📁 Finance
Financial Model Prompt: 12-Month Forecast From Your Numbers
Build a 12-month financial model from your own assumptions: driver table, monthly revenue, costs and cash, spreadsheet formulas, break-even and scenarios.
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Prompt
Act as a financial modeling analyst who builds simple driver-based 12-month forecasts for small businesses in a spreadsheet. You use only the numbers and assumptions the owner gives you, show every calculation, and never invent growth rates, market data or benchmarks. Inputs: - The business and how it earns money: [BusinessModel] - Starting point today (customers, price, cash): [StartingNumbers] - Growth assumption I want to test: [GrowthAssumption] - Variable costs as a share of revenue or per unit: [VariableCosts] - Fixed monthly costs, itemized: [FixedCosts] - Scenarios I want to compare: [Scenarios] Generate: 1. Assumptions table: every driver with its value and where it came from in the Inputs. Mark anything missing as MISSING and do not fill it in. 2. Monthly forecast: a 12-row table with customers, revenue, variable costs, gross profit, fixed costs, net cash flow and ending cash. 3. Spreadsheet layout: which tab holds assumptions, which holds the forecast, and the exact formulas for the first two months so I can drag them across. 4. Break-even: the customer count where net cash flow turns positive, and the first month it happens. 5. Scenario table: 12-month total net cash flow and ending cash for each case in Scenarios. 6. Sanity checks: three things in the model to question before using it for a decision. Rules: - Show the math for at least one month so I can check it. - Round to whole dollars and say so. - If a number is missing, leave it out and list it at the end. - End with: "This is a planning model from your inputs, not financial advice."
Instructions
Give your own starting numbers and assumptions, check the month 1 math, then rebuild the formulas in your spreadsheet before you rely on any total.
Generated Output
This image was generated using the prompt above.
Examples
Example Input
BusinessModel: a meal prep subscription in Denver; customers pay a flat monthly price for weekly meal deliveries. StartingNumbers: 120 subscribers this month, $90 per subscriber per month, $20,000 cash in the bank. GrowthAssumption: net 15 new subscribers each month after this one (new sign-ups minus cancellations). VariableCosts: food, packaging and delivery are 40% of revenue. FixedCosts: kitchen rent $3,500, part-time staff $2,500, marketing $1,500, per month. Scenarios: net 10, 15 and 20 new subscribers per month.
Example Output
1. ASSUMPTIONS | Driver | Value | Source | |---|---|---| | Month 1 subscribers | 120 | StartingNumbers | | Net new per month | 15 | GrowthAssumption | | Price | $90 per month | StartingNumbers | | Variable costs | 40% of revenue | VariableCosts | | Fixed costs | $7,500 per month ($3,500 + $2,500 + $1,500) | FixedCosts | | Starting cash | $20,000 | StartingNumbers | Nothing is missing. Figures rounded to whole dollars. 2. MONTHLY FORECAST | Month | Subs | Revenue | Var. costs | Gross profit | Fixed | Net cash | End cash | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | 120 | 10,800 | 4,320 | 6,480 | 7,500 | -1,020 | 18,980 | | 2 | 135 | 12,150 | 4,860 | 7,290 | 7,500 | -210 | 18,770 | | 3 | 150 | 13,500 | 5,400 | 8,100 | 7,500 | 600 | 19,370 | | 4 | 165 | 14,850 | 5,940 | 8,910 | 7,500 | 1,410 | 20,780 | | 5 | 180 | 16,200 | 6,480 | 9,720 | 7,500 | 2,220 | 23,000 | | 6 | 195 | 17,550 | 7,020 | 10,530 | 7,500 | 3,030 | 26,030 | | 7 | 210 | 18,900 | 7,560 | 11,340 | 7,500 | 3,840 | 29,870 | | 8 | 225 | 20,250 | 8,100 | 12,150 | 7,500 | 4,650 | 34,520 | | 9 | 240 | 21,600 | 8,640 | 12,960 | 7,500 | 5,460 | 39,980 | | 10 | 255 | 22,950 | 9,180 | 13,770 | 7,500 | 6,270 | 46,250 | | 11 | 270 | 24,300 | 9,720 | 14,580 | 7,500 | 7,080 | 53,330 | | 12 | 285 | 25,650 | 10,260 | 15,390 | 7,500 | 7,890 | 61,220 | Month 1 math: 120 x $90 = $10,800. Variable costs 40% = $4,320. Gross profit $6,480. Minus fixed $7,500 = -$1,020. Ending cash $20,000 - $1,020 = $18,980. 3. SPREADSHEET LAYOUT - Tab "Assumptions": B2 subscribers (120), B3 net new (15), B4 price (90), B5 variable rate (0.40), B6 fixed (7500), B7 starting cash (20000). - Tab "Forecast", months in columns B to M: - Row 2 Subs: B2 =Assumptions!B2, C2 =B2+Assumptions!$B$3 - Row 3 Revenue: =B2*Assumptions!$B$4 - Row 4 Var. costs: =B3*Assumptions!$B$5 - Row 5 Gross profit: =B3-B4 - Row 6 Fixed: =Assumptions!$B$6 - Row 7 Net cash: =B5-B6 - Row 8 End cash: B8 =Assumptions!B7+B7, C8 =B8+C7 Drag column C across to M. 4. BREAK-EVEN Each subscriber leaves $90 x 60% = $54 after variable costs. $7,500 / $54 = 138.9, so you need 139 subscribers. Month 3 (150 subscribers) is the first month with positive net cash flow. 5. SCENARIOS | Net new per month | 12-month net cash | Ending cash | |---|---|---| | 10 | 23,400 | 43,400 | | 15 | 41,220 | 61,220 | | 20 | 59,040 | 79,040 | 6. SANITY CHECKS - Net 15 per month is your assumption; compare it with your actual sign-ups and cancellations over recent months. - Variable costs at a flat 40% may not hold if food prices or delivery routes change. - Marketing is fixed at $1,500; if growth depends on more ad spend, model that cost. This is a planning model from your inputs, not financial advice.