Cash Spell checklist
A Kokstad sign installer can avoid panic if every invoice, collection, and debit is tracked on one page before month-end.
| Focus | Cash flow |
|---|---|
| Calendar | Monthly |
| Invoices | Templates |
| Collections | Cues |
| Supplier hub | Observatory |
Email magic@ for a tailored pack.
Also see supplier notes and projects.
Cash Spell monthly checklist
You know the drill: a neat calendar, invoices stacked, collections ready before anyone asks. Print this out and keep it in that project file or stick it on the pinboard next to the kettle. Tackle each step below every month, ideally before the 25th payday, and you’ll spot gaps before your phone rings about bounced cheques or late supplier EFTs. If you ever get stuck, check cash-flow rituals and tips or pay us a visit at Observatory HQ.
- Print out last month's cash-flow calendar and reconcile closing balance with your bank statement.
- List all invoices raised in the past 30 days, naming the customer, amount, and invoice date. Tick off those paid.
- Check each new invoice against your signed delivery notes and VAT201 draft if VAT registered.
- Diaries collections follow-ups for any invoice over 7 days unpaid. Use WhatsApp or email, depending on your client's style.
- Update your cash-flow calendar, marking regular debit orders (like R2,350 for Telkom or R1,200 for Vodacom) by date.
- Note any upcoming big payments (e.g. VAT201, EMP201, landlord rent, SARS eFiling deadlines this month).
- Add expected receipts: client settlements, loan drawdowns, or that consignment payment still due from Durban.
- Message your supplier (or use supplier list) if any input cost jumps, like a sudden spike in cement or jam jar prices.
- Review your collections cues before Friday lunch so you aren't chasing payments during load-shedding.
- Send a quick cash-flow snapshot to your partner, co-owner, or accountant so you’re all on the same page.
Where SA businesses trip up
Three common slip-ups with Cash Spell in places like Westville or Kokstad: First, the cash calendar lives in someone's WhatsApp and never gets onto paper, so no one remembers debit orders hitting before Saturday’s market. Second, chasing invoices too late, especially when a loyal client is slow after the 25th. Third, forgetting upcoming EMP201 or VAT201 due dates. I once had a Westville curtain shop nearly run short because Eskom’s debit order cleared while they were still waiting for a school contract to pay. If you need a steadier rhythm, our invoice cadence guide can help. Also, scan through Cash Calm Ritual for weekly discipline.
What 'done' looks like
If it’s ticking along, you’ll see a one-page calendar on file (or taped up above the kettle), every invoice is listed and ticked, WhatsApp reminders are scheduled, and both incoming and outgoing payments are written up with rand amounts and dates. Your accountant or partner glanced over it and didn’t need to ask where the price hike came from on the last bulk purchase. Collections reminders went out before Thursday. No bounced supplier payments, and you even spotted that R1,100 shortfall before it bit. The whole thing shouldn’t take more than 45 minutes a month for a small Westville hardware outfit.
Real SA example: Kokstad sign fitter
Sipho runs Sipho’s Signs in Kokstad with two staff and alot of small municipal contracts. Last Friday he printed his Cash Spell checklist, listed every invoice raised since the 5th, and checked off four as paid. On his calendar, he highlighted the R1,500 Eskom debit for the 28th and three big van fuel purchases, then WhatsApped two slow-paying funeral parlours. Before the end of the week, he spotted an extra payment due for a new router, added it to next month’s calendar, and sent his co-owner (Thandi) a picture of everything, all signed. They’ve had no more cash surprises since.
