It is late January $2025.$ Susan Henderson, the founder of BAL, is viewing the $2025$ calendar year as a pivotal year in the life of her startup venture. She recognizes that while the company is still in survival mode, she must position BAL for both rapid growth and continued profitability. This includes the need to both expand existing production capacity $($in which current capacity is presently supported by rapidly deteriorating equipment$)$ as well as make significant new investments in research and development through the buildout of an on$-$site laboratory.

Anticipated BAL Operational Activities $$ Feb $1$st Through July $31$st$,2025$

$1.$ Susan has identified a potential second bottling distributor, Dash Cola, for her additive products and believes that a purchase of $500$ gallons will occur sometime in February. She anticipates a purchase price of $$22\mathrm{.}50$ a gallon and that they will pay $50\%$ cash up front and pay off the receivables within $30$ days. She intends to fill their order with the $5,000$ gallons currently sitting in finished goods inventory. She further intends to keep the finished goods inventory for specifically fulfilling one$-$time customer product evaluation request orders.

$2.$ Based on recent conversations with SFI Corp. executives, Susan is anticipating that SFI Corp. executives will place two orders, each at $12,500$ gallons, sometime during CY $2025.$ The first order will most likely be placed in April and the follow$-$on order in September. She has already locked in the previously negotiated price of $$17\mathrm{.}50$ per gallon, with $50\%$ being paid up front and the outstanding accounts receivable to be paid the following month.

$3.$ Raw material costs are anticipated to remain at $$7$ per delivered gallon. Raw materials are purchased with terms of $50\%$ cash up front with the remaining accounts payable due in $30$ days.

$4.$ Susan gave her current employer notice on January $15$th$.$ There was a two week transition period. She increased her BAL compensation to $$10,000$ a month immediately starting on January $1$st$,2025.$ She converted to a W$-2$ employee.

$5.$ Susan still intends to hire an operations manager starting February $1$st to formally plan, document and perform all process manufacturing operations. Starting salary for the position is $$5,000$ a month salaried as a W$-2$ employee.

$6.$ Susan still intends to hire a sales executive to plan and drive sales initiatives. The sales executive will initially be making sales as well as building a sales team in later months. Starting salary for the position is $$2,500$ a month salaried as a W$-2$ employee. The position also pays a $10\%$ commission on all sales credited to the position. Susan intends to fill the position by May $1$st and anticipates that the sales director will be generating monthly sales orders totaling $1,000$ gallons at $$25,000$ a month starting in June $2025.$

$7.$BAL will begin the new IT lease arrangement costs BAL $$1,400$ a month starting February $1$st$.$

$8.$ In March, BAL anticipates paying its annual $$3,750$ interest on the capital lease for its used processing equipment.

$9.$ Susan has already started using BAL$$s cash on hand to build out the new R&D lab. The project timeline is slipping and it is expected that an additional $$50,000$ in equipment expenses $($in addition to the $$300,000$ already budgeted for the project$)$ will be incurred in March.

$10.$ There were no actual sales recognized in January $2025.$

$11.$ There were no raw material inventory purchases in January $2025.$

$12.$ The only wages paid in January $2025$ were to Susan for $$10,000.$

$13.$ The cash balance in BAL$$s checking account as of January $31$st$,2025$ is $$205,624\mathrm{.}37.$ There were unanticipated administrative expenses of $$3,095\mathrm{.}38$ incurred in January.

Questions:

What is February $2025$s beginning cash balance?

Which month $($February through May$)$ has the highest projected ending cash balance?

Which month $($February through May$)$ has the lowest projected ending cash balance?

What is the first month $($February through May$)$ with a negative ending cash balance?

What is the ending cash balance for February $2025?$

What is the ending cash balance for March $2025?$

What is the ending cash balance for April $2025?$

What is the ending cash balance for May $2025?$

If you could please answer these questions and help me fill out the worksheet, I would be very grateful!!