Best pro forma financial model templates – avoid Excel pitfalls!

Every entrepreneur gets asked to create a financial forecast at some point. The problem is that many don’t have a strong finance background to fully understand what they’re doing. They might also feel unsure about how to make their numbers believable. That’s where our business startup templates come in.

We totally get it! Putting together a pro forma financial model for investors can feel overwhelming. There are a lot of numbers, unfamiliar terms, and confusing templates. But here’s the good news: some great resources are available to make it easier. With our free startup financial templates, we’ll walk you through creating a step-by-step pro forma forecast.

By using our templates, you’ll make sure your numbers are clear for investors to understand. You’ll also show them the progress you've made toward your financial goals.

Key takeaways 

• Pro forma financial models are essential for raising capital, understanding your business, and communicating clearly with investors.
• Templates save time and reduce errors by offering ready-made, accurate, and easy-to-use structures for financial forecasting.
• Scenario planning is a must-have feature that helps you prepare for different outcomes and make better decisions under uncertainty.
• Custom models may still be necessary since every business is unique; expert support ensures your financial forecasts fit your exact needs.

Table of contents

• Why you need a financial model
• 3 statement financial model templates: Choose your business model
• How to use these pro-forma financial model templates
• Creating scenarios
• FAQs

Why you need a financial model

Raise capital

Venture capitalists and angel investors always ask for a financial model for a good reason. They need to see how your business will make money. A pro forma financial model helps connect your revenue, expenses, and investments, showing how your business will grow over time. 

Understand your business

Building a financial model is a great way to truly understand how all parts of your business work together. As you go through this process, you might spot important problems that need fixing before you officially launch. This step can help you save time and money in the long run.

3 statement financial model templates: choose your business model

Templates help you focus on what’s most important: your business. You don’t need to worry about forecasting your profits because we provide ready-to-use templates. We handle the details and make sure the numbers are accurate and believable.

Save time

If you're building a startup, you have a million things on your mind. So, spending hours and building an Excel sheet shouldn’t be one of them. Pro forma financial model templates can save you time and effort. They also help you focus more on your business strategy.

Each template includes a 3-statement model, key assumptions, and a pre-designed cover page. All templates are projected for 60 months.

• SaaS templates
  ○      Monthly
  ○      Annual
  ○      Per unit monthly
  ○      Per unit annual
• Marketplace template
• E-commerce template
• Transactional template
• Hourly Services template
• User application template
• Custom contracts template

How to use these pro-forma financial model templates

The following templates are here to help you quickly and easily build a financial model. They're all in Google Sheets so that you can edit them on any device with internet access.

Here’s how to get started:

1. Open the file in Google Sheets (make a copy if you'd like).
2. Only change the values in the yellow cells - this keeps the formulas working.
3. If you need to add more rows, right-click any row number and choose “Insert 1 above” or “Insert 1 below.”

Want to learn more about how each template works? Just hover over any section for tips. 

Creating "what if" scenarios

A good pro forma financial model helps you answer important questions like:

• How much revenue do I need to hit my profit goal?
• What happens if sales fall short of expectations?
• What if my expenses end up being higher than planned?

Having the ability to quickly answer these questions allows you to make better business choices. It also helps your investors understand how different scenarios can impact your business. Here’s how to set up your scenarios:

1. Create a new tab for each scenario.
2. Copy the 'historicals' tab and give it a new name (like 'scenario 1').
3. In 'scenario 1,' edit the assumptions to test your ideas. For example, change when you expect your first customer or how much you plan to spend on marketing each month.
4. To create more scenarios, repeat steps 2-3 for as many as you need. 

This way, you can explore different outcomes and plan for whatever comes your way.

Reach out if you need help

We know that no two businesses are the same. So each one has its own needs and unique financial model. But if you're not careful, you might end up with a generic model that doesn’t fit your needs. That can be a huge waste of both time and money.

Building a custom financial model from scratch can take up to 200 hours, even for expert analysts. On the other hand,  if you use someone else’s financial model template and try to modify it for your needs, you can run into problems. Because standard templates might not be built to accommodate your unique business situation and assumptions.

So, that’s where we come in. With years of experience in building custom financial models for companies in all kinds of industries, we’re ready to assist you. Our team will create a financial model tailored to fit your business perfectly.

We also offer expert-designed templates to help you build professional Business Plans. These templates meet the highest standards, ensuring you have everything needed to get approval from non-profits or government agencies that fund your business. Our well-researched financial model templates provide clear guidance for any questions you have.

 In addition, you can schedule a meeting with our experts. Forecastr will support you in crafting a top-notch business plan, backed by accurate data and the right metrics for your specific needs.