@russellruffino: Contracted and collected are two different numbers, and founders get hurt by treating them as one. Contracted is what people signed for. Collected is what actually arrived. Payment plans move money from this month into the next several, which is fine until you hire, raise spend or sign a lease against a number that has not landed. The way we read it. Collected cash by month. The only figure that pays wages. Contracted by month. Useful for forecasting and for judging the sales team. The gap between the two. That gap is your future collections and your future risk sitting in the same place. Failed payments. Every plan has a percentage that breaks. Cards expire, people churn, someone disputes. If nobody owns chasing that, it is money you earned and will never see. Refund timing. Refunds land after delivery starts, so a big plan month can bill back into a slower one. Three rules that keep it sane. Price plans above pay in full. You are carrying the risk and the timing, so charge for it. Cap the share of a month you will sell on terms. Decide that number in advance rather than at the end of a slow week. Commit fixed costs against collected cash only. Hires, retainers and ad budgets come out of money that has arrived. None of this is exciting, and it is the difference between a big month and a stable company. #founders #coachingbusiness #scalingup #businessowner #highticketsales #ceomindset #womeninbusiness

Russ Ruffino: Business Mentor

Open In TikTok:

Region: GB

Monday 21 September 2026 02:02:28 GMT