RollingForecastsSeth Sokoloff

12-month forecast scenario

Test revenue, EBITDA, cash, and debt in a fixed January–December 2027 forecast.

Fictional ExampleCo data. All modeled months are forecasts.

Operating outlook

ExampleCo Services · January–December 2027 · USD

Monthly facts ↓
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Scenario assumptions

Results update as you edit; linked tools carry your assumptions. Revenue growth and hiring are independent.

More assumptions: cost, working capital, financing, and taxes
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Saved scenarios and case files

Keep up to eight named cases in this browser. Case files contain numeric assumptions only; decision notes, scorecard evidence, and lender checklist marks stay separate. Saving an existing name updates that case.

Import adds cases without changing the active scenario. Matching names with different assumptions receive a numbered name; identical cases are skipped.

Cash balance

USD millions · opening cash and month-end balances

CurrentOriginal Base$1M sample minimum

Monthly EBITDA

USD millions · monthly earnings, before cash movements

CurrentOriginal Base

Cash and leverage

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Numeric assumptions and results for the current and reference cases; no private notes.

The reference is Original Base. This table includes every assumption you change.

Save a named case in Scenario assumptions, then choose it here as a reference.

Monthly forecast

USD thousands, rounded. Other cash uses: interest, taxes, capex, and debt repayment. Export CSV for dollar amounts.

Detailed monthly forecast

Growth and collection sensitivity

Each cell shows year-end and lowest cash. Select a cell to load its growth and collection assumptions.

Sample limits: 4.00× maximum gross leverage and $1M minimum cash. Month-end checks exclude cash needs within a month.

Sensitivity assumptions and status definitions

Monthly growth varies by ±1 percentage point and DSO by ±15 days, within the input ranges; all other assumptions stay fixed. Lowest cash includes opening cash. Status tests opening cash and forecast month ends against the sample cash minimum, and forecast month ends against the sample leverage maximum. Negative cash is an unfunded gap.

Open lender reporting →Open value creation plan →

Decision brief

Export results and assumptions with a decision and owner. Changing assumptions resets these decision fields.

Preview the decision brief and assumption appendix

Why January cash tightens

Fixed fictional example · Downside preset · January 2027. These figures do not change with your edits.

In the Downside preset, January ends with $1,075,000 of cash, only $75,000 above the $1M sample minimum. The business earns $300,000 of EBITDA that month, but cash falls $925,000. January revenue is unchanged at $2M; the revenue decline begins in February.

How the example works and what to review

The 60-day collection assumption creates $4M of receivables against $3M at opening. That extra $1M absorbs cash before interest, taxes, capex, and debt repayment. Opening receivables remain fixed when DSO changes; this is a modeled collection delay, not evidence of customer defaults.

The CFO’s next review is the receivables aging, customer payment commitments, and timing of payroll, tax, and debt payments. Test collections and spending assumptions before committing cash. A positive month-end balance does not establish that every payment can be funded within the month.

Choose Downside in Scenario assumptions ↑
Model definitions and limits
  • Fixed January–December 2027 forecast; closed months are not replaced with actuals and the horizon does not extend. Historical TTM revenue is $24M; historical monthly EBITDA is $300,000. No historical seasonality is modeled.
  • Revenue grows monthly. Direct costs are a percentage of revenue. Additional hires become a fixed cost from the selected start month.
  • Receivables = monthly revenue × DSO ÷ 30; payables = monthly direct costs × DPO ÷ 30. These are steady-state approximations, not invoice-level collection or payment schedules. Opening balances stay fixed when you change assumptions.
  • Cash change = EBITDA − increase in receivables + increase in payables − interest − illustrative cash taxes − capex − debt repayment. Negative cash represents an unfunded gap; no automatic borrowing is assumed.
  • Interest is based on opening gross debt. Principal repayment cannot exceed debt outstanding. Cash taxes are a simplified rate on positive EBITDA less interest; depreciation, tax losses, and payment timing are excluded.
  • Hypothetical gross leverage = closing gross debt ÷ trailing 12-month EBITDA, without addbacks or cash netting. Nonpositive EBITDA is not meaningful. The sample maximum is 4.00×; sample minimum cash is $1M. These are illustrative monitoring limits, not contractual terms.
  • This model excludes a complete balance sheet, acquisitions, inventory, restricted cash, and a revolver. It is not a three-statement or 13-week cash model.

Monthly forecast update

  1. Close and reconcile. Lock actuals, reconcile cash and debt, and explain deviations from the prior forecast.
  2. Refresh operating drivers. Review demand, capacity, pricing, hiring, and collections with accountable owners.
  3. Extend the horizon. Replace the completed month with actuals and add a new forecast month in the working model. This demonstration shows a fixed 12-month scenario.
  4. Agree actions. Separate performance changes from assumption changes. Escalate cash gaps and headroom pressure before the reporting deadline.

Retain the prior forecast and an assumption log so each review can explain what changed and which decisions are needed.

For a software budget, use ToolCosts. It estimates software costs and separates potential time savings from cash savings.

ExampleCo Excel workbook

Editable assumptions, forecast, lender schedule, reporting calendar, and initiative tracker. No email required.

The workbook starts with the original Base case. Export CSV for your current browser scenario.

Download workbook ↓