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What Is Business Forecasting? Why It Matters

April 25, 2021 - 10 min read

Companies conduct business forecasts to determine their goals, targets, and project plans for each new period, whether quarterly, annually, or even 2–5 year planning.

Forecasting helps managers guide strategy and make informed decisions about critical business operations such as sales, expenses, revenue, and resource allocation . When done right, forecasting adds a competitive advantage and can be the difference between successful and unsuccessful companies.

In this guide to business forecasting, we'll cover: 

• What is business forecasting?
• What are the best forecasting techniques?
• Why forecasting in management is important
• How to conduct business forecasts
• A few forecasting examples for businesses

An introduction to business forecasting

What is business forecasting? Business forecasting is a projection of future developments of a business or industry based on trends and patterns of past and present data. 

This business practice helps determine how to allocate resources and plan strategically for upcoming projects, activities, and costs. Forecasting enables organizations to manage resources , align their goals with present trends, and increase their chances of surviving and staying competitive. 

The purpose of forecasts is to develop better strategies and project plans using available, relevant data from the past and present to secure your business's future . Good business forecasting allows organizations to gain unique, proprietary insights into likely future events, leverage their resources, set product team OKR , and become market leaders.

Managers conduct careful and detailed business forecasts to guarantee sound decision-making based on data and logic, not emotions or gut feelings.  

What are important business forecasting methods?

There are several business forecasting methods. They fall into two main approaches: 

• Quantitative forecasting

Qualitative forecasting

Quantitative and qualitative forecasting techniques use and provide different sets of data and are needed at different stages of a product's life cycle.

Note that significant changes in a company, such as new product focus, new competitors or competitive strategies, or changing compliance requirements diminish the connection between past and future trends. This makes choosing the right forecasting method even more important.

Quantitative business forecasting

Use quantitative forecasting when there is accurate past data available to analyze patterns and predict the probability of future events in your business or industry. 

Quantitative forecasting extracts trends from existing data to determine the more probable results. It connects and analyzes different variables to establish cause and effect between events, elements, and outcomes. An example of data used in quantitative forecasting is past sales numbers.

Quantitative models work with data, numbers, and formulas. There is little human interference in quantitative analysis. Examples of quantitative models in business forecasting include:

• The indicator approach : This approach depends on the relationship between specific indicators being stable over time, e.g., GDP and the unemployment rate. By following the relationship between these two factors, forecasters can estimate a business's performance. 
• The average approach : This approach infers that the predictions of future values are equal to the average of the past data. It is best to use this approach only when assuming that the future will resemble the past.
• Econometric modeling : Econometric modeling is a mathematically rigorous approach to forecasting. Forecasters assume the relationships between indicators stay the same and test the consistency and strength of the relationship between datasets.
• Time-series methods : Time-series methods use historical data to predict future outcomes. By tracking what happened in the past, forecasters expect to get a near-accurate view of the future.

Qualitative business forecasting is predictions and projections based on experts' and customers' opinions. This method is best when there is insufficient past data to analyze to reach a quantitative forecast. In these cases, industry experts and forecasters piece together available data to make qualitative predictions.

Qualitative models are most successful with short-term projections. They are expert-driven, bringing up contrasting opinions and reliance on judgment over calculable data. Examples of qualitative models in business forecasting include:

• Market research : This involves polling people – experts, customers, employees – to get their preferences, opinions, and feedback on a product or service.
• Delphi method : The Delphi method relies on asking a panel of experts for their opinions and recommendations and compiling them into a forecast.

How do you choose the right business forecasting technique?

• Choosing the right business forecasting technique depends on many factors. Some of these are:
• Context of the forecast
• Availability and relevance of past data
• Degree of accuracy required
• Allocated time to conduct the forecast
• Period to be forecast 
• Costs and benefits of the forecast
• Stage of the product or business needing the forecast

Managers and forecasters must consider the stage of the product or business as this influences the availability of data and how you establish relationships between variables. A new startup with no previous revenue data would be unable to use quantitative methods in its forecast.

The more you understand the use, capabilities, and impact of different forecasting techniques, the more likely you will succeed in business forecasting. 

Why is business forecasting important?

Any insight into the future puts your organization at an advantage. Forecasting helps you predict potential issues, make better decisions, and measure the impact of those decisions. 

By combining quantitative and qualitative techniques, statistical and econometric models , and objectivity, forecasting becomes a formidable tool for your company. 

Business forecasting helps managers develop the best strategies for current and future trends and events. Today, artificial intelligence, forecasting software, and big data make business forecasting easier, more accurate, and personalized to each organization.

Forecasting does not promise an accurate picture of the future or how your business will evolve, but it points in a direction informed by data, logic, and experiential reasoning. 

What are the integral elements of business forecasting?

While there are different forecasting techniques and methods, all forecasts follow the same process on a conceptual level. Standard elements of business forecasting include:

• Prepare the stage : Before you begin, develop a system to investigate the current state of business.
• Choose a data point : An example for any business could be "What is our sales projection for next quarter?"
• Choose indicators and data sets : Identify the relevant indicators and data sets you need and decide how to collect the data.
• Make initial assumptions : To kickstart the forecasting process, forecasters may make some assumptions to measure against variables and indicators.
• Select forecasting technique : Pick the technique that fits your forecast best.
• Analyze data : Analyze available data using your selected forecasting technique.
• Estimate forecasts : Estimate future conditions based on data you've gathered to reach data-backed estimates. 
• Verify forecasts : Compare your forecast to the eventual results. This helps you identify any problems, tweak errant variables, correct deviations, and continue to improve your forecasting technique.
• Review forecasting process : Review any deviations between your forecasts and actual performance data.

How do you do business forecasting?

Successful business forecasting begins with a collaboration between the manager and forecaster. They work together to answer the following questions:

• What is the purpose of the forecast? How will it be used? 
• What are the components and dynamics of the system the forecast is focused on? 
• How relevant is past data in estimating the future? 

Once these answers are clear, choose the best forecasting methods based on the stage of the product or business life cycle, availability of past data, and skills of the forecasters and managers leading the project.

With the right forecasting method, you can develop your process using the integral elements of business forecasting mentioned above. 

How do you get data for business forecasting?

A forecast is only as good as the data supplied. Before collecting data, ask:

• Why do you need it?
• What kind of data do you need?
• When will you collect it?
• Where will you gather it?
• Who is in charge of collecting it?
• How will you collect it?
• How will you analyze it?

When you have these answers, you can start collecting data from two main sources:

• Primary sources : These sources are gathered first-hand using reporting tools — you or members of your team source data through interviews, surveys, research, or observations.
• Secondary sources : Secondary sources are second-hand information or data that others have collected. Examples include government reports, publications, financial statements, competitors' annual reports, journals, and other periodicals.

Business forecasting examples

Some forecasting examples for business include: 

• Calculating cash flow forecasts, i.e., predicting your financial needs within a timeframe
• Estimating the threat of new entrants into your market
• Measuring the opportunity of developing a new product or service
• Estimating the costs of recurring bills
• Predicting future sales growth based on past sales performance
• Analyzing relationships between variables, e.g., Facebook ads and potential revenue
• Budgeting contingencies and efficient allocation of resources
• Comparing customer acquisition costs and customer lifetime value over time

What are the limits of business forecasting?

You can follow the rules, use the right methods, and still get your business forecast wrong. It is, after all, an attempt to predict the future. Some limits to business forecasting include:

• Biases and errors by the forecasters or managers 
• Incorrect information from employees, experts, or customers 
• Inaccurate past numbers 
• Sudden change in market conditions
• New industry regulations

How Wrike helps with business forecasting

The more accurate your business forecasting, the more effective your strategies and plans can be. While many things in business are out of your control, having an informed forecast of what lies ahead makes you prepared and confident about the future.

Wrike helps gather data in one central platform, extract insights, and communicate findings with forecasters and managers. Other benefits of Wrike include real-time data, integrations with other forecasting software, streamlined collaboration, and visibility into every business forecasting project. 

Are you ready to make projections for your business, allocate your resources for the best results, and improve your business forecasting process? Get started with a two-week free trial of Wrike today.

Kelechi Udoagwu

Kelechi is a freelance writer and founder of Week of Saturdays, a platform for digital freelancers and remote workers living in Africa.

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7 Financial Forecasting Methods to Predict Business Performance

• 21 Jun 2022

Much of accounting involves evaluating past performance. Financial results demonstrate business success to both shareholders and the public. Planning and preparing for the future, however, is just as important.

Shareholders must be reassured that a business has been, and will continue to be, successful. This requires financial forecasting.

Here's an overview of how to use pro forma statements to conduct financial forecasting, along with seven methods you can leverage to predict a business's future performance.

Access your free e-book today.

What Is Financial Forecasting?

Financial forecasting is predicting a company’s financial future by examining historical performance data, such as revenue, cash flow, expenses, or sales. This involves guesswork and assumptions, as many unforeseen factors can influence business performance.

Financial forecasting is important because it informs business decision-making regarding hiring, budgeting, predicting revenue, and strategic planning . It also helps you maintain a forward-focused mindset.

Each financial forecast plays a major role in determining how much attention is given to individual expense items. For example, if you forecast high-level trends for general planning purposes, you can rely more on broad assumptions than specific details. However, if your forecast is concerned with a business’s future, such as a pending merger or acquisition, it's important to be thorough and detailed.

Forecasting with Pro Forma Statements

A common type of forecasting in financial accounting involves using pro forma statements . Pro forma statements focus on a business's future reports, which are highly dependent on assumptions made during preparation⁠, such as expected market conditions.

Because the term "pro forma" refers to projections or forecasts, pro forma statements apply to any financial document, including:

• Income statements
• Balance sheets
• Cash flow statements

These statements serve both internal and external purposes. Internally, you can use them for strategic planning. Identifying future revenues and expenses can greatly impact business decisions related to hiring and budgeting. Pro forma statements can also inform endeavors by creating multiple statements and interchanging variables to conduct side-by-side comparisons of potential outcomes.

Externally, pro forma statements can demonstrate the risk of investing in a business. While this is an effective form of forecasting, investors should know that pro forma statements don't typically comply with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) . This is because pro forma statements don't include one-time expenses—such as equipment purchases or company relocations—which allows for greater accuracy because those expenses don't reflect a company’s ongoing operations.

7 Financial Forecasting Methods

Pro forma statements are incredibly valuable when forecasting revenue, expenses, and sales. These findings are often further supported by one of seven financial forecasting methods that determine future income and growth rates.

There are two primary categories of forecasting: quantitative and qualitative.

Quantitative Methods

When producing accurate forecasts, business leaders typically turn to quantitative forecasts , or assumptions about the future based on historical data.

1. Percent of Sales

Internal pro forma statements are often created using percent of sales forecasting . This method calculates future metrics of financial line items as a percentage of sales. For example, the cost of goods sold is likely to increase proportionally with sales; therefore, it’s logical to apply the same growth rate estimate to each.

To forecast the percent of sales, examine the percentage of each account’s historical profits related to sales. To calculate this, divide each account by its sales, assuming the numbers will remain steady. For example, if the cost of goods sold has historically been 30 percent of sales, assume that trend will continue.

2. Straight Line

The straight-line method assumes a company's historical growth rate will remain constant. Forecasting future revenue involves multiplying a company’s previous year's revenue by its growth rate. For example, if the previous year's growth rate was 12 percent, straight-line forecasting assumes it'll continue to grow by 12 percent next year.

Although straight-line forecasting is an excellent starting point, it doesn't account for market fluctuations or supply chain issues.

3. Moving Average

Moving average involves taking the average—or weighted average—of previous periods⁠ to forecast the future. This method involves more closely examining a business’s high or low demands, so it’s often beneficial for short-term forecasting. For example, you can use it to forecast next month’s sales by averaging the previous quarter.

Moving average forecasting can help estimate several metrics. While it’s most commonly applied to future stock prices, it’s also used to estimate future revenue.

To calculate a moving average, use the following formula:

A1 + A2 + A3 … / N

Formula breakdown:

A = Average for a period

N = Total number of periods

Using weighted averages to emphasize recent periods can increase the accuracy of moving average forecasts.

4. Simple Linear Regression

Simple linear regression forecasts metrics based on a relationship between two variables⁠: dependent and independent. The dependent variable represents the forecasted amount, while the independent variable is the factor that influences the dependent variable.

The equation for simple linear regression is:

Y ⁠ = Dependent variable⁠ (the forecasted number)

B = Regression line's slope

X = Independent variable

A = Y-intercept

5. Multiple Linear Regression

If two or more variables directly impact a company's performance, business leaders might turn to multiple linear regression . This allows for a more accurate forecast, as it accounts for several variables that ultimately influence performance.

To forecast using multiple linear regression, a linear relationship must exist between the dependent and independent variables. Additionally, the independent variables can’t be so closely correlated that it’s impossible to tell which impacts the dependent variable.

Qualitative Methods

When it comes to forecasting, numbers don't always tell the whole story. There are additional factors that influence performance and can't be quantified. Qualitative forecasting relies on experts’ knowledge and experience to predict performance rather than historical numerical data.

These forecasting methods are often called into question, as they're more subjective than quantitative methods. Yet, they can provide valuable insight into forecasts and account for factors that can’t be predicted using historical data.

6. Delphi Method

The Delphi method of forecasting involves consulting experts who analyze market conditions to predict a company's performance.

A facilitator reaches out to those experts with questionnaires, requesting forecasts of business performance based on their experience and knowledge. The facilitator then compiles their analyses and sends them to other experts for comments. The goal is to continue circulating them until a consensus is reached.

7. Market Research

Market research is essential for organizational planning. It helps business leaders obtain a holistic market view based on competition, fluctuating conditions, and consumer patterns. It’s also critical for startups when historical data isn’t available. New businesses can benefit from financial forecasting because it’s essential for recruiting investors and budgeting during the first few months of operation.

When conducting market research, begin with a hypothesis and determine what methods are needed. Sending out consumer surveys is an excellent way to better understand consumer behavior when you don’t have numerical data to inform decisions.

Improve Your Forecasting Skills

Financial forecasting is never a guarantee, but it’s critical for decision-making. Regardless of your business’s industry or stage, it’s important to maintain a forward-thinking mindset—learning from past patterns is an excellent way to plan for the future.

If you’re interested in further exploring financial forecasting and its role in business, consider taking an online course, such as Financial Accounting , to discover how to use it alongside other financial tools to shape your business.

Do you want to take your financial accounting skills to the next level? Consider enrolling in Financial Accounting —one of three courses comprising our Credential of Readiness (CORe) program —to learn how to use financial principles to inform business decisions. Not sure which course is right for you? Download our free flowchart .

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Business Forecasting: Why You Need It & How to Do It

Table of Contents

What is business forecasting, the importance of business forecasting, business forecasting process, business forecasting methods, elements of business forecasting, sources of data for forecasting, business forecasting only goes so far, how projectmanager helps business forecasting.

Well-run organizations don’t fly by the seat of their pants; they’re constantly working on business forecasting and business planning. Every decision and every process is based on data obtained from business forecasting, business intelligence tools, market research and scenario planning. Companies focus their energies on ways to predict market trends to help them set successful long-term strategies.

Some business forecasts are based on highly sophisticated statistical methods while others are based on experience and past data. Others simply follow a gut feeling. One thing remains constant: all industries rely on business forecasting.

Business forecasting refers to the process of predicting future market conditions by using business intelligence tools and forecasting methods to analyze historical data.

Business forecasting can be either qualitative or quantitative. Quantitative business forecasting relies on subject matter experts and market research while quantitative business forecasting focuses only on data analysis.

You can access historical data with project management tools such as ProjectManager , project management software that delivers real-time data for more insightful business forecasting. Our live dashboard requires no setup and automatically captures six project metrics which are displayed in easy-to-read graphs and charts. Get a high-level view of your project for better business planning. Get started with ProjectManager for free today.

Quantitative Forecasting

Quantitative forecasting is applicable when there is accurate past data available to predict the probability of future events. This method pulls patterns from the data that allow for more probable outcomes. The data used in quantitative forecasting can include in-house data such as sales numbers and professionally gathered data such as census statistics. Generally, quantitative forecasting seeks to connect different variables in order to establish cause and effect relationships that can be exploited to benefit the business.

Qualitative Forecasting

Qualitative forecasting is based on the opinion and judgment of consumers and experts. This business forecasting method is useful if you have insufficient historical data to make any statistically relevant conclusions. In such cases, an expert can help piece together the known bits of data you do have to try to make a qualitative prediction from that known information.

Qualitative business forecasting is also useful when little is known about the future in your industry. Relying on historical data is useless if that data is not relevant to the uncharted future you are approaching. This can be the case in innovative industries, or if there’s a new constraint entering the market that has never occurred before such as new tax law.

Business forecasting is critical for businesses whenever the future is uncertain or whenever an important strategic business decision is being made. The more the business can focus on the probable outcome, the more success the organization has as it moves forward.

Here are the steps that a business forecaster should typically follow:

• Define the question or problem you need to solve with your business forecasting efforts. For example, you might be interested in estimating whether your organization will be able to meet product demand for the next quarter.
• Identify the datasets and variables that need to be taken into consideration. In this case, datasets such as the sales records from the previous year and variables related to capacity, production and demand planning .
• Choose a business forecasting method that adjusts to your dataset and forecasting goals. That depends on whether your problem or question can be solved using a qualitative, quantitative or mixed approach.
• Based on the analysis of historical data, you can proceed to estimate future business performance. Keep in mind that the accuracy of your business forecasting depends on the quality of your data.
• Determine the discrepancy between your business forecast and actual business performance. Document your findings and improve your business forecasting process.

As stated above, there are two main types of business forecasting methods, qualitative and quantitative. We’ve compiled some of the more common forecasting models from both sides below.

Delphi Method

This qualitative business forecasting method consists in gathering a panel of subject matter experts and getting their opinions on the same topic in a manner in which they can’t know each other’s thoughts. This is done to prevent bias , which makes it possible for a manager to objectively compare their opinions and see if there are patterns, consensus or division.

Market Research

There are many market research techniques that evaluate the behavior of customers and their response to a certain product or service. Some of those market research methods collect and analyze quantitative data, such as digital marketing metrics and others qualitative data, such as product testing, or customer interviews.

Time Series Analysis

Also referred to as “trend analysis method,” this business forecasting technique simply requires the forecaster to analyze historical data to identify trends. This data analysis process requires statistical analysis as outliers need to be removed. More recent data should be given more weight to better reflect the current state of the business.

The Average Approach

The average approach says that the predictions of all future values are equal to the mean of the past data. Past data is required to use this method, so it can be considered a type of quantitative forecasting. This approach is often used when you need to predict unknown values as it allows you to make calculations based on past averages, where one assumes that the future will closely resemble the past.

The Naïve Approach

The naïve approach is the most cost-effective and is often used as a benchmark to compare against more sophisticated methods. It’s only used for time series data where forecasts are made equal to the last observed value. This approach is useful in industries and sectors where past patterns are unlikely to be reproduced in the future. In such cases, the most recent observed value may prove to be the most informative.

• Develop the Basis: Before you can start forecasting, you must develop a system to investigate the current economic situation around you. That includes your industry and its present position as well as its popular products to better estimate sales and general business operations.
• Estimating Future Business Operations: Now comes the estimation of future conditions, such as the course that future events are likely to take in your industry. Again, this is based on collected data to help with quantitative estimates for the scale of operations in the future.
• Regulating Forecasts: Whatever your forecast is, it must be compared to actual results. This is the only way to find deviations from the norm. Then the reasons for those deviations must be figured out, so action can be taken to correct those deviations in the future.
• Reviewing Forecasting Process: By reviewing the deviations between forecasts and actual performance data, improvements are made in the process, allowing you to refine and review the information for accuracy.

Your forecast will only be as good as the data you put into it. Before collecting data, ask yourself these questions:

• Why collect data?
• What kind of data?
• When to collect it?
• Where to collect it?
• Who will collect it?
• How will it be collected?

These are the questions that will shape your plan for the collection of data, a crucial facet of business forecasting. Once you have your plan, you can collect data from a variety of sources.

Primary Sources

Primary sources contain first-hand data, often collected with reporting tools . These are the ones that you or the person assigned this task to collect personally. If primary data is not available, you must go out and source it through interviews, questionnaires or observations.

Secondary Sources

Secondary sources contain published data or data that has been collected by others. This includes official reports from governments, publications, financial statements from banks or other financial institutions, annual reports of companies, journals, newspapers, magazines and other periodicals.

If business forecasting were a crystal ball, then everyone would be reaping the rewards of their foresight. While business forecasting is a tool to get a better view of what the future might have in store, there’s the argument that it’s wasting valuable time and resources on little return.

It’s true; you can follow the steps, use a variety of methodologies and still get it wrong. It is, after all, the future. There’s no way to ever manage all the variables that can impact future events. There are errors in calculations and the innate prejudices of the people managing the process, all of which add to the unpredictability of the results.

While you’re not going to have a clear, unobscured vision of the future by using business forecasting, it can provide you with insight into probable future trends to give your organization an advantage. Even a small step can be a great leap forward in the highly competitive world of business. By combining statistical and econometric models with experience, skill and objectivity, business forecasting is a formidable tool for any organization looking for a competitive advantage.

Clearly, business forecasting is a project unto itself. To manage a project and collect the data in a way that’s useful in the future, you need a project management tool that can help you plan your process and select the data that helps you decide on a way forward. 

ProjectManager is award-winning software that organizes projects with features that address every phase. The first thing in forecasting is choosing how you’ll take action and make a plan. For example, if you’re going to interview customers to see where the market is likely headed, you’ll need to schedule those interviews. Our online Gantt chart places those interviews as tasks on a timeline so you can get everyone interviewed before your deadline. 

Store All of Your Data in One Place

Those interviews will produce a lot of paperwork, and your data needs to be collected and stored somewhere easily accessible. You can attach notes to each task so the paperwork for each interviewee is saved with the notes that you took. You can also tag those tasks to make it easier to filter the project and locate the interview subjects for which you’re looking. If you’re worried that there’ll be too many documents and images attached to one task, don’t worry as we have unlimited file storage. 

ProjectManager can’t predict the future, but it does provide you with the tools you need to take advantage of business forecasting. Our project management software collects data in real-time, and stores past data, allowing you to filter information and pull up the metrics you need to make the right decision. Try it today with this free 30-day trial.

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What Is Business Forecasting?

What exactly is business forecasting? To help answer this question, consider this. Whether you realize it or not, virtually every business decision and process is based on a forecast. Anything you plan is generally based on an assumption of something happening in the future which, by definition, is a forecast. Not all forecasts are derived from sophisticated methods, but an educated guess about the future is more valuable for the purposes of planning than no forecast at all.

It does not matter which industry you are in, whether your company manufactures products or offers services, or whether your company is small or large, you must have forecasts to plan effectively. Of course, the more accurate the forecasts, the better the plan. It stands to reason that if we know what happened in the past and why, or have insight into what may occur next, we can then predict what is likely to happen in the future. With this information, we can potentially alter the future to the company’s advantage.

Business Forecasting Drives Better Decision Making

Business Forecasting is the process of using analytics, data, insights, and experience to make predictions and respond to various business needs. The insight gained by Business Forecasting enables companies to automate and optimize their business processes. A Forecaster’s goal is to go beyond knowing what has happened and provide the best assessment of what will happen in the future to drive better decision making.

Many people think of a Business Forecast as how many of something we will sell next week. That is part of it, but Business Forecasting can encompass anything that identifies the likelihood of a future outcome, provides comparative information using analytics, or drives data-driven business decisions.

What Is Business Forecasting Used For?

Business Forecasting can be used for:

• Strategic planning and decision-making (long-term planning)
• Finance and accounting (budgets and cost controls)
• Marketing (consumer behavior, life cycle management, pricing)
• Operations and supply chain (resource planning, production, logistics, inventory)

Business Forecasting Techniques

At the heart of business process decision making is the forecast, which involves techniques including:

• Qualitative Forecasting : Refers to the use of opinion or educated guesses in developing forecasts.
• Quantitative Forecasting : Used to develop a future forecast using past data and, often, statistical or mathematical models.

These techniques, along with analyzing data and the use of statistical algorithms, can also be the foundation and input into a Demand Plan. For some companies, the forecast may be considered the Baseline Demand Forecast and is more statistically driven, and is a critical part of Demand Planning.

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What Is Business Forecasting? Predictions to Drive Success

May 17, 2024

Types of business forecasts

Business forecasting methods, benefits of business forecasting, business forecasting challenges, business forecasting vs. scenario planning, business forecasting process, business forecasting examples.

It’s time to look inside your crystal ball and start forecasting. Forecasting gives you the tools you need to make reliable predictions about foreseeable events. 

What is business forecasting? 

Business forecasting is the process of analyzing data to predict future company needs and make insight-driven development decisions. 

There’s really no downside to being prepared! Building a strong forecast prepares businesses for potential issues and identifies areas for profitable growth. Even if your predictions end up being inaccurate, you’ll have all the necessary data and information to get closer to the final forecast. 

Some companies utilize   predictive analytics software   to collect and analyze the data necessary to make an accurate business forecast. Predictive analytics solutions give you the tools to store data, organize information into comprehensive datasets, develop predictive models to forecast business opportunities, adapt datasets to data changes, and allow import/export from other data channels. 

Businesses can create various types of forecasts with business forecasting strategies. Because historical data and market trends affect so many aspects of business, comprehensive predictions can help prepare almost every element of your company. 

• General business forecasting predicts overall market trends and external factors that affect your business’ success. 
• Accounting forecasting creates projections of future business costs . 
• Budget forecasting makes predictions for allocating the budget needed for future projects or addressing potential issues.   Budgeting and forecasting software   is an indispensable tool if you’re looking to forecast for budgeting your business activities.
• Financial forecasting projects a company’s monetary value as a whole. You can use the current assets and liabilities from your  balance sheet  to help you make a prediction.
• Demand forecasting predicts the future needs of your target customer base. 
• Supply forecasting works with demand forecasting to allocate the necessary resources for fulfilling upcoming customer demands.
• Sales forecasting predicts the expected success of the company offerings and how it’ll affect future sales and cash flow.
• Capital forecasting makes predictions about a company’s future assets and liabilities.

There are two main types of business forecasting methods: quantitative and qualitative. While both have unique approaches, they’re similar in their goals and the information used to make predictions – company data and market knowledge. 

Quantitative forecasting

The quantitative forecasting method relies on historical data to predict future needs and trends. The data can be from your own company, market activity, or both. It focuses on cold, hard numbers that can show clear courses of change and action. This method is beneficial for companies that have an extensive amount of data at their disposal.

There are four quantitative forecasting methods: 

• Trend series method: Also referred to as time series analysis, this is the most common forecasting method. Trend series collects as much historical data as possible to identify common shifts over time. This method is useful if your company has a lot of past data that already shows reliable trends.  
• The average approach: This method is also based on repetitive trends. The average approach assumes that the average of past metrics will predict future events. Companies most commonly use the average approach for inventory forecasting.
• Indicator approach: This approach follows different sets of indicator data that help predict potential influences on the general economic conditions, specific target markets, and supply chain. Some examples of indicators include changes in Gross Domestic Product (GDP), unemployment rate, and Consumer Price Index (CPI). By monitoring the applicable indicators, companies can easily predict how these changes may affect their own business needs and profitability by observing how they interact with each other. This approach would be the most effective for companies whose sales are heavily affected by specific economic factors.
• Econometric modeling: This method takes a mathematical approach using regression analysis to measure the consistency in company data over time. Regression analysis uses statistical equations to predict how variables of interest interact and affect a company. The data used in this analysis can be internal datasets or external factors that can affect a business, such as market trends, weather, GDP growth, political changes, and more. Econometric modeling observes the consistency in those datasets and factors to identify the potential for repeat scenarios in the future.

Qualitative forecasting

The qualitative forecasting method relies on the input of those who influence your company’s success. This includes your target customer base and even your leadership team. This method is beneficial for companies that don’t have enough complex data to conduct a quantitative forecast.

There are two approaches to qualitative forecasting:

• Market research: The process of collecting data points through direct correspondence with the market community. This includes conducting surveys, polls, and focus groups to gather real-time feedback and opinions from the target market. Market research looks at competitors to see how they adjust to market fluctuations and adapt to changing  supply and demand . Companies commonly utilize market research to forecast expected sales for new product launches.  
• Delphi method: This method collects forecasting data from company professionals. The company’s foreseeable needs are presented to a  panel of experts, who then work together to forecast the expectations and business decisions that can be made with the derived insights. This method is used to create long-term business predictions and can also be applied to sales forecasts.

There are several benefits to making effective forecasts for your business. You gain valuable insights into its different aspects and the future of its success.

• Foresee upcoming changes with a heads up on potential market changes that can affect your business. With the right prediction, you can strategize the decisions to succeed in the face of the challenges ahead before they become costly surprises.
• Decrease the cost of unexpected demand by preparing ahead of time. Business forecasting is a great starting point for   demand planning . If you plan to incorporate demand forecasting into your business processes, you’ll be prepared for upcoming market demands and avoid the extra costs associated with an influx of demand that you weren’t ready for.
• Increase customer satisfaction by giving them what they want, when they want it. Demand planning doesn’t just benefit you. With the right business forecast, your company can offer products or services to the target industry and meet their expectations. A company ready to serve its market is always met with customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• Set long- and short-term goals by tracking your progress. Business forecasting tools help you outline your future company objectives. Continuous predictions allow you to track the progress of your proposed goals as those future expectations become the present reality. 
• Learn from the past by analyzing it. Forecasting enables you to collect and study extensive historical company data. Keeping a close eye on this data can help you identify where things may have gone wrong in the past. With this new information, your company can make the necessary adjustments to avoid similar mistakes in the future.

While the benefits of business forecasting highlight all of the amazing advantages it has to offer, it’s not a surefire way to prepare for the future. Companies who plan to forecast should also keep the challenges in mind and make sure that forecasting has more pros than cons for their business. Below are some of the notable challenges of business forecasting.

• You can’t always expect the unexpected. While old data can help you gain insights into company processes and learn from mistakes, history doesn’t always repeat itself. Business forecasting isn’t a perfect process, and although helpful, it may not precisely predict future trends or business matters using old company data alone. It operates on the assumption that what happened will most likely happen again. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, and the hard work put into preparing for a forecasted event may never come to fruition. 
• It takes time to create an accurate forecast. Forecasting can be a lengthy process when started from scratch. Some companies find it challenging to gather the resources needed to begin predicting and allocate the time to do it correctly. 
• Historical data will always be outdated. There’s no way to know what’ll happen next. Although historical information is very valuable, it’s forever considered “old”. Forecasts are never based on the present and, therefore, are only as accurate as the data you already collected.

Business forecasting is often confused with scenario planning because of their shared goal of preparing for the future. Both rely on learning from past mistakes and reflecting on what decisions must be made to drive success. However, business forecasting and scenario planning differ in the preparation process. 

Business forecasting focuses on a problem at hand and uses historical data to predict what might happen next. It emphasizes   predictive analytics   and the need to eliminate existing uncertainties. The problem can be as broad as the actual performance of the entire company, or as specific as how a single product might sell in the future based on past market trends. 

While built on tangible data, forecasting is essentially a guess of the future and you need to make assumptions ahead of time to prepare for any predicted issues. Forecasting is an all-hands-on-deck approach that involves many departments, including analysts, economists, managers, and more.

Scenario planning   creates multiple scenarios to help prepare for the future. With these scenarios in mind, a company can begin planning a course of action to achieve the desired outcome. This includes creating step-by-step strategies and timelines for achieving objectives. 

While business forecasting focuses on past information, scenario planning takes the past, present, and future into consideration with learnings from the past, understanding the capabilities of the present, and aspiring for future success. Although a team’s input is important in scenario planning, company’s primary decision-makers carry out the bulk of the process.   

The way a company forecasts is always unique to its needs and resources, but the primary forecasting process can be summed up in five steps. These steps outline how business forecasting starts with a problem and ends with not only a solution but valuable learnings.

1. Choose an issue to address

The first step in predicting the future is choosing the problem you’re trying to solve or the question you’re trying to answer. This can be as simple as determining whether your audience will be interested in a new product your company is developing. Because this step doesn’t yet involve any data, it relies on internal considerations and decisions to define the problem at hand. 

2. Create a data plan

The next step in forecasting is to collect as much data as possible and decide how to use it. This may require digging up some extensive historical company data and examining the past and present market trends. Suppose your company is trying to launch a new product. In this case, the gathered data can be a culmination of the performance of your previous product and the current performance of similar competing products in the target market.

3. Pick a forecasting technique

After collecting the necessary data, it’s time to choose a business forecasting technique that works with the available resources and the type of prediction. All the forecasting models are effective and get you on the right track, but one may be more favorable than others in creating a unique, comprehensive forecast. 

For example, if you have extensive data on hand, quantitative forecasting is ideal for interpretation. Qualitative forecasting is best if you have less hard data available and are willing to invest in extensive market research.  

4. Analyze the data

Once the ball starts rolling, you can begin identifying patterns in the past and predict the probability of their repetition. This information will help your company’s decision-makers determine what to do beforehand to prepare for the predicted scenarios.

5. Verify your findings

The end of business forecasting is simple. You wait to see if what you predicted actually happens. This step is especially important in determining not only the success of your forecast but also the effectiveness of the entire process. Having done some forecasting, you can compare the present experience with these forecasts to identify potential areas for growth.

When in doubt, never throw away “old” data. The final information of one forecasting process can also be used as the past data for another forecast. It’s like a life cycle of business development predictions.

With the different types of business forecasting come different potential use cases. A company may choose to utilize several elements of business forecasting to prepare for various situations. Here are some real-life examples where business forecasting would be valuable. 

The seasoned veteran

Suppose you represent a company that has been in the market for a long time but has never tried business forecasting. Because of the long history of company data, you choose to try out quantitative business forecasting. Your aim is to make predictions using the most cost-effective and least time-consuming method. With those considerations, you may opt for the trend series method to manually identify common trends in old data, determine the likelihood of repeat instances, and forecast accordingly.

The new kid on the block

Imagine you are a new company that has entered the market to start selling your own brand of smartphones. You may think that business forecasting is impossible because you don’t have any historical company data to work off of. However, you can utilize qualitative business forecasting! Because the smartphone industry is a highly competitive one, you can use market research to take advantage of publicly available market data.

The one who wants the best of both worlds

Imagine you work for a recruiting company that has noticed that the country’s unemployment rate heavily affects company performance and has the data to prove it. As you have a clear indicator that directly impacts the potential for success, using the indicator approach to create long-term predictions would be the right call.

However, your company stresses the importance of integrating expert knowledge into the forecasting process. This extra note means that some qualitative forecasting can be used as well. You may choose to use the Delphi method to collect expert opinions and weigh that into the final forecasts as well.

What do the stars have in store for you?

Creating comprehensive predictions isn’t rocket science. With business forecasting, seeing the future is as easy as learning from the past. What you do with your findings is what will set you apart. 

Want to start forecasting for your business? Learn more about  business analytics  and how it helps collect the necessary data and insights. 

Alexandra Vazquez is a Senior Content Marketing Specialist at G2. She received her Business Administration degree from Florida International University and is a published playwright. Alexandra's expertise lies in writing for the Supply Chain and Commerce personas, with articles focusing on topics such as demand planning, inventory management, consumer behavior, and business forecasting. In her spare time, she enjoys collecting board games, playing karaoke, and watching trashy reality TV.

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Navigating the future with business forecasting

In today's dynamic and ever-changing business environment, organisations must make accurate future predictions to stay competitive and thrive. Business forecasting is one tool that enables companies to make informed decisions about their future.

What is business forecasting?

Business forecasting is predicting future outcomes based on past and present data. This involves analysing historical trends, market conditions, customer behaviour, and other relevant factors to determine prospects and threats.

The main goal of business forecasting is to develop an informed estimate of future events and circumstances . This enables businesses to make strategic decisions and prepare for future expansion.

Why is business forecasting important?

Forecasting is important for businesses as :

• It helps organisations to make strategic plans for the future.
• Helps organisations to allocate resources effectively and efficiently.
• Plays a crucial role in financial planning by helping businesses estimate future revenues, expenses, and profits.
• Helps organisations to identify problems, potential risks and uncertainties and develop risk management strategies to mitigate them.
• Provides decision-makers with valuable insights and data, which can help them make better-informed decisions and develop short & long term success strategies .

Related article: The best cash flow forecasting software in 2023

Business forecasting process

Effective business forecasting requires careful planning and execution. The following steps provide a comprehensive guide on how to develop a successful forecasting plan:

Define the objective : The first step in the business forecasting process is to define the objective of the forecast by identifying the key performance indicators (KPIs) such as sales, revenue, or market share.

Gather data : Next, gather relevant data, including historical data on the KPIs, market trends, and other variables that may impact the forecast.

Analyse the data : Once the data has been gathered, it must be analysed to identify patterns, trends, and other factors that may impact the forecast. This can be done using statistical models, machine learning algorithms, or other analytical tools.

Develop the forecast : Based on the analysis of the data, a forecast can be developed using the insights gained from the data analysis to generate a prediction of future performance on the KPIs.

Validate the forecast : Now, it should be validated to ensure its accuracy. This can be done by comparing the forecast to actual performance data from past periods.

Implement the forecast : Finally, the forecast can be used to make informed decisions about business operations. This involves adjusting resource allocation, pricing strategies, or other aspects of the business based on the predicted future performance.

As business forecasting is an iterative process, it's important to monitor actual performance against the forecast and adjust the forecast as required to ensure its accuracy over time.

👉 Watch our video on cash flow forecasting

What are 2 basic methods of forecasting in business?

Two main methods of forecasting are:

Qualitative forecasting : This approach uses expert opinions, market research, surveys, and other subjective data to predict future trends. Qualitative forecasting is useful when historical data is limited, and the future is uncertain.

Quantitative forecasting : This method relies on historical data and statistical analysis to predict future trends. Quantitative forecasting is suitable for industries with a lot of historical data and stable market conditions.

4 Basic forecasting techniques

The four basic forecasting techniques are:

Trend analysis : This method identifies patterns and trends in historical data to predict future values. Trend analysis helps forecast long-term trends.

Regression analysis : Regression analysis is helpful for forecasting in complex environments where multiple variables are involved. This approach identifies the relationship between two or more variables to predict future values.

Moving average : This method calculates the average of past data points to identify trends and predict future values. Moving averages are helpful for forecasting in stable and predictable environments.

Exponential smoothing : Exponential smoothing is helpful for forecasting in rapidly changing environments. This technique assigns more weight to recent data points than older ones to predict future values.

A few other business forecasting techniques are:

• Scenario analysis
• Judgmental forecasting
• Causal forecasting
• Econometric forecasting
• Delphi method
• Simulation modelling

See also: Improving liquidity in your business in 5 easy ways

5 Forecast models:

Forecast models in business forecasting are mathematical or statistical tools used to predict future trends and outcomes based on historical data and various influencing factors. These models are designed to analyse patterns, relationships, and dependencies within the data to generate reliable forecasts.

The forecast models serve as valuable tools for businesses to anticipate demand, sales, market trends, financial performance, and other crucial factors, enabling them to make informed decisions and develop effective strategies. By leveraging these forecast models, businesses can make data-driven decisions, improve resource allocation, optimise inventory levels, and enhance operational efficiency.

There are several types of forecast models commonly used in business forecasting, such as:

1. Time Series Models: These models analyse historical data to identify patterns and make predictions based on the assumption that future trends will continue in a similar pattern. Time series models, such as moving averages and exponential smoothing, are commonly used in businesses to forecast demand, sales, and financial metrics. These models can predict future trends by analysing historical patterns and seasonality and help businesses optimise inventory management, production planning, and resource allocation.

2. Regression Models: Regression analysis uses historical data to establish relationships between variables, allowing for the prediction of one variable based on the values of other related variables. It is widely applied in business forecasting to understand the relationships between variables. For example, businesses may use regression models to forecast sales based on factors like marketing expenditure, pricing, and macroeconomic indicators. These models provide insights into the impact of different variables on business performance and inform strategic decision-making.

3. Exponential Smoothing Models: Exponential smoothing models place greater emphasis on recent data points, giving them more weight in the forecast calculation while gradually decreasing the impact of older data. Exponential smoothing models are helpful for short-term forecasting and are commonly employed in inventory management and sales forecasting. By assigning different weights to recent and older data points, these models give more significance to recent trends, allowing businesses to adapt quickly to changes in demand.

4. Econometric Models: These models incorporate economic theory and statistical techniques to forecast business outcomes by considering factors such as GDP, inflation, interest rates, and other macroeconomic indicators. These models are applied in areas such as financial forecasting, market analysis, and pricing strategies. By considering macroeconomic factors and their impact on specific industries, businesses can predict market conditions and adjust their strategy accordingly.

5. Machine Learning Models: Machine learning algorithms can analyse large volumes of data, identify complex patterns, and make forecasts based on the identified patterns. Machine learning algorithms, including neural networks, decision trees, and random forests, can be utilised to forecast various business metrics. These models can analyse large datasets, identify complex patterns, and make accurate predictions. Businesses apply machine learning models for demand forecasting, customer behaviour analysis, fraud detection, and personalised marketing campaigns.

What are examples of business forecasts?

Let's take the example of business forecasting for a company that manufactures and sells organic skincare products. Based on the assumptions, that the company has been in business for a few years and has historical sales data, it could use that data to forecast its sales using trend analysis for the next year.

They might consider such cases and scenarios, as mentioned under:

• Past sales trends : If sales have steadily increased by 10% each year, they might assume they will see similar growth in the coming year.
• Market trends : They would also look at broader trends - Whether more people are becoming interested in organic products. Is there a new ingredient that is gaining popularity? These factors could influence the company's sales.
• Marketing initiatives: If the company plans to launch a new product line or run a major advertising campaign, it might expect a boost in sales.

Using this information, the company could create a sales forecast for the following year. They might forecast a 10% increase in sales based on historical trends, plus an additional 5% increase based on market trends and marketing initiatives.

Business Forecasting Software

Business forecasting software uses cutting-edge algorithms and statistical approaches to analyse historical data and current market conditions to generate accurate forecasts about future outcomes. It helps organisations to predict future trends, patterns, and behaviours related to their business operations.

Business forecasting software is used by companies in various industries. Its key features include data visualisation tools, predictive analytics, scenario planning, and automated reporting.

Using a business forecasting software:

• Businesses can make more informed decisions about resource allocation, budgeting, and strategic planning.
• Businesses can identify potential risks and opportunities and adjust their operations to stay competitive in a rapidly changing market.

Wrapping Up

Business forecasting emerges as a vital tool for organisations aiming to make well-informed decisions regarding the future.

By following a comprehensive process that includes defining the objective, gathering data, selecting the methodology, developing the forecast, and monitoring and reviewing, companies can develop accurate and reliable predictions that inform strategic decisions and drive growth.

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What Is a Business Plan?

Understanding business plans, how to write a business plan, common elements of a business plan, the bottom line, business plan: what it is, what's included, and how to write one.

Adam Hayes, Ph.D., CFA, is a financial writer with 15+ years Wall Street experience as a derivatives trader. Besides his extensive derivative trading expertise, Adam is an expert in economics and behavioral finance. Adam received his master's in economics from The New School for Social Research and his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in sociology. He is a CFA charterholder as well as holding FINRA Series 7, 55 & 63 licenses. He currently researches and teaches economic sociology and the social studies of finance at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

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A business plan is a document that outlines a company's goals and the strategies to achieve them. It's valuable for both startups and established companies. For startups, a well-crafted business plan is crucial for attracting potential lenders and investors. Established businesses use business plans to stay on track and aligned with their growth objectives. This article will explain the key components of an effective business plan and guidance on how to write one.

Key Takeaways

• A business plan is a document detailing a company's business activities and strategies for achieving its goals.
• Startup companies use business plans to launch their venture and to attract outside investors.
• For established companies, a business plan helps keep the executive team focused on short- and long-term objectives.
• There's no single required format for a business plan, but certain key elements are essential for most companies.

Investopedia / Ryan Oakley

Any new business should have a business plan in place before beginning operations. Banks and venture capital firms often want to see a business plan before considering making a loan or providing capital to new businesses.

Even if a company doesn't need additional funding, having a business plan helps it stay focused on its goals. Research from the University of Oregon shows that businesses with a plan are significantly more likely to secure funding than those without one. Moreover, companies with a business plan grow 30% faster than those that don't plan. According to a Harvard Business Review article, entrepreneurs who write formal plans are 16% more likely to achieve viability than those who don't.

A business plan should ideally be reviewed and updated periodically to reflect achieved goals or changes in direction. An established business moving in a new direction might even create an entirely new plan.

There are numerous benefits to creating (and sticking to) a well-conceived business plan. It allows for careful consideration of ideas before significant investment, highlights potential obstacles to success, and provides a tool for seeking objective feedback from trusted outsiders. A business plan may also help ensure that a company’s executive team remains aligned on strategic action items and priorities.

While business plans vary widely, even among competitors in the same industry, they often share basic elements detailed below.

A well-crafted business plan is essential for attracting investors and guiding a company's strategic growth. It should address market needs and investor requirements and provide clear financial projections.

While there are any number of templates that you can use to write a business plan, it's best to try to avoid producing a generic-looking one. Let your plan reflect the unique personality of your business.

Many business plans use some combination of the sections below, with varying levels of detail, depending on the company.

The length of a business plan can vary greatly from business to business. Regardless, gathering the basic information into a 15- to 25-page document is best. Any additional crucial elements, such as patent applications, can be referenced in the main document and included as appendices.

Common elements in many business plans include:

• Executive summary : This section introduces the company and includes its mission statement along with relevant information about the company's leadership, employees, operations, and locations.
• Products and services : Describe the products and services the company offers or plans to introduce. Include details on pricing, product lifespan, and unique consumer benefits. Mention production and manufacturing processes, relevant patents , proprietary technology , and research and development (R&D) information.
• Market analysis : Explain the current state of the industry and the competition. Detail where the company fits in, the types of customers it plans to target, and how it plans to capture market share from competitors.
• Marketing strategy : Outline the company's plans to attract and retain customers, including anticipated advertising and marketing campaigns. Describe the distribution channels that will be used to deliver products or services to consumers.
• Financial plans and projections : Established businesses should include financial statements, balance sheets, and other relevant financial information. New businesses should provide financial targets and estimates for the first few years. This section may also include any funding requests.

Investors want to see a clear exit strategy, expected returns, and a timeline for cashing out. It's likely a good idea to provide five-year profitability forecasts and realistic financial estimates.

2 Types of Business Plans

Business plans can vary in format, often categorized into traditional and lean startup plans. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) , the traditional business plan is the more common of the two.

• Traditional business plans : These are detailed and lengthy, requiring more effort to create but offering comprehensive information that can be persuasive to potential investors.
• Lean startup business plans : These are concise, sometimes just one page, and focus on key elements. While they save time, companies should be ready to provide additional details if requested by investors or lenders.

Why Do Business Plans Fail?

A business plan isn't a surefire recipe for success. The plan may have been unrealistic in its assumptions and projections. Markets and the economy might change in ways that couldn't have been foreseen. A competitor might introduce a revolutionary new product or service. All this calls for building flexibility into your plan, so you can pivot to a new course if needed.

How Often Should a Business Plan Be Updated?

How frequently a business plan needs to be revised will depend on its nature. Updating your business plan is crucial due to changes in external factors (market trends, competition, and regulations) and internal developments (like employee growth and new products). While a well-established business might want to review its plan once a year and make changes if necessary, a new or fast-growing business in a fiercely competitive market might want to revise it more often, such as quarterly.

What Does a Lean Startup Business Plan Include?

The lean startup business plan is ideal for quickly explaining a business, especially for new companies that don't have much information yet. Key sections may include a value proposition , major activities and advantages, resources (staff, intellectual property, and capital), partnerships, customer segments, and revenue sources.

A well-crafted business plan is crucial for any company, whether it's a startup looking for investment or an established business wanting to stay on course. It outlines goals and strategies, boosting a company's chances of securing funding and achieving growth.

As your business and the market change, update your business plan regularly. This keeps it relevant and aligned with your current goals and conditions. Think of your business plan as a living document that evolves with your company, not something carved in stone.

University of Oregon Department of Economics. " Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Business Planning Using Palo Alto's Business Plan Pro ." Eason Ding & Tim Hursey.

Bplans. " Do You Need a Business Plan? Scientific Research Says Yes ."

Harvard Business Review. " Research: Writing a Business Plan Makes Your Startup More Likely to Succeed ."

Harvard Business Review. " How to Write a Winning Business Plan ."

U.S. Small Business Administration. " Write Your Business Plan ."

SCORE. " When and Why Should You Review Your Business Plan? "

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How Business Forecasting Works and Why You Should Use It

As you grow your small business, you need to plan and develop your long-term strategy. Well-run companies don’t just address things as they come up, they plan ahead. As a small business owner, it’s important to keep sight of the bigger picture through business forecasting. 

With business forecasting, companies use different methods and data to predict market trends to help determine their short-term and long-term business outlook. This data is a vital part of helping companies grow, start new initiatives, and plan their finances for the quarter and year. It can also help you plan for potential seasonal dips in your cash flow or plan for future expansions. 

Keep reading to find out more about the different types of and elements that make up business forecasting as well as why every small business should consider using forecasting methods.

What Is Business Forecasting? 

Business forecasting is making informed predictions about business metrics. That can include specific aspects of a business, such as launching a new product, or cover the company as a whole. Often, financial, operational, and business decisions will be based on these forecasting techniques. 

While no one can predict the future, business forecasting methods can help even small businesses develop strategies. With business forecasting, historical data is collected and analyzed to find potential patterns. Today, most forecasting includes some form of technology, such as artificial intelligence, to help develop models. 

Why Should You Use Business Forecasting? 

Business forecasts can be used for budgeting, expanding your business , figuring out where to allocate funding, making decisions about cash flow, and helping create timelines for business operations, such as new initiatives. It helps companies make decisions based on data rather than on intuition and opinion. 

For example, forecasting can be used to figure out how much pressure competition will put on your business, measure the demand for a product, help allocate resources, and forecast earnings.

Small business owners can use business forecasting to identify weaknesses in their long-term plans, come up with a plan of action for the future growth of the company, and adapt to changes in the economy. 

Types of Business Forecasting 

There are a few methods to conduct business forecasting and planning. Most are either qualitative (which uses non-numerical data such as market reports and surveys) or quantitative (meaning they use mathematical and statistical modeling). 

Qualitative Models

Qualitative forecasting models are usually used for short-term forecasting. They tend to rely more on opinions and trends rather than measurable data. This type of analysis is more expert-driven but can be limited to longer-term projections. 

Some of the common qualitative models for business forecasting include: 

Market research: Market research is a business forecasting technique that uses polling and surveying large numbers of prospective customers to collect information. This might be on the specific brand or product or about the company as a whole. Market research can be used to predict if customers will buy more or less of a specific product in the foreseeable future. 

Delphi method: With the delphi method of analysis, experts are polled about specific topics. This usually includes a panel where the experts are presented with a questionnaire in a few rounds. After each round, the experts can adjust their responses based on the aggregate answers of all respondents. The opinions are then compiled to help forecast future trends. 

Quantitative Models

Quantitative methods use hard data and avoid opinions or polls from people. Instead, these techniques focus solely on numbers. Quantitative models are used to predict long-term trends and variables, such as sales forecasts. 

Some of the most common quantitative forecasting include: 

Time series methods: This forecasting model, also called a time series analysis, uses past data points to predict the future, excluding deviations. It’s also the most common method used by companies. To use a time series method though, you need to have access to a lot of historical data that shows clear and stable trends, otherwise, your forecasting models will be inaccurate. 

Indicator approach: This methodology uses the relations between different types of indicators — for example, looking at gross domestic product and the unemployment rate. It will look at the performance of the lagging indicators to try to measure the impact of business strategies. 

Econometric modeling: With econometric modeling, you make several mathematical equations to test the consistency of datasets over time and measure the relationship between the different sets of data. This method is very math-heavy and can be used to predict changes in the economy and market conditions and the potential impact those changes could have on a company. 

5 Steps of Business Forecasting 

To get accurate forecasts in your business forecasting, you need to make sure the information you get is accurate. While each method uses different strategies, they generally each follow the same steps: 

Identify your question or problem: First, you need to figure out what it is you want to know. What problem in your business are you trying to solve? For example, you might want to know if you can meet demand next quarter or calculate how much of a product you will sell over the year.

Gather data: Next, you need to figure out the data you have available to you. That can be anything from sales data, how long it takes you to produce products, demand forecasts, customer satisfaction forms, and more.

Choose your forecasting method: Once you have your data, you can decide which type of business forecasting analysis you want to use. The type of method you will choose will depend on what it is you’re trying to find out.

Make an estimate: Using the forecasting method chosen, you can start to make business predictions. This can help you estimate future business performance. Keep in mind that your forecasts are only as good as your data, so make sure you have the most accurate, updated data points.

Figure out any discrepancies: Look back at your predictions to determine if they were accurate. Keep track of your findings to help improve your forecasting models in the future. You can also consider using third-party business forecasting models and data to help create business predictions.

Grow Your Company With Accurate and Reliable Data 

Business forecasting can help companies with their business planning and decision-making. Forecasting models help predict future trends and assist you in figuring out your operations and budgeting forecasts for the next year.

While there’s no crystal ball that can tell you exactly what will happen in the future, forecasting is the closest you can get to understanding the future. Of course, the more data you have, the easier it is to make accurate business forecasts.  

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What Is Forecasting And Why Do Small Businesses Need It?

Forecasting may not be on the top of your to-do list, but it's very important to run a successful enterprise.

Table of Contents

Forecasting is the process of looking at past and present data, as well as marketplace trends, to predict the company’s future financial performance. It enables you to gauge how much revenue you’ll potentially earn in a particular period and plan for big expenses. It’s also a critically important part of running a small business.

Forecasting vs. budgeting

Forecasting is different from budgeting for small businesses , but they go hand in hand. The forecast predicts the results for the company in the future while the budget lays out how the business will get there along the way. A forecast offers a target based on historical data and a budget describes the practical investments that will be made to reach that target.

Unfortunately for many business owners, financial forecasting can be a source of dread, said Clare Levison, a certified public accountant and member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Financial Literacy Commission.

“Many business owners avoid forecasting because it’s tedious or intimidating,” she said. “Small business owners are passionate about what they are doing and don’t love the financial aspect of running a business , but it’s a crucial piece of being successful.”

However, businesses that embrace forecasting may find the insights help them make smarter financial decisions and grow their business in a stable, profitable way.

What is the importance of forecasting?

Forecasting may seem like yet another item to add to the to-do list, but there are clear benefits to this type of business planning. Here are three big reasons to conduct forecasting.

1. It helps you plan for the future.

Running a business can be uncertain in normal times. Add a global pandemic to the mix and it may be impossible to tell how your business will fare in a week, let alone a year. A forecast brings some clarity to your business, even if it’s bad.

“You can anticipate what could be coming down the pike, not just what’s going on one day,” said Mike Slack, manager of the H&R Block Tax Institute. “It’s crucial that a forecast is created to plan for what’s coming.”  

Slack said to create forecasts for different scenarios ― for instance, a forecast for a nationwide pandemic recovery and one that plans for more shutdowns and restrictions.

2. It can inform business decisions.

Without an accurate representation of what’s going on in your business, you won’t know if there are challenges brewing or if you can chase a new growth opportunity. A forecast can inform business decisions, streamline operations and improve profitability.

[Are you looking for a small business loan? Check out our picks for the best small business loans .]

3. It prevents tax bill surprises.

Death and taxes are two of life’s certainties, yet many small business owners are caught off guard when they are hit with a big tax bill . Forecasting can prevent that shock since it involves laying out all your expenses for the year.

“Without forecasting, you [might still] wind up solving the month-to-month cash flow issues, paying your bills, negotiating new terms every now and then and staying in the black,” said Jon Fasoli, chief design and product officer at Mailchimp. “But come the end of the year, you have a massive tax bill you don’t have the cash for. Avoiding those moments of surprise are done through cash flow forecasting.”

What are the methods used in forecasting?

There are two common methods of forecasting: qualitative and quantitative. The more viable method for your company depends largely on how long you’ve been in business:

• Qualitative forecasting: With this method, you’re making business predictions without the benefit of measuring them against past data. It’s the common method for new businesses that lack historical sales or expense data. It largely relies on the judgment of the person creating the forecast. It’s also a popular method for forecasting far into the future.
• Quantitative forecasting: You can use this method when you have measurable data to inform the forecast. By measuring sales against past performance, you can gauge if business is growing or slowing. It’s a common method for short-term forecasting.

What are the various types of forecasting in business?

Business owners can measure several items to conduct their forecasts:

• Cash flow: Cash flow forecasting means predicting how much money will come in and go out of your business for a set period. The more accurate your cash flow forecast is, the smoother your business will run during that time because you’ll be able to plan your operations according to the money you will and won’t have.
• Sales forecast: To manage inventory or demand properly, you would forecast future sales . This means looking at your business’s past performance to predict your future sales.
• Startup cost forecasting: Used by new businesses, this forecast determines how much in startup costs the company will face in the coming months or year.
• Expense forecasting: Unexpected expenses can eat away at your profits. With expense forecasting, you remove much of the surprise by laying out all the expenses your business will incur over a future period.
• Demand forecasting: To gauge your future sales, you can try to forecast demand. To do this, you’d look at your historical data, including your sales and seasonal trends, to pinpoint future periods of high and low demand.

How do you develop a forecast?

When you’re developing a forecasting method, the level of detail you need depends on your type of business and its complexity. That means taking a close look at each aspect of your business’s financial health and estimating as accurately as possible how it will trend into the future.

Project your revenue

Levison said to forecast your revenue, which is how much sales are coming in; your expenses, which include your contractual obligations, such as rent and credit cards; and your future obligations, which are the items you know you’ll spend money on in the coming year.

At the end of the day, you want to choose a forecasting method that works for you and your small business. Forecasting shouldn’t be a dreaded exercise, but an embraced tool to help you run your business effectively.

“Think of it the same way you would think of a household budget,” Levison said. “Every single person needs a household budget and every single business owner needs a forecast.”

Analyze your expenses

In addition to the money flowing into your business, look at your expenses, including inventory, rent or mortgage, payroll, tax obligations, supplies and all the other monthly costs of operating a business. Combine these data points for a view of what to expect in the next six months, the next year or further in the future.

“For businesses that have historical data, look back at where cash was positive and negative and drill into those moments,” Fasoli said. “What drove cash flow and what was a surprise? And bake that into the forecast.”

Monitor your cash flow

For most small business owners, cash flow is a good place to start, according to Fasoli. After all, cash flow is really what makes or breaks a business.

“The variables baked into the cash flow forecasting should include seasonality, how to anticipate ebbs and flows , the terms of your payments, how much time you anticipate passing between finishing works and getting paid and what structure you have in place to incentivize people to pay on time,” Fasoli said.

The timing of your financial forecast is also important, but how far out you should look depends on your business and temperament. You don’t want to gear up to forecast your business for the next five years only to get overwhelmed quickly. Levison recommends breaking it down into a one-year, three-year and five-year forecast that you update regularly to get a complete picture of your enterprise.

“I encourage people to, on a weekly basis, keep track of revenue and expenses; on a monthly basis, update the annual forecast for the current year; and, on a yearly basis, update the three- and five-year outlooks,” she said.

Forecasting is key to smart planning

Developing a plan for your business is critical, but it’s hard to do that without an idea of what the future holds. By using historical accounting data, you can develop a clear picture of where your finances are today and where they are headed. Armed with this information, you can make more informed decisions about your business that help you grow with purpose and stay profitable. Financial forecasting should be the core of every small business’s planning — without it, you’re operating in the dark.

Jacob Bierer-Nielsen also contributed to this article.

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What is a Business Plan? Definition, Tips, and Templates

Published: June 28, 2024

Years ago, I had an idea to launch a line of region-specific board games. I knew there was a market for games that celebrated local culture and heritage. I was so excited about the concept and couldn't wait to get started.

But my idea never took off. Why? Because I didn‘t have a plan. I lacked direction, missed opportunities, and ultimately, the venture never got off the ground.

And that’s exactly why a business plan is important. It cements your vision, gives you clarity, and outlines your next step.

In this post, I‘ll explain what a business plan is, the reasons why you’d need one, identify different types of business plans, and what you should include in yours.

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What is a business plan?

What is a business plan used for.

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Purposes of a Business Plan

What does a business plan need to include, types of business plans.

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A business plan is a comprehensive document that outlines a company's goals, strategies, and financial projections. It provides a detailed description of the business, including its products or services, target market, competitive landscape, and marketing and sales strategies. The plan also includes a financial section that forecasts revenue, expenses, and cash flow, as well as a funding request if the business is seeking investment.

The business plan is an undeniably critical component to getting any company off the ground. It's key to securing financing, documenting your business model, outlining your financial projections, and turning that nugget of a business idea into a reality.

The purpose of a business plan is three-fold: It summarizes the organization’s strategy in order to execute it long term, secures financing from investors, and helps forecast future business demands.

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2. Documenting a Company's Strategy and Goals

I think a business plan should leave no stone unturned.

Business plans can span dozens or even hundreds of pages, affording their drafters the opportunity to explain what a business' goals are and how the business will achieve them.

To show potential investors that they've addressed every question and thought through every possible scenario, entrepreneurs should thoroughly explain their marketing, sales, and operations strategies — from acquiring a physical location for the business to explaining a tactical approach for marketing penetration.

These explanations should ultimately lead to a business' break-even point supported by a sales forecast and financial projections, with the business plan writer being able to speak to the why behind anything outlined in the plan.

3. Legitimizing a Business Idea

I’ve seen that everyone‘s got a great idea for a company — until they put pen to paper and realize that it’s not exactly feasible.

A business plan is an aspiring entrepreneur's way to prove that a business idea is actually worth pursuing.

As entrepreneurs document their go-to-market process, capital needs, and expected return on investment, entrepreneurs likely come across a few hiccups that will make them second guess their strategies and metrics — and that's exactly what the business plan is for.

It ensures you have everything in order before bringing their business idea to the world and reassures the readers that whoever wrote the plan is serious about the idea, having put hours into thinking of the business idea, fleshing out growth tactics, and calculating financial projections.

4. Getting an A in Your Business Class

Speaking from personal experience, there‘s a chance you’re here to get business plan ideas for your Business 101 class project.

If that's the case, might I suggest checking out this post on How to Write a Business Plan , which provides a section-by-section guide on creating your plan?

5. Identifying Potential Problems

Business plans act as early warning systems that identify potential problems before they escalate into major obstacles.

How? When you conduct thorough market research, analyze competitor strategies, and evaluate financial projections, your plan pinpoints vulnerabilities and risks. This allows you to develop contingency plans and risk mitigation strategies.

This helps you prevent costly mistakes and shows investors and lenders you’re well-prepared and have considered various scenarios.

6. Attracts and Retains Talent

A well-articulated plan outlines your company's vision, mission, and values, showcasing a clear direction and purpose. People who want meaningful work that aligns with their ambitions will love this.

Also, it shows the company's potential for growth and stability. This instills confidence in employees and assures them of a secure future and opportunities for career advancement.

When you show growth potential and highlight a positive work culture, your business plan becomes a magnet for top talent.

7. Provides a Roadmap

A business plan provides a detailed roadmap for your company's future. It outlines your objectives, strategies, and the specific actions you need to achieve your goals.

When you define your path forward, a business plan helps you stay focused and on track, even when you face challenges or distractions. It’s a great reference tool that allows you to make smart decisions that align with your overall vision.

This way, having a comprehensive roadmap in the form of a business plan provides direction and clarity at every stage of your business journey.

8. Serves as a Marketing Tool

A business plan is not only an internal guide but also serves as a powerful marketing tool. Your business plan can showcase your company‘s strengths, unique value proposition, and growth potential when you’re looking for investors, partnerships, or new clients.

It provides a professional and polished overview of your business, which shows your commitment and strategic thinking to potential stakeholders.

Your business plan helps you attract the right people by clearly articulating your target market, competitive advantages, and financial projections. In summary, it acts as a persuasive sales pitch.

• Business Plan Subtitle
• Executive Summary
• Company Description
• The Business Opportunity
• Competitive Analysis
• Target Market
• Marketing Plan
• Financial Summary
• Funding Requirements

1. Business Plan Subtitle

Every great business plan starts with a captivating title and subtitle. You’ll want to make it clear that the document is, in fact, a business plan, but the subtitle can help tell the story of your business in just a short sentence.

2. Executive Summary

Although this is the last part of the business plan that you’ll write, it’s the first section (and maybe the only section) that stakeholders will read.

The executive summary of a business plan sets the stage for the rest of the document. It includes your company’s mission or vision statement, value proposition, and long-term goals.

3. Company Description

This brief part of your business plan will detail your business name, years in operation, key offerings, and positioning statement.

You might even add core values or a short history of the company. The company description’s role in a business plan is to introduce your business to the reader in a compelling and concise way.

4. The Business Opportunity

The business opportunity should convince investors that your organization meets the needs of the market in a way that no other company can.

This section explains the specific problem your business solves within the marketplace and how it solves them. It will include your value proposition as well as some high-level information about your target market.

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What is forecasting? Definition and meaning

Forecasting is determining what is going to happen in the future by analyzing what happened in the past and what is going on now. It is a planning tool that helps business people in their attempts to cope with the uncertainty of what might and might not occur. Forecasting relies on past and current data and analysis of trends.

Company management, government departments, economists, and investors utilize forecasting to decide how to allocate their resources and prepare reports. They also use it to plan for anticipated expenses.

As far as companies are concerned, this is mainly based on predicted demand for its goods or services.

Economists, for example, might estimate some variable of interest rates at a specific date in the future. Forecasting is similar to prediction , which is a more general term.

It is similar to, but not the same as futurology , which is more systemic or holistic .

The Economist made the following comment regarding forecasting: “Best guesses about the future. Despite complex economic theories and cutting-edge econometrics, the forecasts economists make are often badly wrong. Indeed, following economic forecasts has been likened to driving a car blindfolded, following directions given by a person who is looking out of the back window.”

Forecasting the weather

We also use forecasting in predicting the weather. In hydrology, for example, it involves determining at what levels rainfall will be at specific future dates.

There is one thing all forecasters have in common – they all agree that the future is unpredictable.

Any forecast they make always comes with a clear warning that what they are providing are only calculated guesses and that things may turn out quite differently.

According to BusinessDictionary.com , forecasting is:

“A planning tool that helps management in its attempts to cope with the uncertainty of the future, relying mainly on data from the past and present and analysis of trends.”

Forecasting – calculated guesses

Despite the complex theories and state-of-the-art econometrics that forecasters use today, their predictions are often completely wrong.

In fact, following economic forecasts is similar to driving a car with your eyes closed, following the directions of a passenger who is looking out of the back window.

Regarding attempting to make predictions, movie mogul Sam Goldwyn once said: “Never prophesy, especially about the future.”

Budgeting vs. forecasting

Forecasting and budgeting are commonly linked together, but they are not the same.

A budget is a detailed financial outline of what the company thinks is going to happen over a future period – usually the next twelve months.

It includes details on the business’ expenses, revenues, cash flow, and financial position.

This information is included in a company’s financial reports. Depending on the size of the business, there may be a budgeting process – usually performed later in the year.

The majority of budgets are static. The directors set them for the firm’s financial year. Some commercial enterprises use a continuous budget, which people adjust during the year as business conditions change.

Forecasting

Forecasting is a projection of what is going to happen at a much higher level and includes revenue items, overall expenses, and other business components. Forecasts may be short- or long-term.

People generally make short-term forecasts for operational reasons. However, long-term ones, which project over a number of years, provide data for a longer-term business plan.

Put simply; budgeting includes a plan for where a company wants to go, while forecasting gives us an indication where it is actually heading.

A budget estimates how much revenue and expenses a business may incur over a future period. Forecasting, on the other hand, estimates the business’ financial outcomes by gathering and analyzing historical data.

Forecasting – advantages

Helps predict the future.

It helps give management a general idea of what to expect. This provides the company with a sense of direction which will allow it to function better in the marketplace.

Good for Customers

If a company can predict demand, it is more likely always to make sure its products are available. There is a greater chance of meeting orders and delivering on time.

Keeps a Company Up-to-date

Businesses that forecast regularly must think ahead all the time. This helps them anticipate changing market trends.

Keeping up with the times makes us better able to compete with our rivals.

Learn from Past Experience

Gathering and analyzing past data helps people remember what worked and what didn’t.

Learning from experience makes us stronger. It also increases our chances of making a profit.

Stay on Top of Costs

If you can predict future demand, you will know what production levels to plan for in future. You can use this information to determine whether you will need more or fewer workers more accurately.

Receiving Financing

If a company needs a loan for a project, the lender will need information about the future, such as sales, profits, etc. The lender needs that data before it will consider approving the loan.

Forecasting methods

Qualitative methods.

These are subjective and are based on the judgment and opinion of experts or consumers. We use them no past data is available.

People use qualitative methods for making medium-to-long-range decisions. Market research is a type of qualitative forecasting method.

Quantitative Methods

With quantitative methods, we forecast future data as a function of past data. These methods are appropriate when we have past numerical data.

They are also appropriate when we can reasonably assume that some of the data patterns are likely to continue in the future.

We generally use quantitative methods for making short-term and medium-term decisions.

Average Method

Forecasts of all future values equal the mean of the historical data. This method is appropriate for any type of data where past data is available.

If we denote historical data as  y T , then we can write the forecasts as:

Naïve approach

The Naïve approach is the most cost-effective prediction model. It provides a benchmark against which we can compare other models.

This approach is only appropriate for time-series data. With the naïve approach, the forecasts are equal to the last observed value.

Drift Approach

The drift approach is a variation on the naïve approach. It allows forecasts to increase or decrease over time, where the drift (amount of change over time) is set to be the average seen in the historical data.

Hence, the forecast for T + h is given by:

– Seasonal Naïve Method

The seasonal naïve method accounts for seasonality. It sets each forecast to be equal to the last observed value in that season.

For example, the prediction value for all future months of May will be equal to all previous May values. The forecast for T + h is:

The seasonal naïve approach is especially useful for data that has a particularly high level of seasonality.

Advanced algorithms and machine learning models are increasingly being utilized to enhance the accuracy of forecasting in various industries.

The incorporation of big data analytics into forecasting models is transforming how businesses predict consumer behavior and market trends.

Video – What is Forecasting?

This interesting video, from our sister channel on YouTube – Marketing Business Network , explains what a ‘Forecasting’ is using simple and easy-to-understand language and examples.

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Six Rules for Effective Forecasting

The goal of forecasting is not to predict the future but to tell you what you need to know to take meaningful action in the present.

Reprint: R0707K

The primary goal of forecasting is to identify the full range of possibilities facing a company, society, or the world at large. In this article, Saffo demythologizes the forecasting process to help executives become sophisticated and participative consumers of forecasts, rather than passive absorbers. He illustrates how to use forecasts to at once broaden understanding of possibilities and narrow the decision space within which one must exercise intuition.

The events of 9/11, for example, were a much bigger surprise than they should have been. After all, airliners flown into monuments were the stuff of Tom Clancy novels in the 1990s, and everyone knew that terrorists had a very personal antipathy toward the World Trade Center. So why was 9/11 such a surprise? What can executives do to avoid being blindsided by other such wild cards, be they radical shifts in markets or the seemingly sudden emergence of disruptive technologies?

In describing what forecasters are trying to achieve, Saffo outlines six simple, commonsense rules that smart managers should observe as they embark on a voyage of discovery with professional forecasters. Map a cone of uncertainty, he advises, look for the S curve, embrace the things that don’t fit, hold strong opinions weakly, look back twice as far as you look forward, and know when not to make a forecast.

People at cocktail parties are always asking me for stock tips, and then they want to know how my predictions have turned out. Their requests reveal the common but fundamentally erroneous perception that forecasters make predictions. We don’t, of course: Prediction is possible only in a world in which events are preordained and no amount of action in the present can influence future outcomes. That world is the stuff of myth and superstition. The one we inhabit is quite different—little is certain, nothing is preordained, and what we do in the present affects how events unfold, often in significant, unexpected ways.

• PS Paul Saffo ( [email protected] ) is a forecaster based in Silicon Valley, in California.

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How to Write a Financial Plan for a Business Plan

Noah Parsons

4 min. read

Updated July 11, 2024

Creating a financial plan for a business plan is often the most intimidating part for small business owners.

It’s also one of the most vital. Businesses with well-structured and accurate financial statements are more prepared to pitch to investors, receive funding, and achieve long-term success.

Thankfully, you don’t need an accounting degree to successfully create your budget and forecasts.

Here is everything you need to include in your business plan’s financial plan, along with optional performance metrics, funding specifics, mistakes to avoid , and free templates.

• Key components of a financial plan in business plans

A sound financial plan for a business plan is made up of six key components that help you easily track and forecast your business financials. They include your:

Sales forecast

What do you expect to sell in a given period? Segment and organize your sales projections with a personalized sales forecast based on your business type.

Subscription sales forecast

While not too different from traditional sales forecasts—there are a few specific terms and calculations you’ll need to know when forecasting sales for a subscription-based business.

Expense budget

Create, review, and revise your expense budget to keep your business on track and more easily predict future expenses.

How to forecast personnel costs

How much do your current, and future, employees’ pay, taxes, and benefits cost your business? Find out by forecasting your personnel costs.

Profit and loss forecast

Track how you make money and how much you spend by listing all of your revenue streams and expenses in your profit and loss statement.

Cash flow forecast

Manage and create projections for the inflow and outflow of cash by building a cash flow statement and forecast.

Balance sheet

Need a snapshot of your business’s financial position? Keep an eye on your assets, liabilities, and equity within the balance sheet.

What to include if you plan to pursue funding

Do you plan to pursue any form of funding or financing? If the answer is yes, you’ll need to include a few additional pieces of information as part of your business plan’s financial plan example.

Highlight any risks and assumptions

Every entrepreneur takes risks with the biggest being assumptions and guesses about the future. Just be sure to track and address these unknowns in your plan early on.

Plan your exit strategy

Investors will want to know your long-term plans as a business owner. While you don’t need to have all the details, it’s worth taking the time to think through how you eventually plan to leave your business.

• Financial ratios and metrics

With your financial statements and forecasts in place, you have all the numbers needed to calculate insightful financial ratios.

While including these metrics in your financial plan for a business plan is entirely optional, having them easily accessible can be valuable for tracking your performance and overall financial situation.

Key financial terms you should know

It’s not hard. Anybody who can run a business can understand these key financial terms. And every business owner and entrepreneur should know them.

Common business ratios

Unsure of which business ratios you should be using? Check out this list of key financial ratios that bankers, financial analysts, and investors will want to see.

Break-even analysis

Do you want to know when you’ll become profitable? Find out how much you need to sell to offset your production costs by conducting a break-even analysis.

How to calculate ROI

How much could a business decision be worth? Evaluate the efficiency or profitability by calculating the potential return on investment (ROI).

• How to improve your financial plan

Your financial statements are the core part of your business plan’s financial plan that you’ll revisit most often. Instead of worrying about getting it perfect the first time, check out the following resources to learn how to improve your projections over time.

Common mistakes with business forecasts

I was glad to be asked about common mistakes with startup financial projections. I read about 100 business plans per year, and I have this list of mistakes.

How to improve your financial projections

Learn how to improve your business financial projections by following these five basic guidelines.

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Download and use these free financial templates and calculators to easily create your own financial plan.

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Noah is the COO at Palo Alto Software, makers of the online business plan app LivePlan. He started his career at Yahoo! and then helped start the user review site Epinions.com. From there he started a software distribution business in the UK before coming to Palo Alto Software to run the marketing and product teams.

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How To Write A Business Plan (2024 Guide)

Updated: Apr 17, 2024, 11:59am

Table of Contents

Brainstorm an executive summary, create a company description, brainstorm your business goals, describe your services or products, conduct market research, create financial plans, bottom line, frequently asked questions.

Every business starts with a vision, which is distilled and communicated through a business plan. In addition to your high-level hopes and dreams, a strong business plan outlines short-term and long-term goals, budget and whatever else you might need to get started. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to write a business plan that you can stick to and help guide your operations as you get started.

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Drafting the Summary

An executive summary is an extremely important first step in your business. You have to be able to put the basic facts of your business in an elevator pitch-style sentence to grab investors’ attention and keep their interest. This should communicate your business’s name, what the products or services you’re selling are and what marketplace you’re entering.

Ask for Help

When drafting the executive summary, you should have a few different options. Enlist a few thought partners to review your executive summary possibilities to determine which one is best.

After you have the executive summary in place, you can work on the company description, which contains more specific information. In the description, you’ll need to include your business’s registered name , your business address and any key employees involved in the business. 

The business description should also include the structure of your business, such as sole proprietorship , limited liability company (LLC) , partnership or corporation. This is the time to specify how much of an ownership stake everyone has in the company. Finally, include a section that outlines the history of the company and how it has evolved over time.

Wherever you are on the business journey, you return to your goals and assess where you are in meeting your in-progress targets and setting new goals to work toward.

Numbers-based Goals

Goals can cover a variety of sections of your business. Financial and profit goals are a given for when you’re establishing your business, but there are other goals to take into account as well with regard to brand awareness and growth. For example, you might want to hit a certain number of followers across social channels or raise your engagement rates.

Another goal could be to attract new investors or find grants if you’re a nonprofit business. If you’re looking to grow, you’ll want to set revenue targets to make that happen as well.

Intangible Goals

Goals unrelated to traceable numbers are important as well. These can include seeing your business’s advertisement reach the general public or receiving a terrific client review. These goals are important for the direction you take your business and the direction you want it to go in the future.

The business plan should have a section that explains the services or products that you’re offering. This is the part where you can also describe how they fit in the current market or are providing something necessary or entirely new. If you have any patents or trademarks, this is where you can include those too.

If you have any visual aids, they should be included here as well. This would also be a good place to include pricing strategy and explain your materials.

This is the part of the business plan where you can explain your expertise and different approach in greater depth. Show how what you’re offering is vital to the market and fills an important gap.

You can also situate your business in your industry and compare it to other ones and how you have a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Other than financial goals, you want to have a budget and set your planned weekly, monthly and annual spending. There are several different costs to consider, such as operational costs.

Business Operations Costs

Rent for your business is the first big cost to factor into your budget. If your business is remote, the cost that replaces rent will be the software that maintains your virtual operations.

Marketing and sales costs should be next on your list. Devoting money to making sure people know about your business is as important as making sure it functions.

Other Costs

Although you can’t anticipate disasters, there are likely to be unanticipated costs that come up at some point in your business’s existence. It’s important to factor these possible costs into your financial plans so you’re not caught totally unaware.

Business plans are important for businesses of all sizes so that you can define where your business is and where you want it to go. Growing your business requires a vision, and giving yourself a roadmap in the form of a business plan will set you up for success.

How do I write a simple business plan?

When you’re working on a business plan, make sure you have as much information as possible so that you can simplify it to the most relevant information. A simple business plan still needs all of the parts included in this article, but you can be very clear and direct.

What are some common mistakes in a business plan?

The most common mistakes in a business plan are common writing issues like grammar errors or misspellings. It’s important to be clear in your sentence structure and proofread your business plan before sending it to any investors or partners.

What basic items should be included in a business plan?

When writing out a business plan, you want to make sure that you cover everything related to your concept for the business,  an analysis of the industry―including potential customers and an overview of the market for your goods or services―how you plan to execute your vision for the business, how you plan to grow the business if it becomes successful and all financial data around the business, including current cash on hand, potential investors and budget plans for the next few years.

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What Is a Business Plan? Definition and Planning Essentials Explained

Posted august 1, 2024 by kody wirth.

What is a business plan? It’s the roadmap for your business. The outline of your goals, objectives, and the steps you’ll take to get there. It describes the structure of your organization, how it operates, as well as the financial expectations and actual performance. 

A business plan can help you explore ideas, successfully start a business, manage operations, and pursue growth. In short, a business plan is a lot of different things. It’s more than just a stack of paper and can be one of your most effective tools as a business owner. 

Let’s explore the basics of business planning, the structure of a traditional plan, your planning options, and how you can use your plan to succeed. 

What is a business plan?

A business plan is a document that explains how your business operates. It summarizes your business structure, objectives, milestones, and financial performance. Again, it’s a guide that helps you, and anyone else, better understand how your business will succeed.  

Why do you need a business plan?

The primary purpose of a business plan is to help you understand the direction of your business and the steps it will take to get there. Having a solid business plan can help you grow up to 30% faster , and according to our own 2021 Small Business research working on a business plan increases confidence regarding business health—even in the midst of a crisis. 

These benefits are directly connected to how writing a business plan makes you more informed and better prepares you for entrepreneurship. It helps you reduce risk and avoid pursuing potentially poor ideas. You’ll also be able to more easily uncover your business’s potential. 

The biggest mistake you can make is not writing a business plan, and the second is never updating it. By regularly reviewing your plan, you can understand what parts of your strategy are working and those that are not.

That just scratches the surface of why having a plan is valuable. Check out our full write-up for fifteen more reasons why you need a business plan .  

What can you do with your plan?

So what can you do with a business plan once you’ve created it? It can be all too easy to write a plan and just let it be. Here are just a few ways you can leverage your plan to benefit your business.

Test an idea

Writing a plan isn’t just for those who are ready to start a business. It’s just as valuable for those who have an idea and want to determine whether it’s actually possible. By writing a plan to explore the validity of an idea, you are working through the process of understanding what it would take to be successful. 

Market and competitive research alone can tell you a lot about your idea. 

• Is the marketplace too crowded?
• Is the solution you have in mind not really needed? 

Add in the exploration of milestones, potential expenses, and the sales needed to attain profitability, and you can paint a pretty clear picture of your business’s potential.

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Understanding where you’re going and how you’re going to get there is vital for those starting or managing a business. Writing your plan helps you do that. It ensures that you consider all aspects of your business, know what milestones you need to hit, and can effectively make adjustments if that doesn’t happen. 

With a plan in place, you’ll know where you want your business to go and how you’ve performed in the past. This alone prepares you to take on challenges, review what you’ve done before, and make the right adjustments.

Pursue funding

Even if you do not intend to pursue funding right away, having a business plan will prepare you for it. It will ensure that you have all of the information necessary to submit a loan application and pitch to investors. 

So, rather than scrambling to gather documentation and write a cohesive plan once it’s relevant, you can keep it up-to-date and attempt to attain funding. Just add a use of funds report to your financial plan and you’ll be ready to go.

The benefits of having a plan don’t stop there. You can then use your business plan to help you manage the funding you receive. You’ll not only be able to easily track and forecast how you’ll use your funds but also easily report on how it’s been used. 

Better manage your business

A solid business plan isn’t meant to be something you do once and forget about. Instead, it should be a useful tool that you can regularly use to analyze performance, make strategic decisions, and anticipate future scenarios. It’s a document that you should regularly update and adjust as you go to better fit the actual state of your business.

Doing so makes it easier to understand what’s working and what’s not. It helps you understand if you’re truly reaching your goals or if you need to make further adjustments. Having your plan in place makes that process quicker, more informative, and leaves you with far more time to actually spend running your business.

What should your business plan include?

The content and structure of your business plan should include anything that will help you use it effectively. That being said, there are some key elements that you should cover and that investors will expect to see. 

Executive summary

The executive summary is a simple overview of your business and your overall plan. It should serve as a standalone document that provides enough detail for anyone—including yourself, team members, or investors—to fully understand your business strategy. Make sure to cover:

• The problem you’re solving
• A description of your product or service
• Your target market
• Organizational structure
• A financial summary
• Necessary funding requirements.

This will be the first part of your plan, but it’s easiest to write it after you’ve created your full plan.

Products & Services

When describing your products or services, you need to start by outlining the problem you’re solving and why what you offer is valuable. This is where you’ll also address current competition in the market and any competitive advantages your products or services bring to the table. 

Lastly, outline the steps or milestones you’ll need to hit to launch your business successfully. If you’ve already achieved some initial milestones, like taking pre-orders or early funding, be sure to include them here to further prove your business’s validity. 

Market analysis

A market analysis is a qualitative and quantitative assessment of the current market you’re entering or competing in. It helps you understand the industry’s overall state and potential, who your ideal customers are, the positioning of your competition, and how you intend to position your own business.

This helps you better explore the market’s long-term trends, what challenges to expect, and how you will need to introduce and even price your products or services.

Check out our full guide for how to conduct a market analysis in just four easy steps.  

Marketing & sales

Here you detail how you intend to reach your target market. This includes your sales activities, general pricing plan, and the beginnings of your marketing strategy. If you have any branding elements, sample marketing campaigns, or messaging available—this is the place to add them. 

Additionally, it may be wise to include a SWOT analysis that demonstrates your business or specific product/service position. This will showcase how you intend to leverage sales and marketing channels to deal with competitive threats and take advantage of any opportunities.

Check out our full write-up to learn how to create a cohesive marketing strategy for your business. 

Organization & management

This section addresses the legal structure of your business, your current team, and any gaps that need to be filled. Depending on your business type and longevity, you’ll also need to include your location, ownership information, and business history.

Basically, add any information that helps explain your organizational structure and how you operate. This section is particularly important for pitching to investors but should be included even if attempted funding is not in your immediate future.

Financial projections

Possibly the most important piece of your plan, your financials section is vital for showcasing your business’s viability. It also helps you establish a baseline to measure against and makes it easier to make ongoing strategic decisions as your business grows. This may seem complex, but it can be far easier than you think. 

Focus on building solid forecasts, keep your categories simple, and lean on assumptions. You can always return to this section to add more details and refine your financial statements as you operate. 

Here are the statements you should include in your financial plan:

• Sales and revenue projections
• Profit and loss statement
• Cash flow statement
• Balance sheet

The appendix is where you add additional detail, documentation, or extended notes that support the other sections of your plan. Don’t worry about adding this section at first; only add documentation that you think will benefit anyone reading your plan.

Types of business plans explained

While all business plans cover similar categories, the style and function depend on how you intend to use your business plan . So, to get the most out of your plan, it’s best to find a format that suits your needs. Here are a few common business plan types worth considering. 

Traditional business plan

The tried-and-true traditional business plan (sometimes called a detailed business plan ) is a formal document meant for external purposes. It is typically required when applying for a business loan or pitching to investors. 

It can also be used when training or hiring employees, working with vendors, or any other situation where the full details of your business must be understood by another individual. 

A traditional business plan follows the outline above and can be anywhere from 10-50 pages depending on the amount of detail included, the complexity of your business, and what you include in your appendix. We recommend only starting with this business plan format if you plan to immediately pursue funding and already have a solid handle on your business information. 

Business model canvas

The business model canvas is a one-page template designed to demystify the business planning process. It removes the need for a traditional, copy-heavy business plan, in favor of a single-page outline that can help you and outside parties better explore your business idea. 

The structure ditches a linear structure in favor of a cell-based template. It encourages you to build connections between every element of your business. It’s faster to write out and update and much easier for you, your team, and anyone else to visualize your business operations. 

The business model canvas is really best for those exploring their business idea for the first time, but keep in mind that it can be difficult to actually validate your idea this way as well as adapt it into a full plan.

One-page business plan

The true middle ground between the business model canvas and a traditional business plan is the one-page business plan . Sometimes referred to as a lean plan, this format is a simplified version of the traditional plan that focuses on the core aspects of your business. It basically serves as a beefed-up pitch document and can be finished as quickly as the business model canvas.

By starting with a one-page plan, you give yourself a minimal document to build from. You’ll typically stick with bullet points and single sentences making it much easier to elaborate or expand sections into a longer-form business plan. 

A one-page business plan is useful for those exploring ideas, needing to validate their business model, or who need an internal plan to help them run and manage their business.

Growth plan

Now, the option that we here at LivePlan recommend is a growth plan . However, growth planning is less of a specific document type and more of a methodology. It takes the simplicity and styling of the one-page business plan and turns it into a process for you to continuously plan, test, review, refine, and take action based on performance.

It holds all of the benefits of the single-page plan, including the potential to complete it in as little as 27-minutes . 

However, it’s even easier to convert into a more detailed business plan thanks to how heavily it’s tied to your financials. The overall goal of growth planning isn’t to just produce documents that you use once and shelve. Instead, the growth planning process helps you build a healthier company that thrives in times of growth and stable through times of crisis.

It’s faster, concise, more focused on financial performance, and ensures that your plan is always up-to-date.

How can you write your own business plan?

Now that you know the definition of a business plan, it’s time to write your own.

Get started by downloading our free business plan template or try a business plan builder like LivePlan for a fully guided experience and an AI-powered Assistant to help you write, generate ideas, and analyze your business performance.

No matter which option you choose, writing a business plan will set you up for success. You can use it to test an idea, figure out how you’ll start, and pursue funding.  And if you review and revise your plan regularly, it can turn into your best business management tool.

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Business Education

Business Model vs Business Plan: Main Differences

19 Aug, 2024

Distinguishing business models from plans is crucial for success. Models outline value creation and profit generation, while plans detail strategies, research, and projections. Together, they form the blueprint for long-term success and operational execution.

What is a Business Model?

A business model is the backbone of any company, detailing the plan for how it intends to operate, generate revenue , and make a profit. It's less about the nitty-gritty details found in a business plan and more about the overall concept of how the business creates value for customers and captures value for itself. Essentially, a company's business model describes the way the company sells its products or services and how it establishes and maintains customer relationships to achieve financial success.

At its core, a business model involves identifying the value proposition of the company, which is what makes its products or services attractive to customers . It also outlines the customer segments targeted, the key activities and resources needed to operate, and the channels through which it reaches its customer base. Importantly, it details the revenue streams the business will pursue to generate income and the cost structure that outlines the expenses involved.

What is a Business Plan?

A business plan is a detailed roadmap for building a successful business. Unlike the broader strokes of a business model that describes how a company creates and delivers value, business plans are a comprehensive document that outlines the specifics of business strategy. They serve as a guide to what the business intends to do and how it plans to do it and are often used to attract investors and secure financing.

The heart of a business plan includes an executive summary, which is a snapshot of the business and its plans for success. This section briefly explains the business idea, key objectives, and how the business will achieve its goals. It's followed by detailed sections that outline the business's structure, market analysis, value proposition, marketing and sales strategies, financial projections, and more.

Key components of a business plan include the business model canvas, which lays out the key resources and activities needed to operate the business. It also delves into the cost structure, detailing all the expenses the business will face. A thorough market analysis assesses the existing market, target customers, and competitive landscape. This helps in formulating a solid marketing strategy and establishing a unique value proposition that sets the business apart from its competitors.

Financial planning is also crucial, with sections dedicated to expected financial performance, revenue generation, and a detailed financial forecast. This helps potential investors and business owners understand the financial viability and growth potential of the business.

Types of Business Models

There are many types of business models, each defining a unique way a company creates value for its customers and generates profits. Understanding different business models helps owners and entrepreneurs select the right approach for their business concept and target market. Here are some common business models:

• Subscription Services : This model offers customers regular, ongoing access to products or services in exchange for a recurring fee. Popular among digital services and software, it provides steady revenue and customer loyalty.
• Freemium Model : Common in the tech industry, the freemium model offers basic services for free while charging for advanced features. It attracts a large user base quickly, with the potential to convert a portion to paid versions.
• Product Sales : This traditional model involves selling goods directly to customers. It can range from retail operations to online stores, focusing on producing, marketing, and selling physical items.
• Service-Based Model : Professional firms and contractors often use this model, providing specialized services like consulting, design, or maintenance. Success relies on expertise, customer service, and reputation.
• On-Demand Model : Popularized by companies like Uber, this model provides goods or services directly on customer request, often facilitated through a digital platform or app.
• E-commerce : With the rise of the internet, many businesses operate online, selling products or services directly through their website or online marketplaces.
• Affiliate Marketing : This model pays external parties to generate traffic or leads to the company's products and services. It's a way to extend market reach without directly handling sales.
• Advertising Model : Media companies and websites often use this model, providing content or services free of charge, but generating revenue through advertisements.

Understanding these business models helps a company decide the best strategy for market entry and growth. Each model has its own set of operational details, target market strategies, and financial implications. Selecting the right business model is crucial for a company's success, aligning with its core values, customer needs, and long-term goals. As the business evolves, it may adopt multiple models or shift strategies to adapt to changing market conditions or customer feedback.

Business Model vs Business Plan: Key Differences

Understanding the difference between a business model and a business plan is crucial for anyone diving into the world of entrepreneurship or looking to scale their business. Here are the key differences:

• Business Model : A business model is an overarching concept that explains how a company creates, delivers, and captures value. It's about the company's core strategy for generating profits and includes elements like value propositions, customer segments, and revenue streams.
• Business Plan : A business plan is a detailed document that outlines the specific strategies, goals, and actions of a business. It's a comprehensive plan that includes market analysis, financial projections, and operational details aimed at guiding the business's trajectory and attracting investors.
• Business Model : Generally broader and more conceptual, a business model provides a high-level view of the business's approach to the market. It's about the fundamental structure of how the business operates and competes.
• Business Plan : More detailed and tactical, a business plan lays out the step-by-step plan for executing the business model. It includes in-depth information on planning, marketing, finances, and more.
• Business Model : Business models often need to be flexible and adaptive, especially in early stages or in rapidly changing markets. They can evolve as the business learns more about its customers and competition.
• Business Plan : While it's a detailed guide, the business plan is also a living document but typically requires formal revisions and updates as the business grows and market conditions change.
• Business Model : Primarily used internally to guide the company's strategy, but it can also be used to succinctly explain the business to external stakeholders and potential partners .
• Business Plan : Often intended for external stakeholders, especially potential investors, lenders, or partners who want a detailed understanding of the business's approach and potential for success.
• Business Model : Includes the business model canvas or similar frameworks detailing the company's value proposition, customer segments, channels, customer relationships, revenue streams, key activities, key resources, key partners, and cost structure.
• Business Plan : Includes an executive summary, company description, market analysis, organization and management structure, product or service line, marketing and sales strategy, funding request, financial projections, and appendices.

While a business model provides a conceptual framework for understanding how the company creates value and money, the business plan offers a detailed guide on how to implement these concepts and achieve specific business goals. Both are vital, but they serve different purposes and address different needs within the business's lifecycle.

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What is a sales forecast: definition, importance, and how to build one

Posted November 16, 2021

By Serena Miller

Editor, Sales Best Practices at Outreach

What is A Sales Forecast?

Why does sales forecasting matter, sales forecast methods, how to create a sales forecast, sales forecast examples: how to commit with confidence, more forecasting resources for sales and revops teams, stay up-to-date with all things outreach.

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Proper forecasting is essential for any sales organization. It’s a process that enables data-driven business decisions, helps revenue leaders identify new opportunities, and provides a clear picture of projected revenue.

Even so, building accurate sales forecasts is complex if you don’t know where to start, or if you’re not leveraging the types of tools that yield precise results.

In an August 2021 commissioned study conducted by Forrester on behalf of Outreach, almost one-third of B2B sales leaders said their forecasts were derived by selecting key deals and adding in qualitative analysis to arrive at their final number. 

However, this static and unscientific approach to forecasting makes it impossible to drive predictable business growth. If you’re not accurately and consistently forecasting your sales, you could be missing out on key insights that impact budget, hiring, scalability, and — ultimately — cash flow.

Here, we’ll take a deep dive into what a sales forecast is, how forecasting can benefit your organization, and how Outreach helps revenue teams bring science to the the traditional approach to sales forecasting. 

A sales forecast predicts  expected revenue over a given period of time. When used correctly, sales forecasts help teams to accurately estimate how much product or service they’ll sell, which helps to keep the expectations of reps, managers, leaders and other stakeholders on the same page.

Sometimes, the concept of a sales forecast is conflated with other related terms, like sales goal setting. But the two are actually quite distinct: sales goal setting is an expression of what you’d like to occur, while a sales forecast predicts what will actually happen — regardless of what you may have wanted to achieve.

Depending on the unique elements of your business (like age, size, existing systems of record, etc.), the level of detail and accuracy with which you forecast will vary. Forecasts are limited by their inputs, so you can only expect a high degree of precision if you have enough clean data to use.

Extremely accurate forecasts also require a range of complicated calculations, which is why many businesses have turned to technology for support. 

If you already have clearly defined goals, a strong sales process , and a healthy pipeline, you might wonder if creating accurate forecasts is worth the effort. In short: yes, confident sales forecasting is an absolutely critical component of a company’s growth. 

Accurate forecasts support business growth

Consistent forecasting can improve both internal and external operations by helping your business:

• Efficiently plan for demand - In order to make sound decisions regarding hiring, supply chain management, and inventory, you need a clear understanding of what your operation will need to run smoothly. Because forecasts act as precise pictures of expected sales, each department within your business can use them to fully address staffing needs, product development, and budget before these factors ever become an issue.
• Make informed business investments - Whether you’re looking to develop a new product or boost customer service through increasing your staff, you first need the funds to actually cover those costs. Sales forecasting helps you better estimate incoming profit vs. anticipated costs, so you can make wise investments in the growth of your business without the risk of mismanaging your capital.
• Quickly uncover and resolve potential problems - Proper forecasting gives you transparency into your sales pipeline , so you can quickly identify trends that might otherwise cause significant issues.
• Improve your sales process - Your sales process should be modified based on what works and what doesn’t. Identifying areas that take longer than they should, have low conversion rates, or don’t meet customers’ needs is essential for refining your playbooks and closing more deals.

Multiple teams contribute to the forecasting process

Each sales organization is unique, so the person or team responsible for creating the forecasts often varies from one business to the next. In some instances, each sales rep is responsible for committing the deals they believe are likely to close. In others, revenue operations managers or sales leaders build forecasts to more objectively categorize and project their reps’ performance.

Regardless of who builds them, decision makers and stakeholders use sales forecasts to make choices about an organization's growth, how they’ll strategize that growth, and what kind of timeline they’ll need to succeed. Predictions in both short- and long-term performance help businesses uncover potential opportunities that help them scale.

Sales managers who rely on their reps to commit deals that feed into the forecast also find great value in confident forecasts, as they help ensure that reps’ deals are on track to close for the quarter. Managers need an easy way to gauge potential risk in their teams’ pipeline so they can focus on deals that are slipping, and forecasts provide them with the visibility to do just that.

Forecasts impact a variety of other departments, too. Product leaders rely on sales forecasts to evaluate and prepare for product demand, while finance teams use them to make investments. Sales forecasts are highly valuable to HR departments, too, as they’re frequently used to determine staffing needs.

Getting it right is easier said than done

That means getting it right (and doing so consistently) is a critical part of a business’s growth. In fact, sales organizations that utilize a formal, structured forecasting process increase their win rates of forecasted deals by 25% versus those that take a less formal approach.

But accurate sales forecasting is art and science — and many organizations don’t have the necessary skills. Less than 50% of sales leaders and sellers have confidence in their organization’s forecasting accuracy, as poor data quality and quantity threaten the precision of their process. These limitations are a result of some unfortunately common challenges among businesses, including:

• A lack of accurate, up-to-date data in their CRM
• An inability to identify and monitor key deal signals
• A lack of visibility into the numbers/math that drive their forecasts
• Manual, error-prone data entry processes

Leveraging the proper tools can certainly help ensure forecasting accuracy, but you must also consider which method is right for your business. Forecasting isn’t a one-size-fits-all process: it’s a balancing act that requires a thorough understanding of context, relevance, and available data.

Thus, it’s important to keep in mind that there are some key factors you should take into account before settling on a particular forecasting method, including:

• The availability of historical data
• What time period the forecast will cover
• The realistic timeline for developing the forecast
• How accurate the forecast needs to be
• The purpose of the forecast

Once you’ve nailed down these considerations, you can more easily determine the forecast method that best suits your needs. There are several popular sales forecast methods from which to choose, each of which offers a distinct advantage:

The forecasting process should be tailored to your unique business, based on your specific goals, available data, sales process, and tools for support. But to help get you started, we’ve outlined the most critical steps you should follow when building your forecast:

Choose a Sales Forecast Method

In the past, many organizations relied on qualitative methods for forecasting. But the art of selling has become much more of a science, with the emergence of tools and technologies that help form data-driven insights.

Competitive sales organizations should implement a forecasting method that uses reliable, actionable data to better inform business decisions moving forward. Revenue leaders can’t afford to use the inaccurate “guesstimation” methods of the past if they want to deliver predictable growth.

As you consider your options for forecasting methods, keep in mind that a quantitative, scientific, data-driven approach (backed by powerful analytics, user-friendly dashboards, and tools for complete pipeline visibility) is key to unlocking a clear competitive advantage.

Acknowledge Sales Forecast Assumptions

Your team’s performance — and the factors that impact that performance — are likely dynamic. As you build your sales forecasts, don’t forget that they’re based on assumptions instead of facts that are set in stone. They’re not crystal balls that can reveal the future, but they do offer helpful predictions based on an accumulation of information. Thus, you should make sure you have an up-to-date understanding of the following factors:

• Your products/services - You probably modify the cost of your products and services (and the products and services themselves) over time to better serve your customers and improve profitability. Make sure you take these changes into account, including any new product launches, current product updates, price or sales channel adjustments, and cost of production, labor, and materials.
• Market conditions/state of your industry - The industry in which your business operates can impact your growth, so it’s important not to ignore broader conditions and trends. Take a look at overarching changes in the economy, number of viable competitors, and size of your current and potential customer base.
• Regulatory changes - Some companies must operate under certain industry laws or regulations, so make sure you’re always up-to-date with any relevant legislation.
• Marketing inputs - Sales and marketing alignment can be challenging to achieve, but doing so can make forecasting that much easier. Bringing the two together can help you better understand how specific marketing activities (e.g. new marketing campaigns, changing advertising budgets, new marketing channels) impact overall sales performance, so make sure you take them into account.

Create Your Forecast

Armed with the specific elements needed for an accurate prediction, you’re now finally ready to build your sales forecast! It’s important to note that the following forecasting steps are just a starting point, as they reflect a simplified approach to the process. Of course, enterprise-level organizations require a more intricate approach that takes into account other market complexities.

If you’re a beginner, here are some basic steps to get you started with building a forecast:

• List out the goods and services you sell
• Estimate how much of each you expect to sell
• Define the unit price or dollar value of each good or service sold
• Multiply the number sold by the price
• Determine how much it will cost to produce and sell each good or service
• Multiply this cost by the estimated sales volume
• Subtract the total cost from the total sales

Once you have a fully defined sales forecast, you can leverage the results to drive your business goals.

The traditional approach to sales forecasting is filled with gaps, particularly for teams who use disparate systems and processes to manage the revenue cycle. Without a consolidated view of pipeline health and buyer insights, revenue leaders must guess their forecast, so they are perpetually at risk of surprise outcomes. They have dozens of dashboards, but they’re not sure they can trust the data. Instead, they are forced to rely on the gut intuitions of their whole team to inform their forecasting models.

But with a single, unified platform for support, forecasting can shift from a critical gap to a seamless, highly-valuable component of your business. Outreach Commit delivers real-time pipeline data and buyer engagement signals to bring science to the art of forecasting, enabling revenue leaders to go from guessing the future to changing it with recommended actions.

Today’s shifting economy means revenue leaders have to do more with fewer resources. So how do you deliver on lofty revenue targets while also reducing costs? It starts with more efficient forecasting processes. Instead of spending anxious hours on manual forecasts, modern revenue leaders are embracing ways to save time and refocus their energy on growing revenue. For Outreach's top resources on forecasting efficiency, download the free content bundle: Your Road to Forecasting Efficiency .

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Varney: Is hating Trump enough to carry Harris to the presidency?

Kamala harris' 'all government, all the time' agenda is not what america is about, varney argues.

Stuart Varney: Is hating Trump enough to carry Harris to the presidency?

Varney & Co. host Stuart Varney discusses whether Democrats really believe Kamala Harris has the chops to beat Donald Trump. 

During his "My Take," Tuesday, " Varney & Co. " host Stuart Varney discussed President Biden's farewell speech at the DNC and whether Kamala Harris' "all government, all the time" message will be enough to defeat Donald Trump.

STUART VARNEY : He spoke for 52 minutes. His speech went way past midnight. He teared up. 

He said, "I gave my best to you." The crowd chanted "thank you, Joe." Then, he was gone. 

BIDEN GOES OFF SCRIPT AND THROWS A LIFELINE TO TERROR SUPPORTERS DURING DNC SPEECH

As The Wall Street Journal commented today, he was "poor, unwanted, Joe Biden ."

President Joe Biden speaks during the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 19, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois.

Now, the party doesn't want to know him. He’s off on a two-week vacation in California. Out of sight, out of mind. 

They don’t want to know him. This is politics. In politics, you have to win.

So now it’s all Harris and Walz. It’s all about image. It’s a love fest. 

KEVIN O'LEARY TEARS INTO HARRIS' ‘INFLATIONARY’ ECONOMIC AGENDA: ‘BIDENOMICS 2.0’

Spare the policy and don’t do serious interviews because that could destroy the image they are trying to build.

The Democrats have to wonder if it will be enough. Will hating Trump carry Harris over the finish line?

She is not a great campaigner. She dropped out of the presidential race in 2019 before a single vote was cast. 

Kamala Harris economic plan will create housing and food shortages: Jeff Sica

Circle Squared Alternative Investments founder Jeff Sica explains the risks of rent control and price caps on Varney & Co.

She has a highly skilled team of handlers and a very compliant media. 

Heaven forbid that the real Kamala Harris and her policies are revealed in full. 

Barring catastrophe, by the end of the week, Harris will be riding a sea of motion.

HARRIS CALLS FOR RAISING CORPORATE TAX RATES TO 28%

She will probably get a bump in the polls.

But next week, the ball will be in Trump’s court. 

He has to stay on message, and that message is Harris is all government all the time, and that’s not what America is all about.

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