Profit on paper and money in the bank are not the same thing, and the gap between them has sunk more small businesses than any competitor ever did. A company can be profitable for the year as a whole and still fail in a single quiet month because the bills arrived before the revenue did. Cash flow is the lifeblood of a small business, and managing it well means preparing for the lean periods while the good times are still rolling. Understand the Rhythm of Your Own Business Almost every business has a seasonal pattern, even if the owner has never mapped it out. A landscaping company is busy in…