Simple, comprehensive functionality for small business forecasting.
Designed to do just what it needs to do.
Make sure the template will meet your needs...
General Description
- an integrated, 3 year, monthly profit & loss, cash flow and balance sheet model
- will produce simple standalone cash flow reports
- designed for small and medium sized (‘SME’) Limited Companies or 'Sole Trader'
- a macro-driven spreadsheet with custom toolbar for easy navigation and data entry
- equipped with an integral pdf report suite
- fully functional in Excel 2007 (or later) in Windows
- easy to integrate with existing spreadsheet data
Accounting & Functional Specification
- unlimited revenue, cost and fixed asset account-types
- ‘sales’ or ‘revenue’ section
- (optional) ‘cost of goods sold’ section with stock-modelling
- additional ‘direct costs’ or ‘cost of sales’ section
- overheads sub-divided into a maximum of 8 editable sections
- fixed assets section with variable depreciation rates using ‘reducing balance’ or ‘straight-line’ basis
- easy creation of additional ‘modelling’ rows and extra sheets
- integrate or link to other spreadsheets
- variable cash-flow settings between 0 and 90 days for every line of revenue or expense
- variable VAT rate settings for every line of revenue or expense
- VAT modelled on a quarterly ‘accrual’ basis.
- optional ‘sales invoice financing’ (‘factoring or ‘discounting’) modelling on individual revenue streams
- 'prepayment’ function for rent payment and deposits
- easy input of historic profit and loss and opening balances
- unlimited loan accounts
- ‘directors and other loans’ category (with manual scheduling of payments and receipts)
- ‘bank loans’ category (with automatic calculation of standard ‘capital and interest repayment’ term loans or finance agreements)
- automatic calculation of ‘long term’ liabilities on loan accounts
- up to 3 rounds of investment or owner contribution input
- monthly input of dividends issued or drawings
- 'UK format' balance sheet, balancing 'net assets/(liabilities)' with 'shareholders' funds'
- easy option to exclude balance sheet
- easy text-box input of ‘notes’ to the financials
- pre-configured ‘financial executive summary’ report
- pre-configured ‘year to a view’ landscape reports
- full range of summary and detailed profit & loss, cash flow and balance sheet elements
- automated one click ‘pdf’ report publishing with cover and contents
- easilly add your logo to the report cover
User Requirements
Successful use of the template requires an understanding of basic data entry in Excel as a minimum. It does not require more detailed understanding of Excel functionality and in particular of basic Excel formulas, although this is an advantage and may allow more advanced results to be achieved.
Understanding of basic Windows file-management is required.
Some basic level understanding of general accountancy and business concepts is likely to be required and some users may find they need to seek additional advice or support in this respect.
Accounting Constraints
The template has been refined to deal with the needs of the majority of businesses in the SME sector simply and effectively.
Part of its effectiveness is derived from simplifying common aspects of accounting to a level generally appropriate for this task. However this means it avoids addressing some less-common accounting issues which may apply to you. The majority of these can be worked around but you should not assume that any accounting issue can be addressed unless it has been included in the functional specification above.
System Requirements and Constraints
This standalone 'macro-driven' spreadsheet will only function properly in Excel 2007 or later in a Windows operating system with a professional pdf 'reader' installed.
It will NOT function in ‘Excel for Mac, ‘Numbers’, ‘Googledocs’, ‘Open Office’ or any other spreadsheet application. It does not function in a web-hosted version of ‘Office 365’, but will function in the locally installed version of Excel 2013 which is usually part of this application.
We have very occasionally experienced problems with pdf readers other than Adobe ( which always works.). For this reason Adobe is the only pdf application we guarantee will work with the template, although other pdf readers rarely cause a problem.
Excel Functionality
The template has been designed for the specific purpose of creating a 3 year financial model on the basis specified, using and adapting Excel’s standard functionality. That is to say it has been designed specifically for the job in hand. While the majority of Excel's functionality remains available to you within the template you should NOT assume that you will be able to utilise it all freely.
In particular you should NOT assume that because you can think of ways in which the template could be adapted within Excel to meet your individual needs that you will be able to do so. For example you cannot extend the periods it covers, convert it from monthly to quarterly or change the accounting structure of the 'chart of accounts'.
In addition we cannot guarantee that 3rd party Excel ‘plug-ins’ or add-ins’ will work correctly with the template.
Need more complex functionality?
We can help you deal with more complex issues through our affordable support and consultancy, adapting your template for you where necessary. There is very little we can't make the template do for you.
We can help you deal with:
- Complex revenue and direct cost modelling
- Bespoke cash flow modelling (where 0-90 days is not adequate)
- Special VAT schemes
- Bespoke or more detailed loan arrangements
- Customised reports
- Extension to a 5-6 year model
This is our speciality. We can do it quickly and cost-effectively. See our 'help & support' page for more information.