Introduction
Financial projections are estimates of future performance that enable businesses to plan and manage their operations, account for decisions, and seek investments. Visually, they are often charted out as graphs and tables that indicate expected performance and financial trends over time. Making accurate projections is essential for businesses hoping to raise capital or secure investments.
Compelling financial projections can increase the likelihood of potential investors being convinced about the potential success of a business venture. When seeking investments, it is important for businesses to provide tangible evidence that their operations could potentially gain positive returns and be successful. This evidence is effectively provided through financial projections.
2. Review of Financial Statements
In business, financial projections are projections of future capability, taking into account current trends. These are typically used by entrepreneurs, investors and financial institutions to decide whether or not to invest in a business. It is imperative to review the financial statements before creating a financial projection, as they are the foundation of the projections.
A. Income Statement
The income statement is the most well-known financial statement and shows the company’s revenues and expenses for a given period of time. It is the first step for building a financial projection, as the information within it is vital for accurately forecasting the future revenue, costs and other items. When reviewing the income statement, consider the following items:
- Revenues
- Cost of Goods Sold (COGS)
- Gross Profit
- Operating Expenses
- EBITDA
- Net Income
B. Balance Sheet
When building a financial projection, the balance sheet is used to get an understanding of the company’s financial position. It is basically a snapshot of the company’s assets, liabilities and equity on a given date. You must review the balance sheet to make sure the financial data is accurate and to ensure you include all relevant information in the projections. Consider the following key items when reviewing the balance sheet:
- Total Assets
- Total Liabilities
- Shareholder’s Equity
- Current Assets
- Current Liabilities
- Long-Term Debt
C. Cash Flow Statement
The cash flow statement shows all the money that was coming in and out of the company over a certain period of time. It gives an insight into the company’s performance and liquidity. It is critical to review the cash flow statement, as it will help when creating the financial projections. Analyze the following items in the cash flow statement:
- Cash Flow from Operations
- Cash Flow from Investing
- Cash Flow from Financing
- Net Cash Change
What Financial Projections Should Show
A. Revenue and profit expectations
Financial projections are an effective tool to set expectations for potential investors. Developing an understanding of expected revenue and profits allows investors to make an informed decision before taking part in the project. It is important to include projected income statements such as revenues, expenses, and income to ensure investors understand the expected financial rewards of their investment. It is also important to include financial ratios such as profit margins to provide another perspective on the expected financial return on the investment.
B. Projected balance sheet
The second important set of financial projections is the projected balance sheet. A balance sheet outlines the expected size, structure, and ownership of the business. This can include the expected asset, liabilities, and equity structure of the venture. It is important to include a projected balance sheet to ensure investors can understand the capital structure of the project, and how ownership will be divided. The projected balance sheet also helps establish investor confidence, by providing a tangible picture of the project structure.
C. Projected cash flows
Projected cash flows provide another important perspective when looking to raise funds. Cash flow projections should include expected cash inflows and outflows. This should include expected debt payments, capital outflows, and expected cash collections. The cash flow projections should be broken down by month, to provide investors with a clear understanding of the periodic cash position of the business. This also allows investors to anticipate any potential cash flow difficulties in the future, and allows them to make an informed decision before investing.
D. Operational and capital outlays
Finally, it is important to include operational and capital outlays in the financial projections. This allows the investors to understand the existing and future liabilities the project has, and the in which the funds will be spent. Operational outlays are all operational costs such as wages, staffing, marketing, and other operating costs. Capital outlays are all capital expenditures related to the project such as land, buildings, equipment, and infrastructure. It is important to include these costs in financial projections to provide investors with a better understanding of how their investment will be spent.
Forecasting Your Cash Flows
Financial projections are essential to effectively raising funds. It is important that you accurately estimate your future cash flows in order to demonstrate that your business will be able to generate sufficient revenue to repay debts. Here are some tips to help you forecast your cash flows for your business plan.
Use Accounting Software
Using accounting software can help you create more detailed cash flow projections, as it offers you a wide range of tools to accurately track, record and generate reports on money in and out of your business. By setting up a clear chart of accounts in the software, you will be able to record expenses, revenue, capital expenses and other financial transactions into correct accounts and be able to project your future cash flows. Accounting software also offers forecasting tools that can help you to generate projections.
Outline Cash Proceeds from Different Sources
Your cash flow projections should take into account all sources of revenue. Include cash proceeds from sales, investments, and any other sources of revenue that you might be expecting in the future. Make sure you accurately track your projections on a monthly basis, as this will be important in forecasting future cash flows.
Outline Capital Expenditures
It is also important to consider capital expenditures when making cash flow projections. Capital expenditures are large projects, such as renting property, investing in technology and equipment, and more. These can significantly impact the cash flow of a business, so accounting for them in your projections is important.
- Make sure you accurately track capital expenditures and project their impact on future cash flow.
- Include a wide variety of expenses, such as technology costs, research and development expenses, and other capital expenditures.
- Make sure to factor in interest rates and loan repayment costs when calculating capital expenditures.
Set Up a Budget
Creating a budget is an important step when it comes to using financial projections to raise funds. A budget should include both fixed and variable expenses, one-time and one-off expenses, and sales volume projections. By being able to identify and track these costs, entrepreneurs can create more accurate and reliable projections to present to potential investors.
Estimate Fixed and Variable Expenses
When setting up a budget, it is important for entrepreneurs to estimate their fixed and variable expenses accurately. Fixed expenses are those that remain the same month-to-month, such as rent and insurance. Variable expenses, on the other hand, can change from month-to-month and are often seasonally sensitive. Examples of variable expenses include advertising, travel, and payroll.
Estimate One-Time or One-Off Expenses
In addition to estimating fixed and variable expenses, entrepreneurs must take into account any one-time or one-off expenses that may be required. These are expenses that are not recurring but are necessary for the business to function and may include the costs of equipment, office supplies, and legal or consulting fees. Being aware of and accounting for these one-time expenses can help entrepreneurs create more accurate financial projections.
Estimate Budgeted Sales Volume
The final step in setting up a budget is to estimate the budgeted sales volume. This should be based on the current market and any factors that may impact future sales. To get an accurate reading of the budgeted sales volume, entrepreneurs should research their past and current sales data, industry trends, and competitor activity. Having accurate budgeted sales projections can help entrepreneurs avoid potential shortfalls caused by inaccurate projections.
Presentation To Investors
Any prudent investor will want to know the expected rate of return on their investment before committing capital. As such, it is important to put together a detailed presentation with clear, easy to understand visuals that explain and justify why the proposed venture is worth investing in.
A chart should be included that shows the expected rate of return and incentives or rewards that would be part of the investment agreement. The chart must be comprehensive and effectively explain the return on investment, payback period, and any tax considerations.
It is equally important to include the proposed capital structure of the venture, which may include information on the breakdown of equity and debt, the proposed dividends and interest payments, the cost of debt versus the return of equity, etc.
Having a clear and comprehensive overview of the financial projections is essential to presenting to potential investors as it will enable them to assess the credibility of the business plan and make an informed decision on whether to invest or not.
Conclusion
Financial projections are essential to seeking out investors. By understanding financial projections, potential investors can better assess an investment opportunity and decide if the potential reward is worth the risk potential. This blog post has discussed what financial projections are, why they are important and considerations that go into making accurate projections, and how to use them to attract investors.
A. Summary of key points
Financial projections are the best way to predict future income and expenses. A successful investor must understand what financial projections are, as well as their importance, when assessing a potential investment. Considerations such as inflation and cash flow must be looked into when creating financial projections. It is important to have an accurate projection to show potential investors that the investment is sound and gives them the confidence to invest.
B. Remind potential investors of the potential rewards
This blog post has discussed the importance of financial projections in helping potential investors understand the risk and potential reward of a given investment. When done accurately and with due consideration, financial projections are essential to gaining the trust and confidence of potential investors.
C. Reiterate the importance of financial projections in the success of the investment
Financial projections are essential for determining the success or failure of an investment. Accurate financial projections help potential investors assess the risk and benefits of investing in a given company or enterprise. The reward of the investment is better understood and the confidence of the investor is higher when the right research and financial projections are completed.
Following the steps outlined in this blog post can help you in understanding the importance of financial projections and how they can be used to successfully raise funds from potential investors.