Support your figures
Create a revenue forecast: support quantities and selling prices
A useful revenue forecast begins with what you sell. Express expectations as quantities and prices so someone else can follow the calculation. Use historical revenue for comparison and explain why the next period will differ.
Choose a unit that matches your business
For a consultant, the unit may be billable hours. A webshop might use orders multiplied by average order value. Recurring services can start with paying customers and the agreed charge per period. Convert these measures to the same period before combining them.
Distinguish actual revenue, confirmed orders and sales that have yet to be won. A busy quotation pipeline is not the same as contracted revenue. State which portion depends on new customers, price changes or additional capacity.
Example: price and volume change together
A fictional services business plans 100 billable hours per month at €80, giving €8,000 revenue. A higher rate alone produces €8,500. At 110 hours and €85, revenue reaches €9,350. The combined growth is 16.875%: the separate percentage changes cannot simply be added.
| Scenario | Hours | Rate | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base | 100 | €80 | €8,000 |
| Higher rate | 100 | €85 | €8,500 |
| More hours and higher rate | 110 | €85 | €9,350 |
Use your accounts as a cross-check
Compare the result with fully posted months in your accounts. If the plan doubles revenue, explain where that increase comes from. An XAF export can establish the historical monthly average. Check income accounts, credit entries, entries with unclear periods and one-off gains.
In the Rekenbox forecast, the growth percentage is applied once to the historical monthly average. Entering 10% does not create another 10% growth every month. The tool produces equal monthly amounts. Model seasonality, customer losses and new product groups separately where relevant.
Common questions
Can revenue grow without extra costs?
It depends on the cause. A price increase can have a different cost effect from higher unit sales. Work through purchasing, hours and capacity before assuming unchanged costs.
Is cash received the same as revenue?
Not always. A customer may pay after the period in which revenue is recognised. Loan proceeds are not sales revenue either. Prepare a separate cash-flow budget for payment timing.
Sources and product scope
The worked examples were prepared by Rekenbox for explanation. Product behaviour and source references were checked on the stated update date.
KVK places expected revenue at the beginning of the operating budget. KVK · Exploitatiebegroting ↗
Continue your preparation
Support your figures
Create an operating budget: from revenue to expected profit
Creating an operating or profit budget? See a worked example with revenue, purchases, operating costs and profit before tax.
Read the guideSupport your figures
Create a profit forecast: how much growth becomes profit?
Build a profit forecast from income and costs. Compare growth scenarios and see why higher revenue does not automatically mean higher profit.
Read the guide
Prepare for financing
A startup financial plan: budget without historical accounts
No historical accounts yet? Build a startup revenue and cost plan from concrete assumptions. Includes a quarterly example and preparation checklist.
Read the guide