Could you answer these questions about your business? 

• How accurate are our sales forecasts compared to actual results?
• Can we confidently predict revenue over the next 6 to 12 months?
• Do we understand the true cost of delivering each product or service?
• Can we pass rising costs on to customers, or do we need to absorb them?
• If costs continue to rise, how long can our current margins sustain the business?
• Which costs are fixed and which can be adjusted if revenue slows?
• How much of our revenue depends on a small number of customers?
• What would happen if we lost our largest client or a key supplier?
• What impact do longer debtor days have on our cashflow?
• Will growth improve profitability, or simply add complexity?
• Are we using available cash in the most effective way to support growth?

If you find these questions difficult to answer, you’re not alone. 

Even large enterprises sometimes operate on instinct, with leaders relying on gut feels rather than insights and forecasting that reveal the full picture – making it harder to see how underperformance could threaten the business’s long term success.

 Every business can have a strategic compass. It doesn’t  need to be expensive or overly sophisticated. 

To show how this is achievable for any business, of any size or industry, we have broken it down into three levels:

1. Level 1: For small to medium businesses with limited data who want to understand their current financial position, build simple forecasts, and see how specific events could affect the business.
2. Level 2: For businesses ready to embed forecasting and scenario modelling as a core part of strategic and operational decision making.
3. Level 3: For businesses seeking additional support to elevate their finance function, using more advanced forecasting and insight to guide complex decisions.

The exercise can be as simple or as sophisticated as you need it to be. Many businesses begin with a basic forecasting approach and build on it over time.

 For support with forecasting your business’s future, 
RSM is ready to help. 

Our experienced business advisers work with thousands of clients across Australia in businesses of all sizes every day. We are skilled in asking the right questions to get to the heart of what you want to achieve, then translating those ambitions into meaningful forecasts and scenario modelling that show how different decisions could shape the future of your business.

Be it sustainment, growth, efficiency, succession or exiting the business, the right foresight gives you clarity on the best route to reach your destination. Our goal is to help you make every decision – not with hope – but with deep insight, supported by forecasting and a clear understanding of exactly what it means for your business.
 

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