Create a Robust Financial Plan - Part 4 (Financial Statements)

The income statement, or P&L, is the financial report investors will scrutinize the most – and with good reason: it's where all your projections and calculations are summarized to tell the story, in numbers, of how your business will make money. This course will help you bring everything together to develop a P&L that's accurate and convincing.

Given that 8 in 10 business failures can be attributed to poor cash management, tracking how much cash is coming in and going out is crucial to startup success. The cash flow statement provides an ongoing record of income, investments, and expenses so you can adjust activities and stay on target. You can also predict how much you need to invest in the business before your business achieves positive cash flow – more money coming in than going out.

In addition to addressing these crucial calculations, this course delves into strategies for managing cash flow and establishing a realistic basis for cash flow projections. Using the accompanying spreadsheet in tandem with on-demand expertise, you’ll develop a sound cash flow strategy that sets your company on a path toward growth.

Learning Objectives

• How can I identify an appropriate gross margin target for my business?   
• What does cash flow positive mean, and how can I predict when I’ll get there?   
• How should I define aggressive and conservative cash flow estimates?

About Your Instructor

Ken Burke, founder and CEO of The EntrepreneurNOW! Network, is a speaker, serial entrepreneur, mentor, and author. Ken founded MarketLive, a market-leading, enterprise class eCommerce software platform used by major merchants generating $2b in online sales through the platform. He sold MarketLive to Vista Equity Partners in 2016. Ken authored the book, “Intelligent Selling: The Art and Science of Selling Online,” as well as hundreds of industry articles. He earned his MBA in Entrepreneurship from University of Southern California -Marshall School of Business, which later awarded him the honor of Entrepreneur of the Year.