Startup Financial Modelling and How to Build One
Without a
financial model, your startup will be a business without a functioning spine. It
might still have all the vital organs, but moving forward will be difficult which
will slowly lead to the brand’s extinction. That is how vital financial
modelling is for startups. With that established, however, you cannot just have
a spreadsheet with a few equations. No prediction is always better than wrong
predictions and your startup’s financial models cannot return erroneous
results. If you are building one, it should be both efficient and effective
that requires expert startup financial model training.
How to build
a financial model?
It goes
without saying that you will need a data organization tool like MS Excel to
build your financial model. From there on, you can typically follow one of
these avenues to create a working model for your startup.
- Top-down financial model
Here,
you know your macro scenario and gradually step down to come to micro solutions
that you must implement to reach that bigger picture. The TAM SAM SOM model is
used frequently to design via this approach. For instance, say you want to
raise $6 million for your startup in the next 6 months. This is your macro goal
and you start building your model at the “top”. Then, you step “down” from the
total market to the available market and finally to the obtainable market.
- Bottom-up financial model
As
evident, this functions in the reverse order of the top-down approach. You make
a few assumptions to build your model and contemplate in which direction you
might be moving to forecast your business’s position, say, 6-10 years down the
lane. Can a certain partnership help your business to grow? Will your predicted
advertisement fund return the desired sales figures? These decisions are made
using a bottom-up startup financial model that helps to allocate
investments and forge partnerships.
Why is a
model necessary?
Investors and
stakeholders want to see data-backed results. VC firms will give you your $6
million only if you can show them that your present investment strategy will drive
greater sales revenue. They need to see the growth path. Then, with the $6
million in hand, you must be able to allocate funds in the right channels so
that predicted results meet reality. In short, you will constantly have to
switch between the two approaches depending on your current and future goals. Plus,
you will want regular feedback on your business’s progress. If your current
revenue figures match your model’s predicted value, you can say for sure that
you are indeed on track.
Learn how to build a financial model from
expert trainers. Teachers with a decade of industry experience are ready to
teach online. Become accustomed to modern tools and more approaches. A proper
model can steer your startup to fast and structured success while a poor one can drive you to bankruptcy. Invest in learning
how to reap the fruits later. It's never late to learn.
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