FORWARD FEST: Demystifying the Pro Forma: Building Financial Projections

This no-cost session is being hosted as part of Forward Fest 2023! Learn more about all of the sessions offered for entrepreneurs – and register for the full Forward Fest event – at ForwardFest.org.

Session Description

In 40+ years of working with entrepreneurs, we have regularly observed that “the money part” of business planning is often what causes many business owners and would-be business owners alike the most anxiety and confusion. Yet the numbers don’t have to intimidate you. Instead, understanding a clear financial plan for your business will give you the confidence to make educated decisions about the viability of your business idea, access needed capital and actively manage cash flow as your business grows.

This live-virtual introductory session – designed for new and prospective business owners in any industry – will help you understand:

  • The purpose (and power!) of a pro forma in business planning, management and in accessing capital
  • The fundamental “inputs” to building solid projections, including:
    1. Identification of your business models key revenue streams, and how to translate to your projections
    2. Synthesis of customer, competitive and industry knowledge into reasoned market size and share estimates
    3. The impact of pricing decisions, buyer behavior and capacity on projected revenue
    4. Types of key cost estimates needed for your projections
    5. Other considerations
  • Resources for pulling it all together!

By joining us for this overview session, you will build a solid foundation of concepts that can help you understand how to put real numbers to your dreams and learn the path to projections. Whether you plan to seek funding from a bank, determine the feasibility of your business idea, or explore new directions for your business, following the ideas we’ll cover in this session will help you build success based on knowledge.

Registration

NOTE: This no-cost session is being hosted as part of Forward Fest 2023! Learn more about all of the sessions offered for entrepreneurs – and register for the full Forward Fest event – at ForwardFest.org.

Location: Online, Live virtual session via Zoom. Course link will be sent out shortly before the first session.

Session date: August 22, 2023 from noon-1:30 pm CST as part of Forward Fest

Fee: This course is being offered at no cost.

Register here

Click the link above to express interest in this session, and we’ll notify you when formal registration is available. 

Disability Statement: Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. Contact the UW-Madison SBDC office at sbdc@bus.wisc.edu to request accommodations.

“Thank you! This was exactly what I needed to feel less intimidated about taking this step. Anne's presentation style and all the information provided were excellent. Demystify is the correct title - I took away the confidence that I can tackle this and that with time, I can pull together the data I need.”

– 2022 Demystifying the Pro Forma Participant

Meet the Presenter: Anne Inman

Anne Inman has a diverse business background spanning over 25 years of bringing organization to data, functions and people to address a broad spectrum of business challenges. She began her career in the accounting profession. A growing interest in marketing lead her to several roles at Information Resources, Inc. and Kraft Foods. She has also owned her own consulting business. She has been a business consultant with the UW-Madison Small Business Development Center for two years and works with clients in the Entrepreneurial Training Grant program. Anne holds a BS in Accounting from Purdue University, an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, and is a Certified Public Accountant.

The Wisconsin SBDC Network is a proud part of the Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship in the University of Wisconsin System.
It is funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. Contact us at sbdc@bus.wisc.edu or call (608) 263-2221.