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Assembling a cash flow statement: chronicling the past. To help you get started in putting together your own cash flow statement, this section describes the cash flow statement of a hypothetical architectural firm, ABC Architectural Services.

The cash flow statement is for the four months just ended (For the purpose of the exercise, we assume that we’re now at April 30.)

A few notes about this company:

It employed seven people in January and received two new architectural design contracts in January for $25,000 each. These jobs should each take five months to complete and are payable as completed. ..more

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All business owners know what cash flow is—if not technically, then emotionally. Nevertheless, it’s worthwhile to approach this subject from the very beginning because it is key to business success. Some business school professors have even begun to impart to their students the latest thinking about cash flow: “Cash flow is more important than your mother.”

A useful way to think about cash flow is to view the business as a living organism. Cash is the nutrient that runs through its arteries and veins. The brain might be viewed as the product or service, the heart as the marketing, and the stomach as the finances, at which point it all begins to get a little messy. If you don’t have enough cash flow, though, rest assured that the living organism turns into a skeleton. , ..more

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An excellent example of assumptions underlying a business plan is provided in the People Express financials. Here we find a list of 12 assumptions that help clarify the projections that follow. Most have to do with revenues and expenses associated with flying the company’s expected three plane fleet. Thus, we learn in points 7, 8, and 9 that revenues don’t include certain items that could become important later, like excess baggage and charter fees. And we learn in points 4 and 5 how the aircraft lease and personnel costs are figured in. ..more

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The income statement is the one we all tend to focus our attention on because it provides the proverbial “bottom line”— the company’s profit or loss. It’s usually done on a quarterly basis.

As you look at the basic income statement you’ll notice that it seems a lot like the cash flow statement. You start with your revenues less commissions. From that, you subtract direct labor (drafters and architects, for instance, for an architectural firm) and materials.

The result is a subtotal that gives you your gross profit or loss. (The percentage of gross profit to revenues can be a very useful number. It’s your gross margin and can help you compare yourself with others in your industry—it tells you immediately whether your labor or other costs are way out of line.) ..more

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The key concern in preparing multiple business plans ismaking sure that each is tailored to the interests, needs, and fears of its readers. A business plan that is exciting to one group of readers may be terrifying or simply irrelevant to another group.

Consider a business plan for financing. A company wants toraise $3 million and isn’t fussy about whether the money comes from a banker or a venture capitalist. Chances are strong, though, that the business plan that appeals to the venture capitalist won’t appeal to the banker, and vice versa. ..more

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