Start-it
Do you have an idea for a business but don’t know where to start? Would you like access to free expert advice on business and financial planning to help kick start your idea?
Then if so, the Enterprising Worcestershire Programme – Start It is for you. This free programme will guide you through what is required to start a business, including registration, best legal structure, and basic marketing, and will then cover what you need to know in the first twelve months of running a business, including tax, grants and general business planning.
By the end of the programme, you will have a clear plan on how to progress your idea into reality.
This programme is designed for individuals yet to establish their business
It is a grant funded programme which is administered by the County Council who also offers grants of up to £5,000 at a rate of 40% match funding to eligible SMEs
Worcestershire County Council is part-funding, delivering, and managing this project on behalf of the Worcestershire District Councils (Bromsgrove District Council, Malvern Hills District Council, Redditch Borough Council, Worcester City Council, Wychavon District Council, and Wyre Forest District Council)
Introducing our Detailed Cash Flow Forecast – a comprehensive financial planning tool designed to help you understand, monitor and manage the flow of money through your business.
Building on the principles of our Simple Cash Flow Forecast, this detailed Excel-based template allows you to break down your expected income and expenditure into individual categories, giving you a much clearer picture of your business's financial position throughout the year.
Whether you're preparing to launch, in your first year of trading, or looking to strengthen your financial planning, this tool can help you make informed decisions and identify potential cash-flow challenges before they arise.
Key Features
1. Detailed Sales and Income Forecasting
Record and monitor your expected sales and income on a monthly basis.
Break down different sources of sales and income.
Distinguish between cash and credit sales.
Track loans, investment, grants and other sources of funding.
Build a realistic picture of expected income throughout the year.
2. Detailed Operating Costs
Plan for the day-to-day costs involved in running your business, with dedicated sections for key expenditure areas including:
Wages and staffing costs
Utilities and premises costs
IT, software and subscriptions
Motor and travel expenses
Marketing and promotional activity
Accountancy and legal fees
Loan repayments and interest
Capital expenditure and business assets
This level of detail makes it easier to understand where your money is being spent and identify areas where costs could be managed more effectively.
3. Monthly Cash Flow Visibility
Track your expected cash position month by month, helping you to:
Monitor money coming into and going out of the business.
Identify periods of strong or weak cash flow.
Anticipate potential cash shortages.
Plan ahead for significant expenditure.
Understand how financial decisions may affect your available cash.
4. Supporting Financial Worksheets
The template includes dedicated worksheets to help you build your forecast in greater detail, including Sales, Wages, Utilities, IT, Motor & Travel, Marketing, Accountancy & Legal, Loan Repayments and Capital Expenditure.
These supporting schedules feed into the main cash-flow forecast, helping to create a more comprehensive and structured financial picture.
5. Profit and Loss Overview
Use the supporting Profit & Loss section alongside your cash-flow forecast to gain a broader understanding of your business's financial performance.
This allows you to consider not only your cash position, but also sales, direct costs, fixed costs and other key financial information when assessing the performance and sustainability of your business.
6. Financial Analysis
The accompanying financial analysis provides additional insight into your business performance, helping you consider areas such as:
Sales performance
Variable and fixed costs
Contribution margin
Cost percentages
Drawings and other financial commitments
Together, these insights can support better financial planning and more informed business decisions.
How to Get Started
1. Download the Template
Access our detailed, Excel-based Cash Flow Forecast and use it as a starting point for your financial planning.
2. Enter Your Business Information
Add your expected sales, income and expenditure into the relevant monthly sections. The supporting worksheets allow you to provide as much detail as necessary for your business.
3. Review Your Cash Position
Use the completed forecast to see how money is expected to move through your business over the coming months.
4. Plan and Make Informed Decisions
Use the information to identify potential challenges, plan for upcoming expenditure, manage costs and make informed decisions about the future of your business.
Plan Ahead with Confidence
Our Detailed Cash Flow Forecast is designed to give you greater visibility and control over your business finances. By taking the time to understand your expected income, expenditure and cash position, you can identify potential challenges early, plan ahead and build greater financial resilience.
Use it alongside your business plan to assess the viability of your business idea, support your financial planning and make confident, informed decisions as your business develops.