The problem
Payroll every two weeks plus a big supplier bill can squeeze a profitable shop. Owners usually find out when the bank balance looks low. A rough outlook a few weeks ahead gives time to push collections or delay a purchase.
What Cowork does
- A Friday task reads the bank balance and AR aging from QuickBooks (or Xero, read-only).
- It reads bills due in the next four weeks (QuickBooks bills through Composio if the official connector doesn't expose them, if available) and the next payroll totals from Gusto.
- It estimates collections from AR using the shop's own history of how fast invoices get paid.
- It emails a week-by-week table and points out any week where the balance dips below the owner's comfort line.
Where the draft lands
A Friday email and a sheet with the assumptions written out.
What stays with you
Decisions about spending, borrowing and collections. The bookkeeper should check the assumptions once.
Week of Oct 13: start $22,100, in ~$9,800, out $14,300 (payroll + supplier) = $17,600
Week of Oct 20: in ~$7,200, out $3,100 = $21,700
Week of Oct 27: in ~$6,500, out $15,900 (payroll + truck payment) = $12,300, below your $15k line
Estimate based on 8 weeks of payment history. Not a bank statement.
Watch-outs
- It's an estimate. Label it that way in the email so nobody treats it as a bank statement.
- Recurring costs paid by card (fuel, software) need to be added to the sheet once.
Questions owners ask
Is this a forecast?
A simple one. It's meant to flag a tight week, not replace your accountant's planning.
Does it see my bank account?
It sees what QuickBooks sees from your bank feed. It doesn't log in to the bank.