Tag: cashflow forecast

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Is Jerry Lames Next Quarter Normal?

Quarterly revenue and profit growth - business admin training course decisions - master financial reporting using Quickbooks, MYOB and Xero Courses

I wrote about the messy startup for Jerry’s new business venture. It is used in the BAS Courses for QuickBooks, MYOB and Xero and in The Next Quarter case study you’ll see the results of Jerry’s business decisions and how some of his financial transactions have turned out.

You’ll get enough information from the financial reports to advise Jerry how to make future decisions for his business – particularly when it relates to cashflow, credit management and purchases.

In The Next Quarter Bookkeeping Course case study we look at Jerry’s financial reports and start to keep better track of income vs expenditure as well as better ways to use his money (like buying assets vs paying off loans).

Jerry will also have the knowledge to make product and services decisions because he’ll know what is selling well and where he is making more profit.

Xero Advanced Certificate Training Course cashflow-forecast-charts-reporting-budgets

In The Next Quarter we look at how his business gets discovered online and what other digital marketing options are available to him.

We explore whether he should continue to use a project bidding site like HiPages or focus on getting more traffic to his own website.

Ultimately, no matter which digital marketing medium you use you’ll want to strengthen your sales skills to learn how to identify ideal clients and turn them into customers. At the same time you’ll want to learn how to help clients who are not ideal.

Cashflow is critical for the survival of a business. It’s like the blood pumping through the veins or the air going into and out of the lungs and without enough positive cashflow you don’t have a business that can survive.

This case study is used in our Advanced Certificate in Xero Cashflow and Financial Reporting Course.

See The Next Quarter Xero Bookkeeping Course CASE STUDY
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Feeling the squeeze? Are your expenses like mine!?

Learn how to use Microsoft Excel in online training courses to master MyBudget, debt and expenses

After the ludicrous events of the Covid Pandemic this era of high interest rates is squeezing everyone! Interest rates, petrol prices, energy prices and food. Have I missed anything? No, that is everything we need to live these days and prices have gone up a ridiculous amount but do you know how much your costs have gone up by?

I’ve recently taken to Microsoft Excel to perform budget calculations that I haven’t thought much about for a long time.

Continue reading Feeling the squeeze? Are your expenses like mine!?
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How to Create a Cash Flow Forecast in Xero (and Excel)

Why cash flow is a better indicator than profit

cashflow and profit reports in xero and excel
Don’t overestimate how much money you’ll have to spend on a new business venture; better to forecast using cash flow as an indicator.

WE RECENTLY PROVIDED DETAILS of a case study highlighting the experiences of a business owner named Jerry. Jerry decides to start a real estate business on the side, after operating a business already that has synergies, for instance, in terms of clientele. 

We mentioned that Jerry should use his accounting software to determine whether his he’ll have the start-up capital required to fund his new venture for the next 12 months. The best way to do this is to create a cash flow forecast, and we’re going to show you how.

Cash flow is a better indicator of available funds

If you’re wondering why you wouldn’t create a profit forecast, it’s pretty simple. Cash flow represents money in the bank, after you’ve paid all your suppliers and staff and loan repayments and so forth, while profit just shows how much the business earned but doesn’t take into account any cash outlays. 

Profit just shows how much the business earned but doesn’t take into account any cash outlays.

It’s important to understand that it’s not uncommon for businesses to be profitable; however due to cash outlays, these same businesses may not actually have enough money in the bank to fund investment, or in this case, a new venture.

Generating a cash flow report in Xero

Follow these steps in Xero to generate a cash flow report for your business:

  1. Go to Reports, then click All Reports.
  2. Under Financial, select Cash Summary.
  3. Enter the following report settings:
    • Date — The latest finalised month
    • Period — 1 month
    • Compare With —  Previous 11 Periods
    • Select the Include GST and Show YTD filters
  4. Click Update to generate the report in Xero
  5. At the bottom of the report, click Export and select Excel to download the report in Microsoft Excel format.

The messy startup needs Xero Cashflow Training

Xero Advanced Certificate Training Course cashflow-forecast-charts-reporting-budgets

There is a great business case study with lots of practical exercises in the Xero Cashflow Training Course. You’ll learn how to code and manage lots of different types of transactions and reconcile 2 quarters worth of transactions and end up producing cash flow reports to make financial sense of it all.

You’ll even be able to highlight alternative ways of financing some of those transactions. 

Set up formulas to forecast 12 months ahead

In Excel, you’ll need to create formulas that will show you the average cashflow of your business across the previous 12 month period, so you can then forecast ahead for the next 12 months.

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Creating and working with formulas is something we teach you in our Microsoft Excel training courses. We also feature a suite of highly popular Xero online training courses, or if you want more information on creating profit and loss statements in Xero, read here.

If you don’t use Xero and you’re using MYOB or QuickBooks, our MYOB and QuickBooks training courses will also show you how to run cashflow reports, among many others.

Online bookkeeping accounting training courses for CPD points

EzyLearn Excel, MYOB and Xero online training courses count towards Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for bookkeepers and accountants. We’ve been an accredited training provider of the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers ever since the organisation started in Australia. Find out how CPD points can be of benefit to you.