Watch the following video and read the Score Financial Projections Guide.pdf Then, write a 1-page overview of the company that you want to create and populate the SCORE spreadsheet for your company.

Simple Steps for Starting Your Business®

This guide was created to accompany the SCORE Financial Projections Template, which is part of the Simple Steps for Starting Your Business® program.

More information about the program can be found here: http://www.score.org/Simple_Steps_for_Starting

You can find PDFs of all of the presentations and handouts, including this guide and the Financial Projections Template, on the participant page:

http://www.score.org/startyourbusiness

Email [email protected] with questions or comments.

This guide is based on a similar document created by Bill McCabe of the Port Charlotte SCORE chapter. Thank you to Mr. McCabe and all volunteers who spend their time educating SCORE clients.

Contents

Welcome 4

Important Notes 5

Tabs 6

Directions 8

Starting Point 8

Payroll 15

Sales Forecast 19

Additional Inputs 22

Monthly Operating Expenses 28

Cash Flow 33

Income Statement 35

Balance Sheet 37

Other Helpful Tabs 38

Glossary 39

Financial forecasting can be one of the most intimidating parts of starting a business. If you are dreading this part of the process – RELAX! We’ve developed this guide with you in mind. And the best part is: you can meet with a SCORE mentor for one-on-one guidance.

Here are some tips for low-stress completion of this financial projections template:

1. Write the numbers into this guide first (in pencil!), before copying them into the Excel spreadsheet.

1. Take some MS Excel training before using the spreadsheet:

http://office.microsoft.com/enus/training/microsoft-excel-trainingcurriculum-guide-FX102828216.aspx

1. Save a blank “master” version of the Financial Projections Template, just in case.

1. When you don’t know a word, refer to the glossary. If there is something that’s not in there, ask your mentor or the instructor. There is space for you to add additional definitions.

1. Remember that it’s normal to create multiple versions. Don’t worry about getting it “wrong.” Initially, you should strive to learn how to use the Template, rather than worrying about the detailed accuracy of your assumptions. Your SCORE mentor can advise you on how to determine the standard assumptions for the type of business you want to open.

Accept the fact that you cannot predict the results of future events accurately, so just make your best estimates. Fill in the requested information after researching each item. The numbers should be based on the plan you have developed so far. You may be able to come up with accurate numbers for some items. Others will be best guesses.

The forecast you will generate from the data in this workbook will be for the first 36 months of the existence of your business, which may not correspond to a calendar year. For example, if your business were to open its doors on July 1st, the forecast for months 1-12 would be for July through June of the following calendar year.

With adjustment, this template can be used by an ongoing business making plans for the future. If this is your situation, bring that fact to the attention of your instructor or mentor.

Once you have transferred data you collected in this guide to the Excel spreadsheet, the spreadsheet will calculate an initial set of income statements, balance sheets and cash flow statements for the three years of the forecast, together with some other reports. Immediately save a copy of the template as version 2 (e.g. WidgetsCo-V2.xls). You can then make whatever changes you need in version 2 and still have version 1 to go back to in case something goes wrong. Do the same thing for each additional iteration. Changes will be required until you arrive at a forecast that you think best represents the financial outcomes of your plan.

The following pages discuss each of the main tabs in the Financial Projections Template. For all tabs where you will need to input some information, we’ve provided spaces for you to write the information down in this guide first. That way, you can simply transfer the information over the Template. We’ve found that, for many people, this method is easier than immediately filling out the Template. However, if you feel comfortable doing so, feel free to jump right in to using the Template instead.

It’s important to note that the tabs are all “locked.” This means that you won’t be able to accidentally alter any of the formulas. You will be able to change the width of columns, row height, and the size and location of text boxes. If you see “###” in a column, that means the column is too narrow for the numbers to display.

You can “unlock” the Template by using the code found on the Directions tab. We do not recommend doing this unless you have another copy saved and you

have some understanding of how Excel formulas work.

Directions

Here you can read some directions for completing the template. You’ll also be asked to input your name, business name, and the month and year that you are starting on. This will determine how the months are displayed on the rest of the template. If you leave it blank, the months will be displayed as Month 1, Month 2, and so on. If you enter May 2015 as your starting month and year, the months will display as May, June, July, etc.

Prepared by: ____________________________________________

Company Name: ________________________________________

Starting Month: _________________________________________

Starting Year: ___________________________________________

In this tab, you will be developing the financial Balance Sheet for your business at the time it opens its doors for making the first sales. If you have an existing business, you will record the actual Balance Sheet numbers at the point in time from which you are projecting financial forecasts for future months.

These are items that you will purchase which will have value in the long-term (more than 1 year). Read the descriptions below, and enter an estimate for each amount. Remember, you can always make changes later when you’ve done more research.

When you purchase real estate, the cost of any buildings can be depreciated, but the cost of the land cannot be. Therefore, for accounting purposes, you will need to break down the cost of the real estate into land and buildings. A good rule of thumb is 20% of the real estate cost is land, and 80% buildings, but you should consult a tax professional for an exact breakdown.

Land (A) $

Leasehold Improvements are updates or changes you need to make in your rental space before you can begin. These may include painting, installing new walls or partitions, new flooring, light fixtures, etc. (C) $

Equipment includes machinery, computers, ovens, printing presses, etc. Any type machine or device you’ll need to produce your product or service.

Furniture and Fixtures are items like desks, chairs, tables, lamps, clothing

racks, display cases, etc. (E) $

Vehicles include any car, truck, van etc. that will be used for the business.

Other will include anything you will need to purchase as a Fixed Asset which doesn’t quite match up with the previous categories, if needed.

These are shorter-term assets, things you will likely use within one year. Read the descriptions below, and enter an estimate for each amount. Remember, you can always make changes later when you’ve done more research.

Pre-Opening Salaries and Wages include any payment to employees or contractors who help you get things ready before you have officially opened your

business. (H) $

Prepaid Insurance Premiums will need to paid on any insurance you plan to get. See page 11 of the Simple Steps for Starting Your Business workbook for

more information about different kinds of insurance. (I) $

Inventory means the goods and materials that you will sell, or that you’ll use to

produce your product or service. (J) $

Legal and Accounting Fees may need to be paid if you hire a lawyer and/or an accountant to help you get your business set up. (K) $

Rent Deposits are fairly typical with any rental space, and you’ll usually get the

deposit back if you leave the space in good condition. (L) $

Utility Deposits are charged by most utility companies prior to activating service. In some areas, this can be waived with a letter of reference.

(M) $

Supplies may include things like paper, pens, notepads, tissues, etc.

Advertising and Promotion include fees paid to a marketing consultant, ad space purchased, website creation, etc. (O) $

Licenses may be required locally, on the state level, or nationally in order for

you to operate your business. (P) $

Other initial start-up costs include anything you’ll need to purchase, which

doesn’t fit into these categories. (Q) $

Enter your answers from pages 9 & 10 here and calculate the total. Depreciation expense represents writing off the value of a fixed asset over its estimated useful life, rather than expensing the entire cost in one year. Read more about depreciation in the glossary. The Financial Projections Template will calculate depreciation of assets automatically using the time periods shown. If your research shows that you should use a different time period, cross out the number used below and write in the new one. You will be able to make changes in the Template as well.

Enter your answers from pages 10 & 11 here.

Refer to Page 12 totals to complete this chart. Add the (1)Total Fixed Assets to the (2)Total Operating Capital to get the (3)Total Funding Needed.

Now that you’ve added up your Total Funding Needed, you have to figure out how to pay for everything! The Financial Projections Template will calculate what percentage of your funding is coming from each of the following categories. It will also calculate the monthly payments for your loans, if you have any.

First, you should think about how much funding you can raise before going into debt. Most banks or other financial institutions would expect 25% to 30% of your total funding needed to be covered by equity capital.

How much money will you (and any other owners) be putting into this business?

Do you have any outside investors (friends, family, or anyone who is providing funding in exchange for ownership of part of your business)?

If yes, how much funding will you receive in total from all investors?

If no, leave blank.

Now that you know how much you will have in equity, you may need to supplement that with debt-based funding.

If yes, what is the estimated loan amount? (F) $

If no, leave it blank.

If yes, what is the estimated loan amount? (G) $

If no, leave blank.

*If this subtotal doesn’t equal the Remaining Balance Needed amount, you’ll have to divide the rest between a Commercial Loan (C), Credit Card Debt (E) and Other Bank Debt (G). The total below needs to equal (3)Total Funding Needed or you will not be fully funded.

2a-PayrollYear1

Fill in your estimate of the compensation for each employee or independent contractor that your plan calls for. Owner’s compensation, for this purpose, does not include profit or cash distributions.

To convert a salary to average hourly pay, use the following formula:

Salary ÷ 52 (weeks/year) ÷ 40 (hours/week) = hourly pay

If you have multiple owners, find the hourly salary for each owner, add them together and then divide by the number of owners.

Example from Ann:

Owner 1: $54,000 ÷ 52 ÷ 40 = $25.96

Owner 2: $42,000 ÷ 52 ÷ 40 = $20.19

Average: ($25.96 + $20.19) ÷ 2 = $23.08

To find the average hourly rate for hourly employees, add up the different hourly wages and then divide by the number of hourly employees. You will be able to add temporary employees at certain times of the year in the Financial Projections Model. Here, just include employees you’ll have most of the year.

(hourly wage 1 + hourly wage 2) ÷ 2

2a-PayrollYear1

This part is tricky, so we’ve included the percentages for you (based on 2013). If you need to make changes, you can cross out the listed percentage and write in the correct one. The SCORE Financial Projections Template will automatically calculate the monthly amounts due for Social Security, Medicare, Federal Unemployment and State Unemployment taxes.

*The wage base limit is the maximum earned gross income on which a given tax may be imposed. So you pay taxes on everything up to that amount.

**This varies by state. Ask your SCORE mentor or instructor for advice on finding your state’s information.

2b-PayrollYrs1-3

This tab of the Template will show you the totals for year 1, plus estimates for years 2 and 3. You can adjust those estimates by changing the growth rates. For example, if you think you’re going to double the number of employees you have in year 2, you can make the growth rate 100%.

This may seem too abstract right now, but once the numbers for Year 1 have been entered and you are viewing the Financial Projections Template, it will make more sense.

3a-SalesForecastYear1

Some businesses may be able to use an actual unit, while others may have to invent a unit. For example, a shoe store could use pairs of shoes sold as its unit, and an average price and cost per pair for the value factors. A service business might use number of service calls made and an average price and cost. Or, you could use dollar units, such as sales in units of $100 and cost of sales in units of $50.

Wages and salaries are included in the salaries and wages tables 2a and 2b. If you own (or are starting) a manufacturing or contracting business and you want to include labor cost in the COGS per Unit, consult your instructor or mentor to determine that calculation.

3a-SalesForecastYear1

Use the tables below to record how many units of each product/service you think you will sell in a given month. For most businesses, sales will increase or decrease at different times during the year. This forecast will help you plan for when you’re not bringing in as much profit.

3a-SalesForecastYear1

3b-SalesForecastYrs1-3

Enter a percentage for the rate of sales growth you anticipate year over year. You can adjust individual months and make other edits on the Financial Projections Template.

Again, though this may seem abstract, once the numbers for Year 1 have been entered and you are viewing the calculations within the Financial Projections

Template, it will make more sense.

This section is where you will enter some parameters that are necessary for calculations in later tabs.

If your business will be retail (where people pay at the time they purchase the goods/services), put 100% next to “Paid within 30 days”. If you will be contracting work and payments will be made on different intervals, you will need to find out what the industry standard is. If you’re not sure, put 100% next to “Paid between 30 and 60 days.” If you have a mix of retail and contract work, divide up the percentage. You can always update this when you have more information.

This will vary depending on the vendor, your business’s credit history, and how you set up the contract. If you’re not yet sure, put 100% next to “Paid within 30 days,” and update this when you have more information.

You will notice here that some people may pay you between 30 and 60 days, but you may have to pay people within 30 days. This impacts cash flow, which you will learn more about in the next section.

As you saw above, sometimes you may have to pay for things before you receive payment yourself. In order to ensure that you have enough cash each month, you may need to set up a line of credit. This is usually done with a bank. Below, you will need to enter the minimum amount you would feel comfortable seeing in your bank account. If you go below this amount, you can draw from your line of credit. You will have to pay this money back with interest, so also enter an interest rate. The interest rate will likely be some percentage points higher than the prime rate, but this will vary by lender.

Below include the additional fixed assets that you will purchase in the first, second, and third years. Include an estimate of which month you will purchase them. For example, you might buy one delivery van for your flower shop initially, and then plan on buying a second one after nine months, based on sales projections.

Remember, the categories for Fixed Assets are: Real Estate, Leasehold Improvements, Equipment, Furniture and Fixtures, Vehicles, and Other Fixed Assets.

Below we’ve included the default amounts for the Income Tax Rate and Amortization Period for your startup-costs. If these numbers are not correct, cross them out and enter the correct amount. Speak with your instructor or SCORE mentor for guidance.

Operating Expenses are the costs associated with running the business. Based on any research you have done, put in monthly estimates below. If you haven’t yet researched all of these expenses, enter your best guess and update that amount later. Usually, you can get a basic idea of cost by doing an online search for each product or service that you will need. Enter “0” for anything you won’t use.

The expenses listed here are common ones found on the Schedule C IRS form, which business owners need to complete. For more information, visit: http://www.irs.gov/uac/Schedule-C-(Form-1040),-Profit-or-Loss-From-Business.

Advertising includes print or media ads, business cards, mailers/brochures, signs, give-away items, samples, sponsorships (ex. sponsoring a pet adoption day for

your local shelter). (A) $

Car and Truck Expenses can EITHER include mileage costs (the amount per mile varies year to year) OR direct costs for your gas, oil, repairs, insurance,

depreciation and registration. (B) $

Commissions and Fees may include, for example, a finder’s fee for someone who helped you find a business to buy, or an employment agency who helps staff your business. It doesn’t include commission paid as part of a salary to an

employee. (C) $

Contract Labor (not included in payroll) might include hiring a cleaning company, landscaper or any other outside business which performs a task for you.

Insurance (other than health) will include things like liability insurance. See page 11 of the Simple Steps for Starting Your Business workbook for more

information about different kinds of insurance. (E) $

Legal and Professional Services would include tax preparation, payroll/accounting, legal advice, and the like. (F) $

Licenses would include any ongoing licenses that were not already accounted for

in the Start-Up Expenses section. (G) $

Office Expenses are costs that relate directly to the operation of your business. These might include: computer software, postage, cell phone, internet, office

equipment costs. You must have receipts for all items. (H) $

Rent or Lease – Vehicles, Machinery, Equipment includes anything that you rent/lease for your business. (I) $

Rent or Lease – Other Business Property is rented/leased office or storage space, or anything else which doesn’t fit into the above category.

Repairs and Maintenance are expenses associated with fixing something that broke, or performing routine maintenance. If you fix/maintain the item yourself,

you cannot deduct labor costs. (K) $

Supplies are items you need to purchase to produce your product or service. For example, if you sell custom stationary the cost of the paper would be a supply. If you just re-sell paper that would be inventory, not supplies.

Travel, Meals and Entertainment is a bit more complex, and you will want to consult a tax professional to see what exactly can be deducted and how it should be documented. For the purposes of this workbook, put together an estimate of how often you’ll travel out of town, overnight each month and then the average

cost per trip. (M) $

Utilities are services like electricity, gas, telephone, etc. that are directly related to your business. If you work from home, figure out the percentage of square footage in the home that is dedicated work space. Then apply that percentage to the utilities – for example, if your office takes up 15%, you can deduct 15% of

your electricity,(N) $

Miscellaneous is the category for anything that doesn’t fall into one of the

categories already mentioned. (O) $

5b-OpExYrs1-3

This tab of the Template will show you the totals for year one, plus estimates for years two and three. You can adjust those estimates by changing the growth rates. For example, if you think you’re going to expand office space in year three, you can demonstrate that by increasing the percentage.

One method companies use to make expense and sales projections is to use their best judgment of what actual expenses are going to be in year one and then multiply them by a growth factor in subsequent years.

This would not work for expenses that are likely to remain fixed or close to constant like rent, utilities, and other expenses that may not grow as fast as revenues.

However, for expenses like advertising, trade show and others that are more directly related to sales, this methodology works.

6a-CashFlowYear1

Most items here will automatically pull from other areas of the Financial Projections Template. However, there are four items in the Cash Outflows section that you will need to input for year 1, as well as years 2 and 3. Those items are listed below. It may be easier to complete this section once you’ve started to fill out the Template. That way, you will know what your monthly Line of Credit balance is, and you’ll have an idea of what your profits will be to determine Owner’s Distribution and Dividends Paid. In many cases, these will both be zero for the first year.

6b-CashFlowYrs1-3

This tab is the same as tab 6a, but it allows you to make cash flow projections by month for years 2 and 3.

7a-IncomeStatementYear1

You will not need to enter any information here, as the Template will automatically calculate all of the information. In order to better understand the information and what it means for your business, you should set up an appointment with a SCORE mentor. You can refer to page 46 in the Simple Steps for Starting Your Business workbook for more information about Income Statements. This page also contains a blank income statement for those who want to complete one independently.

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You will not need to enter any information here, as the Template will automatically calculate all of the information for years 2 and 3.

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____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ 8-BalanceSheet

Like the Income Statement, the Template will automatically calculate all of the information on this tab. You can refer to page 48 in the Simple Steps for Starting Your Business workbook for more information about Balance Sheets. There is also a blank one on page 49, if you’d like to complete one independently. Remember to set up a time to speak with a SCORE mentor to ensure that you understand what the numbers mean for your business.

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This tab will auto-populate based on information you’ve entered in previous tabs. Here, you can determine the number of units you will need to sell each month to breakeven. This means that revenues are equal to expenses. Any units you sell above the breakeven point are profit.

This tab generates some standard ratios that you might find useful. There is space for you to enter the norms for your industry so that you can see a side-by-side comparison with your ratios.

Many start-up entrepreneurs are unsure whether their financial information is within reasonable ranges. This tab will give you very general guidelines as to whether your numbers are too high, too low, or just right. You should speak with your SCORE mentor for more tailored information regarding your financials.

This tab isn’t meant to “store” data. It’s a calculator and, like a calculator that you’d use at your desk, you can enter data into it to get an idea of your Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) for different items. You will largely use this when you are working on your Sales Forecast.

This tab is helpful in a variety of ways. It not only shows what you will owe month-by-month for the first three years of any loans of credit card debt you take out, but it also shows depreciation for our fixed assets for 3 years and how your start-up costs can be amortized over the first 3 years.

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