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Small Business Projections Template

Want to simplify your company projections in 2011? Here’s a simple template …

A few years ago I struggled to put together a simple projections document that I could share out with the partners in our company. I searched for a spreadsheet that would show actual/projected money coming in, the amounts owing and what that might look like by the end of the year. I was using reporting in QuickBooks quite often but I wanted something that I could easily maintain and share out via Google Docs. 

It took me a while to find a base template but eventually I created something that was easy to maintain and share. I’ve decided to create a template version of this spreadsheet and share it out via Google Docs in the hopes that it can help out those looking for something simple.

Here’s some of the spreadsheet highlights:

Starting Point
Start with cash on hand at the beginning of the year, the total receivables for that month and then show a total for that month.  

Color coded receivables
I’ve color coded all receivables to keep track of each one. I’ve added a comment on each one in the template but the legend below shows that it’s pretty straightforward. Feel free to use any and all of these labels or create your own.

Adding Payables
Again, this is pretty simple. Add in each of your payables and the projected amounts each month. The spreadsheet will add up your expenses for the month and will show you the cash you’ll have on hand at the end of the month (subtracts from your payables list).

Running Monthly Total
Once you’ve added your Payables and Receivables, at the top of the spreadsheet you’ll see your cash/ projected cash on hand at the beginning of each month. 

Here’s how to access the spreadsheet

1. Go to the URL below and you’ll see a file called “Projections Spreadsheet”:

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Ahz8tqPiLVqtdEFIQTAtRGhkeVN6SWl1dnYtTlJLaWc&hl=en

2. The spreadsheet is viewable by everyone but not editable. To get a copy of the spreadsheet click File > Download As and select your preferred file format (I’d suggest Excel format if you have Microsoft Office).

3. You can keep the file in it’s saved format or feel free to upload a version to Google Docs for review, editing and sharing.

Just a heads up that this isn’t a fancy, complicated, fully automated solution and you’ll need to refer to your bank balance, other bills, etc. once in a while. It’s intended to help simplify things if you need to see some clear projections based on real data.