# Smb Monday Brief

> Produce a one-page Monday briefing covering cash, sales, pipeline, risks, and the top three to-dos for the week.

- Skill: `matrixx0070/smb-monday-brief` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add matrixx0070/smb-monday-brief`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/matrixx0070/smb-monday-brief/raw
- Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: DevOps & Infra
- Author: Matrixx0070 (https://skillmd.com/u/matrixx0070)
- Updated: 2026-09-08
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/matrixx0070/smb-monday-brief

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# Monday Brief

## When to use
Use this at the start of the week to give the owner a fast, consistent read on where things stand and what to focus on — a repeatable Monday ritual that keeps cash, sales, and pipeline in one view.

**Not for:** deep monthly close (use smb-month-end-prep); a 30-day cash forecast (use smb-month-heads-up); anything that actually contacts customers or moves money — this brief only recommends.

## Method
1. **Set the frame.** State the week-starting date and the prior week you're comparing against.
2. **Cash line.** Cash on hand, change vs last week, known outflows due this week (payroll, rent, bills), and runway.
3. **Sales line.** Last week's revenue vs target and vs prior week, plus deals closed.
4. **Pipeline line.** Deals expected to close this week with value, and any that slipped. Decision point: if a deal slipped twice, flag it as at-risk rather than "still expected."
5. **Risks and dates.** Overdue invoices, deadlines, and anything time-sensitive this week.
6. **Pick the top 3 to-dos.** Convert the above into the three highest-impact actions, each with a one-line why. Decision point: if cash runway is under one payroll cycle, one to-do must address it. Keep it to one page; any outreach or spend it suggests is for the owner to approve.

## Example
Week of Mar 4 (vs Feb 26). Cash $18,400, down $2,100; rent $3,000 due Fri; runway ~6 weeks. Sales last week $9,200 vs $11,000 target (-16%), 3 deals closed. Pipeline: 2 deals ~$7,500 expected to close; the Acme deal slipped a second week — flag at-risk. Risks: Invoice #217 ($4,300) is 22 days overdue. Top 3: (1) Chase #217 today — biggest fast cash lever. (2) Confirm or drop Acme — stop forecasting a ghost. (3) Book two demos to refill a thin pipeline.

## Pitfalls
- Turning it into a data dump; the value is three decisions, not thirty numbers.
- Reporting revenue with no target or prior-week anchor — a number alone says nothing.
- Carrying a perpetually "expected" deal week after week without flagging the slip.
- Writing vague to-dos ("improve sales"); each must be a concrete action someone can do this week.

## Output format
- **Week of / vs prior week.**
- **Cash:** on hand | change | outflows due this week | runway.
- **Sales:** last week vs target/prior | deals closed.
- **Pipeline:** closing this week (value) | slipped/at-risk deals.
- **This week's risks & key dates.**
- **Top 3 to-dos:** action + why (owner approves any outreach or spend).

## Reference

### The five lines — what each must contain
1. **Cash line.** Cash on hand, ± vs last week, outflows due *this week* (payroll, rent, loan, taxes, big supplier bills), and **runway** = cash on hand ÷ average weekly burn. Express runway in weeks *and* in payroll cycles — the payroll cycle is the number that triggers action.
2. **Sales line.** Last week's revenue vs target and vs prior week (both anchors — a number with neither is meaningless), deals closed, and any streak/trend.
3. **Pipeline line.** Deals expected to close this week with value and probability; total weighted pipeline; and any deal that slipped.
4. **Risks & dates line.** Overdue invoices (with age), deadlines, renewals, commitments, and anything time-sensitive.
5. **Top 3 to-dos.** The three highest-leverage actions distilled from the above, each with a one-line "why it matters this week."

### Runway and cash triggers
- **Runway = cash ÷ weekly burn.** Under **1 payroll cycle** → a to-do *must* address cash this week (accelerate collections, delay non-critical spend, or line up a buffer). Under **6 weeks** → cash is the standing top priority. Over ~13 weeks (a quarter) → healthy; focus can shift to growth.
- Always net *known* outflows due this week against inflows you can actually count on (not hopeful invoices) before reporting comfort.

### Pipeline hygiene — the slip rule
Track each open deal's expected-close date week over week. **Slipped once** = note it. **Slipped twice** = reclassify from "expected" to **at-risk** and stop counting its value in this-week forecasts until re-qualified. A perpetually "expected" deal is a forecasting ghost that hides a thin pipeline. Use **weighted pipeline** = Σ(deal value × close probability) so the number reflects reality, not optimism.

### Weighted-pipeline probability guide (adjust to your close rates)
| Stage | Rough probability |
|-------|-------------------|
| New lead / early conversation | 10-20% |
| Qualified / needs confirmed | 30-40% |
| Proposal / quote sent | 50-60% |
| Verbal yes / negotiating terms | 70-80% |
| Contract out for signature | 90% |

### Prioritizing the top 3 (impact × urgency)
Score candidate actions on impact (cash/revenue at stake) and urgency (must-happen-this-week). Pick the three with the highest combined pull. Guardrails: never more than three (the brief's value is focus, not a task dump); each must be a concrete action a specific person can complete this week ("Chase invoice #217 today," not "improve cash"); and if a cash trigger fired, one slot is spoken for.

### To-do quality test
Each to-do passes only if it is: (a) specific and verb-first, (b) assignable to one owner, (c) completable within the week, and (d) tied to a number or outcome. "Book two demos to refill a thin pipeline" passes; "focus on sales" fails.

### Common failure modes to avoid
- **The data dump.** Thirty numbers with no decision. The brief exists to produce three actions, not to mirror a dashboard.
- **Unanchored figures.** "$9,200 in sales" tells the owner nothing without a target and a prior-week comparison beside it.
- **The zombie deal.** Carrying a deal as "expected to close" for the fourth straight week instead of flagging the slip and re-qualifying.
- **Vague to-dos.** "Improve marketing" isn't a Monday action; "post the two testimonial ads by Wednesday" is.
- **Ignoring the cash trigger.** Reporting a thin runway without making one to-do address it.

### Cadence and boundaries
Run first thing Monday against last week's actuals; keep it to one page. This brief **recommends only** — every suggested outreach, payment, or spend is presented for the owner to approve, and nothing contacts a customer or moves money without that explicit yes.