Services · Money & Liquidity Management
Busy and broke
is a cash flow
problem.
Most small businesses that fail in the GTA are not unprofitable. They run out of cash on a Tuesday while waiting on an invoice due Friday. Riot Design builds the money system that stops that happening — forecasting, working capital, and knowing what you can actually afford this month.
The Distinction Nobody Explains
Profit is an
opinion. Cash
is a fact.
Profit is what your books say happened over a period. Liquidity is whether the money is actually in the account on the day rent comes out. They are different numbers, and businesses die of the second one while celebrating the first.
A landscaping company in Milton can invoice $40,000 in May, be profitable on paper, and still not make payroll — because clients pay in sixty days, the trailer needed a transmission, and half of next month is already spent on materials.
That is a liquidity problem, and it is entirely solvable. Not with more sales. With a forecast, a buffer, and a payment structure that stops you financing your customers for free.
What We Actually Do
Six things that
change the picture
See it coming
A rolling thirteen-week cash flow forecast. Not accounting — a simple, honest week-by-week view of what comes in, what goes out, and where it gets tight. Most owners have never seen this and find it genuinely startling.
Separate the money
A simple account structure so tax money, owner pay, operating costs and profit stop living in one chequing account. You stop accidentally spending the HST you owe.
Fix the terms
Deposits, milestone payments, retainers, faster invoicing and a follow-up system. Most GTA small businesses are financing their clients for free without realising it.
Know your runway
How many months you can survive with no new sales. If you do not know this number, every decision is a guess and every slow month feels like an emergency.
Plan the swings
Seasonal businesses — landscaping, events, patios, tourism — need a plan for the quiet months built during the loud ones. That plan is made in advance or not at all.
Price for profit
Working out the actual floor under your prices: costs, time, overhead and the margin that leaves you money. Busy at the wrong price is worse than quiet.
Packages
Money & liquidity services
| Service | What you get | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Cash Flow Health Check | A 90-minute session on your numbers plus a written report: where the money actually goes, your break-even, your runway, and the three things costing you most. | $450 |
| Money Management System | Account structure set up, a simple owner-friendly tracking sheet, a bookkeeping workflow you will actually maintain, and rules for what gets paid when. | $950 |
| Liquidity & Working Capital Plan | A rolling 13-week cash flow forecast built with you, working capital requirement, buffer target, and a plan for the gaps — including invoice terms and financing options worth considering. | $1,250 |
| Pricing & Profit Review | Analysis of current pricing and packaging, competitor benchmarking across the GTA, and a restructured price list with a rollout plan for existing customers. | $850 |
| Seasonal Cash Plan | For businesses with heavy off-seasons: a twelve-month cash map, reserve targets, and what to do in the quiet months so they stop being frightening. | $650 |
| Funding Readiness Pack | Financial statements organised, projections built, and the numbers a bank, BDC or grant program will ask for — prepared before you apply, not during. | $1,450 |
| Plan | What you get | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Cash Flow Monitoring | Monthly forecast update, a short written read on what changed, and an email channel for the “can I afford this?” questions. | $350 |
| Money + Advisory | Everything above plus two hours of strategy time monthly and a quarterly business review. | $650 |
Straight About Scope
What this is,
and what it is not
Riot Design is a business consultancy. This service is about planning and decision-making with your own numbers.
It is not accounting, tax filing, or bookkeeping. Dan will help you set up a system and read what it tells you, but your year-end, your tax return and your compliance belong with a CPA. If you do not have one, you will get a referral.
It is not investment advice. Nobody here is telling you what to buy, where to put savings, or how to invest. This is operating cash in a business, not a portfolio.
It is not lending or brokerage. If financing is worth exploring, you will get a plain-English read on the common options for GTA small businesses and what lenders will want to see. The application is yours to make.
What it is: the person who has run a business through slow winters sitting down with you and working out, on paper, how yours survives one.
Common Questions
Before you ask
Do I need to be trading already?
No. Pre-launch is arguably the best time — you can design the payment terms, the pricing and the account structure before habits set in. Post-launch, we are undoing decisions instead of making them.
What do I need to bring?
Whatever you have. Bank statements, a shoebox of receipts, a spreadsheet, or nothing but a rough sense of what comes in. If your books are a mess, that is a normal starting point and not something to be embarrassed about.
Is this useful if I already have a bookkeeper?
Usually yes. A bookkeeper records what happened. This is about deciding what happens next — pricing, terms, timing, reserves. The two work together well.
Will you tell me to cut my own pay?
Sometimes the opposite. A lot of GTA owners underpay themselves so badly that the business looks healthier than it is, and they burn out subsidising it. Your pay is a real cost and it belongs in the forecast.
Can you help me get a loan?
Riot Design can get your numbers into the shape lenders expect and explain what the common options actually cost. It is not a broker and does not take referral fees from lenders — the recommendation is not for sale.
Next Step
Find out where the money actually goes
A free twenty-minute call. Bring one real number — last month's revenue, or what is in the account today.
Or call 905-299-9114 · dankranstz@gmail.com