Torn Between Two Masters
Lovin’ cash flow and growth is breakin’ all the rules—here’s how to choose which to serve
“Torn between two lovers, feelin’ like a fool, lovin’ both of you is breakin’ all the rules.”
I once met a founder who was convinced her biggest problem was sales. Every morning she checked the pipeline, every afternoon she tweaked her outreach sequences, and every evening she worried about another missed quota. Yet her real worry wasn’t the number of proposals going out. It was the way she felt trapped between two equally pressing demands: keeping the lights on today and betting on the big wins of tomorrow.
On one side of the ledger sat cash flow, that unforgiving pulse of any business. Payroll, rent, software subscriptions, vendor bills — they all arrive on a fixed schedule. If the dollars don’t land when you expect them, you scramble. You delay hires, postpone marketing campaigns, and convince yourself that more sales calls will somehow bend time in your favor. It feels urgent, because in that moment every day of runway matters.
On the other side lies growth, the engine that fuels what comes next. Growth means new markets, new products, new talent, new tools. It means making bets you hope will pay off in six months or a year. It means accepting that you will burn cash today in exchange for opportunity down the road. Growth demands patience from your board, your investors, and your own bank account.
Too often founders assume the answer to cash flow worries is more revenue. If only we close ten more deals this quarter we will be fine, we tell ourselves. But if every incremental dollar goes to plugging holes instead of widening the moat, growth never gets a chance to prove its worth. You become an operator chasing invoices instead of a builder shaping the future.
The true question then becomes this. Are you optimizing for short-term survival or long-term potential? Both are valid priorities, but they require different playbooks. If cash flow is your north star you need to streamline operations, simplify your offer, and squeeze every drop of efficiency from your existing business. If growth is your mission you need to invest in people who can take you into new territories, in tools that unlock fresh insights, and in marketing that builds awareness that may not pay off this quarter.
Acknowledging this tension is the first step. The next is making your choice explicit. Gather your leadership team and lay out the trade-offs. Show them the runway implications of every hire and every product launch. Calculate how much extra cash you need to stay in growth mode for another six months. Then commit. Make growth your rallying cry or make cash flow your daily mantra. Either path brings focus and clarity.
Because here’s the paradox. When you stop trying to serve two masters at once you often end up doing both better. If you decide to lean into growth you will attract the right investors, hire people who believe in the long game, and build a story that inspires new business. If you lean into cash flow you will lock in profitability, prove your unit economics, and create a stable base from which growth can eventually spring.
So today ask yourself, what are you really managing for? If sales is the symptom, cash flow and growth are the cause. Choose which side of the balance sheet you want to drive. Then give that choice your full attention, and watch how much easier every decision becomes.
I’d love to hear from you. Which path have you chosen, and what was the hardest part of making that decision? Let me know in the comments or send me a note directly.
At Bossey Research Partners, we believe growth is a choice. We empower founders and executive leaders in the data and insights industry to achieve sustainable, scalable success by crafting compelling value propositions, executing strategic messaging and outreach, and building robust, scalable sales processes. With decades of experience bridging science and strategy, we partner with you as fractional executives, mentors, or high-impact coaches to create actionable playbooks that drive growth, resilience, and higher valuations. Ready to transform stalled potential into thriving success? Let’s connect and shape the next chapter of your story.
Visit us at www.bossey.com