"Turnover is vanity, profit sanity, but cash is king." Were there ever nine truer words said about business? The situation at Alderson Print Group is complicated and as-yet-unresolved, but it has proved yet another powerful reminder of the fundamental importance of cash. Only this week I heard about another company that has had to take some painful and drastic measures after its cash management disciplines were found wanting. Things can go wrong very quickly when cash gets out of control. I was talking to a print boss recently who said that the weekly cashflow reports and forecasts were his most important documents and the first thing he reads. He's the boss of a pretty big business, for SMEs the situation is even more challenging as bosses juggle multiple roles and try to keep all the plates spinning. The irony being that things seen as good news: a fast-growing company, or the winning of a sizeable new contract, can also result in a cash crisis. Perhaps it's hardly surprising that these Managing Cashflow guides produced by the Institute of Credit Management have been downloaded more than 300,000 times. Worth a read if you think your company's cash position could be less than regal.