Free template

The annual plan,
built from drivers.

Last year plus five percent is not a plan, it is a hope with a decimal point. This workbook builds the budget the way an operator does: volume, price, cost, and headcount, phased across twelve months, with a prior-year bridge that shows exactly why next year is different.

What's inside

  • A driver-based model: revenue is volume times price by line, phased month by month, so seasonality lives in the numbers instead of a fudge factor
  • A full monthly P&L that calculates itself: revenue, gross margin, EBITDA, and the margins, with a year-end total
  • An EBITDA bridge from last year that splits the change into volume and mix, price, cost, labor, and fixed spend, and reconciles to the dollar
  • A plan-versus-actual tab that flags what is off and feeds the same numbers into the owner's monthly dashboard
  • No macros, no lock-in. Opens in Excel and imports cleanly into Google Sheets

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How to use it

  1. On the Drivers tab, enter monthly unit volume for each revenue line, then the price and variable cost per unit. Rename the three lines to yours.
  2. Add the headcount plan and fixed operating expenses by month, then the prior-year figures at the bottom.
  3. Read the Budget tab (the monthly P&L) and the Bridge tab (why next year differs). If the bridge check cell is red, a driver does not tie.
  4. After January, enter actuals on the Variance tab each month. What is off flags itself, and the same numbers roll into your monthly dashboard.

This is the plan the 13-week cash forecast and the owner's monthly dashboard roll up into. If you want the plan built around your real drivers and defended in front of a board or a bank, start a conversation.