Cash Flow Forecasting and Reporting

Successful businesses plan for the short, medium and long-term. Accurate cash flow forecasting and reporting helps you prepare and plan for the growth of your business.  When you monitor your cashflow and future profitability it allows you to make better decisions more quickly. It is important when new opportunities arrive that require capital investment to take advantage of them. If you need to borrow to take advantage of those opportunities having strong cashflow forecasting and reporting in place allows you to give banks and credit companies, the solid plans they need.

We can help you build accurate cash flow forecasting giving you total visibility of the cash situation and work with you to help you plan for the long term. This can be from purely a better understanding of your current situation to helping you understand the implications of your plans and providing expert guidance and advice to ensure you take the right steps.

FORECASTING FAQ 

Is a budget the same thing as a forecast? 

They’re similar but not quite the same. A budget is like the paper map in the glove compartment. A forecast is like the sat nav on the dashboard – constantly adapting to driving conditions. 

Think of the budget as a static document where you set out your desired destination before you set off. The forecast then helps you get there as you go along. The forecast is usually presented as a combination of actual data for prior months combined with forecast data for the remaining months of the year. 

Aren’t forecasts always wrong? 

Yes, they are! Your forecast will always be wrong, it’s just a matter of how wrong: you are trying to get as close as possible, not bang on. Does that mean they are useless? No. Forecasts are always a work in progress and very useful for focussing the mind on what drives your business and working towards goals. 

Does the time and effort of planning outweigh the usefulness? 

Not if you’re using Xero and a planning plug-in like Futrli or Float. They import the Xero data automatically so the past trend is there, and you can focus on planning the future. We use these apps at Farnell Clarke so we can spend time talking to you, not updating spread sheets. 

Still have unanswered questions?  

Get in touch to see how regular conversations with a trusted finance professional will boost your business.