Free Cash Flow Worksheet Template for Startups

Cash flow worksheets are essentially financial roadmaps for your startup, intended to provide an overview of your finances, empower leadership to make informed decisions and build investor credibility. It’s estimated that more than 80 percent of all startups fail due to cash flow problems, underscoring the importance of proper cash flow management and disciplined financial management.

At Graphite, we’ve created a free cash flow worksheet template to help get your startup off on the right track. Download it today and take control of your financial management.

What’s Included in our Cash Flow Template

Here’s a look at what’s included in Graphite’s free cash flow template.

• Cash flow from operations: This consists of any cash generated from your startup’s regular business activities. Examples include payment received from customers or from the sale of products or services. Outflows (i.e., payroll, supplier payments, rent, taxes, utilities, etc.) are also important to track.
• Cash flow from investments: Cash flow worksheets should also track investments, both from the sale and purchase of assets. Purchased assets may include equipment, property or patents. Research and development costs also factor into investments.
• Cash flow from fundraising: Cash flow from funding sources includes capital raised from investors or any loans that a startup takes out. Cash outflows include loan payments, interest payments on debt, etc.

From pre-built formulas to projection timelines and scenario planning tabs to help startups overcome common challenges, our template is a great starter tool for teams and small business owners seeking clarity.

Benefits: Cash Flow Worksheet Template

Some of the key benefits of using this cash flow worksheet template include:

• Financial visibility: Startups need an overview of the cash that’s flowing in and out of their business to know how much is available. This can help startup leaders differentiate between profitability and actual cash on hand by reconciling cash inflows and outflows into a single cash balance.
• Cash runway and burn rate management: Burn rate and cash runway are two key metrics that all startups should track to understand how long they can survive with their current cash reserves and better plan fundraising rounds. A good template can help startups track these metrics based on real operating cash flow rather than accruals.
• Better scenario planning: Startups should track various scenarios to proactively adjust strategy based on market and economic conditions. Templates can help startups create best-case, worst-case and most likely-case scenarios to be prepared for any situation and build a defensible business plan.
• Improved operational efficiency: Proper cash flow tracking can help you identify gaps in timing and inform better decision-making. A good template can also help your startup identify any cash-tight positions several weeks in advance so adjustments can be made accordingly by controlling operating costs and deferring nonessential cash paid.
• Building investor and stakeholder confidence: A good cash flow template can also provide a professional snapshot of your startup’s financial health, which is crucial during fundraising for building trust with investors and lenders who expect clear cash flow projection support.

Key Features: Cash Flow Worksheet Template

Compared to generic templates, our cash flow worksheet template is designed specifically for startups and includes startup-specific features such as:

• Startup-optimized categories
• Automatic runway calculations
• Scenario planning and investor-ready formatting with integrated revenue projections.

How to Use Our Cash Flow Worksheet

How can your startup benefit from our cash flow worksheet? Start by downloading it, then follow these steps to get started:

• Gather your financial data and enter it into the worksheet.
• Calculate net cash flow by subtracting outflows from inflows.
• Track your rolling cash flow balance over designated weeks and months.
• Forecast future cash positions and identify potential shortfalls or surpluses.
• Review projects and adjust accordingly.

The template also offers user-friendly hover-over instructions and example data to help you get started.

Why Startups Need Cash Flow Worksheets

A startup’s cash flow is the lifeblood of its operations, and cash flow worksheets provide crucial visibility into its liquidity to help it forecast future cash needs and maintain operational stability. Cash flow worksheets can help startups translate data into concrete numbers that they can assess and learn from.

Cash flow worksheets are also important for fundraising, especially when it comes to demonstrating financial discipline and painting a clear picture of your startup’s overall financial health and cash conversion cycle efficiency. This can help build investor confidence and trust and lead to more successful fundraising rounds for businesses seeking capital.

Download Graphite’s Free Cash Flow Worksheet Template Today

Take better control of your startup’s finances and download Graphite’s free cash flow worksheet template today. No sign-up or registration is necessary, all you need to do is download it to get started and improve your cash flow visibility. Download it today to improve your startup’s financial visibility, track burn rate and cash runway, scenario plan, and build investor and stakeholder confidence.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to sign up or provide my email to download?

No, there is no sign-up or registration of any type necessary to download and use our free cash flow worksheet template. Just download it, start entering your data, and improve your financial visibility and management.

Is this template compatible with Google Sheets?

Though it’s not directly compatible with Google Sheets, it’s available as a downloadable file that can be used in Sheets. To customize its use, download the template and then upload it into Google Sheets.

What’s the difference between this and a regular cash flow statement?

Graphite’s cash flow worksheets are purpose-built for startups. They feature startup-optimized categories, such as automatic runway calculations, scenario planning and investor-ready formatting, to help your startup better manage its finances.

Can I customize the template for my specific business?

Yes, startups should customize the cash flow worksheet template for their specific needs. These worksheets can be easily adjusted by adding or removing categories (i.e., inflows and outflows from different client types and operating expenses) to reflect unique revenue streams and expenses, and adjusting timelines and detail to match any forecasting goals. For example, startups can create a yearly overview tab with monthly summaries and separate monthly worksheets for daily tracking.

How often should I update my cash flow worksheet?

Plan to update your cash flow worksheet weekly with any new inflows and outflows, and review and adjust it on a quarterly basis. Weekly updates help you track short-term cash flow, while monthly reviews provide a broader look at your startup’s overall financial health.