Data
Build a financial model
A spreadsheet with live formulas, so changing an assumption changes the outcome.
Fill it in
What you sell, to whom, and at what price.
How far out.
years
Which outputs you need.
Base, upside and downside off one switch.
Your prompt
Build a 5-year model as a real spreadsheet. [the business] Include: pl, cash, cohort LIVE FORMULAS, and every assumption in ONE labelled tab that everything else references. A model with numbers hard-coded into the output tabs cannot be argued with, which defeats the point: nobody believes a forecast, they believe the assumptions and check what falls out. Drive the whole thing off drivers, not totals. Sign-ups by channel, conversion, price, churn. "Revenue grows 20%" is not a model, it is a wish with a spreadsheet around it. Add base, upside and downside driven by a single scenario switch, so all three move together. Sanity-check the outputs before delivering: negative cash, churn above 100%, and headcount that never grows are all signs a formula is pointing at the wrong cell.
Use Build a financial modelOpens with everything above already filled in.
Why this works
Nobody believes a forecast. They believe the assumptions and check what falls out, which only works if the assumptions are in one tab everything references. A model with numbers typed into the output cannot be argued with, and being argued with is the entire purpose.
Questions
- Real formulas?
- Yes, an .xlsx with live formulas and a single scenario switch driving base, upside and downside.
- Is it SaaS only?
- No. Describe any business and it builds the drivers that fit.