A salary line doesn’t answer the question. When a client asks whether they can afford to hire, the cost of the role is the easy part. What they really want to know is what happens to cash once that person starts, and how long it takes before the hire pays for themselves. For this bootstrapped, profitable business, the decision covers two roles: an account manager to take on new inbound leads, and a junior hire to take admin off the owner’s plate.

The answer isn’t one forecast, it’s three. A growth case where revenue rises 8% and both hires go ahead. A conservative case where revenue edges up 1% and only the account manager comes on. And a hold case where revenue falls 3% and hiring waits. Even in the growth case, cash on hand dips below the client’s $50K floor in July. That makes timing the real question, not just headcount.

In this 30-minute Build, you’ll see three things. First, how a three-way forecast projects P&L, balance sheet and cash from your client’s actuals. Second, how hiring microforecasts model each role’s salary, onboarding cost and revenue ramp, and how the business roadmap lets you test start dates against the cash floor. Third, how Commentary Writer turns the whole thing into a board-ready summary you can save as a template and reuse for the next client who asks.

This session is hands-on. Follow along in your own Fathom account, or just watch the scenarios come together in real time. Your client’s numbers, your screen, 30 minutes.