Financial Modeling

Who this is for

Founders who need a model for a raise, a decision, or their own peace of mind, and don't want to fill in someone else's spreadsheet template.

What you'll actually decide

The drivers: what actually moves revenue in your business, what the cost structure really looks like, when you'd hire, and how long the money lasts.

What first-time founders get wrong here

Building the model backwards from a revenue target. If the growth rate is an input chosen to reach a number, the model is a wish with cell formulas. The other one is a cost side that quietly assumes the founder works for free forever.

The first 10 questions

This is where the conversation starts. Each answer shapes what gets asked next.

1. 01What is the business, and what stage is it at — pre-revenue, early revenue, or scaling?
2. 02What are your revenue streams? Walk me through how you make money today (or plan to).
3. 03Who is this model for — internal planning, fundraising, a board, or your own sanity check? The audience changes what the model needs to show.
4. 04What decisions are you trying to make with this model? What question does it need to answer?
5. 05What are the 2–3 biggest assumptions the model will rest on — price, conversion rate, growth, churn? What's your basis for each?
6. 06What does your current cost structure look like — headcount, infrastructure, marketing, COGS? What's the monthly burn today?
7. 07What has happened versus plan so far — are there months of actual data you can ground the model in?
8. 08What are the risks to the model — the scenarios where the numbers break down? What would need to go wrong?
9. 09What time horizon should the model cover — 12 months, 3 years, 5 years? Monthly, quarterly, or annual detail?
10. 10What are the core revenue inputs — unit price, volume, growth rate, churn, upsell rate? What levers drive the number?

+ 7 more questions across discovery, validation, and the creative brief — each one adapting to what you've already said.

Related finance project types

• Bootstrap or Raise?Decide whether to fund your startup with customer revenue or investor money — what each path demands, what it costs you, and which one your business can actually support.
• Investor UpdateWrite an investor update that's actually worth reading — clear on what moved, honest about what didn't, and specific about what you need.
• Take the Accelerator Offer?Evaluate a specific accelerator or incubator offer — what the equity really costs, what the program really delivers, and whether it's right for this company right now.