Why can a profitable business run out of cash? (7 reasons cash runs dry)
Just because a company is profitable doesn’t necessarily mean it has cash. Profits need to be converted into cash. Companies need to make sure customer receivables are converted to cash. Stock must be managed and kept to a minimum. Also, close attention needs to be made to any differential between customer receivable credit terms vs major supplier payable credit terms. It’s more likely that a rapidly growing businesses vs a slow growing business will run out of cash, which is termed overtrading. Cash flow and working capital requirements increase as business growth rates increase. This is reflected in having to increase stock or inventory levels and having to hire new people.