Revenue can lie. Cash flow does not. At CHFA NOW Vancouver, Siri Amrit Khalsa, C
By Will Haire · February 21, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
Revenue can lie.
Cash flow does not.
At CHFA NOW Vancouver, Siri Amrit Khalsa, CMA delivered one of the most grounded sessions on what really happens in the “messy middle” of scaling. That $1M to $5M range where revenue grows, but clarity disappears.
82% of businesses fail due to cash flow constraints. Not because demand disappears. Because visibility disappears.
One founder in his example was generating $1.2M in revenue. On paper, her DTC channel showed 48% margins. Wholesale showed 22%. Amazon showed 3%.
It looked fine.
It wasn’t.
Hidden costs were quietly destroying profitability. Trade spend. Slotting fees. Freight. Operational overhead. Time spent managing complexity. Her P&L showed profit. Her bank account told the truth.
She was working 79 hours per week and not paying herself consistently.
Once she segmented the data properly, one insight alone saved $45,000 per year and returned 15 hours per week. Clarity created margin.
Not all revenue is equal. Not all channels deserve to scale.
Amazon is not the enemy. But if your margins cannot support the fee structure and operational load, it will expose weaknesses quickly.
Whatever your business systems do not hold, your nervous system will.
Working harder is not the answer.
Awareness first. Then action.
More to come from CHFA NOW Vancouver.
#ChfaNow