152. Finance Templates

Finance is not just accounting. For founders, finance is the operating system for survival, choices, and trust.

These templates help you see runway, understand burn, plan revenue, track collections, and avoid avoidable surprises. They are practical operating tools, not tax, accounting, legal, payroll, or compliance advice. Work with a CA, CS, lawyer, payroll partner, and tax advisor for filings, contracts, statutory requirements, and company-specific decisions.

Runway calculator

Runway tells you how much time you have to learn, sell, build, fundraise, or cut costs.

Field	Value	Notes
Cash in bank	Rs.	Use actual cleared balance.
Expected collections this month	Rs.	Include only realistic collections, not optimistic pipeline.
Monthly payroll	Rs.	Founders, employees, contractors.
Monthly tools/cloud/vendors	Rs.	Software, hosting, subscriptions, agencies.
Monthly office/admin	Rs.	Rent, travel, internet, devices, admin.
Monthly marketing/sales spend	Rs.	Ads, events, content, commissions, lead tools.
Other fixed costs	Rs.	Loans, retainers, insurance, and other committed expenses.
Gross burn	Rs.	Total expected outflow per month.
Net burn	Rs.	Gross burn minus reliable monthly inflow.
Runway	Months	Cash balance divided by monthly net burn.

Scenario view:

Scenario	Monthly net burn	Runway	What must happen
Base	Rs.	Months	Current plan.
Conservative	Rs.	Months	Revenue delayed or collections slower.
Survival	Rs.	Months	Costs reduced to protect time.

Burn tracker

Track burn weekly when cash is tight, monthly when stable.

Category	Budget	Actual	Variance	Comment
Payroll	Rs.	Rs.	Rs.	Hiring, increments, contractor changes.
Cloud/tools	Rs.	Rs.	Rs.	Usage spikes, new tools, unused subscriptions.
Marketing/sales	Rs.	Rs.	Rs.	Campaigns, events, lead tools, travel.
Professional fees	Rs.	Rs.	Rs.	CA, CS, legal, audit, compliance.
Admin/office	Rs.	Rs.	Rs.	Rent, devices, internet, repairs.
Customer delivery	Rs.	Rs.	Rs.	Support, implementation, third-party costs.
One-time spend	Rs.	Rs.	Rs.	Explain every one-time item.

Founder review questions:

Question	Why it matters
Which costs do not create learning, revenue, retention, or risk reduction?	Cut or renegotiate low-leverage spend.
Which costs are rising with usage?	Understand gross margin and infrastructure risk.
Which costs are founder vanity?	Keep the company alive, not impressive.

Revenue forecast

Forecast from customer behavior, not hope.

Revenue line	Price	Conversion/renewal assumption	Expected revenue	Confidence
Existing recurring revenue	Rs.	Renewal/churn assumption.	Rs.	High/medium/low
New sales pipeline	Rs.	Close rate and expected close month.	Rs.	High/medium/low
Expansion/upsell	Rs.	Which customers and why now?	Rs.	High/medium/low
Services/implementation	Rs.	Delivery capacity and payment terms.	Rs.	High/medium/low
Other	Rs.	Explain source.	Rs.	High/medium/low

Pipeline realism:

Stage	Suggested forecast treatment
Verbal interest	Do not count as revenue. Track as learning or pipeline.
Proposal sent	Count only with probability and expected date.
Commercial negotiation	Higher probability, still not guaranteed.
Signed contract	Count based on billing and collection terms.
Cash collected	Count as cash, not just revenue.

Expense tracker

Use this to make every rupee visible.

Date	Vendor	Category	Amount	Recurring?	Owner	Why needed	Renewal/cancel date
Date	Vendor name	Payroll/tools/cloud/legal/travel/etc.	Rs.	Yes/No	Name	Business reason.	Date

Monthly cleanup:

Check	Action
Unused subscriptions	Cancel or move to cheaper plan.
Duplicate tools	Standardize.
Vendor price increases	Renegotiate or replace.
Founder personal expenses	Keep clean separation and documentation.
Missing invoices/receipts	Collect before month-end.

SaaS metrics dashboard

Use this if revenue is subscription-like. If your business is not SaaS, adapt the logic to repeat usage, repeat orders, or recurring contracts.

Metric	Formula	Why it matters
MRR	Monthly recurring revenue from active customers.	Shows current subscription base.
New MRR	MRR from new customers in the period.	Measures acquisition.
Expansion MRR	Additional MRR from existing customers.	Measures account growth.
Contraction MRR	Lost MRR from downgrades.	Shows weakening value.
Churned MRR	Lost MRR from cancelled customers.	Shows retention risk.
Net Revenue Retention	Starting MRR plus expansion minus contraction/churn, divided by starting MRR.	Shows whether existing customers grow or shrink.
Gross Revenue Retention	Starting MRR minus contraction/churn, divided by starting MRR.	Shows base retention before expansion.
CAC payback	Acquisition cost divided by monthly gross profit from acquired customers.	Shows efficiency.
Gross margin	Revenue minus direct cost of revenue, divided by revenue.	Shows business quality.

Dashboard table:

Month	MRR	New MRR	Expansion	Churned	NRR	Gross margin	CAC payback	Notes
Month	Rs.	Rs.	Rs.	Rs.	%	%	Months	What changed?

Collections tracker

Profit on paper does not pay salaries. Collections discipline matters early.

Customer	Invoice no.	Invoice date	Amount	Due date	Days overdue	Owner	Next action	Status
Customer		Date	Rs.	Date	Number	Name	Call/email/escalate/hold service.	Open/paid/disputed

Collections rhythm:

Timing	Action
Before due date	Confirm invoice receipt and payment process.
Due date	Friendly reminder with invoice and payment details.
7 days overdue	Call buyer/accounts contact; ask for exact payment date.
15+ days overdue	Escalate to sponsor; decide whether to pause additional work.
Disputed	Document issue, owner, resolution path, and revised timeline.

Payroll checklist

Payroll mistakes break trust quickly. Keep ownership clear.

Item	Check
Employee and contractor list updated	Joinees, exits, role changes, salary changes.
Attendance/leave inputs collected	If applicable to company policy.
Variable pay approved	Incentives, reimbursements, bonuses, deductions.
Reimbursements reviewed	Receipts and policy alignment.
Payroll partner/accountant inputs sent	Dates and required format confirmed.
Founder approval done	Before payment run.
Salary payments scheduled	Bank details verified.
Payslips/shared records	Shared as per company process.
Statutory/compliance tasks reviewed	Handled by CA/payroll partner/advisor.
Month-end reconciliation	Payroll paid, recorded, and matched.

Do not wing payroll compliance. Get professional help before the first payroll if you are unsure.

Compliance calendar

Use this as an operating calendar, not as a legal checklist. Dates and requirements vary by entity, location, registrations, employee count, and business activity.

Area	Task	Owner	Frequency	Due date	Status	Advisor
Company law	Board/shareholder/company secretarial tasks.	Founder/CS	Monthly/quarterly/annual	Date	Open/done	CS
Tax	GST/TDS/income-tax related tasks if applicable.	Finance/CA	As advised	Date	Open/done	CA
Payroll	Payroll filings, employee-related obligations if applicable.	HR/finance	As advised	Date	Open/done	Payroll/CA
Accounting	Books, reconciliations, invoices, receivables, payables.	Finance	Monthly	Date	Open/done	CA
Contracts	Renewals, vendor/customer obligations, notices.	Founder/legal	Monthly review	Date	Open/done	Lawyer
Fundraising	Board approvals, round docs, investor reporting.	Founder/legal/CS	As needed	Date	Open/done	Lawyer/CS
IP/security	Assignments, policies, access reviews, audits.	Founder/tech/legal	Quarterly	Date	Open/done	Lawyer/security

Founder rule:

If a compliance task can create penalties, block fundraising, or create diligence risk, it needs an owner and calendar reminder.

13-week cash forecast

Use this when runway is short, collections are unpredictable, or the company is about to hire, fundraise, or cut costs. A monthly view can hide danger; a weekly cash view shows timing.

Week	Opening cash	Expected collections	Payroll	Vendors/tools	Taxes/compliance/advisors	Marketing/sales	Other outflows	Closing cash
Week 1	Rs.	Rs.	Rs.	Rs.	Rs.	Rs.	Rs.	Rs.
Week 2	Rs.	Rs.	Rs.	Rs.	Rs.	Rs.	Rs.	Rs.
Week 3	Rs.	Rs.	Rs.	Rs.	Rs.	Rs.	Rs.	Rs.
Week 4	Rs.	Rs.	Rs.	Rs.	Rs.	Rs.	Rs.	Rs.

Add 13 rows in your spreadsheet. Update it every Friday when cash is tight.

Decision triggers:

Trigger	Decision needed
Closing cash falls below one payroll cycle	Immediate collection, founder bridge, cost cut, or shutdown/transition discussion.
Expected collections slip by 2+ weeks	Escalate buyer/accounts follow-up and reduce discretionary spend.
New hire pushes runway below a milestone date	Delay hire, change role, use contractor, or cut elsewhere.
Vendor dues accumulate	Decide what is essential, renegotiate, or pause non-critical services.
Fundraise close date moves out	Create a survival plan rather than hoping the round closes on time.

Finance review cadence

Use different review rhythms by stage.

Stage	Review rhythm	What to inspect
Pre-revenue	Weekly or biweekly	Cash, founder burn, build cost, discovery cost, runway.
First customers	Weekly	Collections, delivery cost, paid pilots, support effort, runway.
Early revenue	Weekly cash, monthly metrics	MRR/revenue, churn, gross margin, CAC, sales cycle, collections.
Fundraising	Weekly	Runway, close probability, investor pipeline, data room gaps, bridge options.
Scaling	Monthly with weekly exceptions	Budget vs actual, hiring plan, gross margin, payback, compliance, debt/obligations.

The finance review should end with one decision: continue current plan, reduce spend, accelerate collections, change pricing, hire, delay, fundraise, or stop.

Founder finance decision log

Record major finance decisions so the company remembers why money moved.

Date	Decision	Amount affected	Evidence	Risk accepted	Owner	Review date
	Hire / cut / spend / raise / collect / delay	Rs.

Use this for:

Hiring before revenue is repeatable
Large contractor or agency spends
Paid marketing experiments
Discounts or annual plan commitments
Founder salary changes
Bridge financing
Cost cuts
Large vendor contracts

If a finance decision is uncomfortable to write down, it probably needs more discussion.

Finance packet by decision

Use the finance templates as decision packets, not as separate spreadsheets that nobody trusts. Each packet should answer: how much cash is involved, what evidence supports the decision, what risk is accepted, and when the decision will be reviewed.

Decision	Minimum packet	Decision question
Hire	Runway calculator, 13-week cash forecast, role cost, expected milestone.	Does this hire increase the chance of reaching the next funding or revenue milestone?
Fundraise	Runway, burn tracker, revenue forecast, data room finance files, use of funds.	How much time do we have, and what story does the money support?
Paid marketing	Budget vs actual, CAC/payback assumption, experiment sheet, stop-loss rule.	Are we buying learning or burning cash for vanity traffic?
Pricing change	Revenue forecast, customer segments, gross margin, churn risk, sales notes.	Will this improve business quality without breaking trust?
Collections push	Collections tracker, overdue aging, customer owner map, escalation plan.	Which cash is realistically collectible this month?
Cost cut	Expense tracker, vendor list, impact estimate, team/customer risk.	Which cuts extend runway without damaging the core business?
Founder salary change	Runway, personal runway needs, board/investor context if applicable.	Is the decision sustainable and transparent?

For each packet, write a one-paragraph decision memo:

We are deciding whether to [decision]. Current cash is [amount], runway is [months], and the key risk is [risk]. The decision is based on [evidence]. We will review it on [date].

This small memo is useful because finance decisions age quickly. Three months later, you should know whether the decision was wise, lucky, premature, or wrong.

Finance red-yellow-green review

Run this review weekly when runway is below nine months, during a fundraise, or whenever revenue or collections are unpredictable.

Area	Green	Yellow	Red
Runway	Enough time to reach the next real milestone with buffer.	Milestone is possible but depends on optimistic collections or funding.	Payroll or survival depends on uncertain money arriving soon.
Burn	Spend matches priorities and is reviewed.	Some spend is unclear but manageable.	Spend continues because nobody wants the hard conversation.
Revenue	Forecast is grounded in signed contracts, usage, or strong pipeline evidence.	Forecast depends on deals slipping into the right month.	Forecast is mostly hope, verbal interest, or founder optimism.
Collections	Owners, due dates, and escalations are clear.	Invoices are overdue but actively followed.	Founders discover overdue cash only when cash gets tight.
Compliance	Calendar and advisors are in place.	Some items need cleanup.	Missing records could block fundraising, audits, or trust.
Metrics	Numbers are consistent and understood.	Definitions are changing.	Different people use different numbers for the same metric.

Actions:

Green: continue the plan, but keep watching leading indicators.
Yellow: choose one corrective action this week.
Red: founder-level decision required now.

Avoid the most common early finance mistake: treating accounting as history and finance as someone else’s job. Accounting records what happened. Founder finance decides what the company can survive, learn, and attempt next.

Copy-paste 13-week cash sheet

Use this when cash matters, which is almost always. It is not a replacement for accounting advice, but it gives the founder a weekly operating view.

Week	Opening cash	Expected inflows	Payroll	Vendors/tools	Tax/compliance	Other outflows	Closing cash	Notes
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
Week 12
Week 13

Add a collections tracker:

Customer	Amount	Invoice date	Due date	Owner	Risk	Next action
					Low / medium / high

Weekly founder questions:

Which inflow is assumed but not committed?
Which payment can slip without hurting trust?
Which payment must never slip?
What spend is optional if cash tightens?
What founder conversation would improve cash this week?

Cash clarity is not pessimism. It gives the founder time to act before the company is forced into bad choices.

Copy-paste monthly finance pack

Use this pack for founder review, advisor review, investor update, or board/advisor conversations.

Month:
Prepared by:

Cash in bank:
Net burn:
Gross burn:
Runway:
Revenue booked:
Cash collected:
Receivables overdue:
Payroll:
Major upcoming payments:

What changed this month:
Biggest risk:
Founder decision needed:

Tables:

Metric	This month	Last month	Change	Comment
Cash
Gross burn
Net burn
Revenue booked
Cash collected
Gross margin
Runway

Top expenses	Amount	Keep / reduce / stop	Reason

Receivable	Amount	Days overdue	Owner	Next action

Copy-paste scenario plan

Use this before fundraising, hiring, cost cuts, or a major GTM spend.

Scenario	Revenue/collections assumption	Burn assumption	Runway	Founder action
Base				Continue current plan.
Downside				Cut or delay specific spend.
Upside				Invest in named opportunity.
Survival				Protect payroll, customers, compliance, core product.

Write the decision rule before the month begins:

If cash collected is below [amount] by [date], we will [action].
If runway falls below [months], we will [action].
If the round is not committed by [date], we will [action].
If revenue exceeds [amount], we will [action].

Scenario planning is not pessimism. It prevents panic decisions.

Collections escalation ladder

Collections should be polite, factual, and owned.

Stage	Timing	Action
Before due date	3-5 days before	Friendly reminder with invoice, amount, due date, payment details.
Due date	Same day	Confirm expected payment date.
Early overdue	3-7 days	Account owner follows up and asks if anything is blocking payment.
Material overdue	7-15 days	Founder or finance owner escalates to buyer/finance contact.
Serious overdue	15+ days	Decide whether to pause service, renegotiate, or formalize escalation.

Keep a record:

Customer:
Invoice:
Amount:
Due date:
Days overdue:
Business owner:
Finance contact:
Last message:
Reason for delay:
Next action:
Escalation date:

For Indian B2B customers, clarify GST invoice details, purchase order needs, TDS treatment, bank details, and payment approval owner early. Many “late payment” problems are actually unclear paperwork problems discovered too late.

Finance assumption audit

Before using a finance template to make a decision, audit the assumptions. Most founder finance mistakes do not come from bad spreadsheet formulas. They come from optimistic inputs quietly treated as facts.

Use this table before hiring, fundraising, cutting costs, launching a paid channel, or committing to a large vendor:

Assumption	Evidence	Confidence	What if wrong?	Decision trigger
Close rate	Past deals, stage movement, qualified pipeline.	High/medium/low	Revenue slips, runway shortens.	Cut spend or change sales focus by date.
Collection timing	Past invoices, buyer payment process, PO status.	High/medium/low	Payroll or vendor timing risk.	Escalate collections or delay spend.
Gross margin	Delivery cost, support load, cloud/tools, payment fees.	High/medium/low	Growth consumes cash.	Reprice, reduce scope, or stop segment.
Hiring cost	Salary range, recruiter cost, onboarding time.	High/medium/low	Runway falls below milestone.	Delay hire or change role.
CAC/payback	Channel data, sales time, conversion, retention.	High/medium/low	Paid growth becomes dangerous.	Pause channel until retention proof.
Compliance/advisor cost	CA/CS/legal/payroll/security estimates.	High/medium/low	Surprise obligations.	Add buffer or seek advice before commitment.

Mark every assumption as one of these:

Label	Meaning	Founder action
Fact	Already happened and is recorded.	Use it.
Pattern	Has repeated enough to be useful.	Use cautiously and keep reviewing.
Estimate	Based on informed judgment.	Add downside case.
Hope	Desired outcome with weak evidence.	Do not base survival decisions on it.

Finance templates should force better decisions, not create prettier optimism. If the plan works only when every low-confidence assumption goes right, the company is running on hope disguised as planning.

Cash crisis operating sheet

Use this when runway is tight enough that normal monthly reviews are too slow. The goal is to create options before panic removes them.

Date:
Cash in bank:
Cash collectible in 14 days:
Cash collectible in 30 days:
Payroll due:
Critical vendor payments:
Tax/compliance/advisor payments:
Minimum survival spend for next 30 days:
Runway at current burn:
Runway after immediate cuts:

Decision table:

Action	Cash impact	Trust impact	Customer impact
Accelerate collection from named customers	Rs.	Low/medium/high	Low/medium/high
Delay or renegotiate vendor payment	Rs.	Low/medium/high	Low/medium/high
Pause discretionary spend	Rs.	Low/medium/high	Low/medium/high
Reduce founder salary or expense	Rs.	Low/medium/high	Low/medium/high
Sell paid pilot or annual prepay	Rs.	Low/medium/high	Low/medium/high
Start bridge, consulting, or fundraising option	Rs.	Low/medium/high	Low/medium/high

Cash crisis rules:

Do not hide payroll risk until the last week.
Do not promise customers delivery you cannot fund.
Do not use unpaid vendor credit as a silent financing plan.
Do not count unsigned deals as cash.
Do not make irreversible commitments to avoid one uncomfortable conversation.

The founder should end the review with one dated decision:

By [date], we will either [collect/cut/raise/sell/change mode], or we will move to [next survival decision].

Hiring affordability gate

Before hiring, especially before revenue is repeatable, run this gate.

Gate	Question	Pass / fail
Need	Which repeated bottleneck does this hire remove?
Milestone	Which milestone becomes more likely because of this hire?
Cash	What happens to runway after salary, tools, onboarding, and manager time?
Manager	Who will manage the person and review quality weekly?
Alternatives	Can contractor, founder time, automation, or scope cut solve this first?
Timing	Is this hire needed now or after the next proof point?
Exit	What happens if the hire does not work in 60-90 days?

Decision rule:

We will hire only if the role increases the odds of reaching [milestone] before runway falls below [months].

Many early startups hire to reduce founder discomfort. That is not always wrong, but it must be honest. If the founder is avoiding sales, hiring a salesperson too early may delay learning. If the founder is avoiding support, hiring support before fixing onboarding may hide product weakness. Use finance to ask whether the hire buys progress or merely relief.

Collections message blocks

Collections should be direct, calm, and documented. Adapt these with judgment and advisor input where needed.

Before due date:

Hi [Name], sharing a quick reminder that invoice [number] for Rs. [amount] is due on [date].
Please confirm the invoice is received and whether anything is needed from our side for processing.

On due date:

Hi [Name], invoice [number] is due today. Could you please confirm the expected payment date?
If there is any PO, GST, TDS, or paperwork issue blocking it, we can help close it today.

Overdue escalation:

Hi [Name], this invoice is now [X] days overdue. We need a clear payment date so we can plan delivery and support responsibly.
Can we close the payment by [date], or should we schedule a quick call with finance/accounts?

Internal escalation note:

Field	Notes
Customer
Invoice
Amount
Days overdue
Reason given
Sponsor/buyer
Finance/accounts contact
Next action
Pause/continue decision

The goal is not aggression. The goal is cash truth. A company with revenue but weak collections can still run out of money.