Map your business on one page
Customers, offer, costs and income in one simple canvas.
Open prompt: Map your business on one pageEst. time saved: 2+ hours
Starting a business
Forecast your first year
A first-year forecast built only from numbers you give it.
- Best for
- Anyone planning a new business
- Est. time saved
- 2+ hours
- Works with
- ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini
When to use it
- You want a rough monthly picture of income, costs and cash for year one.
- You have prices, likely sales and costs, even if they're rough.
When not to
- As financial or tax advice. Check it with an accountant.
What to have ready
- Your prices
- How many sales you expect each month
- Your set-up costs
- Your monthly running costs
- Any money you're putting in
The prompt
Fill in the [BRACKETS], then paste it into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini.
› the prompt
You're helping me put together a rough first-year forecast for a new business. This is a draft for me to check with an accountant. Prices: [WHAT YOU CHARGE] Expected sales each month: [YOUR BEST GUESS, E.G. 10 IN MONTH 1 RISING TO 40 BY MONTH 12] Set-up costs: [E.G. EQUIPMENT, WEBSITE, INSURANCE] Monthly running costs: [E.G. RENT, SOFTWARE, FUEL, YOUR PAY] Money going in at the start: [E.G. $10,000 SAVINGS] Please: 1. List every assumption you're using, and mark which came from me and which are your guesses. 2. Make a month-by-month table: income, costs, profit or loss, and cash in the bank. 3. Show when the business would break even, if it does in year one. 4. Show what happens if sales are 25% lower than I expect. 5. List the numbers I should check first. Rules: - Use only my numbers. If something's missing, ask me or mark it as your guess. Don't fill gaps silently. - Show your working. - Don't work out taxes. Leave that to my accountant. - This is a draft for me to check. It's not financial advice.
Example input
A made-up example of what the brackets might say.
Price: $45 per bike service.
Sales: 20 in month 1, rising by 10 a month.
Set-up: van $8,000, tools $1,500, insurance $600.
Monthly: fuel $150, phone $30, software $20, my pay $1,500.
Money in: $12,000.
Tips
- The "25% lower" view is the one to plan around.
- Update it with real numbers each month once you've started.
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