Budget & Cash Flow Forecast
An 18-lesson course building a complete FY2026 budget and direct-method cash flow forecast for a four-person design studio: Best/Base/Worst scenario switch, fully loaded payroll, seasonal revenue with an AR roll-forward, amortization, and a minimum-cash covenant.
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Lesson 01 · The planning question and the ten-sheet mapWhat a twelve-month budget answers, and how ten sheets answer it together (Stage 1 · Plan Architecture; 30–40 min)Published 2026-09-29Lesson 02 · The scenario switch: Best, Base, and WorstOne dropdown cell drives every driver in the model (Stage 1 · Plan Architecture; 35–45 min)Published 2026-09-29Lesson 03 · Prior-period inputs: why January is specialNovember and December 2025 still drive January 2026 cash (Stage 1 · Plan Architecture; 30–40 min)Published 2026-09-29Lesson 04 · The roster: salaries to fully loaded costSalary plus employer taxes plus health, per person per month (Stage 2 · People and Revenue; 35–45 min)Published 2026-09-29Lesson 05 · Who costs what, when: months in the plan yearThe July hire costs six months of 2026, not twelve (Stage 2 · People and Revenue; 30–40 min)Published 2026-09-29Lesson 06 · Revenue drivers and the seasonal indexClients × fee × season, one row at a time (Stage 2 · People and Revenue; 35–45 min)Published 2026-09-29Lesson 07 · From billings to bank: the AR roll-forwardNET 30 in practice: a 40 / 45 / 15 collection curve (Stage 2 · People and Revenue; 40–50 min)Published 2026-09-29Lesson 08 · Operating expenses: fixed, variable, and typedOne formula row, five typed rows, one total (Stage 3 · Costs, CapEx, and the Loan; 35–45 min)Published 2026-09-29Lesson 09 · CapEx: from purchase date to monthly depreciationStraight-line depreciation starting the month in service (Stage 3 · Costs, CapEx, and the Loan; 35–45 min)Published 2026-09-29Lesson 10 · The equipment loan scheduleThirty-six level payments of $559.91, interest on the prior balance (Stage 3 · Costs, CapEx, and the Loan; 40–50 min)Published 2026-09-29Lesson 11 · Assembling the Monthly P&LRevenue minus delivery cost minus operating cost, linked sheet by sheet (Stage 3 · Costs, CapEx, and the Loan; 40–50 min)Published 2026-09-29Lesson 12 · Cash in: collections and loan proceedsThe direct method: what actually hits the bank (Stage 4 · Cash Timing; 35–45 min)Published 2026-09-29Lesson 13 · Cash out: payroll, vendors, and the payment lagsWhen each cost actually leaves the bank (Stage 4 · Cash Timing; 40–50 min)Published 2026-09-29Lesson 14 · The cash roll-forward and the minimum cash covenantThe bank balance, month by month, against the lender's line (Stage 4 · Cash Timing; 40–50 min)Published 2026-09-29Lesson 15 · Stress test: reading Best, Base, and WorstOne dropdown, three very different years (Stage 5 · Scenarios and Variance; 40–50 min)Published 2026-09-29Lesson 16 · Plan vs actual: the Q1 variance reviewActuals typed from the close, plan pulled live (Stage 5 · Scenarios and Variance; 35–45 min)Published 2026-09-29Lesson 17 · What-if levers: defer the camera, defer the hireTwo input dates that move the whole year (Stage 6 · Steering the Plan; 35–45 min)Published 2026-09-29Lesson 18 · The monthly close routine and rolling the planKeeping the forecast honest all year (Stage 6 · Steering the Plan; 30–40 min)Published 2026-09-29