A budget and forecast your team can actually use

We prepare an annual budget for owners and teams planning sales, spending and staffing. • Estimate revenue by product, service or customer group. • Plan operating costs with the people responsible for each department. • Include hiring, pay and major equipment purchases. • Map expected cash receipts and payments. You receive the agreed annual budget, supporting assumptions and a summary for management or board review.

We prepare rolling forecasts — plans that extend forward as each period ends — for teams whose assumptions change during the year. • Model the next 12 to 18 months using the agreed sales and cost assumptions. • Update monthly results and compare them with the earlier forecast. • Prepare a 13-week cash forecast — a week-by-week view of cash coming in and going out. • Compare expected, stronger and weaker trading conditions. You receive the agreed forecast files, cash schedule and explanations of changes from the previous version.

We prepare financial planning reports for leaders who need to connect business decisions with expected results. • Build driver-based models — calculations linked to factors such as units sold, prices and staffing. • Compare actual results with the budget and investigate important differences. • Prepare the agreed board or investor summaries. • Provide weekly leadership updates where included in the scope. You receive a reporting package and an action list from each agreed review meeting.

Included with CFO Essentials: budgeting and forecasting work defined around your business needs. • Agree on the budget, forecast and cash schedules to prepare. • Set the monthly update calendar and any weekly reporting. • Confirm who supplies records and approves assumptions. • Define support for major decisions and leadership presentations. You receive a written scope identifying the deliverables, responsibilities and review schedule.