Put a date beside each assumption
List expected customer receipts and planned payments over the relevant periods. Note whether customers pay immediately, leave a deposit or receive credit, using the terms actually available. Keep proposed terms separate from confirmed agreements.
Apply the same approach to purchases, rent, wages and setup costs. A quotation is useful, but its payment schedule may matter as much as its total. Record the information source and any missing dates rather than filling the gaps with unexplained precision.
Use a small example to expose the timing gap
In a hypothetical project, materials are paid for before delivery while the customer pays later under agreed terms. The project may show a planned profit, yet still require cash during the interval. The example illustrates timing; it is not a forecast of any client’s business.
Ask which payments cannot be postponed and which receipts depend on an event or approval. This helps identify where additional working-capital information is needed. Do not assume an expected sale is already cash available for the next expense.
Choose scenarios that relate to a decision
Identify the uncertainty that could change your decision: slower customer payment, lower sales, a higher input cost or a delayed opening. State a plausible alternative assumption and why it deserves examination. A scenario is a way to test that assumption, not a prediction.
Keep the comparison understandable. If several inputs change together, record the rationale so the result can be explained. An attractive forecast is less useful when nobody can identify which assumptions produced it.
- Baseline assumptions and their supporting information
- The uncertainty being tested and the alternative input
- Payments or receipts affected by the change
- The decision the comparison should inform
Match the analysis to the chosen tier
Financial-feasibility tiers differ in model depth and outputs. Editable Excel models, sensitivity analysis, funding structures and stress cases are included only where the selected package specifies them. Confirm what can be adjusted and what guidance accompanies the deliverables.
The studio business-plan package includes a three-year editable forecast, while more advanced modelling has a different scope. Comparing proposals by the label “financial model” alone can miss important differences in detail and purpose.
Prepare information that can be reviewed
Bring current prices, available sales records, supplier quotations, payment terms and planned startup spending. Mark each figure as confirmed, estimated or still missing. Identify confidential material before sharing it.
Use the information to discuss the required analysis through Fastwork, including the forecast horizon and decision questions. Agreed assumptions support business planning; they do not guarantee future receipts, investment returns or funding approval.
Your next step
Before the discussion, ask: “What must be paid before the related cash arrives, and which assumption could widen that gap?” Bring the available evidence, not just the expected profit.
