Business plans built around credible assumptions

Who this service is for

This service suits people around Birmingham who need a plan they can stand behind. That includes founders preparing to approach a bank or investor and wanting figures that will withstand questions, existing owners planning a new phase (a second site, a new product line, a step up in capacity) who want the financials thought through first, and businesses that have never written a plan but now need one to align a team, a partner or a landlord. It also fits owners who simply want a document to run the business against, rather than one produced once and filed away.

How we can help

We concentrate on the parts of a plan where realism matters most: the assumptions, the forecasts and the funding case. Rather than dressing up optimistic numbers, we help you state clearly what each figure rests on, so a reader can judge it and you can test it later against what actually happens. Where the plan needs a funding requirement, we set out how much, what for and how it will be repaid or returned, in language a lender or investor will recognise.

We are clear about what a plan can and cannot do. It organises your thinking and presents your case; it does not guarantee that funding will be granted, and it cannot guarantee that the business will succeed. Both depend on factors well beyond the document.

What’s included

• A concise business description that explains what you do and why it works
• Objectives that are specific enough to be measured rather than aspirational statements
• Market and customer analysis grounded in who actually buys and why
• A clear account of your products and services and the need they meet
• Pricing set out with the reasoning behind it, not just the headline figures
• Operations: how the business actually delivers what it sells
• Staffing plans, including the roles and timing behind the payroll numbers
• An honest assessment of risks and how you intend to manage them
• Milestones that turn the plan into checkpoints you can track
• Financial forecasts covering profit, cash flow and, where relevant, a projected balance sheet
• A funding requirement stating how much is needed and on what basis
• A clear use of funds showing where the money goes
• Scenario analysis testing the plan under cautious as well as expected assumptions
• A framework for monitoring and updating the plan as reality unfolds

How it works

1. We talk through your goals, the business and the purpose the plan needs to serve.
2. We agree the scope in writing, whether the whole plan or forecasts only, so expectations are clear.
3. We work through your assumptions together, keeping each one realistic and explainable.
4. We build the forecasts, funding requirement and scenario analysis so the numbers reconcile.
5. We review the draft with you, stress-test the weaker points and refine the figures.
6. We finalise the plan and set up a simple way to compare actual results against it over time.

What we’ll need from you

To build a credible plan we need your honest view of the market and your customers, any historic figures if the business already trades, and the assumptions you are prepared to defend on pricing, volumes and costs. For a funding request we need the amount, its purpose and your expected timing. Where you have supplier quotes, staffing intentions or contracts in hand, these sharpen the forecasts considerably. The more grounded the inputs, the more the plan is worth.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Starting from the answer you want and working the figures back to reach it
• Leaving assumptions unstated, so no one can judge whether the numbers are reasonable
• Forecasting profit while ignoring when cash actually arrives and leaves
• Understating costs or the time it takes for revenue to build
• Presenting a single optimistic case with no downside tested
• Treating the plan as a one-off document rather than something to monitor and update
• Assuming a polished plan guarantees a funding decision or a successful outcome

Serving Birmingham and the Midlands

We help owners across Birmingham and the wider Midlands prepare plans and forecasts, working through cloud tools and shared documents so drafts move quickly between us. Where the plan supports an important decision or funding request, we are glad to work through it with you in a proper conversation rather than only by email.