Business Financial Planning and Analysis

What do business owners do with their financial information? We work with owners to identify the financial strengths and weaknesses of their businesses by properly establishing the relationship between the items of the balance sheet and the profit and loss accounts. Financial statements play a dominant role in setting the framework of managerial decisions. Information provided in the financial statements is not an end in itself as no meaningful conclusions can come from these statements alone. However, the information provided in the financial statements is of immense use in making decisions through analysis. Our goal is “to help you understand your financial statements as well as you understand your business.”

Our Financial Planning activities involve the following tasks:

• Assess the business environment
• Confirm the business vision and objectives
• Identify the types of resources needed to achieve these objectives
• Quantify the amount of resource (labor, equipment, materials required)
• Calculate the total cost of each type of resource
• Summarize the costs to create a budget
• Identify any risks and issues with the budget set

Performing Financial Planning is critical to the success of any organization. It provides the Business Plan with rigor, by confirming that the objectives set are achievable from a financial point of view. It also helps the CEO to set financial targets for the organization, and reward staff for meeting objectives within the budget set.  The flow charts below illustrate the Financial Planning and Analysis process used by Ames Accounting to support clients with existing and start-up businesses. 

Financial Planning and Analysis for Existing Businesses
Process Flow Chart

Financial Planning and Analysis for New Businesses
Process Flow Chart