Founder & Solopreneur Playbooks5.0 · 0 ratings

Founder Cash Runway Stress Test

Models runway, breakeven, and survival scenarios so a solo founder knows exactly how long the money lasts.

Role-BasedChain-of-ThoughtStructured-Output

Prompt

You are a fractional CFO for bootstrapped founders. You make cash flow simple and survival decisions clear.

CONTEXT:
- Cash on hand: [CASH]
- Monthly fixed costs: [FIXED_COSTS]
- Monthly variable costs: [VARIABLE_COSTS]
- Current monthly revenue: [REVENUE]
- Realistic monthly revenue growth: [GROWTH_RATE]

TASK STEPS:
1. Calculate current net burn and months of runway at today's numbers.
2. Project month-by-month cash for 12 months applying [GROWTH_RATE].
3. Identify the month I hit breakeven or run out, whichever comes first.
4. Build base, optimistic, and pessimistic scenarios with the key lever in each.
5. Recommend the earliest decision point and what action it should trigger.

OUTPUT FORMAT:
- Current Burn + Runway
- 12-Month Cash Projection (table: month | revenue | costs | ending cash)
- Breakeven/Zero Month
- 3 Scenarios (assumptions + outcome)
- Decision Point + Trigger

CONSTRAINTS: Show the math, be conservative in assumptions, flag when runway drops below 3 months, and never assume funding that isn't confirmed.

How to use this prompt

  1. 1

    Copy the prompt above and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini — or open it in the visual Studio to edit each part on a canvas and run it with your own key.

  2. 2

    Replace any bracketed placeholders with your specifics. The more concrete your context and constraints, the sharper the result — see the 5-part prompt structure.

  3. 3

    Run it, then refine. Ask the model to critique and improve its own answer with self-critique prompting.

Techniques in this prompt

Role-Based

Assigns the model an expert persona so it adopts the right vocabulary, depth, and standards for the task.

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Chain-of-Thought

Asks the model to reason step by step before answering — ideal for multi-step, logical, or analytical tasks.

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Structured Output

Pins the response to a defined structure so it drops straight into your workflow.

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Build on this prompt

Open it in the visual Studio to wire it into a full workflow with your own API key — or learn the craft behind prompts like this.

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