Creating a Business Budget

Creating the budget:

Your accounting/bookkeeping software will likely have a budgeting tool incorporated, however you may find more flexibility using a budget spreadsheet or similar to map out a plan specific to your business.. It’s worth setting aside some time to fully consider all the elements of your budget. If you invest some time in creating a comprehensive and realistic budget, it will be easier to manage and ultimately be a more effective tool.

Use last year’s figures – but only as a guide; collect historical information on sales and costs if they are available. But it’s essential to also consider what your sales plans are, how your sales resources will be used and any changes in the competitive environment.

Many small businesses have one overall operating budget which sets out how much money is needed to run the business over the coming period. This is usually a financial year. As your business grows, your total operating budget is likely to be made up of several individual budgets such as your marketing budget or your sales budgets.

Your overall operating budget should include:

• Projected sales and revenue
• Total costs of the projected sales and revenue
• The profit or loss as reflected in the above numbers
• A column for your actual numbers- fill this in on a regular basis (at least once a month) to ensure you are on track.

Using the budget:

Ever looked over your financials at the end of the month and wondered where on earth your hard earned dollars have gone? A budget allows for planning ahead, but will also be a great tool to reflect on where your money is being spent.

Comparing your actuals to your original planned budget will allow you to monitor and correct overspending. Has there been a sudden spike in supplier costs? Perhaps your stationery bill was unexpectedly high this month and you should run a stock-take to ensure correct ordering.

Similarly, your budget should show significant dips in expected income and the area that should be addressed or where an individual’s performance should be reviewed.

To use your budgets effectively, you will need to frequently review and revise them. This is particularly true if your business is growing and you are planning to move into new areas. Using up-to-date budgets enables you to be flexible and lets you manage your cash flow and identify what needs to be achieved in the next budgeting period.

For more more information on creating a budget or to look closer at your cash flow projection, contact PROTRADE United today.

PROTRADE United is Australia and New Zealand’s #1 Business Coaching & Mentoring Organisation.