ComputerHunter.org

 

Financial Projections in Business Plans


One of the most difficult sections to write in a business plan is the proforma and financial sections. After all it is most difficult to what exact costs you will incur or what level of sales volumes are actually achievable. So often businesses are faced with excess government controls at all levels which take thousands of dollars in fees, additionally legal fees, delays and lawsuits often ensue and slow the project. You cannot know in advance what roadblocks or brick walls city planners, country agencies or Federal Regulators will come up with, as they often change their minds and add new laws in the middle of your already delayed project. These are only a few of the problems facing entrepreneurs when writing financial projections. Other issues occur from an over enthusiastic entrepreneurial positive attitude and business plan writers should double the money needed and triple the time to complete the project to be on a reality based plain. Thus if you beat your projections everyone is happy. Including bankers, investors and yourself. If folks are not happy you may find yourself in court defending yourself and making excuses, many of which many not be your fault, but in the end you are hung out to dry as the buck stops with you.

To assist you in writing your financial projections section of your business plan, I have prepared a sample. This sample is from a most simple business model; a mobile car wash, which is part of a franchise system. Please feel free to print this article out and make notes in the margins and then take a legal pad and sketch out your own financial projections and start-up capital needed. I sincerely hope this sample helps you.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Financial Projections

We will follow our business plan to keep us in a profitable situation at all times. We will try to keep our car wash truck busy at all times. We will stay on top of collections and make sure all invoices go out on time and are directed to the person who authorizes payment. We will treat cash flow as a primary objective in order to reach our financial projections. We will be sure to have the right mix of services.

Gross Revenue Percentage Breakdown

Personal Car Washing 60%
Graffiti, Industrial, Concrete 20%
Fleet Washing 15%
Other 5%

Gross Revenue:

Insert Graph or Pie Chart Here.

* Note: Car washing of personal vehicles will be 60% of our business. Over 80% of these monies will be collected at the point of sale by either:

· Cash
· Check
· Credit Card

Some will actually be paid in advance on credit cards thus keeping us on the proper course to achieve positive cash flow at all times. Very few customers will be allowed to be billed monthly.

** Note: Fleet washing and industrial (graffiti, concrete, etc.) will only account for 35% of gross receipts. Twenty-five percent of this will be collected at the time the work is done, leaving only 26.25% of gross receipts to be billed at month's end.

Billing

On fleet accounts, all invoices will be net due in fifteen days. After fifteen days they will be considered late and 2% will be charged. If, in the future, our mix of percentages of services performed changes, we may offer a 2% discount for payment in ten days and a 1% discount for payment between ten and fifteen days. We don't anticipate changing our mix. However, if our city awards us a graffiti contract for $75,000 a year we will definitely accept it.

Anticipated Gross Sales From Services

In the appendix there is a first year pro forma of projected sales. We believe these figures are attainable. For various reasons we will take a 70% scenario for budgeting purposes in case everything doesn't go as planned. Just to be on the safe side. We project a conservative gross sales dollar amount to be:

$124,630 Projected Gross Revenue X .70 70% Of Projected Dollars = $ 87,241 A Conservative Safe Number To Project As First Year Gross Receipts

Anticipated Business Expenses

We project costs of $56,112 for our first year of expenses. Please see spreadsheet in the appendix. We will add in a 20% fudge factor just in case we have any unanticipated expenses in year one. We project a conservative business expense dollar amount to be:

$56,112 Anticipated Expenses X .20 20% Fudge Factor = $11,222 Possible Additional And Unanticipated Expenses During Year One

$56,111 Anticipated Expenses +11,111 Unanticipated Expenses = $67,334 Total Anticipated And Unanticipated Business Expenses For Year One.

Profit Per Truck

Please see the graph on the following page of the "Net Profit One Truck". This graph is based on the spreadsheets "Anticipated Gross Sales From Services" minus "Anticipated Business Expenses".

We realize that if a conservative approach is taken, we must use the 70% scenario for Gross Sales and add 20% to Business Expenses. We project a conservative net profit for the first truck in year one to be:

$ 87,241 Gross Receipts - 67,334 Expenses = $ 19,907 First Year Profit. $ 19,907 First Year Profit divided by 12 Number Of Months = $ 1,659 Per Month Profit, A Good Conservative Number.

"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs







Google News - Top Stories

Boston Globe

House Democratic Caucus To Meet Twice In Denver
CBS News - 1 hour ago
By John Bresnahan (The Politico) While all the attention at the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Denver next week will be on the historical nomination of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.
Denver Residents Open Their Doors (and Couches and Floors) to ... New York Times
Mich. man to share Denver stage with Obama Chicago Tribune
Baltimore Sun - Dallas Morning News - Multichannel News - The Virginian-Pilot
all 549 news articles


Times Online

About Those Clinton Primary Voters
Washington Post - 1 hour ago
By Alec McGillis Democrats have been wringing their hands since yesterday about one seemingly daunting figure in new polls showing a tightening of the presidential race.
FOX News Poll: Veep-Stakes—Who Delivers Most for the Tickets? FOXNews
Obama or McCain? It's a toss up NECN
Los Angeles Times - Scripps News - CBS News - NewsHour
all 1,456 news articles


Washington Post

Bodies identified from plane crash in Spain
The Associated Press - 1 hour ago
MADRID, Spain (AP) - A gauge indicating that overheated air was entering a Spanair jetliner forced pilots to abandon a takeoff about an hour before the plane crashed in flames, but airline officials refused to speculate Thursday on the cause of the ...
Video: Spain Mourns Victims of Crash AssociatedPress
Probe into Spanair Crash Begins BusinessWeek
New York Times - International Herald Tribune - Times Online - Reuters
all 3,806 news articles


Monsters and Critics.com

Russians halt Nato co-operation
BBC News - 1 hour ago
Russia has told Nato it is halting all military co-operation, the bloc says, as the crisis over Georgia deepens. The Russian move follows a statement by Nato that there would be no "business as usual" with Moscow unless its troops pulled out of Georgia ...
• Russia blocks Georgia's main port city Washington Post
US demands Russia leave Georgia "now" Reuters
Aljazeera.net - Xinhua - The Associated Press - FOXNews
all 7,076 news articles


Sydney Morning Herald

Student shot at Tennessee high school dies
CNN - 5 hours ago
(CNN) -- A student died Thursday after being shot at Central High School in Knoxville, Tennessee, police said. Students and staff wait outside Central High School in Knoxville, Tennessee, after a fatal shooting Thursday.
School's Confederate battle flag ban stands up in court in Tennessee Chicago Sun-Times
Deputy: 16-Year-Old Dies in Tenn. School Shooting ABC News
The Associated Press - WWMT - KNDO/KNDU - News Channel 7
all 989 news articles

Google
 

Copyright © 2006 Computer Hunter - A Division of Arthur´s Job Base