FoundersPath Playbook
Two jobs, one page. First, how many months you actually have, across three honest scenarios. Then, if it's tight, the levers that buy you more, quantified.
Burn is not one number. Split it into cost that stays fixed and cost that moves with revenue. Your variable cost is a percentage of cash in; what is left of that revenue is your gross margin. Getting this split right is what makes the "if deals slip" scenario honest: when revenue falls, variable cost falls with it, so you lose margin, not the whole dollar.
| Line | Monthly amount | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash in — recurring monthly revenue | ||
| Variable cost — % of cash in (the cost that scales with revenue) gross margin is whatever is left | enter a percent, e.g. 40 | |
| Fixed costs — spend that does not move with revenue | ||
| Payroll & contractors | ||
| Rent, facilities, insurance | ||
| Software & tools | ||
| Everything else fixed | ||
| Gross margin | — | |
| Gross profit / mo cash in × gross margin | — | |
| Total fixed / mo | — | |
| Net monthly burn fixed − gross profit | — | |
The single number lies. These three tell the truth: what you burn today, what one bad quarter costs you, and what your own levers buy back. Each card carries its own signal, so you can watch a healthy Scenario A turn red when deals slip, then move back to green once you pull levers. Runway here is months to zero cash, from your full bank balance.
| Scenario input | Value | |
|---|---|---|
| If the next deals slip — monthly revenue at risk of not landing | the tool drops only the margin on this, since variable cost falls with it |
Scenario A
—Current burn
—
Your runway at today's net burn, no changes.
Scenario B
—If the deals slip
—
Runway if expected revenue doesn't land on time.
Scenario C
—With your levers
—
Runway once you pull the levers set in section 03.
If the number above is tighter than you'd like, this is where you buy time. Check the levers you're willing to pull and enter the monthly cash each one frees. The summary shows how much burn you remove and how many months it adds.
| Category | Lever | Monthly cash freed | First action when you pull it |
|---|
“The balance is a lagging indicator. Your behavior is the leading one. This sheet turns the second one into a number.”