Forecasting and modelling
Plan ahead with numbers you can stand behind
Most founders know roughly where the business is today. The harder question is where it will be in six or twelve months, and what happens to cash if you hire, win a big contract or lose one.
We build budgets, cash forecasts and financial models that answer those questions, and we keep them up to date so they stay useful as the business evolves.
What we build
Annual budgets, set with you and tracked against actual results every month
13-week and 12-month cash flow forecasts, so you can see pinch points early and put plans in place
Scenario models for hiring, pricing, new sites or new services
Three-statement models (profit and loss, balance sheet and cash flow) for lenders and investors
Funding requirement analysis: how much you need, when, and what it does to the business
How it works
01
Understand the plan. We start with what you want the business to look like and the decisions you need to make.
02
Build the model. We build it from your actual numbers in Xero and assumptions agreed in step 1.
03
Test it. We walk through the assumptions with you and run the scenarios and test key sensitivities.
04
Keep it live. We compare actuals with the forecast each month or quarter and update the outlook.
Ongoing or one-off
Ongoing budgets and cash flow forecasting are part of our VFD package and above, and VFD Core includes a quarterly cash flow look-ahead. Because the same team runs your bookkeeping and month-end, the forecast starts from numbers that are already reconciled.
If you need a model for a specific decision, such as a bank loan, an investment round or a big hire, we can build it as a one-off project. That works well when:
- A lender or investor has asked for projections by a set date
- You are weighing up a decision that changes the shape of the business
- Your team keeps the books but has no time to build a forecast
One-off projects are quoted separately once we understand what you need.
Related services
Virtual Finance Department
One joined-up finance function, sized to your stage.
Fractional CFO
Senior finance thinking for the big decisions, without a full-time hire.
Tell us about your business
We'll come back to you within one working day. If it looks like a good fit, the next step is a 30-minute call.
