09/04/2026
A business can be profitable and still feel constantly short on cash because of timing.
Think about the journey:
Cash goes out → product/service is delivered → sale happens → customer pays → cash comes back.
The Cash Conversion Cycle (CCC) is a financial metric commonly used to measure how long cash is tied up in operations before being converted back into cash.
For businesses with inventory, the traditional calculation considers:
Days Inventory Outstanding + Days Sales Outstanding − Days Payables Outstanding
Why should an owner care?
Because the longer cash stays tied up, the more working capital the business may need to keep operating.
Depending on your business model, improvements might come from:
• Collecting receivables faster
• Managing inventory efficiently
• Negotiating appropriate vendor terms
• Improving billing processes
Profit matters. But the speed at which cash moves through your business matters too.
💬 Want better visibility into how cash moves through your business? DM “CFO.”