sample business plan with projections

• Business Planning

Business Plan Financial Projections

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Financial projections are forecasted analyses of your business’ future that include income statements, balance sheets and cash flow statements. We have found them to be an crucial part of your business plan for the following reasons:

• They can help prove or disprove the viability of your business idea. For example, if your initial projections show your company will never make a sizable profit, your venture might not be feasible. Or, in such a case, you might figure out ways to raise prices, enter new markets, or streamline operations to make it profitable. 
• Financial projections give investors and lenders an idea of how well your business is likely to do in the future. They can give lenders the confidence that you’ll be able to comfortably repay their loan with interest. And for equity investors, your projections can give them faith that you’ll earn them a solid return on investment. In both cases, your projections can help you secure the funding you need to launch or grow your business.
• Financial projections help you track your progress over time and ensure your business is on track to meet its goals. For example, if your financial projections show you should generate $500,000 in sales during the year, but you are not on track to accomplish that, you’ll know you need to take corrective action to achieve your goal.

Below you’ll learn more about the key components of financial projections and how to complete and include them in your business plan.

What Are Business Plan Financial Projections?

Financial projections are an estimate of your company’s future financial performance through financial forecasting. They are typically used by businesses to secure funding, but can also be useful for internal decision-making and planning purposes. There are three main financial statements that you will need to include in your business plan financial projections:

1. Income Statement Projection

The income statement projection is a forecast of your company’s future revenues and expenses. It should include line items for each type of income and expense, as well as a total at the end.

There are a few key items you will need to include in your projection:

• Revenue: Your revenue projection should break down your expected sales by product or service, as well as by month. It is important to be realistic in your projections, so make sure to account for any seasonal variations in your business.
• Expenses: Your expense projection should include a breakdown of your expected costs by category, such as marketing, salaries, and rent. Again, it is important to be realistic in your estimates.
• Net Income: The net income projection is the difference between your revenue and expenses. This number tells you how much profit your company is expected to make.

Sample Income Statement

2. cash flow statement & projection.

The cash flow statement and projection are a forecast of your company’s future cash inflows and outflows. It is important to include a cash flow projection in your business plan, as it will give investors and lenders an idea of your company’s ability to generate cash.

There are a few key items you will need to include in your cash flow projection:

• The cash flow statement shows a breakdown of your expected cash inflows and outflows by month. It is important to be realistic in your projections, so make sure to account for any seasonal variations in your business.
• Cash inflows should include items such as sales revenue, interest income, and capital gains. Cash outflows should include items such as salaries, rent, and marketing expenses.
• It is important to track your company’s cash flow over time to ensure that it is healthy. A healthy cash flow is necessary for a successful business.

Sample Cash Flow Statements

3. balance sheet projection.

The balance sheet projection is a forecast of your company’s future financial position. It should include line items for each type of asset and liability, as well as a total at the end.

A projection should include a breakdown of your company’s assets and liabilities by category. It is important to be realistic in your projections, so make sure to account for any seasonal variations in your business.

It is important to track your company’s financial position over time to ensure that it is healthy. A healthy balance is necessary for a successful business.

Sample Balance Sheet

How to create financial projections.

Creating financial projections for your business plan can be a daunting task, but it’s important to put together accurate and realistic financial projections in order to give your business the best chance for success.  

Cost Assumptions

When you create financial projections, it is important to be realistic about the costs your business will incur, using historical financial data can help with this. You will need to make assumptions about the cost of goods sold, operational costs, and capital expenditures.

It is important to track your company’s expenses over time to ensure that it is staying within its budget. A healthy bottom line is necessary for a successful business.

Capital Expenditures, Funding, Tax, and Balance Sheet Items

You will also need to make assumptions about capital expenditures, funding, tax, and balance sheet items. These assumptions will help you to create a realistic financial picture of your business.

Capital Expenditures

When projecting your company’s capital expenditures, you will need to make a number of assumptions about the type of equipment or property your business will purchase. You will also need to estimate the cost of the purchase.

When projecting your company’s funding needs, you will need to make a number of assumptions about where the money will come from. This might include assumptions about bank loans, venture capital, or angel investors.

When projecting your company’s tax liability, you will need to make a number of assumptions about the tax rates that will apply to your business. You will also need to estimate the amount of taxes your company will owe.

Balance Sheet Items

When projecting your company’s balance, you will need to make a number of assumptions about the type and amount of debt your business will have. You will also need to estimate the value of your company’s assets and liabilities.

Financial Projection Scenarios

Write two financial scenarios when creating your financial projections, a best-case scenario, and a worst-case scenario. Use your list of assumptions to come up with realistic numbers for each scenario.

Presuming that you have already generated a list of assumptions, the creation of best and worst-case scenarios should be relatively simple. For each assumption, generate a high and low estimate. For example, if you are assuming that your company will have $100,000 in revenue, your high estimate might be $120,000 and your low estimate might be $80,000.

Once you have generated high and low estimates for all of your assumptions, you can create two scenarios: a best case scenario and a worst-case scenario. Simply plug the high estimates into your financial projections for the best-case scenario and the low estimates into your financial projections for the worst-case scenario.

Conduct a Ratio Analysis

A ratio analysis is a useful tool that can be used to evaluate a company’s financial health. Ratios can be used to compare a company’s performance to its industry average or to its own historical performance.

There are a number of different ratios that can be used in ratio analysis. Some of the more popular ones include the following:

• Gross margin ratio
• Operating margin ratio
• Return on assets (ROA)
• Return on equity (ROE)

To conduct a ratio analysis, you will need financial statements for your company and for its competitors. You will also need industry average ratios. These can be found in industry reports or on financial websites.

Once you have the necessary information, you can calculate the ratios for your company and compare them to the industry averages or to your own historical performance. If your company’s ratios are significantly different from the industry averages, it might be indicative of a problem.

Be Realistic

When creating your financial projections, it is important to be realistic. Your projections should be based on your list of assumptions and should reflect your best estimate of what your company’s future financial performance will be. This includes projected operating income, a projected income statement, and a profit and loss statement.

Your goal should be to create a realistic set of financial projections that can be used to guide your company’s future decision-making.

Sales Forecast

One of the most important aspects of your financial projections is your sales forecast. Your sales forecast should be based on your list of assumptions and should reflect your best estimate of what your company’s future sales will be.

Your sales forecast should be realistic and achievable. Do not try to “game” the system by creating an overly optimistic or pessimistic forecast. Your goal should be to create a realistic sales forecast that can be used to guide your company’s future decision-making.

Creating a sales forecast is not an exact science, but there are a number of methods that can be used to generate realistic estimates. Some common methods include market analysis, competitor analysis, and customer surveys.

Create Multi-Year Financial Projections

When creating financial projections, it is important to generate projections for multiple years. This will give you a better sense of how your company’s financial performance is likely to change over time.

It is also important to remember that your financial projections are just that: projections. They are based on a number of assumptions and are not guaranteed to be accurate. As such, you should review and update your projections on a regular basis to ensure that they remain relevant.

Creating financial projections is an important part of any business plan. However, it’s important to remember that these projections are just estimates. They are not guarantees of future success.

Business Plan Financial Projections FAQs

What is a business plan financial projection.

A business plan financial projection is a forecast of your company's future financial performance. It should include line items for each type of asset and liability, as well as a total at the end.

What are annual income statements? 

The Annual income statement is a financial document and a financial model that summarize a company's revenues and expenses over the course of a fiscal year. They provide a snapshot of a company's financial health and performance and can be used to track trends and make comparisons with other businesses.

What are the necessary financial statements?

The necessary financial statements for a business plan are an income statement, cash flow statement, and balance sheet.

How do I create financial projections?

You can create financial projections by making a list of assumptions, creating two scenarios (best case and worst case), conducting a ratio analysis, and being realistic.

24 of My Favorite Sample Business Plans & Examples For Your Inspiration

Published: February 06, 2024

I believe that reading sample business plans is essential when writing your own.

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As you explore business plan examples from real companies and brands, it’s easier for you to learn how to write a good one.

But what does a good business plan look like? And how do you write one that’s both viable and convincing. I’ll walk you through the ideal business plan format along with some examples to help you get started.

Table of Contents

Business Plan Format

Business plan types, sample business plan templates, top business plan examples.

Ask any successful sports coach how they win so many games, and they’ll tell you they have a unique plan for every single game. To me, the same logic applies to business.

If you want to build a thriving company that can pull ahead of the competition, you need to prepare for battle before breaking into a market.

Business plans guide you along the rocky journey of growing a company. And if your business plan is compelling enough, it can also convince investors to give you funding.

With so much at stake, I’m sure you’re wondering where to begin.

Free Business Plan Template

The essential document for starting a business -- custom built for your needs.

• Outline your idea.
• Pitch to investors.
• Secure funding.
• Get to work!

You're all set!

Click this link to access this resource at any time.

Fill out the form to get your free template.

First, you’ll want to nail down your formatting. Most business plans include the following sections.

1. Executive Summary

I’d say the executive summary is the most important section of the entire business plan. 

Why? Essentially, it's the overview or introduction, written in a way to grab readers' attention and guide them through the rest of the business plan. This is important, because a business plan can be dozens or hundreds of pages long.

There are two main elements I’d recommend including in your executive summary:

Company Description

This is the perfect space to highlight your company’s mission statement and goals, a brief overview of your history and leadership, and your top accomplishments as a business.

Tell potential investors who you are and why what you do matters. Naturally, they’re going to want to know who they’re getting into business with up front, and this is a great opportunity to showcase your impact.

Need some extra help firming up those business goals? Check out HubSpot Academy’s free course to help you set goals that matter — I’d highly recommend it

Products and Services

To piggyback off of the company description, be sure to incorporate an overview of your offerings. This doesn’t have to be extensive — just another chance to introduce your industry and overall purpose as a business.

In addition to the items above, I recommend including some information about your financial projections and competitive advantage here too.:

Keep in mind you'll cover many of these topics in more detail later on in the business plan. So, keep the executive summary clear and brief, and only include the most important takeaways.

Executive Summary Business Plan Examples

This example was created with HubSpot’s business plan template:

This executive summary is so good to me because it tells potential investors a short story while still covering all of the most important details.

Image Source

Tips for Writing Your Executive Summary

• Start with a strong introduction of your company, showcase your mission and impact, and outline the products and services you provide.
• Clearly define a problem, and explain how your product solves that problem, and show why the market needs your business.
• Be sure to highlight your value proposition, market opportunity, and growth potential.
• Keep it concise and support ideas with data.
• Customize your summary to your audience. For example, emphasize finances and return on investment for venture capitalists.

Check out our tips for writing an effective executive summary for more guidance.

2. Market Opportunity

This is where you'll detail the opportunity in the market.

The main question I’d ask myself here is this: Where is the gap in the current industry, and how will my product fill that gap?

More specifically, here’s what I’d include in this section:

• The size of the market
• Current or potential market share
• Trends in the industry and consumer behavior
• Where the gap is
• What caused the gap
• How you intend to fill it

To get a thorough understanding of the market opportunity, you'll want to conduct a TAM, SAM, and SOM analysis and perform market research on your industry.

You may also benefit from creating a SWOT analysis to get some of the insights for this section.

Market Opportunity Business Plan Example

I like this example because it uses critical data to underline the size of the potential market and what part of that market this service hopes to capture.

Tips for Writing Your Market Opportunity Section

• Focus on demand and potential for growth.
• Use market research, surveys, and industry trend data to support your market forecast and projections.
• Add a review of regulation shifts, tech advances, and consumer behavior changes.
• Refer to reliable sources.
• Showcase how your business can make the most of this opportunity.

3. Competitive Landscape

Since we’re already speaking of market share, you'll also need to create a section that shares details on who the top competitors are.

After all, your customers likely have more than one brand to choose from, and you'll want to understand exactly why they might choose one over another.

My favorite part of performing a competitive analysis is that it can help you uncover:

• Industry trends that other brands may not be utilizing
• Strengths in your competition that may be obstacles to handle
• Weaknesses in your competition that may help you develop selling points
• The unique proposition you bring to the market that may resonate with customers

Competitive Landscape Business Plan Example

I like how the competitive landscape section of this business plan below shows a clear outline of who the top competitors are.

It also highlights specific industry knowledge and the importance of location, which shows useful experience in this specific industry. 

This can help build trust in your ability to execute your business plan.

Tips for Writing Your Competitive Landscape

• Complete in-depth research, then emphasize your most important findings.
• Compare your unique selling proposition (USP) to your direct and indirect competitors.
• Show a clear and realistic plan for product and brand differentiation.
• Look for specific advantages and barriers in the competitive landscape. Then, highlight how that information could impact your business.
• Outline growth opportunities from a competitive perspective.
• Add customer feedback and insights to support your competitive analysis.

4. Target Audience

Use this section to describe who your customer segments are in detail. What is the demographic and psychographic information of your audience?

If your immediate answer is "everyone," you'll need to dig deeper. Here are some questions I’d ask myself here:

• What demographics will most likely need/buy your product or service?
• What are the psychographics of this audience? (Desires, triggering events, etc.)
• Why are your offerings valuable to them?

I’d also recommend building a buyer persona to get in the mindset of your ideal customers and be clear on why you're targeting them.

Target Audience Business Plan Example

I like the example below because it uses in-depth research to draw conclusions about audience priorities. It also analyzes how to create the right content for this audience.

Tips for Writing Your Target Audience Section

• Include details on the size and growth potential of your target audience.
• Figure out and refine the pain points for your target audience , then show why your product is a useful solution.
• Describe your targeted customer acquisition strategy in detail.
• Share anticipated challenges your business may face in acquiring customers and how you plan to address them.
• Add case studies, testimonials, and other data to support your target audience ideas.
• Remember to consider niche audiences and segments of your target audience in your business plan.

5. Marketing Strategy

Here, you'll discuss how you'll acquire new customers with your marketing strategy. I’d suggest including information:

• Your brand positioning vision and how you'll cultivate it
• The goal targets you aim to achieve
• The metrics you'll use to measure success
• The channels and distribution tactics you'll use

I think it’s helpful to have a marketing plan built out in advance to make this part of your business plan easier.

Marketing Strategy Business Plan Example

This business plan example includes the marketing strategy for the town of Gawler.

In my opinion, it really works because it offers a comprehensive picture of how they plan to use digital marketing to promote the community.

Tips for Writing Your Marketing Strategy

• Include a section about how you believe your brand vision will appeal to customers.
• Add the budget and resources you'll need to put your plan in place.
• Outline strategies for specific marketing segments.
• Connect strategies to earlier sections like target audience and competitive analysis.
• Review how your marketing strategy will scale with the growth of your business.
• Cover a range of channels and tactics to highlight your ability to adapt your plan in the face of change.

6. Key Features and Benefits

At some point in your business plan, you'll need to review the key features and benefits of your products and/or services.

Laying these out can give readers an idea of how you're positioning yourself in the market and the messaging you're likely to use. It can even help them gain better insight into your business model.

Key Features and Benefits Business Plan Example

In my opinion, the example below does a great job outlining products and services for this business, along with why these qualities will attract the audience.

Tips for Writing Your Key Features and Benefits

• Emphasize why and how your product or service offers value to customers.
• Use metrics and testimonials to support the ideas in this section.
• Talk about how your products and services have the potential to scale.
• Think about including a product roadmap.
• Focus on customer needs, and how the features and benefits you are sharing meet those needs.
• Offer proof of concept for your ideas, like case studies or pilot program feedback.
• Proofread this section carefully, and remove any jargon or complex language.

7. Pricing and Revenue

This is where you'll discuss your cost structure and various revenue streams. Your pricing strategy must be solid enough to turn a profit while staying competitive in the industry. 

For this reason, here’s what I’d might outline in this section:

• The specific pricing breakdowns per product or service
• Why your pricing is higher or lower than your competition's
• (If higher) Why customers would be willing to pay more
• (If lower) How you're able to offer your products or services at a lower cost
• When you expect to break even, what margins do you expect, etc?

Pricing and Revenue Business Plan Example

I like how this business plan example begins with an overview of the business revenue model, then shows proposed pricing for key products.

Tips for Writing Your Pricing and Revenue Section

• Get specific about your pricing strategy. Specifically, how you connect that strategy to customer needs and product value.
• If you are asking a premium price, share unique features or innovations that justify that price point.
• Show how you plan to communicate pricing to customers.
• Create an overview of every revenue stream for your business and how each stream adds to your business model as a whole.
• Share plans to develop new revenue streams in the future.
• Show how and whether pricing will vary by customer segment and how pricing aligns with marketing strategies.
• Restate your value proposition and explain how it aligns with your revenue model.

8. Financials

To me, this section is particularly informative for investors and leadership teams to figure out funding strategies, investment opportunities, and more.

 According to Forbes , you'll want to include three main things:

• Profit/Loss Statement - This answers the question of whether your business is currently profitable.
• Cash Flow Statement - This details exactly how much cash is incoming and outgoing to give insight into how much cash a business has on hand.
• Balance Sheet - This outlines assets, liabilities, and equity, which gives insight into how much a business is worth.

While some business plans might include more or less information, these are the key details I’d include in this section.

Financials Business Plan Example

This balance sheet is a great example of level of detail you’ll need to include in the financials section of your business plan.

Tips for Writing Your Financials Section

• Growth potential is important in this section too. Using your data, create a forecast of financial performance in the next three to five years.
• Include any data that supports your projections to assure investors of the credibility of your proposal.
• Add a break-even analysis to show that your business plan is financially practical. This information can also help you pivot quickly as your business grows.
• Consider adding a section that reviews potential risks and how sensitive your plan is to changes in the market.
• Triple-check all financial information in your plan for accuracy.
• Show how any proposed funding needs align with your plans for growth.

As you create your business plan, keep in mind that each of these sections will be formatted differently. Some may be in paragraph format, while others could be charts or graphs.

The formats above apply to most types of business plans. That said, the format and structure of your plan will vary by your goals for that plan. 

So, I’ve added a quick review of different business plan types. For a more detailed overview, check out this post .

1. Startups

Startup business plans are for proposing new business ideas.

If you’re planning to start a small business, preparing a business plan is crucial. The plan should include all the major factors of your business.

You can check out this guide for more detailed business plan inspiration .

2. Feasibility Studies

Feasibility business plans focus on that business's product or service. Feasibility plans are sometimes added to startup business plans. They can also be a new business plan for an already thriving organization.

3. Internal Use

You can use internal business plans to share goals, strategies, or performance updates with stakeholders. In my opinion, internal business plans are useful for alignment and building support for ambitious goals.

4. Strategic Initiatives

Another business plan that's often for sharing internally is a strategic business plan. This plan covers long-term business objectives that might not have been included in the startup business plan.

5. Business Acquisition or Repositioning

When a business is moving forward with an acquisition or repositioning, it may need extra structure and support. These types of business plans expand on a company's acquisition or repositioning strategy.

Growth sometimes just happens as a business continues operations. But more often, a business needs to create a structure with specific targets to meet set goals for expansion. This business plan type can help a business focus on short-term growth goals and align resources with those goals.

Now that you know what's included and how to format a business plan, let's review some of my favorite templates.

1. HubSpot's One-Page Business Plan

Download a free, editable one-page business plan template..

The business plan linked above was created here at HubSpot and is perfect for businesses of any size — no matter how many strategies we still have to develop.

Fields such as Company Description, Required Funding, and Implementation Timeline give this one-page business plan a framework for how to build your brand and what tasks to keep track of as you grow.

Then, as the business matures, you can expand on your original business plan with a new iteration of the above document.

Why I Like It

This one-page business plan is a fantastic choice for the new business owner who doesn’t have the time or resources to draft a full-blown business plan. It includes all the essential sections in an accessible, bullet-point-friendly format. That way, you can get the broad strokes down before honing in on the details.

2. HubSpot's Downloadable Business Plan Template

We also created a business plan template for entrepreneurs.

The template is designed as a guide and checklist for starting your own business. You’ll learn what to include in each section of your business plan and how to do it.

There’s also a list for you to check off when you finish each section of your business plan.

Strong game plans help coaches win games and help businesses rocket to the top of their industries. So if you dedicate the time and effort required to write a workable and convincing business plan, you’ll boost your chances of success and even dominance in your market.

This business plan kit is essential for the budding entrepreneur who needs a more extensive document to share with investors and other stakeholders.

It not only includes sections for your executive summary, product line, market analysis, marketing plan, and sales plan, but it also offers hands-on guidance for filling out those sections.

3. LiveFlow’s Financial Planning Template with built-in automation

This free template from LiveFlow aims to make it easy for businesses to create a financial plan and track their progress on a monthly basis.

The P&L Budget versus Actual format allows users to track their revenue, cost of sales, operating expenses, operating profit margin, net profit, and more.

The summary dashboard aggregates all of the data put into the financial plan sheet and will automatically update when changes are made.

Instead of wasting hours manually importing your data to your spreadsheet, LiveFlow can also help you to automatically connect your accounting and banking data directly to your spreadsheet, so your numbers are always up-to-date.

With the dashboard, you can view your runway, cash balance, burn rate, gross margins, and other metrics. Having a simple way to track everything in one place will make it easier to complete the financials section of your business plan.

This is a fantastic template to track performance and alignment internally and to create a dependable process for documenting financial information across the business. It’s highly versatile and beginner-friendly.

It’s especially useful if you don’t have an accountant on the team. (I always recommend you do, but for new businesses, having one might not be possible.)

4. ThoughtCo’s Sample Business Plan

One of the more financially oriented sample business plans in this list, BPlan’s free business plan template dedicates many of its pages to your business’s financial plan and financial statements.

After filling this business plan out, your company will truly understand its financial health and the steps you need to take to maintain or improve it.

I absolutely love this business plan template because of its ease-of-use and hands-on instructions (in addition to its finance-centric components). If you feel overwhelmed by the thought of writing an entire business plan, consider using this template to help you with the process.

6. Harvard Business Review’s "How to Write a Winning Business Plan"

Most sample business plans teach you what to include in your business plan, but this Harvard Business Review article will take your business plan to the next level — it teaches you the why and how behind writing a business plan.

With the guidance of Stanley Rich and Richard Gumpert, co-authors of " Business Plans That Win: Lessons From the MIT Enterprise Forum ", you'll learn how to write a convincing business plan that emphasizes the market demand for your product or service.

You’ll also learn the financial benefits investors can reap from putting money into your venture rather than trying to sell them on how great your product or service is.

This business plan guide focuses less on the individual parts of a business plan, and more on the overarching goal of writing one. For that reason, it’s one of my favorites to supplement any template you choose to use. Harvard Business Review’s guide is instrumental for both new and seasoned business owners.

7. HubSpot’s Complete Guide to Starting a Business

If you’re an entrepreneur, you know writing a business plan is one of the most challenging first steps to starting a business.

Fortunately, with HubSpot's comprehensive guide to starting a business, you'll learn how to map out all the details by understanding what to include in your business plan and why it’s important to include them. The guide also fleshes out an entire sample business plan for you.

If you need further guidance on starting a business, HubSpot's guide can teach you how to make your business legal, choose and register your business name, and fund your business. It will also give small business tax information and includes marketing, sales, and service tips.

This comprehensive guide will walk you through the process of starting a business, in addition to writing your business plan, with a high level of exactitude and detail. So if you’re in the midst of starting your business, this is an excellent guide for you.

It also offers other resources you might need, such as market analysis templates.

8. Panda Doc’s Free Business Plan Template

PandaDoc’s free business plan template is one of the more detailed and fleshed-out sample business plans on this list. It describes what you should include in each section, so you don't have to come up with everything from scratch.

Once you fill it out, you’ll fully understand your business’ nitty-gritty details and how all of its moving parts should work together to contribute to its success.

This template has two things I love: comprehensiveness and in-depth instructions. Plus, it’s synced with PandaDoc’s e-signature software so that you and other stakeholders can sign it with ease. For that reason, I especially love it for those starting a business with a partner or with a board of directors.

9. Small Business Administration Free Business Plan Template

The Small Business Administration (SBA) offers several free business plan templates that can be used to inspire your own plan.

Before you get started, you can decide what type of business plan you need — a traditional or lean start-up plan.

Then, you can review the format for both of those plans and view examples of what they might look like.

We love both of the SBA’s templates because of their versatility. You can choose between two options and use the existing content in the templates to flesh out your own plan. Plus, if needed, you can get a free business counselor to help you along the way.

I’ve compiled some completed business plan samples to help you get an idea of how to customize a plan for your business.

I chose different types of business plan ideas to expand your imagination. Some are extensive, while others are fairly simple.

Let’s take a look.

1. LiveFlow

One of the major business expenses is marketing. How you handle your marketing reflects your company’s revenue.

I included this business plan to show you how you can ensure your marketing team is aligned with your overall business plan to get results. The plan also shows you how to track even the smallest metrics of your campaigns, like ROI and payback periods instead of just focusing on big metrics like gross and revenue.

Fintech startup, LiveFlow, allows users to sync real-time data from its accounting services, payment platforms, and banks into custom reports. This eliminates the task of pulling reports together manually, saving teams time and helping automate workflows.

"Using this framework over a traditional marketing plan will help you set a profitable marketing strategy taking things like CAC, LTV, Payback period, and P&L into consideration," explains LiveFlow co-founder, Lasse Kalkar .

When it came to including marketing strategy in its business plan, LiveFlow created a separate marketing profit and loss statement (P&L) to track how well the company was doing with its marketing initiatives.

This is a great approach, allowing businesses to focus on where their marketing dollars are making the most impact. Having this information handy will enable you to build out your business plan’s marketing section with confidence. LiveFlow has shared the template here . You can test it for yourself.

2. Lula Body

Sometimes all you need is a solid mission statement and core values to guide you on how to go about everything. You do this by creating a business plan revolving around how to fulfill your statement best.

For example, Patagonia is an eco-friendly company, so their plan discusses how to make the best environmentally friendly products without causing harm.

A good mission statement  should not only resonate with consumers but should also serve as a core value compass for employees as well.

Patagonia has one of the most compelling mission statements I’ve seen:

"Together, let’s prioritise purpose over profit and protect this wondrous planet, our only home."

It reels you in from the start, and the environmentally friendly theme continues throughout the rest of the statement.

This mission goes on to explain that they are out to "Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, and use business to protect nature."

Their mission statement is compelling and detailed, with each section outlining how they will accomplish their goal.

4. Vesta Home Automation

This executive summary for a smart home device startup is part of a business plan created by students at Mount Royal University .

While it lacks some of the sleek visuals of the templates above, its executive summary does a great job of demonstrating how invested they are in the business.

Right away, they mention they’ve invested $200,000 into the company already, which shows investors they have skin in the game and aren’t just looking for someone else to foot the bill.

This is the kind of business plan you need when applying for business funds. It clearly illustrates the expected future of the company and how the business has been coming along over the years.

5. NALB Creative Center

This fictional business plan for an art supply store includes everything one might need in a business plan: an executive summary, a company summary, a list of services, a market analysis summary, and more.

One of its most notable sections is its market analysis summary, which includes an overview of the population growth in the business’ target geographical area, as well as a breakdown of the types of potential customers they expect to welcome at the store. 

This sort of granular insight is essential for understanding and communicating your business’s growth potential. Plus, it lays a strong foundation for creating relevant and useful buyer personas .

It’s essential to keep this information up-to-date as your market and target buyer changes. For that reason, you should carry out market research as often as possible to ensure that you’re targeting the correct audience and sharing accurate information with your investors.

Due to its comprehensiveness, it’s an excellent example to follow if you’re opening a brick-and-mortar store and need to get external funding to start your business .

6. Curriculum Companion Suites (CSS)

If you’re looking for a SaaS business plan example, look no further than this business plan for a fictional educational software company called Curriculum Companion Suites. 

Like the business plan for the NALB Creative Center, it includes plenty of information for prospective investors and other key stakeholders in the business.

One of the most notable features of this business plan is the executive summary, which includes an overview of the product, market, and mission.

The first two are essential for software companies because the product offering is so often at the forefront of the company’s strategy. Without that information being immediately available to investors and executives, then you risk writing an unfocused business plan.

It’s essential to front-load your company’s mission if it explains your "Why?" and this example does just that. In other words, why do you do what you do, and why should stakeholders care? This is an important section to include if you feel that your mission will drive interest in the business and its offerings.

7. Culina Sample Business Plan

Culina's sample business plan is an excellent example of how to lay out your business plan so that it flows naturally, engages readers, and provides the critical information investors and stakeholders need. 

You can use this template as a guide while you're gathering important information for your own business plan. You'll have a better understanding of the data and research you need to do since Culina’s plan outlines these details so flawlessly for inspiration.

8. Plum Sample Business Plan

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How to Create Financial Projections for Your Business Plan

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Financial projections, also known as financial models, are forecasts of your company’s expected financial performance, typically over the next 5 years.

Over the past 25+ years, we’ve created financial projections for thousands of startups and existing businesses. In doing so, we’ve found 3 key reasons why financial projections are important:

• They help you determine the viability of your new business ideas and/or your need to make modifications to them. For instance, if your initial financial projections show your business idea isn’t profitable, you’ll know that changes are needed (e.g., raising prices, serving new markets, figuring out how to reduce costs, etc.) to make it viable.
• They are crucial for raising funding. Lenders will always review your financial projections to ensure you can comfortably repay any loans they issue you. Equity investors will nearly always review your projections in determining whether they can achieve their desired return on their investment in your business.
• They help keep your business financially on track by giving you goals. For instance, if your financial projections state your company should generate 100 new clients this year, and the year is halfway done and you’re only at 30 clients, you’ll know you need to readjust your strategy to achieve your goals.

In the remainder of this article, you’ll learn more about financial projections, how to complete them, and how to incorporate them in your business plan.

Download our Ultimate Business Plan Template Here to Quickly & Easily Complete Your Business Plan & Financial Projections

What are Financial Projections?

Financial projections are forecasts or estimations of your company’s future revenues and expenses, serving as a crucial part of business planning. To complete them you must develop multiple assumptions with regards to items like future sales volumes, employee headcount and the cost of supplies and other expenses. Financial projections help you create better strategies to grow your business.

Your financial projections will be the most analyzed part of your business plan by investors and/or banks. While never a precise prediction of future performance, an excellent financial model outlines the core assumptions of your business and helps you and others evaluate capital requirements, risks involved, and rewards that successful execution will deliver.

Having a solid framework in place also will help you compare your performance to the financial projections and evaluate how your business is progressing. If your performance is behind your projections, you will have a framework in place to assess the effects of lowering costs, increasing prices, or even reimagining your model. In the happy case that you exceed your business projections, you can use your framework to plan for accelerated growth, new hires, or additional expansion investments.

Hence, the use of financial projections is multi-fold and crucial for the success of any business. Your financial projections should include three core financial statements – the income statement, the cash flow statement, and the balance sheet. The following section explains each statement in detail.

Necessary Financial Statements

The three financial statements are the income statement, the cash flow statement, and the balance sheet. You will learn how to create each one in detail below.  

Income Statement Projection

The projected income statement is also referred to as a profit and loss statement and showcases your business’s revenues and expenses for a specific period.

To create an income statement, you first will need to chart out a sales forecast by taking realistic estimates of units sold and multiplying them by price per unit to arrive at a total sales number. Then, estimate the cost of these units and multiply them by the number of units to get the cost of sales. Finally, calculate your gross margin by subtracting the cost of sales from your sales.

Once you have calculated your gross margin, deduct items like wages, rent, marketing costs, and other expenses that you plan to pay to facilitate your business’s operations. The resulting total represents your projected operating income, which is a critical business metric.

Plan to create an income statement monthly until your projected break-even, or the point at which future revenues outpace total expenses, and you reflect operating profit. From there, annual income statements will suffice.

Sample Income Statement

Consider a sample income statement for a retail store below:

Cash Flow Projection

As the name indicates, a cash flow statement shows the cash flowing in and out of your business. The cash flow statement incorporates cash from business operations and includes cash inflows and outflows from investment and financing activities to deliver a holistic cash picture of your company.

Investment activities include purchasing land or equipment or research & development activities that aren’t necessarily part of daily operations. Cash movements due to financing activities include cash flowing in a business through investors and/or banks and cash flowing out due to debt repayment or distributions made to shareholders.

You should total all these three components of a cash flow projection for any specified period to arrive at a total ending cash balance. Constructing solid cash flow projections will ensure you anticipate capital needs to carry the business to a place of sustainable operations.

Sample Cash Flow Statement

Below is a simple cash flow statement for the same retail store:

Balance Sheet Projection

A balance sheet shows your company’s assets, liabilities, and owner’s equity for a certain period and provides a snapshot in time of your business performance. Assets include things of value that the business owns, such as inventory, capital, and land. Liabilities, on the other hand, are legally bound commitments like payables for goods or services rendered and debt. Finally, owner’s equity refers to the amount that is remaining once liabilities are paid off. Assets must total – or balance – liabilities and equity.

Your startup financial documents should include annual balance sheets that show the changing balance of assets, liabilities, and equity as the business progresses. Ideally, that progression shows a reduction in liabilities and an increase in equity over time.

While constructing these varied business projections, remember to be flexible. You likely will need to go back and forth between the different financial statements since working on one will necessitate changes to the others.

Sample Balance Sheet

Below is a simple balance sheet for the retail store:

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How to Create Financial Projections

When it comes to financial forecasting, simplicity is key. Your financial projections do not have to be overly sophisticated and complicated to impress, and convoluted projections likely will have the opposite effect on potential investors. Keep your tables and graphs simple and fill them with credible data that inspires confidence in your plan and vision. The below tips will help bolster your financial projections.  

Create a List of Assumptions

Your financial projections should be tied to a list of assumptions. For example, one assumption will be the initial monthly cash sales you achieve. Another assumption will be your monthly growth rate. As you can imagine, changing either of these assumptions will significantly impact your financial projections.

As a result, tie your income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statements to your assumptions. That way, if you change your assumptions, all of your financial projections automatically update.

Below are the key assumptions to include in your financial model:

For EACH essential product or service you offer:

• What is the number of units you expect to sell each month?
• What is your expected monthly sales growth rate?
• What is the average price that you will charge per product or service unit sold?
• How much do you expect to raise your prices each year?
• How much does it cost you to produce or deliver each unit sold?
• How much (if at all) do you expect your direct product costs to grow each year?

For EACH subscription/membership, you offer:

• What is the monthly/quarterly/annual price of your membership?
• How many members do you have now, or how many members do you expect to gain in the first month/quarter/year?
• What is your projected monthly/quarterly/annual growth rate in the number of members?
• What is your projected monthly/quarterly/annual member churn (the percentage of members that will cancel each month/quarter/year)?
• What is the average monthly/quarterly/annual direct cost to serve each member (if applicable)?

Cost Assumptions

• What is your monthly salary? What is the annual growth rate in your salary?
• What is your monthly salary for the rest of your team? What is the expected annual growth rate in your team’s salaries?
• What is your initial monthly marketing expense? What is the expected annual growth rate in your marketing expense?
• What is your initial monthly rent + utility expense? What is the expected annual growth rate in your rent + utility expense?
• What is your initial monthly insurance expense? What is the expected annual growth rate in your insurance expense?
• What is your initial monthly office supplies expense? What is the expected annual growth rate in your office supplies expense?
• What is your initial monthly cost for “other” expenses? What is the expected annual growth rate in your “other” expenses?

Capital Expenditures, Funding, Tax, and Balance Sheet Items

• How much money do you need for Capital Expenditures in your first year  (to buy computers, desks, equipment, space build-out, etc.)?
• How much other funding do you need right now?
• What percent of the funding will be financed by Debt (versus equity)?
• What Corporate Tax Rate would you like to apply to company profits?
• What is your Current Liabilities Turnover (in the number of days)?
• What are your Current Assets, excluding cash (in the number of days)?
• What is your Depreciation rate?
• What is your Amortization number of Years?
• What is the number of years in which your debt (loan) must be paid back?
• What is your Debt Payback interest rate?

Create Two Financial Projection Scenarios

It would be best if you used your assumptions to create two sets of financial projections that exhibit two very different scenarios. One is your best-case scenario, and the other is your worst-case. Investors are usually very interested in how a business plan will play out in both these scenarios, allowing them to better analyze the robustness and potential profitability of a business.  

Conduct a Ratio Analysis

Gain an understanding of average industry financial ratios, including operating ratios, profitability ratios, return on investment ratios, and the like. You can then compare your own estimates with these existing ratios to evaluate costs you may have overlooked or find historical financial data to support your projected performance. This ratio analysis helps ensure your financial projections are neither excessively optimistic nor excessively pessimistic.  

Be Realistic

It is easy to get carried away when dealing with estimates and you end up with very optimistic financial projections that will feel untenable to an objective audience. Investors are quick to notice and question inflated figures. Rather than excite investors, such scenarios will compromise your legitimacy.  

Create Multi-Year Financial Projections

The first year of your financial projections should be presented on a granular, monthly basis. For subsequent years, annual projections will suffice. It is advised to have three- or five-year projections ready when you start courting investors. Since your plan needs to be succinct, you can add yearly projections as appendices to your main plan.

You should now know how to create financial projections for your business plan. In addition to creating your full projections as their own document, you will need to insert your financial projections into your plan. In your executive summary, Insert your topline projections, that is, just your sales, gross margins, recurring expenses, EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization), and net income). In the financial plan section of your plan, insert your key assumptions and a little more detail than your topline projections. Include your full financial model in the appendix of your plan.

Other Helpful Business Plan Articles & Templates

Free Financial Projection and Forecasting Templates

By Andy Marker | January 3, 2024

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We’ve collected the top free financial projection and forecasting templates. These templates enable business owners, CFOs, accountants, and financial analysts to plan future growth, manage cash flow, attract investors, and make informed decisions.  On this page, you'll find many helpful, free, customizable financial projection and forecasting templates, including a  1 2-month financial projection template , a  startup financial projection template , a  3-year financial projection template , and a  small business financial forecast template , among others. You’ll also find details on the  elements in a financial projection template ,  types of financial projection and forecasting templates , and  related financial templates .

Simple Financial Projection Template

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Excel | Google Sheets  

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Excel | Google Sheets    

Small business owners and new entrepreneurs are the ideal users for this simple financial projection template. Just input your expected revenues and expenses. This template stands out due to its ease of use and focus on basic, straightforward financial planning, making it perfect for small-scale or early-stage businesses. Available with or without sample text, this tool offers clear financial oversight, better budget management, and informed decision-making regarding future business growth. 

Looking for help with your business plan? Check out these  free financial templates for a business plan to streamline the process of organizing your business's financial information and presenting it effectively to stakeholders.

Financial Forecast Template

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This template is perfect for businesses that require a detailed and all-encompassing forecast. Users can input various financial data, such as projected revenues, costs, and market trends, to generate a complete financial outlook. Available with or without example text, this template gives you a deeper understanding of your business's financial trajectory, aiding in strategic decision-making and long-term financial stability. 

These  free cash-flow forecast templates help you predict your business’s future cash inflows and outflows, allowing you to manage liquidity and optimize financial planning.

12-Month Financial Projection Template

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Use this 12-month financial projection template for better cash-flow management, more accurate budgeting, and enhanced readiness for short-term financial challenges and opportunities. Input estimated monthly revenues and expenses, tracking financial performance over the course of a year. Available with or without sample text, this template is ideal for business owners who need to focus on short-term financial planning. This tool allows you to respond quickly to market shifts and plan effectively for the business's crucial first year. 

Download  free sales forecasting templates to help your business predict future sales, enabling better inventory management, resource planning, and decision-making.

Startup Financial Projection Template

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This dynamic startup financial projection template is ideal for startup founders and entrepreneurs, as it's designed specifically for the unique needs of startups. Available with or without example text, this template focuses on clearly outlining a startup's initial financial trajectory, an essential component for attracting investors. Users can input projected revenues, startup costs, and funding sources to create a comprehensive financial forecast.

3-Year Financial Projection Template

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This three-year financial projection template is particularly useful for business strategists and financial planners who are looking for a medium-term financial planning tool. Input data such as projected revenues, expenses, and growth rates for the next three years. Available with or without sample text, this template lets you anticipate financial challenges and opportunities in the medium term, aiding in strategic decision-making and ensuring sustained business growth.

5-Year Financial Forecasting Template

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CFOs and long-term business planners can use this five-year financial forecasting template to get a clear, long-range financial vision. Available with or without example text, this template allows you to plan strategically and invest wisely, preparing your business for future market developments and opportunities. This unique tool offers an extensive outlook for your business’s financial strategy. Simply input detailed financial data spanning five years, including revenue projections, investment plans, and expected market growth. Visually engaging bar charts of key metrics help turn data into engaging narratives.

Small Business Financial Forecast Template

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Excel | Google Sheets 

The small business financial forecast template is tailored specifically for the scale and specific requirements of small enterprises. Business owners and financial managers can simply input data such as projected sales or expenses. Available with or without sample text, this tool offers the ability to do the following: envision straightforward financial planning; anticipate future financial needs and challenges; make informed decisions; and steer the business toward steady growth.

Elements in a Financial Projection Template

The elements in a financial projection template include future sales, costs, profits, and cash flow. This template illustrates expected receivables, payables, and break-even dates. This tool helps you plan for your business's financial future and growth.   

Here are the standard elements in a financial projection template:   

• Revenue Projection: This estimates future income from various sources over a specific period.
• Expense Forecast: This predicts future costs, including both fixed and variable expenses.
• Profit and Loss Forecast:  This projects the profit or loss by subtracting projected expenses from projected revenues.
• Cash-Flow Projection: This assesses the inflows and outflows of cash, indicating liquidity over time.
• Balance Sheet Projection: This predicts the future financial position, showing assets, liabilities, and equity.
• Break-Even Analysis: This calculates the point at which total revenues equal total costs.
• Capital Expenditure Forecast: This estimates future spending on fixed assets such as equipment or property.
• Debt Repayment Plan: This outlines the schedule for paying back any borrowed funds.
• Sales Forecast:  This predicts future sales volume, often broken down by product or service.
• Gross Margin Analysis:  This looks at the difference between revenue and cost of goods sold.

Types of Financial Projection and Forecasting Templates

There are many types of financial projection and forecasting templates: basic templates for small businesses; detailed ones for big companies; special ones for startup businesses; and others. There are also sales forecasts, cash-flow estimates, and profit and loss projections. 

In addition, financial projection and forecasting templates include long-term planning templates, break-even analyses, budget forecasts, and templates made for specific industries such as retail or manufacturing. 

Each template serves different financial planning needs. Determine which one best suits your requirements based on the scale of your business, the complexity of its financial structure, and the specific department that you want to analyze.

Here's a list of the top types of financial projection and forecasting templates:  

• Basic Financial Projection Template: Ideal for small businesses or startups, this template provides a straightforward approach to forecasting revenue, expenses, and cash flow.
• Detailed Financial Projection Template: Best for larger businesses or those with complex financial structures, this template offers in-depth projections, including balance sheets, income statements, and cash-flow statements.
• Startup Financial Projection Template: Tailored for startups, this template focuses on funding requirements and early-stage revenue forecasts, both crucial for attracting investors and planning initial operations. 
• Sales Forecasting Template:  Used by sales and marketing teams to predict future sales, this template helps you set targets and plan marketing strategies. 
• Cash-Flow Forecast Template: Essential for financial managers who need to monitor the liquidity of the business, this template projects cash inflows and outflows over a period. 
• Profit and Loss Forecast Template (P&L):  Useful for business owners and financial officers who need to anticipate profit margins, this template enables you to forecast revenues and expenses.  
• Three-Year / Five-Year Financial Projection Template: Suitable for long-term business planning, these templates provide a broader view of your company’s financial future, improving your development strategy and investor presentations. 
• Break-Even Analysis Template:  Used by business strategists and financial analysts, this template helps you determine when your business will become profitable. 
• Budget Forecasting Template:  Designed for budget managers, this template uses historical financial data to help you plan your future spending. 
• Sector-Specific Financial Projection Template:  Designed for specific industries (such as retail or manufacturing), these templates take into account industry-specific factors and benchmarks.

Related Financial Templates

Check out this list of free financial templates related to financial projections and forecasting. You'll find templates for budgeting, tracking profits and losses, planning your finances, and more. These tools help keep your company’s money matters organized and clear.

Free Project Budget Templates

Use one of these  project budget templates to maintain control over project finances, ensuring costs stay aligned with the allocated budget and improving overall financial management.

Free Monthly Budget Templates

Use one of these  monthly budget templates to effectively track and manage your business’s income and expenses, helping you plan financially and save money.

Free Expense Report Templates

Use one of these  expense report templates to systematically track and document all business-related expenditures, ensuring accurate reimbursement and efficient financial record-keeping.

Free Balance Sheet Templates

Use one of these  balance sheet templates to summarize your company's financial position at a given time.

Free Cash-Flow Forecast Templates

Use one of these  cash-flow forecast templates to predict future cash inflows and outflows, helping you manage liquidity and make informed financial decisions.

Free Cash-Flow Statement Templates

Use one of these  cash-flow statement templates to track the movement of cash in and out of your business, so you can assess your company’s level of liquidity and financial stability.

Free Discounted Cash-Flow (DCF) Templates

Use one of these  discounted cash-flow (DCF) templates to evaluate the profitability of investments or projects by calculating their present value based on future cash flows.

Free Financial Dashboard Templates

Use one of these  financial dashboard templates to get an at-a-glance view of key financial metrics, so you can make decisions quickly and manage finances effectively.

Related Customer Stories

Free financial planning templates.

Use one of these  financial planning templates to strategically organize and forecast future finances, helping you set realistic financial goals and ensure long-term business growth.

Free Profit and Loss (P&L) Templates

Use one of these  profit and loss (P&L) templates to systematically track income and expenses, giving you a clear picture of your company's profitability over a specific period.

Free Billing and Invoice Templates

Use one of these  billing and invoice templates to streamline the invoicing process and ensure that you bill clients accurately and professionally for services or products.

Plan and Manage Your Company’s Financial Future with Financial Projection and Forecasting Templates from Smartsheet

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Writing a Business Plan—Financial Projections

Spell out your financial forecast in dollars and sense

Creating financial projections for your startup is both an art and a science. Although investors want to see cold, hard numbers, it can be difficult to predict your financial performance three years down the road, especially if you are still raising seed money. Regardless, short- and medium-term financial projections are a required part of your business plan if you want serious attention from investors.

The financial section of your business plan should include a sales forecast , expenses budget , cash flow statement , balance sheet , and a profit and loss statement . Be sure to follow the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) set forth by the Financial Accounting Standards Board , a private-sector organization responsible for setting financial accounting and reporting standards in the U.S. If financial reporting is new territory for you, have an accountant review your projections.

Sales Forecast

As a startup business, you do not have past results to review, which can make forecasting sales difficult. It can be done, though, if you have a good understanding of the market you are entering and industry trends as a whole. In fact, sales forecasts based on a solid understanding of industry and market trends will show potential investors that you've done your homework and your forecast is more than just guesswork.

In practical terms, your forecast should be broken down by monthly sales with entries showing which units are being sold, their price points, and how many you expect to sell. When getting into the second year of your business plan and beyond, it's acceptable to reduce the forecast to quarterly sales. In fact, that's the case for most items in your business plan.

Expenses Budget

What you're selling has to cost something, and this budget is where you need to show your expenses. These include the cost to your business of the units being sold in addition to overhead. It's a good idea to break down your expenses by fixed costs and variable costs. For example, certain expenses will be the same or close to the same every month, including rent, insurance, and others. Some costs likely will vary month by month such as advertising or seasonal sales help.

Cash Flow Statement

As with your sales forecast, cash flow statements for a startup require doing some homework since you do not have historical data to use as a reference. This statement, in short, breaks down how much cash is coming into your business on a monthly basis vs. how much is going out. By using your sales forecasts and your expenses budget, you can estimate your cash flow intelligently.

Keep in mind that revenue often will trail sales, depending on the type of business you are operating. For example, if you have contracts with clients, they may not be paying for items they purchase until the month following delivery. Some clients may carry balances 60 or 90 days beyond delivery. You need to account for this lag when calculating exactly when you expect to see your revenue.

Profit and Loss Statement

Your P&L statement should take the information from your sales projections, expenses budget, and cash flow statement to project how much you expect in profits or losses through the three years included in your business plan. You should have a figure for each individual year as well as a figure for the full three-year period.

Balance Sheet

You provide a breakdown of all of your assets and liabilities in the balances sheet. Many of these assets and liabilities are items that go beyond monthly sales and expenses. For example, any property, equipment, or unsold inventory you own is an asset with a value that can be assigned to it. The same goes for outstanding invoices owed to you that have not been paid. Even though you don't have the cash in hand, you can count those invoices as assets. The amount you owe on a business loan or the amount you owe others on invoices you've not paid would count as liabilities. The balance is the difference between the value of everything you own vs. the value of everything you owe.

Break-Even Projection

If you've done a good job projecting your sales and expenses and inputting the numbers into a spreadsheet, you should be able to identify a date when your business breaks even—in other words, the date when you become profitable, with more money coming in than going out. As a startup business, this is not expected to happen overnight, but potential investors want to see that you have a date in mind and that you can support that projection with the numbers you've supplied in the financial section of your business plan.

Additional Tips

When putting together your financial projections, keep some general tips in mind:

• Get comfortable with spreadsheet software if you aren't already. It is the starting point for all financial projections and offers flexibility, allowing you to quickly change assumptions or weigh alternative scenarios. Microsoft Excel is the most common, and chances are you already have it on your computer. You can also buy special software packages to help with financial projections.
• Prepare a five-year projection . Don’t include this one in the business plan, since the further into the future you project, the harder it is to predict. However, have the projection available in case an investor asks for it.
• Offer two scenarios only . Investors will want to see a best-case and worst-case scenario, but don’t inundate your business plan with myriad medium-case scenarios. They likely will just cause confusion.
• Be reasonable and clear . As mentioned before, financial forecasting is as much art as science. You’ll have to assume certain things, such as your revenue growth, how your raw material and administrative costs will grow, and how effective you’ll be at collecting on accounts receivable. It’s best to be realistic in your projections as you try to recruit investors. If your industry is going through a contraction period and you’re projecting revenue growth of 20 percent a month, expect investors to see red flags.

Financial Projections for Startups and Small Businesses

What’s on the horizon for your business? Will you need to hire new employees? Invest in new capital expenditures? Or maybe even consider opening a new location? Financial projections provide insight for small businesses and startups to plan for the future, as well as data and information potential lenders and investors need to understand your business.

What Are Financial Projections?

A financial projection is what your business expects to happen, based off hypothetical situations using the facts and data you have available. A financial projection is often prepared to present a course of action for evaluation. It’s a type of pro forma statement. Some examples of pro forma financial statements include projected income statements, balance sheets and cash flow statements.

Projections are based on financial modeling techniques and provide the answers to questions that may come from lenders, investors or other business stakeholders. Essentially, these statements are an answer to the questions, “If we lend you this money, what will you do with it? And how will you pay it back?”

Why Are Financial Projections So Important for Startups and Small Businesses?

Financial projections help you see when you may have financing needs and the best times to make capital expenditures. They help you monitor cash flow, change pricing or alter production plans.

Projections provide all the minutia that lenders might be looking for to better understand your business: how it obtains revenue and where it spends money. Additionally, if your business is ever the target of an acquisition, the financial statements help potential buyers evaluate its worth.

There are subtle differences between the terms projection and forecast. But both describe predictions of future financial performance using financial models. A financial forecast presents predicted outcomes based on the conditions you expect to exist for your business. Projections are financial statements that present an expected financial position given one or more hypothetical assumptions.

For example, Linda’s Linens is growing its sales volume 10% each year, and that growth has been steady for the last 18 months. After examining the financial forecast, it’s reasonable for Linda to assume that growth will continue, and she should plan accordingly. This helps her with inventory planning, hiring decisions and how much to allocate for marketing.

Linda is considering opening a second location. So she prepares a financial projection to show her bank a “what if” scenario to see how much growth she might expect if she received a loan to open another store on the other side of town. The hypothetical situation of opening a new location in the financial projection is what makes it different from the sustained growth she might reasonably suspect in the financial forecast.

What Are Financial Projections Used For?

Financial projections help you realize possible potential in your business. What might happen if you receive outside funding? Or purchase additional equipment? This is where you get to be creative and explore what the future of your business might look like.

Business Plan: Financial projections and business plans go hand-in-hand. It’s a way to show that your company is stable and is financially successful. It’s a good practice to provide quarterly or monthly projections for the first year and annual projections for the four years after that. These include projected income statements, balance sheets, cash flow statements and budgets for capital expenditures. You should be able to explain projections and match them to funding.

Investors: Your potential investors want to know if the business will make money and when they can expect a return on their investment. Some common benchmarks to watch for include how long it will take until the company turns a profit, sales in years three and five, and data showing how your numbers fit in context of your industry.

Loans and Lines of Credit: These are the most common sources of external funding for small businesses. To secure a Small Business Association (SBA) loan, you’ll need a thorough understanding of your finances so you can show the lender how your funds will be used and when the loan will be paid back.

Know your Business: Financial projections show discipline in financial management – and better financial management leads to a much higher chance of business success. By using a financial model to make financial projections, you can see if, when and whether your business will make a profit. You’ll have a better understanding of your cash position to make better decisions about when to hire more people, buy more inventory or make capital investments.

7 Steps to Building a Financial Projection for Your Startup or Small Business

Some common scenarios for projections are monthly projections for year one, quarterly for the next two years and annual thereafter. To build out your financial projections and make them as useful as possible, consider including the following:

• Sales revenue estimates
• Cost of sales or cost of goods sold (COGs)
• Operating costs
• Capital expenditures
• Gross margin by product line
• Sales increase by product line
• Interest rates on debts
• Income tax rate
• Accounts receivable collection plan
• Accounts payable schedule
• Inventory turnover
• Depreciation schedules
• The usefulness or depreciation of assets

Financial projections will usually have a detailed view in a spreadsheet, as well as a summary of some of the most important information. To create this, your business will need a financial model, or a summary of your company’s expenses and earnings. Some of the basic areas to start building financial projections include:

• Create a sales forecast.

What’s driving your sales? That’s where you should start with your projections. For example, if you have a subscription-based web business, correlate sales with estimated website traffic, and conversion rates with the source of traffic. Like a project management platform that sees 1.5% of its traffic from organic Google searches turn into paying customers. The same project management company should also identify conversion rates for customers who land on the site from ads. That way they can estimate how many new customers an increased ad spend or increased organic searches might attract. And finally, the platform should track their churn rate, or how many customers don’t renew their subscription.

For a business that sells physical products, the sales forecast should estimate the number of units it will sell and the price per unit. It’s also helpful to see where and how the items are being sold: How many stores are carrying the products? How are each of those stores performing? The company should factor in things that might affect sales like seasonality. For example, more ice cream and sunscreen are sold in the summer. Is there a seasonality to your product?

• Create an expense budget.

Expenses will include the costs associated with sales, as well as operating expenses. To forecast cost of sales or cost of goods sold (COGS), take all of the current information on the income statement about product cost, fulfillment expense, customer service and merchant fees. Express assumptions about how that will change as a percentage of revenue. Apply the same idea to operating expenses. Consider how headcount, salaries and benefits as well as expenses like advertising, rent and more will change and express everything (with the exception of headcount) as a percentage.

• Create the income statement projection.

Link those assumptions to formulas built in the income statement. The financial model will forecast revenue, net revenue, COGS, gross profit, gross margin, operating expense, operating profit and operating margin. The output of the financial model is the projected income statement.

• Create the cash flow projection.

The projected income statement shows you, as well as potential lenders and investors, if the company is profitable and/or when it is expected to make a profit. The cash flow projection shows your cash position and provides a more detailed view of monthly inflows and outflows of cash for a specific period of time — 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, etc.

• Create the balance sheet projection.

Where the cash flow projection lets you see when there should be cash influxes and dips, the balance sheet shows or projects the worth of your company at any given time. Cash flow projections appear on your balance sheet as assets. On the liabilities side of the balance sheet, you’ll list things like accounts payable and debt.

• Use projections for planning.

Projections are important when seeking new funding. And they help you know when to make capital expenditures. For planning, projections help with analyzing the impact of different business strategies. For example, what if you charge a higher or lower price? What if you’re able to collect invoices faster? Running and testing these various numbers shows how such decisions could affect finances.

Projected financial statements also help you prepare for best and worst case scenarios. You can use projected financial statements to drill down to the product level and know when it will be profitable, when to ramp up production or even when it no longer makes business sense to continue producing it.

By comparing projections against actual results you can see if you’re on target or need to adjust to reach them. Consider purchasing accounting and planning software for financial projections . Tracking performance is much easier and quicker with dashboards and charts that can show you at-a-glance information.

Plan & Forecast More Accurately

Benefits of Using Accounting and Planning Software for Financial Projections

There are advantages to automating financial modeling. You can handle more complex datasets and certain visualization capabilities, as well as streamline financial projections.

• All lines of businesses are connected to the same data, improving control, visibility and trust in the numbers.
• Drill-through capability means you can spend more time drilling into the data to understand the source of the numbers. Finance then has more time to understand the "why" and can better help the business owners understand how their decisions affect the rest of the company.
• You can easily run what-if-scenario analysis to explore different business opportunities.
• Pre-built reports and dashboards make it easy to compare projected vs. actual results.

Automation can increase accuracy save time, and help you compare actual and forecasted results in charts and dashboards. With so much potential, automation is a growing trend. In fact, a survey by Robert Half, a global human resources consulting firm, found that nearly one quarter of respondents expect to automate processes behind financial forecasting.

But even if the analytics associated with financial projection aren’t automated, using technology to automate other parts of the accounting process that go into building the static financial statements provide savings in terms of speed and accuracy.

To run a business, you need to know not just where you are financially, but where you want to be. There is a correlation between how frequently small businesses examine their financial statements and the financial health of their business. The U.S. Small Business Administration found businesses that only look at financial statements annually have a 25% success rate. But those that do it monthly have a success rate of 75%-85%, and those that do it weekly have a 95% success rate. It takes more than just a good idea and dedication to make your business succeed. And accounting software for financial planning is an important tool to keep your company on track to prosperity.

Financial Management

Small Business Financial Management: Tips, Importance and Challenges

It is remarkably difficult to start a small business. Only about half stay open for five years, and only a third make it to the 10-year mark. That’s why it’s vital to make every effort to succeed. And one of the most fundamental…

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Original text

Financial projections use existing or estimated financial data to forecast your business’s future income and expenses. They often include different scenarios to see how changes to one aspect of your finances (such as higher sales or lower operating expenses) might affect your profitability.

If you need to create financial projections for a startup or existing business, this free, downloadable template includes all the necessary tools.

What Are Financial Projections Used for?

Financial projections are an essential business planning tool for several reasons.

• If you’re starting a business, financial projections help you plan your startup budget, assess when you expect the business to become profitable, and set benchmarks for achieving financial goals.
• If you’re already in business, creating financial projections each year can help you set goals and stay on track.
• When seeking outside financing, startups and existing businesses need financial projections to convince lenders and investors of the business’s growth potential.

What’s Included in Financial Projections?

This financial projections template pulls together several different financial documents, including:

• Startup expenses
• Payroll costs
• Sales forecast
• Operating expenses for the first 3 years of business
• Cash flow statements for the first 3 years of business
• Income statements for the first 3 years of business
• Balance sheet
• Break-even analysis
• Financial ratios
• Cost of goods sold (COGS), and
• Amortization and depreciation for your business.

You can use this template to create the documents from scratch or pull in information from those you’ve already made. The template also includes diagnostic tools to test the numbers in your financial projections and ensure they are within reasonable ranges.

These areas are closely related, so as you work on your financial projections, you’ll find that changes to one element affect the others. You may want to include a best-case and worst-case scenario for all possibilities. Make sure you know the assumptions behind your financial projections and can explain them to others.

Startup business owners often wonder how to create financial projections for a business that doesn’t exist yet. Financial forecasts are continually educated guesses. To make yours as accurate as possible, do your homework and get help. Use the information you unearthed in researching your business plans, such as statistics from industry associations, data from government sources, and financials from similar businesses. An accountant with experience in your industry can help fine-tune your financial projections. So can business advisors such as SCORE mentors.

Once you complete your financial projections, don’t put them away and forget about them. Compare your projections to your financial statements regularly to see how well your business meets your expectations. If your projections turn out to be too optimistic or too pessimistic, make the necessary adjustments to make them more accurate.

*NOTE: The cells with formulas in this workbook are locked. If changes are needed, the unlock code is "1234." Please use caution when unlocking the spreadsheets. If you want to change a formula, we strongly recommend saving a copy of this spreadsheet under a different name before doing so. 

We recommend downloading the  Financial Projections Template Guide in English  or  Espanol .

Do you need help creating your financial projections? Take SCORE’s online course on-demand on financial projections or connect with a SCORE mentor  online or in your community today.

Simple Steps for Starting Your Business: Financial Projections In this online module, you'll learn the importance of financial planning, how to build your financial model, how to understand financial statements and more.

Business Planning & Financial Statements Template Gallery Download SCORE’s templates to help you plan for a new business startup or grow your existing business.

Why Projected Financial Statements Are Essential to the Future Success of Startups Financial statements are vital to the success of any company but particularly start-ups. SCORE mentor Sarah Hadjhamou shares why they are a big part of growing your start-up.

Copyright © 2024 SCORE Association, SCORE.org

Funded, in part, through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.

How To Create Startup Financial Projections [+Template]

Businesses run on revenue, and accurate startup financial projections are a vital tool that allows you to make major business decisions with confidence. Financial projections break down your estimated sales, expenses, profit, and cash flow to create a vision of your potential future.

In addition to decision-making, projections are huge for validating your business to investors or partners who can aid your growth. If you haven’t already created a financial statement, the metrics in this template can help you craft one to secure lenders.

Whether your startup is in the seed stage or you want to go public in the next few years, this financial projection template for startups can show you the best new opportunities for your business’s development.

In this article:

• What is a startup financial projection?
• How to write a financial projection
• Startup expenses
• Sales forecasts
• Operating expenses
• Income statements
• Balance sheet
• Break-even analysiFinancial ratios Startup financial
• rojections template

What is a financial projection for startups?

A financial projection uses existing revenue and expense data to estimate future cash flow in and out of the business with a month-to-month breakdown.

These financial forecasts allow businesses to establish internal goals and processes considering seasonality, industry trends, and financial history. These projections cover three to five years of cash flow and are valuable for making and supporting financial decisions.

Financial projections can also be used to validate the business’s expected growth and returns to entice investors. Though a financial statement is a better fit for most lenders, many actuals used to validate your forecast are applied to both documents.

Projections are great for determining how financially stable your business will be in the coming years, but they’re not 100% accurate. There are several variables that can impact your revenue performance, while financial projections identify these specific considerations:

• Internal sales trends
• Identifiable risks
• Opportunities for growth
• Core operation questions

To help manage unforeseeable risks and variables that could impact financial projections, you should review and update your report regularly — not just once a year. 

How do you write a financial projection for a startup?

Financial projections consider a range of internal revenue and expense data to estimate sales volumes, profit, costs, and a variety of financial ratios. All of this information is typically broken into two sections:

• Sales forecasts : includes units sold, number of customers, and profit
• Expense budget : includes fixed and variable operating costs

Financial projections also use existing financial statements to support your estimated forecasts, including:

• Income stateme
• Cash flow document

Gathering your business’s financial data and statements is one of the first steps to preparing your complete financial projection. Next, you’ll import that information into your financial projection document or template.

This foundation will help you build the rest of your forecast, which includes:

• Cash flow statements
• Break-even analysis
• Financial ratios

Once all of your data is gathered, you can organize your insights via a top-down or bottom-up forecasting methods.

The top-down approach begins with an overview of your market, then works into the details of your specific revenue. This can be especially valuable if you have a lot of industry data, or you’re a startup that doesn’t have existing sales to build from. However, this relies on a lot of averages and trends will be generalized.

Bottom-up forecasting begins with the details of your business and assumptions like your estimated sales and unit prices. You then use that foundation to determine your projected revenue. This process focuses on your business’s details across departments for more accurate reporting. However, mistakes early in forecasting can compound as you “build up.”

1. Startup expenses

If your startup is still in the seed stage or expected to grow significantly in the next few quarters, you’ll need to account for these additional expenses that companies beyond the expansion phase may not have to consider.

Depending on your startup stage, typical costs may include:

• Advertising and marketing
• Lawyer fees
• Licenses and permits
• Market research
• Merchandise
• Office space
• Website development

Many of these costs also fall under operating expenses, though as a startup, items like your office space lease may have additional costs to consider, like a down payment or renovation labor and materials.

2. Sales forecasts

Sales forecasts can be created using a number of different forecasting methods designed to determine how much an individual, team, or company will sell in a given amount of time.

This data is similar to your financial projections in that it helps your organization set targets, make informed business decisions, and identify new opportunities. A sales forecast report is just much more niche, using industry knowledge and historical sales data to determine your future sales. Gather data to include:

• Customer acquisition cost (CAC)
• Cost of goods sold (COGS)
• Sales quotas and attainment
• Pipeline coverage
• Customer relationship management (CRM) score
• Average Revenue Per User (ARPU), typically used for SaaS companies

Sales forecasts should consider interdepartmental trends and data, too. In addition to your sales process and historical details, connect with other teams to apply insights from:

• Marketing strategies for the forecast period
• New product launches
• Financial considerations and targets
• Employee needs and resources from HR

Your sales strategy and forecasts are directly tied to your financial success, so an accurate sales forecast is essential to creating an effective financial projection.

3. Operating expenses

Whereas the costs of goods solds (aka Cost of Sales or COGS) account for variable costs associated with producing the products or services you produce, operating expenses are the additional costs of running your startup, including everything from payroll and office rent to sales and marketing expenses.

In addition to these fixed costs, you’ll need to anticipate one-time costs, like replacing broken machinery or holiday bonuses. If you’ve been in business for a few years, you can take a look at previous years’ expenses to see what one-time costs you ran into, or estimate a percentage of your total expenses that contributed to variable costs.

4. Cash flow statements

Cash flow statements (CFS) compare a business’s incoming cash totals, including investments and operating profit, to their expected expenses, including operational costs and debt payments.

Cash flow shows a company’s overall money management and is one of three major financial statements, next to balance sheets and income statements. It can be calculated using one of two methods:

• Direct Method : calculates actual cash flow in and out of the company
• Indirect Method : adjusts net income considering non-cash revenue and expenses

Businesses can use either method to determine cash flow, though presentation differs slightly. Typically, indirect cash flow methods are preferred by accountants who largely use accrual accounting methods .

5. Income statements

Your income statement projection utilizes your sales forecasts, estimated expenses, and existing income statements to calculate an expected net income for the future.

In addition to the hard numbers available, you should apply your industry expertise to consider new opportunities for your business to grow. If you’re entering Series C, you should anticipate the extra investments and big returns that you’re aiming to experience this round.

Once you’ve collected your insights, use your existing income statement to track your estimated revenue and expenses. Total each and subtract the expenses from the revenue projections to determine your projected income for the period.

 6. Balance sheet

Your balance sheet is the final of the big three financial documents needed to establish your company’s financial standing. The balance sheet makes a case for your company’s financial health and future net worth using these details:

• Company’s assets
• Business’s liabilities
• Shareholders’ equity

This document breaks down the company’s owned assets vs. debt items. It most directly tracks earnings and spendings, and it also doubles as an actual to establish profitability for prospective investors.

7. Break-even analysis

Launching a startup or new product line requires a significant amount of capital upfront. But at some point, your new endeavor will generate a profit. A break-even analysis identifies the moment that your profit equals the exact amount of your initial investment, meaning you’ve broken even on the launch and you haven’t lost or gained money.

A break-even point (BEP) should be identified before launching your business to determine its viability. The higher your BEP, the more seed money you’ll need or the longer it will be until operations are self-sufficient.

Of course, you can also increase prices or reduce your production costs to lower the BEP.

As your business matures, you can use the BEP to weigh risks with your product decisions, like implementing a new product or removing an existing item from the mix.

8. Financial ratios

Financial ratios are common metrics that lenders use to check financial health using data from your financial statements. There are five core groups of financial ratios used to evaluate businesses, as well as an example of each:

Efficiency ratios : Analyze a company’s assets and liabilities to determine how efficiently it manages resources and its current performance.

Formula : Asset turnover ratio = net sales / average total assets

Leverage ratios : Measure a company’s debt levels compared to other financial metrics, like total assets or equity.

Formula : Debt ratio = total liabilities / total assets

Liquidity ratios : Compare a company’s liquid assets and its liabilities to lenders to determine its ability to repay debt.

Formula : Current ratio = current assets / current liabilities

Market value ratios : Determine a public company’s current stock share price.

Formula : Book value per share (BVPS) = (shareholder’s equity - preferred equity) / total outstanding shares

Profitability ratios : Utilize revenue, operating costs, equity, and other other balance sheet metrics to asses a company’s ability to generate profits.

Formula : Gross profit margin = revenue / COGS

Graphs and charts can provide visual representations of financial ratios, as well as other insights like revenue growth and cash flow. These assets provide an overview of the financial projections in one place for easy comparison and analysis.

Startup Financial Projections Template

As a startup, you have some extra considerations to apply to your financial projections. Download and customize our financial projections template for startups to begin importing your financial data and build a road map for your investments and growth. 

Plan for future success with HubSpot for Startups

A sound financial forecast paves the way for your next moves and reassures investors (and yourself) that your business has a bright future ahead. Use our startup financial projections template to estimate your revenue, expenses, and net income for the next three to five years.

Ready to invest in a CRM to help you increase sales and connect with your customers? HubSpot for Startups offers sales, marketing, and service software solutions that scale with your startup. 

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Home » Business Plans

How to Write a Business Plan Financial Projection [Sample Template]

How do you prepare a business plan financial statement? Do you need help developing business plan financial projections? Do you need a business plan projections template? Then i advice you read on because this article is for you.

What is a Business Plan Financial Statement?

The financial statement is a distinct section of your business plan because it outlines your financial projections. A business lives and dies based on its financial feasibility and most importantly its profitability. Regardless of how hard you work or how much you have invested of your time and money, people, at the end of the day, only want to support something that can return their investments with profits.

Your executive summary may be brilliantly crafted, and your market or industry analysis may be the bomb. But your business plan isn’t just complete without a financial statement to justify it with good figures on the bottom line.

Your financial statement is what makes or mars your chances of obtaining a bank loan or attracting investors to your business. Even if you don’t need financing from a third party, compiling a financial statement will help you steer your business to success. So, before we dig further into how to prepare a financial statement, you need to understand what a financial statement is not.

What’s the Difference Between a Financial Projection Statement and Accounting Statement?

However, you need to keep in mind that the financial statement is not the same as an accounting statement. Granted, a financial statement includes financial projections such as profit and loss, balance sheets, and cash flow, all of which makes it look similar to an accounting statement.

But the major difference between them is that an accounting statement deals with the past, while the financial projections statement of your business plan outlines your future spending and earnings. Having made this point clear, let’s now look at the steps involved on preparing a financial statement for your business plan.

So what exactly do you have to include in this section? You will need to include three statements:

• Income Statement
• Balance Sheet
• Cash-Flow Statement

Now, let’s briefly discuss each.

Components of a Business Plan Financial Statement

Income statement.

This beautiful composition of numbers tells the reader what exactly your sources of revenue are and which expenses you spent your money on to arrive at the bottom line. Essentially, for a given time period, the income statement states the profit or loss ( revenue-expenses ) that you made.

Balance sheet

The key word here is “ balance, ” but you are probably wondering what exactly needs to be weighed, right? On one side you should list all your assets ( what you own ) and on the other side, all your liabilities ( what you owe ), thereby giving a snapshot of your net worth ( assets – liabilities = equity ).

Cash flow statement

This statement is similar to your income statement with one important difference; it takes into account just when revenues are actually collected and when expenses are paid. When the cash you have coming in ( collected revenue ) is greater than the cash you have going out ( disbursements ), your cash flow is said to be positive.

And when the opposite scenario is true, your cash flow is negative. Ideally, your cash flow statement will allow you to recognize where cash is low, when you might have a surplus, and how to be on top of your game when operating in an uncertain environment.

How to Prepare a Business Plan Financial Projections Statement

1. Start by preparing a revenue forecast and a forecast profit and loss statement

Also, prepare supporting schedules with detailed information about your projected personnel and marketing costs. If your business has few fixed assets or it’s just a cash business without significant receivables, you don’t need a forecast balance sheet.

2. Using your planned revenue model, prepare a spreadsheet

Set the key variables in such a way that they can be easily changed as your calculations chain through. To ensure that your projected revenues are realistic and attainable, run your draft through a number of iterations. For each year covered in your business plan, prepare a monthly forecast of revenues and spending.

3. If you plan to sell any goods, then include a forecast of goods sold

This applies the most to manufacturing businesses. Give a reasonable estimate for this cost. And be of the assumption that the efficiency of your products would increase with time and the cost of goods sold as a percentage of sales will decline.

4. Quantify your marketing plan

Look at each marketing strategy you outlined in the business plan and attach specific costs to each of them. That is, if you are looking at billboard advertising, TV advertising, and online marketing methods such as pay-per-click advertising and so on; then you should estimate the cost of each medium and have it documented.

5. Forecast the cost of running the business, including general and administrative costs

Also, forecast the cost of utilities, rents, and other recurring costs. Don’t leave out any category of expenses that is required to run your business. And don’t forget the cost of professional services such as accounting and legal services.

6. In the form of a spreadsheet, forecast the payroll

This outlines each individual that you plan to hire, the month they will start work, and their salary. Also include the percentage salary increases (due to increased cost of living and as reward for exemplary performance) that will come in the second and subsequent years of the forecast.

Additional tips for Writing a Business Plan Financial Statement

• Don’t stuff your pages with lots of information, and avoid large chunks of text. Also, use a font size that is large enough. Even if these would spread out your statement into more pages, don’t hesitate to spread it out. Legibility matters!
• After completing the spreadsheets in the financial statement, you should summarize the figures in the narrative section of your business plan.
• Put a table near the front of your financial statement that shows projected figures, pre-tax profit, and expenses. These are the figures you want the reader to remember. You can help the reader retain these figures in memory by including a bar chart of these figures, too.

As a final note, you should keep in mind that a financial statement is just an informed guess of what will likely happen in the future. In reality, the actual results you will achieve will vary. In fact, this difference may be very far from what you have forecast.

So, if your business is a start-up, prepare more capital than your projections show that you will need. Entrepreneurs have a natural tendency to project a faster revenue growth than what is realistic. So, don’t let this instinct fool you.

More on Business Plans

How to Write a Five-Year Business Plan

Noah Parsons

15 min. read

Updated October 27, 2023

Learn why the traditional way of writing a five-year business plan is often a waste of time and how to use a one-page plan instead for smarter, easier strategic planning to establish your long-term vision. 

In business, it can sometimes seem hard enough to predict what’s going to happen next month, let alone three or even five years from now. But, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t plan for the long term. After all, your vision for the future is what gets you out of bed in the morning and motivates your team. It’s those aspirations that drive you to keep innovating and figuring out how to grow.

• What is a long-term plan?

A long-term or long-range business plan looks beyond the traditional 3-year planning window, focusing on what a business might look like 5 or even 10 years from now. A traditional 5-year business plan includes financial projections, business strategy, and roadmaps that stretch far into the future.

I’ll be honest with you, though—for most businesses, long-range business plans that stretch 5 and 10 years into the future are a waste of time. Anyone who’s seriously asking you for one doesn’t know what they’re doing and is wasting your time. Sorry if that offends some people, but it’s true.

However, there is still real value in looking at the long term. Just don’t invest the time in creating a lengthy version of your business plan with overly detailed metrics and milestones for the next five-plus years. No one knows the future and, more than likely, anything you write down now could be obsolete in the next year, next month, or even next week. 

That’s where long-term strategic planning comes in. A long-term business plan like this is different from a traditional business plan in that it’s lighter on the details and more focused on your strategic direction. It has less focus on financial forecasting and a greater focus on the big picture. 

Think of your long-term strategic plan as your aspirational vision for your business. It defines the ideal direction you’re aiming for but it’s not influencing your day-to-day or, potentially, even your monthly decision making. 

• Are long-term business plans a waste of time?

No one knows the future. We’re all just taking the information that we have available today and making our best guesses about the future. Sometimes trends in a market are pretty clear and your guesses will be well-founded. Other times, you’re trying to look around a corner and hoping that your intuition about what comes next is correct.

Now, I’m not saying that thinking about the future is a waste of time. Entrepreneurs are always thinking about the future. They have to have some degree of faith and certainty about what customers are going to want in the future. Successful entrepreneurs do actually predict the future — they know what customers are going to want and when they’re going to want it.

Entrepreneurship is unpredictable 

Successful entrepreneurs are also often wrong. They make mistakes just like the rest of us. The difference between successful entrepreneurs and everyone else is that they don’t let mistakes slow them down. They learn from mistakes, adjust and try again. And again. And again. It’s not about being right all the time; it’s about having the perseverance to keep trying until you get it right. For example, James Dyson, inventor of the iconic vacuum cleaner, tried out 5,126 prototypes of his invention before he found a design that worked.

So, if thinking about the future isn’t a waste of time, why are 5-year business plans a waste of time? They’re a waste of time because they typically follow the same format as a traditional business plan, where you are asked to project sales, expenses, and cash flow 5 and 10 years into the future. 

Let’s be real. Sales and expense projections that far into the future are just wild guesses, especially for startups and new businesses. They’re guaranteed to be wrong and can’t be used for anything. You can’t (and shouldn’t) make decisions based on these guesses. They’re just fantasy. You hope you achieve massive year-over-year growth in sales, but there’s no guarantee that’s going to happen. And, you shouldn’t make significant spending decisions today based on the hope of massive sales 10 years from now.

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• Why write a long-term business plan?

So, what is the purpose of outlining a long-term plan? Here are a few key reasons why it’s still valuable to consider the future of your business without getting bogged down by the details.

Showcase your vision for investors

First, and especially important if you are raising money from investors, is your vision. Investors will want to know not only where you plan on being in a year, but where the business will be in five years. Do you anticipate launching new products or services? Will you expand internationally? Or will you find new markets to grow into? 

Set long-term goals for your business

Second, you’ll want to establish goals for yourself and your team. What kinds of high-level sales targets do you hope to achieve? How big is your company going to get overtime? These goals can be used to motivate your team and even help in the hiring process as you get up and running.

That said, you don’t want to overinvest in fleshing out all the details of a long-range plan. You don’t need to figure out exactly how your expansion will work years from now or exactly how much you’ll spend on office supplies five years from now. That’s really just a waste of time.

Instead, for long-range planning, think in broad terms. A good planning process means that you’re constantly revising and refining your business plan. You’ll add more specifics as you go, creating a detailed plan for the next 6-12 months and a broader, vague plan for the long term.

You have a long development time

Businesses with extremely long research and development timelines do make spending decisions now based on the hope of results years from now. For example, the pharmaceutical industry and medical device industry have to make these bets all the time. The R&D required to take a concept from idea to proven product with regulatory approval can take years for these industries, so long-range planning in these cases is a must. A handful of other industries also have similar development timelines, but these are the exceptions, not the rule.

Your business is well-established and predictable 

Long-term, detailed planning can make more sense for businesses that are extremely well established and have long histories of consistent sales and expenses with predictable growth. But, even for those businesses, predictability means quite the opposite of stability. The chances that you’ll be disrupted in the marketplace by a new company, or the changing needs and desires of your customers, is extremely high. So, most likely, those long-range predictions of sales and profits are pretty useless.

• What a 5-year plan should look like

With the exception of R&D-heavy businesses, most 5-year business plans should be more like vision statements than traditional business plans. They should explain your vision for the future, but skip the details of detailed sales projections and expense budgets. 

Your vision for your business should explain the types of products and services that you hope to offer in the future and the types of customers that you hope to serve. Your plan should outline who you plan to serve now and how you plan to expand if you are successful.

This kind of future vision creates a strategic roadmap. It’s not a fully detailed plan with sales forecasts and expense budgets, but a plan for getting started and then growing over time to reach your final destination.

For example, here’s a short-form version of what a long-term plan for Nike might have looked like if one had been written in the 1960s:

Nike will start by developing high-end track shoes for elite athletes. We’ll start with a focus on the North West of the US, but expand nationally as we develop brand recognition among track and field athletes. We will use sponsored athletes to spread the word about the quality and performance of our shoes. Once we have success in the track & field market segment, we believe that we will be able to successfully expand both beyond the US market and also branch out into other sports, with an initial focus on basketball.

Leadership and brand awareness in a sport such as basketball will enable us to cross over from the athlete market into the consumer market. This will lead to significant business growth in the consumer segment and allow for expansion into additional sports, fashion, and casual markets in addition to building a strong apparel brand.

Interestingly enough, Nike (to my knowledge) never wrote out a long-range business plan. They developed their plans as they grew, building the proverbial airplane as it took off.

But, if you have this kind of vision for your business, it’s useful to articulate it. Your employees will want to know what your vision is and your investors will want to know as well. They want to know that you, as an entrepreneur, are looking beyond tomorrow and into the future months and years ahead.

• How to write a five-year business plan

Writing out your long-term vision for your business is a useful exercise. It can bring a sense of stability and solidify key performance indicators and broad milestones that drive your business. 

Developing a long-range business plan is really just an extension of your regular business planning process. A typical business plan covers the next one to three years, documenting your target market, marketing strategy, and product or service offerings for that time period. 

A five-year plan expands off of that initial strategy and discusses what your business might do in the years to come. However, as I’ve mentioned before, creating a fully detailed five-year business plan will be a waste of time. 

Here’s a quick guide to writing a business plan that looks further into the future without wasting your time:

1. Develop your one-page plan

As with all business planning, we recommend that you start with a one-page business plan. It provides a snapshot of what you’re hoping to achieve in the immediate term by outlining your core business strategy, target market, and business model.

A one-page plan is the foundation of all other planning because it’s the document that you’ll keep the most current. It’s also the easiest to update and share with business partners. You will typically highlight up to three years of revenue and profit goals as well as milestones that you hope to achieve in the near term.

Check out our guide to building your one-page plan and download a free template to get started.

2. Determine if you need a traditional business plan

Unlike a one-page business plan, a traditional business plan is more detailed and is typically written in long-form prose. A traditional business plan is usually 10-20 pages long and contains details about your product or service, summaries of the market research that you’ve conducted, and details about your competition. Read our complete guide to writing a business plan .

Companies that write traditional business plans typically have a “business plan event” where a complete business plan is required. Business plan events are usually part of the fundraising process. During fundraising, lenders and investors may ask to see a detailed plan and it’s important to be ready if that request comes up. 

But there are other good reasons to write a detailed business plan. A detailed plan forces you to think through the details of your business and how, exactly, you’re going to build your business. Detailed plans encourage you to think through your business strategy, your target market, and your competition carefully. A good business plan ensures that your strategy is complete and fleshed out, not just a collection of vague ideas.

A traditional business plan is also a good foundation for a long-term business plan and I recommend that you expand your lean business plan into a complete business plan if you intend to create plans for more than three years into the future.

3. Develop long-term goals and growth targets

As you work on your business plan, you’ll need to think about where you want to be in 5+ years. A good exercise is to envision what your business will look like. How many employees will you have? How many locations will you serve? Will you introduce new products and services? 

When you’ve envisioned where you want your business to be, it’s time to turn that vision into a set of goals that you’ll document in your business plan. Each section of your business plan will be expanded to highlight where you want to be in the future. For example, in your target market section, you will start by describing your initial target market. Then you’ll proceed to describe the markets that you hope to reach in 3-5 years.

To accompany your long-term goals, you’ll also need to establish revenue targets that you think you’ll need to meet to achieve your goals. It’s important to also think about the expenses you’re going to incur in order to grow your business. 

For long-range planning, I recommend thinking about your expenses in broad buckets such as “marketing” and “product development” without getting bogged down in too much detail. Think about what percentage of your sales you’ll spend on each of these broad buckets. For example, marketing spending might be 20% of sales. 

4. Develop a 3-5 year strategic plan

Your goals and growth targets are “what” you want to achieve. Your strategy is “how” you’re going to achieve it.

Use your business plan to document your strategy for growth. You might be expanding your product offering, expanding your market, or some combination of the two. You’ll need to think about exactly how this process will happen over the next 3-5 years. 

A good way to document your strategy is to use milestones. These are interim goals that you’ll set to mark your progress along the way to your larger goal. For example, you may have a goal to expand your business nationally from your initial regional presence. You probably won’t expand across the country all at once, though. Most likely, you’ll expand into certain regions one at a time and grow to have a national presence over time. Your strategy will be the order of the regions that you plan on expanding into and why you pick certain regions over others.

Your 3-5 year strategy may also include what’s called an “exit strategy”. This part of a business plan is often required if you’re raising money from investors. They’ll want to know how they’ll eventually get their money back. An “exit” can be the sale of your business or potentially going public. A typical exit strategy will identify potential acquirers for your business and will show that you’ve thought about how your business might be an attractive purchase.

5. Tie your long-term plan to your one-page plan

As your business grows, you can use your long-term business plan as your north star. Your guide for where you want to end up. Use those goals to steer your business in the right direction, making small course corrections as you need to. 

You’ll reflect those smaller course corrections in your one-page plan. Because it is a simple document and looks at the shorter term, it’s easier to update. The best way to do this is to set aside a small amount of time to review your plan once a month. You’ll review your financial forecast, your milestones, and your overall strategy. If things need to change, you can make those adjustments. Nothing ever goes exactly to plan, so it’s OK to make corrections as you go.

You may find that your long-term plan may also need corrections as you grow your business. You may learn things about your market that change your initial assumptions and impacts your long-range plan. This is perfectly normal. Once a quarter or so, zoom out and review your long-range plan. If you need to make corrections to your strategy and goals, that’s fine. Just keep your plan alive so that it gives you the guidance that you need over time. 

• Vision setting is the purpose of long-term planning

Part of what makes entrepreneurs special is that they have a vision. They have dreams for where they want their business to go. A 5-year business plan should be about documenting that vision for the future and how your business will capitalize on that vision.

So, if someone asks you for your 5-year business plan. Don’t scramble to put together a sales forecast and budget for 5 years from now. Your best guess today will be obsolete tomorrow. Instead, focus on your vision and communicate that. 

Explain where you think your business is going and what you think the market is going to be like 5 years from now. Explain what you think customers are going to want and where trends are headed and how you’re going to be there to sell the solution to the problems that exist in 5 and 10 years. Just skip the invented forecasts and fantasy budgets.

See why 1.2 million entrepreneurs have written their business plans with LivePlan

Noah is the COO at Palo Alto Software, makers of the online business plan app LivePlan. He started his career at Yahoo! and then helped start the user review site Epinions.com. From there he started a software distribution business in the UK before coming to Palo Alto Software to run the marketing and product teams.

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• Cash Flow Projection – The Comple...

Cash Flow Projection – The Complete Guide

Table of Content

Key takeaways.

• Cash flow projection is a vital tool for financial decision-making, providing a clear view of future cash movements.
• Cash flow is crucial for business survival and includes managing cash effectively and providing a financial planning roadmap.
• Automation in cash flow management is a game-changer. It enhances accuracy, efficiency, and scalability in projecting cash flows, helping businesses avoid common pitfalls.

Introduction

Cash flow is the lifeblood of any business. Yet, many companies constantly face the looming threat of cash shortages, often leading to their downfall. Despite its paramount importance, cash flow management can be overwhelming, leaving businesses uncertain about their financial stability.

But fear not, there’s a straightforward solution to this common problem – cash flow projection. By mastering the art of cash flow projection, you can gain better control over your finances and steer your business away from potential financial crises. Cash flow projections offer a proactive approach to managing cash flow, enabling you to anticipate challenges and make informed decisions to safeguard the future of your business.

If you’re unsure how to accurately perform cash flow projections or if you’re new to the concept altogether, this article will explain everything you need to know about cash flow projections – to help you confidently navigate the financial landscape of your business.

What Is Cash Flow?

To grasp the concept of cash flow projections, we must first understand the essence of cash flow itself. Cash flow is all about the movement of money flowing in and out of business. It reflects the company’s financial health and liquidity, capturing the inflows and outflows of cash over a specific timeframe.

To truly grasp your business’s financial landscape, you must understand the stages of cash flow: operating, investing, and financing activities, and how to analyze and make sense of it.

Read more to uncover a step-by-step guide on how to perform a cash flow analysis (template + examples) and methods to assess key items in cash flow statements.

What Is Cash Flow Projection?

Cash flow projection is the process of estimating and predicting future cash inflows and outflows within a defined period—usually monthly, quarterly, or annually.

Think of cash flow projection (also referred to as a cash flow forecast) as a financial crystal ball that allows you to peek into the future of your business’s cash movements. It involves mapping out the expected cash inflows (receivables) from sales, investments, and financing activities and the anticipated cash outflows (payables) for expenses, investments, and debt repayments.

It provides invaluable foresight into your business’s anticipated cash position, helping you plan for potential shortfalls, identify surplus funds, and make informed financial decisions.

Why Are Cash Flow Projections Important for Your Business?

Managing cash flow is a critical aspect of running a successful business. It can be the determining factor between flourishing and filing for Chapter 11 (aka bankruptcy ).

In fact, studies reveal that 30% of business failures stem from running out of money. To avoid such a fate, by understanding and predicting the inflow and outflow of cash, businesses can make informed decisions, plan effectively, and steer clear of potential financial disasters.

Cash Flow Projection vs. Cash Flow Forecast

Having control over your cash flow is the key to a successful business. By understanding the differences between cash flow statements and projections, small business owners can use these tools more effectively to manage their finances and plan for the future. 

Discover the power of HighRadius cash flow forecasting software ,designed to precisely capture and analyze diverse scenarios , seamlessly integrating them into your cash forecasts. By visualizing the impact of these scenarios on your cash flows in real time, you gain a comprehensive understanding of potential outcomes and can proactively respond to changing circumstances.

Here’s how AI takes variance analysis to the next level and helps you generate accurate cash flow forecasts with low variance. It automates the collection of data on past cash flows, including bank statements, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and other financial transactions, and integrates with most financial systems. This data is analyzed to detect patterns and trends that can be used to anticipate future cash flows. Based on this historical analysis and regression analysis of complex cash flow categories such as A/R and A/P, AI selects an algorithm that can provide an accurate cash forecast.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Cash Flow Projection

Step 1: choose the type of projection model.

• Determine the appropriate projection model based on your business needs and planning horizon.
• Consider the following factors when choosing a projection model:
• Short-term Projections: Covering a period of 3-12 months, these projections are suitable for immediate planning and monitoring.
• Long-term Projections: Extending beyond 12 months, these projections provide insights for strategic decision-making and future planning.
• Combination Approach: Use a combination of short-term and long-term projections to address both immediate and long-range goals.

Step 2: Gather historical data and sales information

• Want to determine where you’re going? Take a look at where you’ve already been. Collect relevant historical financial data, including cash inflows and outflows from previous periods.
• Analyze sales information, considering seasonality, customer payment patterns, and market trends.

Pro Tip: Finance teams often utilize accounting software to ingest a range of historical and transactional data. Read on to discover the business use cases of implementing a treasury management solution for optimal cash flow management .

Step 3: Project cash inflows

• Estimate cash inflows based on sales forecasts, considering factors such as payment terms and collection periods.
• Utilize historical data and market insights to refine your projections.

Step 4: Estimate cash outflows

• Identify and categorize various cash outflows components, such as operating expenses, loan repayments, supplier payments, and taxes.
• Use historical data and expense forecasts to estimate the timing and amount of cash outflows.

Pro Tip: By referencing the cash flow statement, you can identify the sources of cash inflows and outflows. Learn more about analyzing projected cash flow statement .

Step 5: Calculate opening and closing balances

• Calculate the opening balance for each period, which represents the cash available at the beginning of the period.
• Opening Balance = Previous Closing Balance
• Calculate the closing balance by considering the opening balance, cash inflows, and cash outflows for the period.
• Closing Balance = Opening Balance + Cash Inflows – Cash Outflows

Step 6: Account for timing and payment terms

• Consider the timing of cash inflows and outflows to create a realistic cash flow timeline.
• Account for payment terms with customers and suppliers to align projections with cash movements.

Step 7: Calculate net cash flow

• Calculate the net cash flow for each period, which represents the difference between cash inflows and cash outflows.
• Net Cash Flow = Cash Inflows – Cash Outflows

Pro Tip: Calculating the net cash flow for each period is vital for your business as it gives you a clear picture of your future cash position. Think of it as your future cash flow calculation.

Step 8: Build contingency plans

• Incorporate contingency plans to mitigate unexpected events impacting cash flow, such as economic downturns or late payments.
• Create buffers in your projections to handle unforeseen circumstances.

Step 9: Implement rolling forecasts

• Embrace a rolling forecast approach, where you regularly update and refine your cash flow projections based on actual performance and changing circumstances.
• Rolling forecasts provide a dynamic view of your cash flow, allowing for adjustments and increased accuracy.

Cash Flow Projection Example

Let’s take a sneak peek into the cash flow projection of Pizza Planet, a hypothetical firm. In March, they begin with an opening balance of $50,000. This snapshot will show us how their finances evolved during the next 4 months.

Here are 5 key takeaways from the above cash flow projection analysis for Pizza Planet:

Upsurge in Cash Flow from Receivables Collection (April):

• Successful efforts in collecting outstanding customer payments result in a significant increase in cash flow.
• Indicates effective accounts receivable management and timely collection processes.

Buffer Cash Addition (May and June):

• The company proactively adds buffer cash to prepare for potential financial disruptions.
• Demonstrates a prudent approach to financial planning and readiness for unexpected challenges.

Spike in Cash Outflow from Loan Payment (May):

• A noticeable cash outflow increase is attributed to the repayment of borrowed funds.
• Suggests a commitment to honoring loan obligations and maintaining a healthy financial standing.

Manageable Negative Net Cash Flow (May and June):

• A negative net cash flow during these months is offset by positive net cash flow in other months.
• Indicates the ability to handle short-term cash fluctuations and maintain overall financial stability.

Consistent Closing Balance Growth:

• The closing balance exhibits a consistent and upward trend over the projection period.
• Reflects effective cash flow management, where inflows cover outflows and support the growth of the closing cash position.

How to Calculate Projected Cash Flow?

To calculate projected cash flow, start by estimating incoming cash from sources like sales, investments, and financing. Then, deduct anticipated cash outflows such as operating expenses, loan payments, taxes, and capital expenditures. The resulting net cash flow clearly shows how much cash the business expects to generate or use within the forecasted period. 

Calculating projected cash flow is a crucial process for businesses to anticipate their future financial health and make informed decisions. This process involves forecasting expected cash inflows and outflows over a specific period using historical data, sales forecasts, expense projections, and other relevant information. Regularly updating and reviewing projected cash flow helps businesses identify potential cash shortages or surpluses, allowing for proactive cash management strategies and financial planning. 

Benjamin Franklin once said, ‘Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship.’ This underscores the importance of managing and understanding cash flow in business. 

Download this cash flow calculator to effortlessly track your company’s operating cash flow, net cash flow (in/out), projected cash flow, and closing balance.

6 Common Pitfalls to Avoid When Creating Cash Flow Projections

At HighRadius, we recently turned our research engine toward cash flow forecasting to shed light on the sources of projection failures. One of our significant findings was that most companies opt for unrealistic projections models that don’t mirror the actual workings of your finance force.

Cash flow projections are only as strong as the numbers behind them. No one can be completely certain months in advance if literal or figurative storm clouds are waiting for them on the horizon. Defining a realistic cash flow projection for your company is crucial to achieving more accurate results. Don’t let optimism cloud your key assumptions. Stick to the most likely numbers for your projections.

A 5% variance is acceptable, but exceeding this threshold warrants a closer look at your key assumptions. Identify any logical flaws that may compromise accuracy. Take note of these pitfall insights we’ve gathered from finance executives who have shared their experiences:

• Avoid overly generous sales forecasts that can undermine projection accuracy.
• Maintain a realistic approach to sales projections to ensure reliable cash flow projections.
• Reflect the payment behavior of your customers accurately in projections, especially if they tend to pay on the last possible day despite a 30-day payment schedule.
• Adjust the projection cycle to align with the actual payment patterns.
• Factor in annual and quarterly bills on the payables side of your projections.
• Consider potential changes in tax rates if your business is expected to reach a new tax level.
• Account for seasonal fluctuations and cyclical trends specific to your industry.
• Analyze historical data to identify patterns and adjust projections accordingly to reflect these variations.
• Incorporate contingencies in your projections to prepare for unforeseen circumstances such as economic downturns, natural disasters, or changes in market conditions.
• Build buffers to mitigate the impact of unexpected events on your cash flow.

• Failing to create multiple scenarios can leave you unprepared for different business outcomes.
• Develop projections for best-case, worst-case, and moderate scenarios to assess the impact of various circumstances on cash flow.

By addressing these pitfalls and adopting best practices shared by finance executives, you can create more reliable and effective cash flow projections for your business. Stay proactive and keep your projections aligned with the realities of your industry and market conditions.

How Automation Helps in Projecting Cash Flow?

Building a cash flow projection chart is just the first step; the real power lies in the insights it can provide. Cash flow projection is crucial, but let’s face it – the traditional process is resource-consuming and hampers productivity. Finance teams have no choice but to abandon it and let it gather dust for the remainder of a month.

However, there’s a solution: a cash flow projection automation tool. 

Professionals in Controlling or Treasury understand this need for automation, but it requires an investment of time and money. Building a compelling business case is straightforward, especially for companies prioritizing cash reporting, forecasting, and leveraging the output for day-to-day cash management and investment planning.

Consider the following 3 business use cases shared by finance executives, highlighting the benefits that outweigh the initial investment:

Scalability and adaptability:

Forecasting cash flow in spreadsheets is manageable in the early stages, but as your business grows, it becomes challenging and resource-intensive. Manual cash flow management struggles to keep up with the increasing transactions and customer portfolios.

Many businesses rely on one-off solutions that only temporarily patch up cash flow processes without considering the implications for the future. Your business needs an automation tool that can effortlessly scale with your business, accommodating evolving needs.

Moreover, such dependable partners often offer customization options, allowing you to tailor the cash flow projections to your specific business requirements and adapt to changing market dynamics.

Time savings:

Consider a simple example of the time and effort involved in compiling a 13-week cash flow projection for stakeholders every week. The process typically includes

• Capture cash flow data from banking and accounting platforms and classify transactions.
• Create short-term forecasts using payables and receivables data.
• Model budget and other business plans for medium-term forecasts.
• Collect data from various business units, subsidiaries, and inventory levels.
• Consolidate the data into a single cash flow projection.
• Perform variance and sensitivity analysis.
• Compile reporting with commentary.

This process alone can consume many hours each week. Let’s assume it takes six hours for a single resource and another six hours for other contributors, totaling 12 hours per week or 624 hours per year. Whether you are an enterprise or an SMB, learn how a 13-week cash flow projection template can help you keep your business on track and achieve your financial goals.

Imagine the added time spent on data conversations, information requests, and follow-ups. Cash reporting can quickly become an ongoing, never-ending process.

By implementing a cash flow projection automation tool, you can say goodbye to tedious manual tasks such as logging in, downloading data, manipulating spreadsheets, and compiling reports. Automating these processes saves your team countless hours, allowing them to focus on strategic initiatives and high-value activities.

Accuracy and efficiency:

When it comes to cash flow monitoring and projection, accuracy is paramount for effective risk management. However, manual data handling introduces the risk of human error, which can have significant financial implications for businesses. These challenges may include:

• Inaccurate financial decision-making
• Cash flow uncertainty
• Increased financial risks
• Impaired stakeholder confidence
• Wasted resources and time
• Compliance and reporting challenges
• Inconsistent data processing

Automating cash flow projections mitigates these risks by ensuring accurate and reliable results. An automation tool’s consistent data processing, real-time integration, error detection, and data validation capabilities instill greater accuracy, reliability, and confidence in the projected cash flow figures.

For example, Harris, a leading national mechanical contractor, transformed their cash flow management by adopting an automation tool. They achieved up to 85% accuracy across forecasts for 900+ projects and gained multiple 360-view projection horizons, from 1-Day to 6-Months, updated daily. This improvement in accuracy allowed the team to focus on higher-value tasks, driving better outcomes.

Cash Flow Projections with HighRadius

Managing cash flow projections today requires a host of tools to track data, usage, and historic revenue trends as seen above. Teams rely on spreadsheets, data warehouses, business intelligence tools, and analysts to compile and report the data.

HighRadius has consistently provided its customers with powerful AI and forecasting tools to support real-time visibility, historical tracking, and predictive insights so your teams can reap the benefits of automated cash flow management.

When your forecast is off, you can miss opportunities to invest in growth or undermine your credibility and investor confidence. An accurate forecast means predictable growth and increased shareholder confidence. 

Cash Flow Projection FAQs

1) how do you prepare a projected cash flow statement.

Steps to prepare a projected cash flow statement :

• Analyze historical cash flows.
• Estimate future sales and collections from customers.
• Forecast expected payments to suppliers and vendors.
• Consider changes in operating, investing, and financing activities.
• Compile all these estimates into a projected cash flow statement for the desired period.

2) What is projected cash flow budget?

A projected cash flow budget is a financial statement that estimates the amount of cash your business is expected to receive and pay out over a specific time period. This information can be helpful in determining whether your business has enough cash flow to maintain its regular operations during the given period. It can also provide valuable insight into how to allocate your budget effectively.

3) What is a 3-year projected cash flow statement?

A 3-year projected cash flow statement forecasts cash inflows and outflows for the next three years. It helps businesses assess their expected cash position and plan for future financial needs and opportunities.

4) What is projected cash flow and fund flow statement?

Projected cash flow statement forecasts cash inflows and outflows over a period, aiding in budgeting and planning. Fund flow statement tracks the movement of funds between sources and uses, analyzing financial position. Both provide insights into a company’s liquidity and financial health.

5) What are the 4 key uses for a cash flow forecast?

• Evaluate cash availability for operational expenses and investments.
• Identify potential cash flow gaps or surpluses.
• Support financial planning, budgeting, and decision-making.
• Assist in securing financing or negotiating favorable terms with stakeholders.

6) What is the cash flow projection ratio?

The term cash flow projection ratio is not a commonly used financial ratio. However, various ratios like operating cash flow ratio, cash flow margin, and cash flow coverage ratio are used to assess a company’s cash flow generation and management capabilities.

7) What is the formula for projected cash flow?

The projected cash flow formula is Projected Cash Flow = Projected Cash Inflows – Projected Cash Outflows . It calculates the anticipated net cash flow by subtracting projected expenses from projected revenues, considering all sources of inflows and outflows.

8) What are the advantages of cash flow projection?

Cash flow projection helps businesses:

• Anticipate future financial needs
• Manage cash shortages effectively
• Make informed decisions
• Ensure stability and growth
• Provide a roadmap for financial planning
• Stay proactive in managing finances

Related Resources

Balance Sheet Forecasting: A Complete Guide to Financial Forecasts

How to Improve Cash Flow: Top 12 Strategies

Four facts mid-market CFOs need to know about cash management applications

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Financial forecast example for new businesses and startups

The financial forecast is an essential step when creating a business plan. The financial forecast allows you to anticipate the revenues and expenses of your new business over a given period.

Even if the exercise is sometimes delicate to carry out, it is nevertheless essential for any entrepreneur. Indeed, it allows you to define quantified objectives, which, if meticulously tracked, will allow you to grow your business in good conditions.

To help you, here's a financial forecast example as well as tools you can use to create yours. 

Financial forecast examples for new businesses

Example of a sales forecast.

The sales forecast is used to estimate the company's turnover. It is generally presented by category of products and services, types of customers, or time slots.

In our financial forecast example, we have included below a sales forecast for a hostel, organised by categories of services with the bed's occupancy forecast broken down based on seasonality:

To ensure a fair and realistic evaluation of your company's revenues, You will need to base your forecast on thorough and reliable market analysis, including an analysis of what your competition offers. You will also need to think carefully about your pricing policy and distribution strategy beforehand.

Examples of financial statements to include in your forecast

Your forecast will need to include 3 financial statements:

• The P&L statement
• The cash flow statement
• The balance sheet

P&L statement

The profit and loss statement enables you to assess:

• the growth of the company by analyzing the evolution of the turnover over several years;
• the profitability of the company by looking at the difference between the expected revenues and the costs which will need to be incurred to generate these sales.

The main shortcoming of the projected income statement is that it does not take into account cash flows. Your profits should turn into cash at some point, but based on when your clients pay you, how much inventory you keep, or when you pay your suppliers, the cash flow could be very different from your profit.

To overcome this shortcoming, we need to look at the forecasted cash flow statement included in our financial forecast example.

Cash flow statement

The cash flow statement shows all anticipated cash movements for a given year.

It enables you to evaluate:

• the ability to generate operating cash flow;
• the company's investment and financing policies.

The cash flow statement is highly complementary to the P&L statement. Together they provide a clear view of the company's profitability, the cash generated by the operations, the investments made and the financing flows.

Balance sheet

The forecasted balance sheet, the last link in the chain, provides an overview of the company's net worth at a given moment in time and is part of our financial forecast example. It enables you to evaluate:

• the value of the company's assets;
• the weight of its working capital;
• the level of financial indebtedness;
• the book value of shareholders' equity.

The forecasted balance sheet complements the other two tables. Nevertheless, it has two weak points:

• It provides a snapshot of the company's net worth at a specific moment in time - giving a very static view of the company. Especially given the balance sheet is usually produced several months after the end of the financial year (and therefore the information it contains is already stale!)
• It gives an accounting vision of the company, based on historical cost, and not a financial vision, based on market value.

Where can I find other financial forecast examples?

At The Business Plan Shop, we offer an online software that includes a financial forecasting tool and helps you throughout the drafting of the business plan on top of financial forecast examples included in our business plan templates . 

Using a software like ours to realize your business plan has several advantages:

• You can easily create your financial forecast by letting the software take care of the calculations and financial aspects for you.
• You are guided in the drafting process by detailed instructions and examples for each part of the plan.
• You get a professional document, formatted and ready to be sent to your bank or investors.

If you are interested in our solution, you can try our software for free here .

Our article is coming to an end. We hope that our financial forecast example has given you a better understanding of what this exercise is all about.

The forecast is a crucial element of a business plan that will be of particular interest to your financial partners if you are looking for financing; but don't forget that it is also a mean for you, as an entrepreneur, to evaluate the viability of your new business idea.

Also on The Business Plan Shop

• How to do financial projections for a new business?
• How to establish a Profit & Loss forecast in your business plan?
• How to do a financial forecast for a restaurant?

Founder & CEO at The Business Plan Shop Ltd

Guillaume Le Brouster is a seasoned entrepreneur and financier.

Guillaume has been an entrepreneur for more than a decade and has first-hand experience of starting, running, and growing a successful business.

Prior to being a business owner, Guillaume worked in investment banking and private equity, where he spent most of his time creating complex financial forecasts, writing business plans, and analysing financial statements to make financing and investment decisions.

Guillaume holds a Master's Degree in Finance from ESCP Business School and a Bachelor of Science in Business & Management from Paris Dauphine University.

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Hotel Business Plan Guide + Sample Plan

July 6, 2023

Adam Hoeksema

The hospitality industry offers immense potential, while some might believe that operating a hotel is straightforward, involving only accommodations and foot traffic, careful planning and meticulous execution are essential for achieving success, hence a well-structured business plan is indispensable.

Our primary expertise lies in hotel financial projection models but we understand that some of our clients require comprehensive business plans. That's why we've taken the initiative to delve into this topic and cover the following:

• Why Write a Business Plan For a Hotel?
• What to Include in a Hotel Business Plan?

Hotel Business Plan Outline

How to select a location for a hotel, how to analyze the competition for a hotel, how to create financial projections for a hotel, example hotel business plan, hotel business plan faqs, why write a business plan for a hotel.

For Hoteliers seeking financial support from investors, banks, or financial institutions, a well-structured business plan is a fundamental prerequisite. Demonstrating a thorough evaluation of the market, a clear and strategic approach, and a thoughtful assessment of potential risks and rewards is paramount to attracting the necessary funding for your venture.'

What to include in a hotel business plan?

A hotel business plan should provide investors and lenders with compelling reasons why guests will choose your hotel, demonstrate why you or your team are the ideal operators for the hotel, and present a financial projection that ensures their investment is secure. Below is a comprehensive outline of our complimentary hotel business plan template .

We suggest the following sections for your Hotel business plan

Executive Summary

Company Description

Market Analysis

Product and Service Offerings

Marketing Plan & Customer Acquisition

Operating Plan

Financial Plan

Choosing the right location for your hotel is a critical step in ensuring its success and captivating your target audience. To help you make the best decision, we present three essential points to consider when selecting a location for your hotel  Local Demand and Visitor Profile: Assess the local demand for hotel accommodations in the area. Analyze the type of visitors who frequently visit the locality, such as tourists, business travelers, or event attendees. Understanding the local visitor profile will help you tailor your hotel's offerings to meet their needs and preferences.

Proximity to Key Points of Interest: Look for a location that is in close proximity to key points of interest within the local area. This could include popular tourist attractions, convention centers, business districts, or entertainment venues. Being near such attractions increases the chances of attracting more guests and ensures a steady flow of potential customers.

Accessibility and Transportation Links : Ensure that the location is easily accessible by various modes of transportation. Consider the distance from major transportation hubs like airports, train stations, and bus terminals. Also, evaluate the availability of public transportation options nearby, as this will make it convenient for guests to travel to and from your hotel.

By focusing on these three points, you can identify a suitable local location for your hotel that caters to the specific needs of the local market and maximizes its potential for success.

There are a couple of tools that I like to use when analyzing the competition in the hotel industry. 

Ahrefs – Ahrefs will allow you to look up a competitor hotel's website, and you can see how much organic traffic they are getting and exactly what keywords are sending that traffic. For example, we can see that the Bottleworks Hotel in Indianapolis is receiving roughly 3,500 monthly visits from organic Google Search.  

We can also see what keywords are sending the most traffic to that page below:

By understanding the SEO strategies and keywords that competitor hotels are targeting, you can develop your content and marketing strategies to compete in the same spaces or identify underserved areas to capitalize on. This can assist in improving your hotel's online presence and attracting more guests through search engines.

TripAdvisor – Although mainly known as a review site, TripAdvisor can be a free and powerful tool for analyzing competition within the hotel industry. You can see guest ratings, read reviews, and understand what customers appreciate or dislike about different hotels in your area. This qualitative information can help you identify where your competitors are succeeding or failing and where you might have an opportunity to differentiate your services.

Just like in any industry, the hotel business has its own unique factors that impact financial projections, such as occupancy rates, room pricing, seasonal demand, and guest service expenditures. Utilizing a hotel financial projection template can simplify the process and increase your confidence. Creating accurate financial projections goes beyond showcasing your hotel venture's ability to generate revenue; it's about illustrating the financial roadmap to profitability and the realization of your hospitality goals.

To develop precise projections, consider the following key steps:

Estimate startup costs for your hotel business, including property acquisition or leasing, renovation or construction, furnishing and decoration, staff training, and initial marketing and branding expenses.

Forecast revenue based on projected occupancy rates, average room prices, ancillary service income (such as restaurants, spas, conference facilities), and potential growth in the customer base.

Project costs related to ongoing operations like housekeeping, food and beverage services, guest amenities, and maintenance.

Estimate operating expenses such as staff salaries, utility costs, property insurance, marketing expenses, guest support, and administrative costs.

Calculate the capital needed to launch and sustain your hotel business, covering initial expenses and providing working capital for continued growth, including funds for unforeseen challenges such as seasonal fluctuations.

While financial projections are a critical component of your hotel business plan, seek guidance from experienced professionals in the hotel industry. Adapt your projections based on real-world insights, leverage industry resources, and stay informed about hospitality trends and evolving consumer behavior to ensure your financial plan aligns with your goals and positions your hotel venture for long-term success.

Explore our Hotel Business Plan, presented below. If you prefer, you can access a downloadable Google Doc version of this hotel business plan template , allowing you to personalize and tailor it to your specific needs. Additionally, a helpful video walkthrough is available, guiding you through the process of customizing the business plan to perfectly align with your unique hotel concept.

Table of Contents

1. executive summary.

1.1 Organization Overview

1.2. Objectives

1.3. Mission Statement

2. Organization Description

2.1. Organization History

2.2. Legal Structure

2.3. Unique Value Proposition

2.4. Target Beneficiaries

3. Market Analysis

3.1. industry overview.

3.2. Collaborator and Competitor Identification

3.3. Target Beneficiaries

Key Point  1

4. Marketing and Fundraising

4.1. Strategic Plan

4.2. Program or Service Offerings:

4.4. Distribution Channels

4.5. Promotions and Fundraising

Key Point  2

5. Organizational Structure and Management

5.1. Organization’s Facility & Location

5.2. Staffing Plan and Volunteer Management

5.3. Governance, Financial Management, and Accountability

Key Point  3

6. financial plan.

6.1. Startup Costs

6.3. Expense Projections

6.4. profit and loss statement, 6.5. cash flow projections, 6.6. break-even analysis, 7. appendix.

7.1. Supporting Documents

7.2. Glossary of Term

7.3. References and Resources

Key Point  5

 1.1. company overview.

Briefly introduce the hotel's background, products or services, and target market.

      -  Example: Seaside Crest is a tropical-themed hotel located in Key West, Florida, offering a unique and luxurious experience for guests seeking a beachfront getaway.

   1.2. Objectives

Outlines the hotel's short-term and long-term goals.

        - Example:  Establish Seaside Crest as the premier destination for tropical hospitality in Key West, providing exceptional service and unforgettable experiences for our guests.

        - Example: Long-term: Expand our presence in other tropical destinations while maintaining our commitment to quality and guest satisfaction.

  1.3. Mission Statement

 Describes the hotel's purpose and core values.

        - Example:  At Seaside Crest, our mission is to create a haven of relaxation and tropical paradise for our guests. We are dedicated to delivering exceptional hospitality, breathtaking surroundings, and personalized service, ensuring that every guest's stay is a memorable one.

  1.4. Keys to Success

Highlights the factors that will contribute to the hotel's growth and success.

        - Example:  The success of Seaside Crest lies in our commitment to creating a tropical ambiance, offering top-notch amenities, providing outstanding customer service, and delivering a seamless guest experience. 

2. Company Description

   2.1. company history.

Provides context on the hotel's background and founding story.

        - Example: Seaside Crest is the brainchild of founder and hotelier, Emily Roberts, who envisioned creating a tropical paradise in Key West, Florida. With a passion for hospitality and a deep love for the coastal beauty of the region, Emily embarked on the journey of bringing Seaside Crest to life.

   2.2. Legal Structure

 Describes the hotel's legal structure (e.g., sole proprietorship, partnership, LLC, corporation).

        - Example: Seaside Crest operates as a limited liability corporation (LLC)

 2.3. Unique Selling Proposition

  Emphasizes the hotel's competitive advantage or unique offerings.

        - Example: Seaside Crest distinguishes itself by offering a one-of-a-kind tropical-themed experience, combining luxurious accommodations, breathtaking beachfront views, vibrant island-inspired decor, and personalized service. 

  2.4. Target Market

Defines the hotel's ideal customer base.

        - Example: Seaside Crest caters to discerning travelers and vacationers who seek an extraordinary beachside retreat in Key West, Florida. 

  Presents a general overview of the industry, its trends, and growth potential.

        - Example: The tropical hotel industry in Key West, Florida, is a thriving sector driven by the city's popularity as a tourist destination, the allure of its tropical climate, and the abundance of natural beauty that surrounds it.

3.2. Competitor Analysis

 Evaluates the hotel's direct and indirect competitors, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.

        - Example: Other hotels and resorts in Key West offering tropical-themed accommodations.

        - Example: Vacation rentals, bed and breakfast establishments, and boutique hotels in the area.

3.3. Target Market Analysis

Explores the hotel's target customers, their demographics, preferences, and pain points.

        - Example: Seaside Crest targets vacationers and travelers seeking a tropical getaway in Key West. Our primary market includes couples, honeymooners, and families looking for luxurious accommodations with a distinct tropical ambiance and proximity to the beach.

3.4. Market Opportunities

Identifies potential opportunities for the hotel to grow within the market.

        - Example: Seaside Crest can capitalize on market opportunities by offering unique amenities and experiences such as beachfront dining, spa services inspired by tropical traditions, and curated excursions to explore the natural wonders of Key West. Collaborations with local businesses for island-inspired dining and entertainment can further enhance the guest experience.

• Example 1: Conduct a survey among tourists in the area to determine their preferences for tropical-themed accommodations and their interest in a hotel with a beachfront location. (e.g., 80% of surveyed tourists express a strong preference for hotels with a tropical theme and direct beach access)
• Example 2: Analyze the occupancy rates and average daily rates of existing hotels in Key West to assess the demand and pricing trends in the market. (e.g., The average occupancy rate in Key West hotels during peak season is 85%, indicating a high demand for accommodations)

4. Marketing and Sales Strategy

4.1. product or service offerings: .

Describes the hotel's products or services in detail.

        - Example: Seaside Crest offers a range of tropical-themed accommodations and amenities, including luxury guest rooms, beachfront dining, spa services, and curated excursions.

4.2. Pricing Strategy

 Outlines the hotel's approach to pricing its products or services.

        - Example: Seaside Crest adopts a competitive pricing strategy, providing value for money while maintaining the exclusivity and high-quality experience associated with a tropical-themed hotel.

4.3. Sales Strategy

  Explains how the hotel plans to generate sales and build customer relationships.

        - Seaside Crest will implement a comprehensive sales strategy that includes online booking platforms, direct marketing to travel agencies, and partnerships with local tour operators to attract and engage potential guests.

 Describes the methods through which the hotel will deliver its products or services to customers.

   - Example: Seaside Crest will primarily distribute its services through online travel agencies, direct bookings through its website, and collaborations with travel agencies specializing in tropical getaways.

4.5. Promotions and Advertising

 Details the hotel's promotional efforts and advertising strategies.

        - Example: Seaside Crest will employ targeted marketing initiatives, utilizing social media and search engine platforms, to enhance brand visibility and attract new guests seeking a tropical-themed hotel experience in Key West..

• Example 1: Collaborate with local travel agencies to offer exclusive vacation packages that include a stay at Seaside Crest, showcasing the unique tropical experience and attracting potential guests. (e.g., 50 vacation packages sold within the first month of collaboration)
• Example 2: Organize a pre-launch event at a popular local venue, inviting travel influencers and bloggers to experience a preview of the hotel's amenities and share their impressions on social media. (e.g., 10 influencers with a combined reach of 500,000 followers attend the event and generate significant online buzz)
• Example 3: Offer a giveaway on social media to build a following

5. Facility Maintenance and Operations Plan:

   5.1. facility location and layout.

 Specify the hotel's physical business location and refer to the internal arrangement and organization of the space.

        - Example:Seaside Crest will secure a prime location in Key West, strategically positioned in close proximity to the beach and popular tourist attractions. The hotel's layout will be designed for optimal guest comfort and convenience, with thoughtfully arranged spaces and amenities.

5.2. Safety and Security:

Cover the hotel's comprehensive approach to safety and security, including surveillance systems, access control measures, etc.

        - Example: Seaside Crest will prioritize the safety and security of our guests and staff. We will implement robust security measures, including surveillance systems, access control, and trained personnel to monitor and respond to any potential threats or emergencies.

5.3. Cleaning and Housekeeping:

  Involves the hotel's procedures to ensure high standards of cleanliness, hygiene, etc.

        - Example: Our dedicated housekeeping staff will maintain the highest standards of cleanliness throughout the hotel, including guest rooms, common areas, and amenities. We will follow strict protocols to ensure a hygienic and pleasant environment for our guests.

• Example: The founding team of Seaside Crest includes Sarah Johnson, a seasoned hotelier with over 10 years of experience in managing luxury beachfront resorts, ensuring a deep understanding of the hotel industry's dynamics and customer expectations.
• Bennet  Leifer a renowned interior designer specializing in tropical-themed hospitality spaces, brings his expertise to Seaside Crest, ensuring the hotel's aesthetics align with the target market's preferences and create a memorable guest experience.

5.4. Energy Efficiency:

Involves energy-efficient practices and technologies to minimize energy consumption, reduce utility costs, and promote sustainability 

        - Example: As a responsible and sustainable hotel, Seaside Crest will strive to minimize energy consumption and reduce our environmental impact. We will implement energy-efficient practices, such as using energy-saving appliances, LED lighting, and smart systems for temperature control.

5.4.  Inventory Management:

includes tracking and controlling supplies, equipment, and amenities to optimize operations.

        - Example: Seaside Crest will employ an efficient inventory management system to track and manage hotel resources, including linens, toiletries, and other supplies. This system will ensure optimal inventory levels, minimize waste, and support smooth day-to-day operations.

All of the unique Hotel projections you see here were generated using ProjectionHub’s Hotel Financial Projection Template. Use PH20BP to enjoy a 20% discount on the template. 

   6.1. Startup Costs

  Provide a detailed breakdown of the total startup costs requirements, and where you plan for those funds to come from. You will also want to break down how the startup costs will be used including working capital to cover losses before the business breaks even.

        - Example: The total startup costs for Seaside Crest are estimated at $7,335,552. The owner plans to secure a business loan of $15,000, with  $7,500,000 contributed through personal funds.

6.2. Revenue Projections

Provide an estimate of the hotel's future revenue based on market research and assumptions.

        - Example:  Seaside Crest projects increasing revenue over the next five years, with $3,282,587 in the first year and reaching $5,938,052 by the fifth year.

Watch how to create financial projections for your Hotel

 Estimates the hotel's future expenses, including fixed and variable costs.

        - Example:  Seaside Crest's expenses include cost of goods sold, operating expenses, and direct labor and supply costs for the hotel, restaurant, spa, and events.

Summarizes the hotel's revenue, expenses, and net income over a specific period.

        - Example: Seaside Crest expects to achieve net income of $375,657 in the first year, growing to $1,845,652 by the fifth year, demonstrating a consistent increase in profitability.

 Outlines the hotel's projected cash inflows and outflows.

        - Example: Cash flow projections for Seaside Crest consider the seasonality of the hotel industry, ensuring effective financial management throughout the year.

  Determines the point at which the hotel's revenue equals its expenses.

        - Example: Seaside Crest anticipates reaching its break-even point within the first year of operation, indicating a strong potential for early profitability in the hotel industry.

Key Point  4

• Example 1: Benchmark financial projections against industry averages, such as the average revenue per available room (RevPAR) and average daily rate (ADR) for hotels in Key West, to ensure realistic revenue forecasts. (e.g., Seaside Crest's projected ADR is $250, in line with the average ADR of comparable beachfront hotels)
• Example 2: Analyze historical data from similar hotels in the area to estimate seasonality and demand fluctuations, accounting for factors like peak tourism seasons and local events. (e.g., Seaside Crest projects a 90% occupancy rate during the winter season based on the historical occupancy rates of nearby beachfront hotels)

   7.1. Supporting Documents

 Includes any relevant documentation that supports the information presented in the business plan, such as resumes, financial projections, market research data, and permits or licenses.

   7.2. Glossary of Term

 Provides definitions for industry-specific terms used throughout the business plan to ensure reader comprehension.

   7.3. References and Resources

Lists any sources or resources referenced during the preparation of the business plan, including industry reports, market research data, and relevant publications.

• Example 1: the owners of Seaside Crest invest a significant portion of their personal savings into the hotel's development and operations, demonstrating their commitment and confidence in the success of the venture. Additionally, they secure a personal guarantee for the hotel's financing, further aligning their interests with lenders and showcasing their willingness to share the risk.

How do I start a hotel business from scratch?

Starting a hotel business from scratch involves several key steps. Begin by conducting market research to identify a suitable location and target market. Develop a detailed business plan that outlines your hotel's concept, services, and financial projections. Secure funding through personal savings, loans, or investors. Obtain necessary permits and licenses and hire staff with hospitality experience.

What type of hotel should I open, and how do I choose a niche?

The type of hotel you open depends on your target market and location. Consider factors such as the level of service, amenities, and price range. Choose a niche that aligns with your interests and the demand in the local market. Options include boutique hotels, budget accommodations, luxury resorts, or themed hotels.

What marketing strategies can I use to promote my hotel?

Use a mix of digital marketing, social media, content marketing, and search engine optimization (SEO) to reach potential guests online. Collaborate with local tourism boards, travel agencies, and event planners to promote your hotel. Encourage positive reviews and testimonials to build credibility.

About the Author

Adam is the Co-founder of ProjectionHub which helps entrepreneurs create financial projections for potential investors, lenders and internal business planning. Since 2012, over 50,000 entrepreneurs from around the world have used ProjectionHub to help create financial projections.

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10 Simple Tips to Write a Successful Business Plan

"The absolute biggest business plan mistake you can make is to not plan at all." So writes Noah Parsons in his helpful blog post 17 Key Business Plan Mistakes to Avoid in 2023 . But how does one pull together all of the necessary components of a cohesive plan? It can feel overwhelming.

Eric Butow, CEO of online marketing ROI improvement firm Butow Communications Group, has teamed up with Entrepreneur Media to update the second edition of our best-selling book Write Your Business Plan to provide you with a simple, step-by-step process for creating a successful business plan. In the following excerpt, he gives ten tips to gather all of the critical information you will need to succeed.

1. Know your competition.

You need to name them and point out what makes you different from (and better than) each of them. But do not disparage your competition.

2. Know your audience.

You may need several versions of your business plan. For example, you may need one for bankers or venture capitalists, one for individual investors, and one for companies that may want to do a joint venture with you rather than fund you.

3. Have proof to back up every claim you make.

If you expect to be the leader in your field in six months, you have to say why you think that is. If you say your product will take the market by storm, you have to support this statement with facts. If you say your management team is fully qualified to make the business a success, be sure staff resumes demonstrate their experience.

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4. Be conservative in all financial estimates and projections.

If you feel certain you'll capture 50 percent of the market in the first year, you can say why you think so and hint at what those numbers may be. But make your financial projections more conservative. For example, a 10 percent market share is much more credible.

5. Be realistic with time and resources available.

If you're working with a big company before you buy a business, you may think things will happen faster than they will once you have to buy the supplies, write the checks, and answer the phones yourself. Being overly optimistic with time and resources is a common error entrepreneurs make. Being realistic is important because it lends credibility to your presentation. Always assume things will take 20 percent longer than you anticipated. Therefore, twenty weeks is now twenty-four weeks.

6. Be logical.

Think like a banker and write what they would want to see.

7. Have a strong management team.

Make sure it has good credentials and expertise. Your team members don't have to have worked in the field. However, you need to draw parallels between what they've done and the skills needed to make your venture succeed. Don't have all the skills you need? Consider adding an advisory board of people skilled in your field and include their resumes.

Write Your Own Business Plan is available now at Entrepreneur Bookstore | Barnes & Noble | Amazon

8. Document why your idea will work.

Have others done something similar that was successful? Have you made a prototype? Include all the variables that can have an impact on the result or outcome of your idea. Show why some of the variables don't apply to your situation or explain how you intend to overcome them or make them better.

9. Describe your facilities and location for performing the work.

That includes equipment you use to create your products and/or services. If you'll need to expand, discuss when, where, and why.

10. Discuss payout options for the investors.

Some investors want a hands-on role. Some want to put associates on your board of directors. Some don't want to be involved in day-to-day activities at all. All investors want to know when they can get their money back and at what rate of return. Most want out within three to five years. Provide a brief description of options for investors, or at least mention that you're ready to discuss options with any serious prospect.

To dig deeper, buy Write Your Own Business Plan and get 1 month of free access to business planning software Liveplan Premium.

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• Plumbing Business Plan

Plumbing Financial Plan

Thinking about starting your own plumbing business? Good call.

Starting a plumbing business can be a rewarding and fulfilling business venture for someone who knows the field inside out.

However, you need a solid business plan backed with realistic financial forecasts to ensure success for your plumbing business. Need help getting your financial plan in order?

Worry not. This plumbing financial plan guide and example will help you get started.

Ready to begin? Let’s dive right in.

Key Takeaways

• The income statement, balance sheet, cash flow projection, and break-even analysis are the primary elements of a financial plan.
•  Enhance the accuracy of your plan by exploring the methods of test assumptions and scenario analysis.
• Make reliable financial projections with thorough industry research, clear market understanding, and realistic assumptions.
• Crafting a plumbing financial plan is much easier and faster when you use financial forecasting software.
• Be practical and conservative about your revenue forecasts and cash flows to grab investors’ attention.

P lumbers Financial Outlook

Before diving right into financial planning, let’s take a moment to explore the highlights from the plumbers industry:

• The plumbers’ industry in the United States was valued at approximately $126.4 billion in revenue in 2023.
• The market size of plumbing services declined 0.8% per year with a CAGR from 2018 to 2023. But still, it’s expected to grow at a moderate pace in the coming years.
• There are a total of 113,769 plumbing businesses operating in the United States, and they are expected to pay total wages of $38.1 billion in 2024.

Overall, these statistics show a positive outlook and enough scope for new plumbing businesses to emerge and grow in this sector.

Now, let’s move ahead to learn about how to make a successful financial model.

How to Prepare a Plumbing Financial Plan

• Calculate business startup costs
• Determine financing requirements & strategy
• Understand your business model
• Identify revenue streams
• Market analysis and pre-assumptions
• Make financial projections
• Test assumptions and scenario analysis
• Monitor and update your plan

1. Calculate Business Startup Costs

Once you’ve decided to start your plumbing company, it’s very crucial to have a clear understanding of your finances, right? So, you’ll need to calculate the startup costs very first!

You may start by identifying all the initial expenses associated with your plumbing services. It includes equipment purchases, vehicle, licensing and permit fees, insurance premiums, marketing expenses, and working capital.

You can also research local market conditions and industry benchmarks to evaluate the typical costs of starting a plumbing business. This will help you get accurate estimates.

Try to be clear and comprise every potential cost, no matter how small it is. You can make a specific list of all the expenses, as shown in the below table:

So, having a brief idea of startup costs will help you create a proper budget and determine the necessary capital to launch your business successfully.

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2. Determine Financing Requirements & Strategy

Sometimes, people don’t have enough money to start their own business. So, they might need to ask for help from others to get the initial investment.

For a plumbing business, you’ll need to evaluate the current monetary position and determine how much startup capital you’ll require to fund your business. Also, assess various financing options and develop a clear strategy to secure funding.

Here are a few funding options you may consider:

• Small business loans
• Investors or partners
• Lines of credit
• Crowdfunding

For each option, you have to evaluate the terms, interest rates, and repayment methods. This will let you devise a financing strategy that aligns with your investment goals and risk tolerance.

Then, you can decide which funding option is the most appropriate for your plumbing company.

Furthermore, while seeking credit from banks or investors, you’ll need a professional document that projects how your plumbing financial modeling works. It will assist potential lenders to have a better idea of your business.

3. Understand Your Business Model

Developing a scalable business model is a crucial aspect of a financial plan. This is something you have to decide before you start running your business.

It is a strategic framework that defines how you generate income, manage expenses, and reach your financial objectives.

Here is a list of different types of business models you may consider for your plumbing company:

• Residential plumbing
• Commercial plumbing
• Drain cleaning company
• Emergency plumbing

While deciding on any of the above models, you have to understand their financial considerations, including revenue potential, cost structures, profit margins, and risk factors.

This will help you make well-informed decisions and achieve your financial goals in the long run.

4. Identify Revenue Streams

Identifying your business revenue streams is an essential part of maximizing profitability. So, try to diversify your income sources within the plumbing market and create a robust portfolio.

It will help potential investors or lenders determine how much revenue your business intends to generate over the next few years.

For instance, you may include the following revenue streams in your plumbing financial projections:

• Residential plumbing installations
• Commercial plumbing services
• Repairs & maintenance
• Retail sales (plumbing fixtures, parts, & accessories)

Well, using Upmetrics could be a great help here. It will not just calculate financial projections but also help you identify relevant revenue streams.

For better understanding, you may consider the fol lowing example prepared using Upmetrics:

Furthermore, it allows you to make informed decisions about your revenue by using different ways to forecast income streams, such as unit sales, the charge per service, recurring/hourly charges, or fixed amounts.

So, this can be an effective and accurate way of estimating your income potential.

5. Market Analysis and Pre-Assumptions

A successful business requires a comprehensive market analysis to gain valuable insights into the local business landscape.

While drafting a plumbing business plan , you’ve already conducted thorough market research and gained a good idea of the target market, customer needs & preferences, market trends, and competitors.

So, it’s time to use that knowledge to prepare a financial forecast and make realistic assumptions about service fees, customer acquisition & retention rates, labor expenses, and equipment maintenance costs.

Here are a few key components that you should include in your plan:

Pricing Strategy

When it comes to devising a pricing strategy, there’s no bound law. Yet, you’ll need to analyze a few factors, such as your plumbing services, market demand, quality, operating costs, and value-added features, to develop optimal pricing.

You may conduct a competitive market analysis to comprehend the prevailing market prices and set competitive yet profitable service rates.

Remember, your prices should reflect the value of your plumbing services and still help you generate sufficient returns on your investment.

Sales Forecast

A sales forecast is a primary element of any business, serving as the cornerstone for its profitability and growth.

It helps you estimate the future sales number of your plumbing services based on population growth, housing trends, service prices, consumer needs, and seasonal fluctuations.

You can analyze historical sales data and industry trends to predict future demand for your target market. Also, consider your marketing efforts and pricing strategy to forecast the sales volume you expect within a specific timeframe.

Business Expenses

Generally, business expenses are operating costs or day-to-day expenses that will keep your business running smoothly.

For your plumbing company, you may conduct a detailed analysis of the anticipated expenses, such as rent or lease payments, insurance premiums, equipment purchases, marketing, commissions, utilities, taxes, insurance, and overhead costs.

Apart from that, you may consider a few factors, like market trends, material costs, labor rates, and industry standards, while estimating your business expenses.

Here, you should note one thing—you must account for probable cost overruns or unexpected expenses during business operations. So, be conservative in your financial projections.

6. Make Financial Projections

If you want to attract investors, let the numbers do the talking. This is so because potential investors or stakeholders will look at the financial reports once and decide whether or not to invest in your business.

So, ensure that the key financial reports provide an exact view of your plumbing business’s financial health and viability.

Here’s a list of several financial statements and analyzes you should incorporate into your projections:

Cash flow statement

A cash flow statement offers a detailed explanation of how much cash your business brings in, pays out, and ends with the cash balance. Typically, it’s an illustration of how well your business is generating cash.

It helps you track the cash flow in and out of your plumbing business over a specific timeframe, generally monthly, quarterly, or annually.

You may take into account the cash flows related to sales revenue, payments to suppliers, payroll expenses, operating expenses, loan repayments, borrowing, or equity investments.

Be realistic about your financial assumptions and measure your business’s liquidity, capability to meet financial obligations, and sufficiency of cash flow to fund future investments and expense outlays.

Balance sheet

A balance sheet provides a quick overview of your business’s financial position at a specific time.

It clearly demonstrates what you own, what you owe to vendors or other debtors, and what’s left over for you. After all, it has three main elements:

• Assets: Cash, inventory, equipment, and accounts receivable
• Liabilities: Debts, loan repayments, and accounts payable
• Equity: Owners’ equity & other investments, stock proceeds, and retained earnings

Ideally, it is formulated as, assets = liabilities + equity

By looking at your balance sheet, anyone can get the exact idea of how financially stable your business is, how much cash you hold, and where your money is tied up.

Income statement

The income statement is also known as a profit and loss statement(P&L), explaining how your business made a profit or incurred a loss over a specific period, typically monthly, quarterly, or annually.

Depending on the structure and type of your business, consider adding these factors—revenue or sales, operating expenses, and gross margin to your profit and loss statement.

You may calculate the gross margin by subtracting the cost of sales or COGS from revenue. It enables you to determine your business’s efficiency in utilizing resources.

Further, the P&L statement should also include operating income, which is equivalent to EBITDA. And the net income is the ultimate goal of any business, found at the end by deducting the operational expenses from EBITDA.

Overall, the income statement helps you gauge your business’s profitability, financial performance, and feasibility in the long run.

Break-even Analysis

The break-even analysis allows you to determine the point at which your plumbing business’s total revenue matches its total expenses, causing no profit or loss.

It helps you evaluate the minimum level of sales or revenue needed to cover your plumbing company’s fixed and variable costs.

This analysis provides valuable insights into your financial sustainability and helps you set sales targets, pricing strategies, and cost-control criteria.

What is the average break-even period for a plumbing company?

Generally, the average break-even period for plumbing services can vary widely based on a few factors, such as startup costs, market demand, service charges, and operational efficiency. However, the plumbing company takes approximately 6 months to 2 years to reach the break-even point and gain profitability.

7. Test Assumptions and Scenario Analysis

As your entire plan is prepared based on assumptions, you’ll need to regularly review and stress-test your financial projections to check their relevance with market realities and business performance.

In this stage, you may consider various “what-if” situations and think about scenarios where things go well or don’t.

For instance, you’ll need to consider the changes in material costs, labor rates, business operations, and market demand to measure the stability of your plumbing financial plan.

By performing test assumptions and sensitivity analysis, you can adjust your strategies accordingly to mitigate risks, optimize returns, and make well-informed business decisions.

8. Monitor and Update Your Plan

Once your plan is ready, continuously evaluate and monitor your plumbing business’s financial performance closely against the financial projections and key performance indicators(KPIs).

You can compare the actual financial results with the projected income streams, expenses, and ROI to take note of any variances or deviations from the plan.

If some factors are remarkably different from projections, recognize the causes behind them. This will help you understand which areas need improvement and which works as anticipated.

Also, review and update your strategies accordingly to optimize financial results and achieve long-term success.

Now that you know how to create a solid plumbing financial plan, it’s time to explore an example for easy understanding.

Plumbing Financial Plan Example

Drafting a plumbing financial plan from scratch can be overwhelming, right? But not to worry; we’re here to help you with a realistic financial plan example prepared using Upmetrics.

It includes all the key elements of a plumbing business’s financial projection, including the income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement, and break-even point. This will streamline the entire planning process and help you get started.

Start Preparing Your Plumbing Financial Plan

And that’s a wrap—we’ve discussed all the fundamental aspects of financial planning. So, it’s time to use that knowledge.

But if you still feel that writing a financial plan for your startup is a tough job, don’t worry; we’ve got an easy way out for you.

Upmetrics’ AI-based financial forecasting tool will help you get started and create comprehensive yet successful plans that perfectly align with your goals.

So, without any delay; start planning now!

The Quickest Way to turn a Business Idea into a Business Plan

Fill-in-the-blanks and automatic financials make it easy.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should i review and update my financial plan.

It’s recommended to review and update your plumbing financial plan regularly, at least quarterly or annually. However, it may require more frequent updates whenever there are significant changes in the business environment, financial conditions, regulatory requirements, and strategic goals.

What financial metrics should I track for my plumbing business?

You should track a few key financial metrics for your plumbing company, such as cash flow, gross margin, sales, cost per conversion, churn rate, net income, revenue, acquisition cost, and accounts payable.

Do I need a financial advisor to create a plumbing financial plan?

A financial advisor isn’t compulsory for creating a plumbing financial plan, as different financial forecasting tools are readily available. However, having one can help assess potential risks, optimize your tax strategy, and navigate complex financial matters.

About the Author

Upmetrics Team

Upmetrics is the #1 business planning software that helps entrepreneurs and business owners create investment-ready business plans using AI. We regularly share business planning insights on our blog. Check out the Upmetrics blog for such interesting reads. Read more

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Procrastinator's guide to Indiana's election: How to vote and what races are on the ballot

It's officially election week, which means it's time to make a voting plan for the May 7 primary election if you haven't already. Polls are open from 6 a.m. - 6 p.m. local time Tuesday.

IndyStar pulled together a primer of what you need to know in order to vote if you live in Central Indiana.

Live Election Day updates: How are polls today? What are voters saying about the Indiana primary?

IndyStar Election Night Live: Join IndyStar journalists, local pundits May 7 for live analysis of the primary's biggest races

How do I know if I'm registered to vote?

Voters can double check they are registered by going to indianavoters.in.gov and entering in their information.

If you are not yet registered to vote, it's too late to do so for the May primary. However, you can still register to vote in the November general election by going to indianavoters.in.gov .

Where can I vote?

In Marion County, voters can can cast a ballot at any vote center on Election Day. A list of available locations, as well as a map of sites, can be found at vote.indy.gov/vote-centers . Boone, Hendricks, Morgan, Johnson, Shelby and Hancock counties all allow voters to go to any vote center in the county as well.

Hamilton County residents have to vote at their assigned locations. You can find your voting location at indianavoters.in.gov .

What else to know before you head to the polls

• Decide which party you want to vote for: In Indiana, voters don't register with a particular political party, which means once you get to the polls, you'll have to tell the poll workers whether you want to pull a Republican or Democratic ballot. What you pick will impact the number of contested races you get to vote on.
• Bring your ID : Indiana law requires voters to show a government-issued photo ID that displays your name, photo and an expiration date of the last general election or later. Student IDs from an Indiana state school, not a private university, will work as long as they meet the above criteria.

What races will be on my ballot?

This year the following elected positions are up for election:

• President of the United States
• U.S. Senate
• U.S. House of Representatives
• State representatives
• State Senate (half of the seats)
• Other local races

But, not everyone will have a choice for every elected position. Some races are uncontested or feature no candidates. You can see who all will be on your specific ballot at indianavoters.in.gov .

Who is running for governor?

U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, former Secretary of Commerce Brad Chambers, Fort Wayne entrepreneur Eric Doden, former Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill and mom-of-five Jamie Reitenour are running for governor on the Republican ballot.

IndyStar profiled each of the Republican candidates:

• Read Braun's here .
• Read Chambers' here .
• Read Crouch's here .
• Read Doden's here .
• Read Hills' here .
• Read Reitneour's here .

Jennifer McCormick, the former state schools superintendent, is the only choice on the Democratic ballot for governor.

Will I have a choice for U.S. Senate or president?

That depends on whether you pull a Republican or Democratic ballot.

For president, President Joe Biden is the only choice for the Democratic nominee. Meanwhile, Republicans can technically choose between former President Donald Trump and former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley . Haley, though, dropped out of the race after she had qualified for Indiana's ballot.

For U.S. Senate, U.S. Rep. Jim Banks is the only Republican candidate who will be on the ballot. Democrats will have a choice between Rep. Marc Carmichael and Valerie McCray.

What other races should I read up on?

The following primary congressional races are poised to be competitive, two of which are located in central Indiana.

• Republican 3rd Congressional District primary : With Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Banks running for one of Indiana’s U.S. Senate seats, eight Republican candidates are running for the northeast Indiana district. Nonprofit executive Tim Smith, former Allen County Circuit Court judge Wendy Davis, former 3rd District Rep. Marlin Stutzman and state Sen. Andy Zay had raised the most money by mid-April, including personal loans.
• Republican 5th Congressional District primary : Nine Republican candidates are running for the this district, which stretches from Hamilton County north to Grant County. U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz and Noblesville State Rep. Chuck Goodrich are the frontrunners, according to internal polling.
• Republican 6th Congressional District primary: U.S. Rep. Greg Pence decided not to seek reelection in this district that includes the southern portion of Marion County, which has led to a contentious Republican primary between seven candidates . Former Republican mayoral nominee Jefferson Shreve, state Rep. Mike Speedy, state Sen. Jeff Raatz, former lawmakers John Jacob and Bill Frazier, businessman Jamison Carrier and Darin Childress are running.
• Republican 8th Congressional District primary : U.S. Rep. Larry Bucshon is also not seeking reelection. Seven Republicans are running for the southwestern Indiana district. State Sen. Mark Messmer, R-Jasper, and former U.S. Rep. John Hostettler are the frontrunners.

There are a number of competitive Statehouse races , too. Three Hamilton County Republican primary races feature no incumbent lawmaker this year, due to the departures of state Reps. Jerry Torr, Donna Schaibley and Chuck Goodrich.

You can read all of IndyStar's election coverage here.

Contact IndyStar government and politics editor Kaitlin Lange at [email protected] or follow her on  X  @Kaitlin_Lange .