Useful runway planning starts with cash you can use and obligations you cannot ignore. Separate expected revenue from collected money and uncertain support from approved funding. Then model the effect of delayed customers, recurring administration and the next operating commitment without inventing a single guaranteed forecast.
Start with available cash
List the money actually available to the company and identify any restrictions or obligations attached to it. Keep founder funds, customer deposits, debt and equity distinguishable. A bank balance can include money needed for an imminent bill. Do not count an unsigned investment discussion, unapproved grant or hoped-for facility as cash in hand. The plan should make its evidence date and underlying account records clear.
Build the commitment calendar
Record recurring and one-off obligations: premises, suppliers, payroll, insurance, software, professional support and relevant authority requirements. Use actual contracts or verified quotations where possible. Mark unknown costs as questions to resolve rather than replacing them with invented figures. Include the practical cost of changing a commitment, such as relocating premises or revising an employment arrangement after the business model changes.
Model collection rather than sales alone
Explain when customers are expected to pay and what happens if collection is delayed. Revenue and cash receipt are not the same event. Separate confirmed agreements from forecast sales and test a slower scenario. Include the delivery costs that arise before payment. An accountant or finance adviser can help review the model, but no projection establishes that demand or funding will occur.
Link spending to decisions
Choose the evidence that should precede a new hire, larger office or overseas entity. Keep the model updated when commitments change, not only when preparing a pitch. A practical dashboard can show available cash, known obligations and unresolved assumptions separately. It supports judgment; it should not disguise uncertainty behind a precise-looking number or imply that a forecast guarantees survival.
Before you take the next step
Should Tamkeen support be included before approval?
Keep potential support in a separate scenario until the relevant conditions and actual approval are established. It should not be treated as immediately available operating cash.
Does runway replace accounting?
No. Reliable bookkeeping provides the historic evidence and obligations used in planning. Runway is a forward-looking decision tool built on that record.
Continue your planning
Business plans and funding readiness
Turn customer evidence, cost assumptions and a specific use of funds into a finance brief before approaching banks, investors, Tamkeen programmes or potential acquisition partners.
02Accounting, VAT and tax coordination
Build bookkeeping and tax coordination around the decisions a founder needs to make: what was earned, what is owed, what cash remains and which obligations apply.
03Registered address and office planning
Compare registered address, incubation and physical workspace needs against your actual activity, customer access and cost commitments before signing a lease for appearances alone.