From Guesswork to Growth: Financial Forecasting in LivePlan

Ready to turn your business vision into a financial reality? A forecast is more than just a budget—it's a strategic roadmap that helps you plan for growth, adapt to change, and secure the right funding. In this "Ask Me Anything" session, our panel of experts, including CEO Sabrina Parsons, breaks down the essentials of financial forecasting. They tackle the big questions, from getting started without any historical data to modeling complex revenue streams. Watch the full webinar to learn how to build a flexible, powerful forecast that guides your business to success.

What You'll Learn

This webinar is packed with practical advice and live demonstrations to help you build a forecast that drives your business forward. Here’s a look at what we cover:

Forecasting Fundamentals

• The Strategic Difference: Learn why forecasting is a revenue-driven roadmap for growth, not just an expense-tracking budget.
• Beyond Rigid Budgets: Understand the importance of a flexible forecast that adapts to real-world changes and opportunities, ensuring your plan never becomes obsolete.

Getting Started (Even From Scratch)

• Overcome "Blank Page" Paralysis: Get expert tips on how to start your forecast, even if you don't have historical data. Learn why it's more important to get started than to be perfect.
• Your Best Educated Guess: Understand that a forecast is an iterative process. Start with your best guess, learn from real-world results, and refine your numbers over time.
• Don't Forget to Pay Yourself: Discover the common pitfall of omitting your own salary and learn why valuing your time is crucial for building a truly viable business model.

Live Forecasting in Action

• Model Different Revenue Streams: Watch a live demonstration of how to forecast for a cafe, from simple unit sales (lunch tickets) to complex recurring revenue (meal subscriptions).
• Master Key Metrics: Get a clear, practical breakdown of concepts like unit sales, recurring charges, and churn rate, and see how to apply them to your own business.

Securing the Right Funding

• Know Your Numbers for Investors: Understand why a detailed forecast is critical for answering tough investor questions and proving your business is viable.
• Ask for the Right Amount: Learn how to use your cash flow forecast to determine exactly how much funding you need to launch and operate successfully—no more, no less.

Leveraging Tools & Support

• AI-Powered Suggestions: See how the AI Assistant can help you brainstorm relevant revenue streams and expenses you might have missed, tailored specifically to your industry.
• Real Experts, Real Answers: Find out how to connect with LivePlan's in-house customer advocacy team for live, expert support when you need it.