Last week, we shared our 7-step “Operating and Financing Playbook,” based on lessons learned from 9/11. (If you missed it, you can find it here.)

Our first suggestion: build a 26-week cashflow forecast to help business owners plan appropriately and make decisions as needed. But if you’ve never done it before, it’s hard to know where to start.

That’s why we created a (free) template cash flow template for business owners — complete with step-by-step instructions and built-in formulas.

This exercise can be important as businesses adjust their operations or consider taking advantage of SBA loans or other types of assistance being contemplated by federal and state governments.

The report uses key inputs — such as “Beginning Cash Balance” — then allows for estimating cash to be received by customers by week and cash being paid out to vendors, employees, overhead etc.

Even if your familiarity with Excel is limited, we created this model to be easy to adjust, so you can increase or decrease the number of categories and accommodate other inputs, such as SBA loan proceeds or other potential sources of cash.

As you start using the template but find you have questions about how to use the model or how to approach your estimations, email us here at any time. And please feel free to forward to others who may find it useful.

Stay tuned as we post additional resources to support you and your business during this time.

Our team includes a mix of experienced CFOs, investment bankers, MBAs, associates and analysts. If you have questions about any of our resources or about making a plan during this challenging time, please contact us. As always, consultations are free.