: lock the decision, the financial reality, the move, and the survival rule. Estimates are fine.

Runs in your browser

Step 1 of 4Decision lock

Lock the decision

One decision at a time. Pick the move, then say what it is for. The check reads everything after this against the lock.

The question this check will testChoose a move to see the test.

Choose the move creating the pressure first.

What should this move achieve? Time horizon Why does this matter now? What is the main risk? Who else is involved?

In your words (optional) A sentence is enough. It goes into your memo; nothing is sent anywhere.

Financial reality today

How the business stands before the move. Best estimates are fine. Leave unknown optional fields blank; the result will flag them.

Private by designEverything runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent or saved. Do not enter account numbers or passwords anywhere on this page.

Cash todayBusiness cash actually available today. Credit lines do not count. Cash you refuse to spendYour reserve floor. Many owners protect 3 to 12 months of costs: about 9 to 12 if conservative, 6 if moderate, 3 to 4 if aggressive. Average monthly customer cash inCollected from customers in a typical month (last 3 to 6 months). Average monthly business cash going outAll business costs, including payroll and debt payments. Of that, monthly payroll (optional)Used for the payroll stop condition in the plan. Near-term committed cash usesCash already spoken for soon (taxes, a bill, a deposit). Gross margin % (optional)Share of each sales dollar left after direct costs. Blank means a sales drop is treated as lost cash dollar for dollar. How much does monthly customer cash in swing? Drives the simulated paths. If you had to, how fast could you cut costs? Largest customer's share of sales Where do these numbers come from? Does this cash also cover personal living expenses? Monthly personal burn from this cashUsed only if you chose yes above.

Obligations, debt, and records (sharpens confidence)

Any major cash obligations not already entered? Debt or credit lines? Do customers currently owe you money?

Balance sheet confirmed Payroll detail confirmed No payroll / not applicable Debt schedule known No debt / not applicable Owner draws separated No owner distributions / not applicable Transaction detail available AR or collections detail

Have you given everything you have?. The check will run a directional read instead of asking for perfect records.

The move and its story

What the move costs, and how it pays for itself. Every number should trace back to a story, and the story has to hold up (Aswath Damodaran's narrative-and-numbers method).

New monthly costLeave blank and the check calculates the modeled ceiling. One-time cost (optional)Paid up front from cash, such as setup or a deposit. How does it pay off? Extra monthly gross profit or savings once it is workingGross profit is extra sales minus the direct cost of delivering them. Months until it is fully workingThe payoff ramps up evenly over these months. What is the payoff estimate based on? Less proof means the simulation assumes a smaller, less certain payoff. Which bottleneck does this money address? KPI to watch Weekly leading indicator (optional)An early weekly signal that the KPI is moving.

Optional: business details

What kind of business is this? What do you sell? How do customers pay you? Sets when new sales turn into cash in the model. Revenue model Headcount range Payroll structure Accounting system Biggest financial uncertainty

Survival rule and review

The survival rule sets how much protection the ceiling keeps. Then check exactly what the model will use. The result is a beta model read, not a promise.

Survival rule The default keeps cash above your floor for 12 months even if customer cash in drops 20%. The 40% drop is always shown in the diagnosis.

Advanced Financial Check (Beta)

Use this after the first check to refine assumptions and produce a more detailed directional plan. It is still a calculator, not a Decision Packet, until the financial evidence is reviewed.

Inputs required before a check can runEnter cash, average monthly customer cash in, average monthly cash going out, reserve floor, and gross margin to run a usable advanced check.

New here?Load the sample case first. It shows what the beta model produces before you enter your own numbers.

Fictional sample inputs loadedAll sample amounts and scenarios are illustrative, not actual business results or recommended actions.

Priority type Business type Current cash Average monthly customer cash in Average monthly cash going outExclude debt service and tax reserve if you enter them below. Known or target monthly spend Minimum reserve floor Committed cash uses Debt service per month Tax reserve per month Gross margin % How much does monthly customer cash in swing? Of that, monthly payroll (optional) If you had to, how fast could you cut costs? Largest customer's share of sales Survival rule Report age Revenue model Accounting system Biggest financial uncertainty Which bottleneck does this money address? KPI to watch Weekly leading indicator (optional)

Payoff story and reinvestment assumptions

One-time amountSetup, purchase price, or distribution paid from cash now. Expected new qualified leads / month Current or expected close rate % Average deal value Months until fully workingNew revenue ramps up evenly over these months. Days until new customers payDirect costs are paid up front; cash arrives after this delay. Delivery hours available per week Delivery hours per new dealWith the line above, caps how much new work can be delivered. Target monthly revenue lift What is the payoff estimate based on?

Review triggers are generatedThe beta displays example review conditions derived from the entered inputs. They illustrate the model rules and are not instructions to spend, pause, or resize a real commitment.

Record sources

Educational and informational use only

This public calculator is not financial, investment, tax, or legal advice or a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security or asset. Scenario results depend on unverified inputs and hypothetical assumptions. Entering figures does not provide an assessment of your full personal circumstances or create an advisor-client relationship. Read the disclosures →

No result yet

Waiting for inputs

Run the guided check to see the 12-month cash path, the story test, missing records, and next path.

No opinion has been formed yet.

Story test—

Decision summary

The whole read in the method's compressed form: one ceiling, three zones, up to five metrics, one review trigger.

Modeled ceiling—

First step—At most half the ceiling, then recheck.

Review trigger

Scenario review

Review the scenario assumptions.

Ready to organize the supporting evidence yourself? Build a decision file in the free workbench → Save or copy this check first; workbench inputs are entered separately so definitions can be reconciled.

Illustrative model outputThresholds, example KPIs, review conditions, story grades, and status labels describe this model’s selected assumptions. They are not a suitability assessment, an approved budget, a recommended action, or evidence that a commitment is safe. Only the responsible decision-maker can authorize commitments.

Modeled monthly ceiling—Largest new monthly cost that keeps the stress case above your floor for 12 months, before any payoff.

Monthly capacity—Customer cash in minus cash going out, before the move.

Cash above your floor—After committed uses and any one-time amount.

Chance of dipping below floor—Share of 2,000 simulated 12-month paths.

Phase 1

Diagnosis

Reads the financial reality before anything is modeled: the decision lock, the story the numbers tell, whether the pieces fit, and the tightest limit.

Diagnostic story

Does this match your situation? And is this the business you intend to be running? If not, or the numbers and run it again.

Structural coherence

Financial reality

Fragility signals

Phase 2

Model: 12-month cash path

Strong case Entered case Stress case Middle 80% of simulated paths Your floor

Show as table

Stress case: customer cash in 20% lower every month, a smaller and slower payoff, and new customers paying 30 days later. Strong case: a fuller, faster payoff. Simulated paths vary monthly customer cash in, payoff size, and timing. All are model assumptions, not forecasts. The payoff story is graded in the Story test tab below.

Phase 3

Plan

How the method would sequence this move, step by step. Illustrative: it describes the method's rules, not a recommendation for your business.

Check this against your real records

This check runs on your estimates. A Decision Readiness Review organizes your actual records around this one decision and produces a Decision Packet: what the records support, where the gaps are, and the next step. The assessment is free. Paid work begins only after we agree on the decision, scope, and fee.

Start the free assessment Email this result to Cole Book a call

The email opens a draft in your Gmail with the move, the result, and the story grade. Your figures are not included unless you add them.

Run the check to grade the payoff story.

Capital Control layers

Accounting Book = Records check
Management Book = Business performance check
Capital Book = Cash availability check
Decision Book = Survival rule, gates, and plan

The copied memo includes the educational-use notice. Keep it with any shared output.

Educational scenario memo

Run the check to generate a memo.

Developer view

Before you hire, reinvest, or expand

First check (Beta)

Lock the decision

Financial reality today

The move and its story

Survival rule and review

Advanced Financial Check (Beta)