1 / Trace the inputs
Separate actual records, external evidence and owner assumptions. Attach a source and date to each input. Mark unknowns before drafting the summary.
A plan you can check.
I connect the written plan to editable assumptions, delivery hours and cash timing. This public specimen shows the structure and a small working forecast. Every forecast input below is illustrative.
The decision comes first
The story and the numbers
must agree.
I start with the reader and the decision: a lender reviewing repayment, an owner checking runway or an assessor reviewing a specific application. I gather the records before drafting the narrative.
The sample structure comes from the studio’s own ten-section business plan and seven-tab financial model. Private forecasts and source records are not published here.
Inputs I ask for
- The business, decision-maker and intended use.
- Actual sales, orders and expense records, if they exist.
- Prices, delivery hours, payment terms and available time.
- Opening cash, obligations and planned purchases.
- The lender or program requirements and deadline.
| Plan section | What it must answer | Evidence or linked calculation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 / Executive summary | What is being proposed, what is needed and what could prevent it? | Write last. Reconcile the figures to the final model. |
| 2 / Business description | Who owns it, what stage is it at and what can the founder deliver? | Actual registration and founder records. Missing evidence stays marked. |
| 3 / Market analysis | Who may buy, what problem is verified and what remains uncertain? | Traceable research and interviews. Listings alone are not demand. |
| 4 / Competitive position | Why choose this scope, and where are alternatives stronger? | Actual competitor offers and inspectable work. |
| 5 / Services and pricing | What is sold, included and excluded? | Approved scope, price and delivery-hour budget. |
| 6 / Marketing and sales | How do conversations become paid work? | Channel costs, qualification rules and labelled close assumptions. |
| 7 / Operations | Can the promised work fit the calendar? | Process, review gates, capacity and dependencies. |
| 8 / Financial projections | What are revenue, costs, cash timing and downside? | Editable assumptions, linked calculations and reconciliations. |
| 9 / Risk register | What can fail, how severe is it and who acts? | Specific likelihood, impact, mitigation and triggers. |
| 10 / Funding ask | How much is needed, for what and when? | Use-of-funds schedule and confirmed eligibility or repayment assumptions. |
Working specimen / 12 months / CAD
Change the inputs.
Watch the constraint move.
This is an illustrative forecast. It assumes no existing care clients, unpaid invoices, debt or historic work. Expected projects and care accounts can be fractional. They are forecast values, not partial client contracts.
Change a sample input to recalculate. All calculations run in this browser. Nothing is sent or saved.
10 is a sample, not a recorded pipeline. Range 0–100.
25% is an illustrative assumption. Range 0–100.
The model uses the lower sales or project limit. Range 0–10.
New care starts after the delivery month. Range 0–100.
Accounts compound after monthly attrition. Range 0–100.
A sample allowance, not an actual expense ledger. Range 0–10000.
No opening debts or historic deposits in this sample. Range 0–100000.
30 is a buffered Launch planning assumption. Range 1–100.
Sales and admin must be reserved separately. Range 1–200.
Default illustrative forecast shown. Enable JavaScript to edit and export.
Illustrative annual revenue$63,874Earned on delivery. GST excluded.
Illustrative business income$50,050Before owner pay, personal tax and CPP.
Ending cash after deposit reserve$52,817Bank cash less deposits on unfinished work.
23.1 expected completed projects. Peak commitment: 67.2 of 84 delivery hours. No extra labour is purchased automatically.
| Period | Delivered projects | Care accounts | Revenue | Business income | Bank cash | Committed hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | 1.1 | 0.0 | $2,560 | $1,693 | $5,580 | 60.0 |
| Month 2 | 2.0 | 0.5 | $4,879 | $3,771 | $9,351 | 60.4 |
| Month 3 | 2.0 | 1.5 | $5,027 | $3,904 | $13,256 | 61.1 |
| Month 4 | 2.0 | 2.5 | $5,171 | $4,034 | $17,289 | 61.9 |
| Month 5 | 2.0 | 3.4 | $5,313 | $4,161 | $21,451 | 62.6 |
| Month 6 | 2.0 | 4.4 | $5,452 | $4,286 | $25,737 | 63.3 |
| Month 7 | 2.0 | 5.3 | $5,588 | $4,408 | $30,145 | 64.0 |
| Month 8 | 2.0 | 6.2 | $5,721 | $4,528 | $34,673 | 64.6 |
| Month 9 | 2.0 | 7.1 | $5,851 | $4,646 | $39,319 | 65.3 |
| Month 10 | 2.0 | 7.9 | $5,979 | $4,761 | $44,080 | 65.9 |
| Month 11 | 2.0 | 8.8 | $6,105 | $4,873 | $48,953 | 66.6 |
| Month 12 | 2.0 | 9.6 | $6,228 | $4,984 | $53,937 | 67.2 |
The fixed mechanics in this small example
| Driver | Sample value | Calculation or boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Website price | $2,400 / project | Current Launch price used as an illustrative one-line mix. No Growth projects in this small example. |
| Care price | $149 / account / month | Current Essential price. No upgrades, downgrades or opening clients. |
| Payment and delivery | 50% at start / 50% at approval / 14 days | Starts distributed through equal 30-day periods. 14/30 of starts finish in the next period. |
| Project direct cost | $250 / project | Illustrative cost paid at start and matched to delivery for income. It is not a measured client cost. |
| Care direct cost and time | $15 / account / month / 0.75 hours | Illustrative vendor cost and source planning-hour allowance. |
| Earned revenue | Delivered projects × price + billed care | A deposit is cash received before the corresponding project revenue is earned. |
| Booked work | MIN(conversations × close rate, project ceiling) | Raising conversations alone will not beat a binding project ceiling. |
| Scope of the model | Tax, owner draws and finance excluded | No GST advice, income tax, capital assets, bad debt, invoice delays, contractors or loan schedule. Add these in an engagement model. |
The source financial model contains separate assumptions, revenue, costs, P&L, cash flow, capacity and dashboard tabs. A client model needs the client’s records and purpose. This small browser specimen demonstrates calculations and review discipline.
Evidence register / No hidden inputs
Name what is known.
Label what is assumed.
This register separates approved offer terms from financial assumptions. A source supports the stated price or planning method. It does not prove future sales, retention or delivery time.
Owner-approved offer or termIllustrative public inputUnmeasured planning allowance
| Driver / evidence class | Sample value | Source basis | Check before use |
|---|---|---|---|
| priceOwner-approved price | 2400 CAD/project | VL-CONTEXT.md / current owner decisions | Reconfirm the actual scoped offer before quoting. |
| carePriceOwner-approved price | 149 CAD/account/month | VL-CONTEXT.md / current owner decisions | This specimen uses Essential only. |
| depositOwner-approved term | 50 percent at start | VL-CONTEXT.md / current owner decisions | The final 50% follows approval. |
| deliveryDaysOwner-approved website term | 14 calendar days | VL-CONTEXT.md / current owner decisions | Start requires the complete brief and deposit. |
| leadsIllustrative input | 10 qualified conversations/month | Public study specimen | Validate with recorded qualified conversations. |
| closeRateIllustrative input | 25 percent | Public study specimen | Record won projects divided by qualified conversations. |
| maxProjectsIllustrative input | 2 starts/month | Public study specimen | Validate against actual hours and review scheduling. |
| attachIllustrative input | 50 percent | Public study specimen | Measure accepted care plans after handoff. |
| churnIllustrative input | 2 percent/month | Public study specimen | Measure cancelled care accounts from the opening cohort. |
| directCostIllustrative input | 250 CAD/project | Public study specimen | Replace with direct project costs from the actual ledger. |
| careCostIllustrative input | 15 CAD/account/month | Public study specimen | Replace with attributable vendor costs. |
| overheadIllustrative input | 600 CAD/month | Public study specimen | Replace with itemized recurring expenses. |
| openingCashIllustrative input | 3000 CAD | Public study specimen | Replace with reconciled opening balances. |
| projectHoursPlanning allowance | 30 hours/project | VL-BUSINESS-PLAN.md / Launch planning budget | Not measured delivery time. Validate with time logs. |
| careHoursPlanning allowance | 0.75 hours/account/month | VL-BUSINESS-PLAN.md / Essential care allowance | Not measured delivery time. Include communication and checks. |
| capacityIllustrative input | 84 delivery hours/month | Public study specimen | Reserve sales and administration before committing work. |
A useful handoff includes the working record
I provide the agreed model, its input notes, the calculation checks and a list of open evidence gaps. The narrative and figures must reconcile. The recipient can see which decisions still need an accountant, lender or program reviewer.
- Download the default forecast CSVTwelve periods. Fictional inputs. CAD, tax and owner drawings excluded. The browser export above captures your edited version.
- Download the assumption register CSVAll sixteen fixed and editable inputs, their evidence class and the review needed.
- Download a blank review checklistA reusable Markdown checklist for evidence, model reconciliation, capacity and release.
- Download specimen source notesSources, limits and usage notes for the public demonstrations.
These files are working specimens. They are not tax advice, financial statements, a funded application or a lender’s acceptance. Replace every illustrative value with the business’s approved records and assumptions.
Release gates
A forecast needs
an explanation and a test.
2 / Reconcile cash
Check opening balances, earned revenue, deposits, direct-cost timing and closing cash. Profit and spendable cash are different calculations.
3 / Run the downside
Reduce sales, increase delivery hours and delay receipts. Name the first constraint and the action it requires. A positive default case is insufficient.
I prepare documents and models for review. I do not guarantee a loan, grant or investment. Specialist accounting, legal and eligibility decisions need the relevant qualified reviewer.
Structure and calculation basis: VL-BUSINESS-PLAN.md and VL-MODEL-NOTES.md, studio planning documents dated September 2026. Prices and website terms: owner-approved decisions in VL-CONTEXT.md. The public specimen uses newly labelled illustrative inputs; it does not reproduce private financial forecasts or claim paid-client results.