CASH-TIGHT GROWTH MENTORING
Growing 50% but cash is tightening? The 6-month mentoring that holds you to the money decisions.
The Cash-Tight Growth Mentoring from Ivanka Menken is a six-month 1:1 mentoring programme priced at AUD $1,500 per month ex GST for founders of $500K to $3M businesses growing fast but seeing cash tighten. Ivanka Menken, co-founder of The Art of Service and MIT Entrepreneurial Masters graduate, holds each founder to the money and letting-go decisions their firefighting keeps pushing back, delivered as 12 fortnightly 60-minute sessions plus a monthly one-page scorecard.
THE 5-METRIC SCORECARD
Five numbers, one page, every month
- 1Weeks of payroll covered by cash in the bank
- 2Gross margin, as a percentage
- 3Price of your newest piece of work against the same work a year ago
- 4Commitments kept since the last session
- 5Confidence in the business, scored 1 to 10
The scorecard measures more money kept and a clearer head, without becoming homework.
THE CHAIN
Why growth is making cash tighter
It sounds like several problems. It is usually one.
- 01Prices too low
- 02Margins thin
- 03Growth eats cash
- 04Payroll becomes a monthly fear
- 05Confidence drains
Where the work starts: The mentoring breaks the chain where it starts, with what you charge, and measures it where it ends: your cash and your confidence.
SOUND FAMILIAR?
Signs you are growing into a cash squeeze
- We grew 50% last year and cash is tighter, not easier
- I keep deferring the money decision I know I have to make
- Every quote is a reinvention of the wheel
- I cannot answer: how many weeks of payroll are covered by cash this week
- I want to double again this year and I have no plan.
EVERY FORTNIGHT
12 sessions of 60 minutes, four steps each
Live on Zoom, once a fortnight, over 6 months. Short messages between sessions are answered within two working days.
- 1
The one thing
The one thing that matters this fortnight.
- 2
The numbers
The numbers behind it.
- 3
The story
The story you are telling yourself about it.
- 4
The commitment
One commitment, written down.
Once a month the founder fills in the one-page, five-number scorecard, reviewed with Ivanka at month 3 and month 6.
Ivanka’s accountability sessions were a game-changer. Her blend of tough love and empathetic guidance kept me focused, aligned, and on track to surpass our growth targets by 25%.
Founder
THE INVESTMENT
6 months, 12 sessions
AUD $1,500
per month ex GST
AUD $9,000 ex GST over the six months. GST is added at checkout.
Start for AUD $1,500/monthFounding place, three only
AUD $1,000
per month ex GST
Same program, in return for honest monthly feedback and a testimonial, which can be anonymous.
Claim a founding placeNot sure yet? Email Ivanka first.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
Questions about Cash-Tight Growth Mentoring
What is the Cash-Tight Growth Mentoring programme?
Cash-Tight Growth Mentoring is a 1:1 programme from Ivanka Menken for founders whose business is growing while cash gets tighter. Over 6 months, Ivanka holds you to the money and letting-go decisions your firefighting keeps pushing back, across 12 fortnightly 60-minute sessions and a monthly one-page scorecard. It costs AUD $1,500/month ex GST.
How much does 6-month mentoring with Ivanka Menken cost?
Cash-Tight Growth Mentoring costs AUD $1,500/month ex GST for 6 months, so AUD $9,000 ex GST in total. Three founding places are available at AUD $1,000/month ex GST, in return for honest monthly feedback and a testimonial, which can be anonymous. Ivanka Menken takes payment through Stripe, and GST is added at checkout.
Who is Ivanka Menken’s mentoring for?
Ivanka Menken built Cash-Tight Growth Mentoring for founders of $500K to $3M businesses that are growing fast while cash tightens: payroll feels tight, prices are too low and the money decisions keep slipping. If you want someone to hold you to those decisions for 6 months at AUD $1,500/month ex GST, it is written for you.
What is the 5-metric scorecard?
Every month in Cash-Tight Growth Mentoring you fill in one page with five numbers: weeks of payroll covered by cash, gross margin percentage, the price of your newest work against a year ago, commitments kept, and your confidence from 1 to 10. Ivanka Menken reviews it with you at month 3 and at the end of the 6 months. It is included in the AUD $1,500/month fee.
What is a founding place?
A founding place is one of the first three spots in Cash-Tight Growth Mentoring. It costs AUD $1,000/month ex GST instead of AUD $1,500/month for the same 6 months, in return for honest monthly feedback to Ivanka Menken and a testimonial at the end, which can be anonymous. Once three are taken, the founding rate closes.
What is the fortnightly session structure?
Each 60-minute session of Cash-Tight Growth Mentoring follows four steps: the one thing that matters this fortnight, the numbers behind it, the story you are telling yourself about it, and one commitment, written down. Ivanka Menken runs 12 of these over 6 months on Zoom, and answers short messages between sessions within two working days. The fee is AUD $1,500/month ex GST.
Is this accounting or financial advice?
No. Cash-Tight Growth Mentoring is not accounting, financial advice or a done-for-you fix. Ivanka Menken reads your numbers with you, asks the questions and holds you to your own decisions for 6 months, while your accountant still does the accounts. What you pay for, at AUD $1,500/month ex GST, is follow-through on the decisions you keep deferring.