Burn Rate & Runway Analysis
If you don't know exactly when your cash runs out, you can't sleep at night. We do a deep dive into your monthly spending to find out where the leaks are. We've found that 67% of our clients are paying for at least 3 software tools they don't even use. We provide a clear report showing your 'Zero Cash Date' and 3 ways to push it back. It's a quick engagement that usually pays for itself in the first month. No fluff, just survival planning.
Getting clear on your cash exit date
Most Aberdeen tech founders we talk to have a rough idea of their bank balance but couldn't tell you the exact Tuesday their cash runs out. Since 2017, Onbelai has worked with 47 startups to fix this. We don't write long reports that sit in a drawer. We look at your actual spending from the last 8 months in Xero or Quickbooks to find the truth. We often find that founders are optimistic about their runway by about 11 weeks on average. This audit usually takes us 6 business days once we have access to your data.
Finding the hidden leaks in your monthly spend
Our data shows that 67% of the companies we audit are paying for at least 3 software tools they never log into. In November 2023, we worked with a small dev team in the West End that was paying £340 a month for a legacy CRM seat they hadn't used since the previous April. Those small leaks add up. We go through every direct debit and standing order. We don't just list them; we ask your team if they actually need them. By cleaning up these unused subscriptions, one of our clients saved £2,400 in a single quarter.
The Zero Cash Date report
We provide you with a single spreadsheet and a one-page summary. The main feature is your 'Zero Cash Date'. This is the specific day you hit £0 if you keep spending at your current rate. It's a sobering number, but it's the most important one for any founder to know. We also include a 'Trimmed Scenario' which shows how that date moves if you cut the non-essential costs we identified. Honestly, sometimes the news is tough, but it's better to know in July than to find out in September when it's too late to raise more money.
- Deep dive into 8 months of historical bank data
- Identification of at least 3 immediate cost-saving opportunities
- Calculation of your exact Zero Cash Date
- A 30-minute walkthrough of the spreadsheet with a partner
Three ways to push back the deadline
Once we know the date, we give you 3 practical ways to change it. We look at payroll, vendor contracts, and cloud credits. We recently helped a SaaS startup near Union Street renegotiate their hosting agreement, which saved them 14% on their monthly infrastructure bill. We don't take a commission on what you save; we just charge a fixed fee for the audit. Our goal is to give you more time to find product-market fit or to get your next funding round sorted without the panic of an empty bank account.
A pragmatic approach to survival
We don't use complex financial models that require a PhD to understand. Our spreadsheets are built in plain English so you can explain them to your board or your spouse. We focus on the numbers that actually affect your daily operations. Most projects are delivered within 11 business days from the start date. We've found that this quick turnaround is vital for startups that are already feeling the squeeze. By the way, we'll tell you straight away if your accounts are too messy for us to audit effectively — we won't waste your time or ours.