Finance and strategy · France and Switzerland

Revenue is growing, but cash is falling?

Sales are growing. Yet payroll, suppliers and payment deadlines remain a monthly concern. We help you understand the gap and prepare decisions that could reduce it.

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More invoicing does not mean more cash collected

Revenue from a completed sale can be recognised before payment is collected. In the meantime, you may fund purchases, inventory and the work required. Investment, repayments and tax deadlines can also consume cash even when profit is positive.

Identify what absorbs cash

Separate insufficient margins, late customers, inventory and existing commitments. A temporary timing gap and a loss making activity require different decisions.

Anticipate payment deadlines

Match expected receipts against planned payments, using cautious assumptions on timing and identifying periods of pressure.

Choose appropriate actions

Assess deposits, collections, inventory, commercial terms and spending schedules. Estimate their impact before relying on new funding.

Fictional example · no client results

An order can need cash before it generates it

In a simplified example excluding tax, a €60,000 order has total direct costs of €35,000, paid before the customer settles the invoice. The temporary funding need is therefore €35,000. A 30% deposit of €18,000 collected before those payments would reduce that need to €17,000 if all other dates stay the same.

Decision to consider: negotiate a deposit or adjust the schedule. The €25,000 margin before other expenses does not prove that the business can fund the order. Other payments, taxes and available cash must also be included.

Illustrative amounts in euros. For a Swiss business, the analysis uses its management currency, payment schedule and specific assumptions.

Regular analysis that supports your decisions

We start with your data and the decision ahead. The scope and frequency of discussions are agreed before the engagement starts.

Understand your position

Accounting records, bank balances, invoices, commitments and sales assumptions: we reconcile the information and identify remaining uncertainties.

Compare your options

We explain variances, build relevant scenarios and identify the assumptions that change the decision.

Follow through on actions

Each agreed action has an owner and a deadline. Regular reviews compare forecasts with actual results to adjust subsequent decisions.

For business owners who want to act on their numbers

For owners of SMEs and startups in France and Switzerland with established operations, accessible data and decisions to prepare. The work complements your accountant or Swiss accounting adviser.

Bookkeeping and tax filings remain with your usual professionals. Financial management does not guarantee funding or increased profitability.

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What we review together each month

Ongoing support helps explain differences and choose the next actions. The numbers remain connected to a concrete decision.

Profit and cash: distinguish contribution changes, receivables, inventory and financing payments.
Forecast and actual: explain delayed collections and review uncertain assumptions.
Actions: assign a follow up, dispute resolution or order adjustment, then check its effect.

Fictional example illustrating our financial management method.

2. Why profit does not appear in the bank

Working capital absorbs €40,000: €35,000 more receivables and €10,000 more inventory, offset by €5,000 more supplier payables. Check receipt dates and inventory needs before committing to new spending.

See the figures and assumptions

Explore your situation

Other decisions to prepare

How can you improve business profitability?Can your business afford to hire or invest?

Which decision is unclear today?

Describe your business, the difficulty and your next deadline. The initial conversation helps establish whether Mercova is suited to your situation.

Preparing for the first conversation

Your business, the decision on your mind and the information already available are enough to start the discussion. The initial conversation checks fit before defining annual support and its scope.