Alex French, cofounder and CEO of cold-brew coffee maker Bizzy Coffee (Bizzy), was once again scrutinizing his company financial statements and forecasts.! The last 12 months had been a whirlwind for French and fellow Bizzy cofounder Andrew Healy. The year 2021 had ended with sales of nearly $9 million, more than double the previous year's sales, and net income had turned positive for the first time in the business's history. But now, in August 2022, profitability had taken a dramatic turn for the worse. Despite achieving its best sales month ever, Bizzy had burned through a third of a million dollars in cash in just one month. One solution to the cash burn problem was attracting new cash investors, and French had a meeting scheduled the next day with some potential new investors. Having been through dozens of similar meetings in the past, French knew he needed to provide both a compelling overall vision of the business and a specific financial plan that would get Bizzy to a place of positive cash flow. The US Coffee Industry In the early 2020s