Build a startup financial model you understand, trust and can defend
A complete kit for founders who are not finance people: a driver-based, three-statement model for 36 months, with runway, scenarios, unit economics, an investor walkthrough and a monthly routine, in any currency.
- A 10-chapter e-book that teaches driver-based modelling from pre-seed to Series A, with one composite usage-based startup running through every chapter
- The Startup Financial Model: an 18-sheet Excel workbook with revenue build, channels and CAC, headcount, P&L, cash flow, balance sheet, SaaS metrics, a default alive test, three scenarios, 14 automatic checks and two dashboards
- A 7-sheet unit economics and payback calculator, 4 fillable PDF forms and 6 Word templates, including 32 finance messages, an investor walkthrough script and 28 AI prompts
- A Start Here map, 3 cheat sheets including dated country notes on accounting and tax, a 41-event calendar and a 35-task CSV
The Startup Financial Model Kit · Bodhih Pro Kits · 193 by Bodhih Training, trainers to 2,000+ companies since 2008.
How do I build a financial model for my startup?
Start from the decisions the model must support, then write revenue and costs as drivers you can measure: channels, conversion, price, churn, hires. Build customers, revenue, costs and cash month by month for 36 months, check that profit, cash and balance sheet tie together, and add base, upside and downside cases. The Startup Financial Model Kit from Bodhih Training gives you a file for each step.
Want the full free guide first? Read How to Build a Startup Financial Model, Step by Step.
You already feel the problem. Here is what it is costing you.
A template built for someone else
Hundreds of rows, tabs called FINAL, and a growth cell that turns a small company into a giant one by year five. You cannot explain it, so you cannot defend it.
Revenue with no reason behind it
Yearly revenue typed in by hand, with no customers, prices, churn or channels underneath. The first investor question, "because of what?", has no answer.
Profit and cash that never match
The P&L says one thing and the bank says another. Receivables, equipment and the funding round sit in nobody's spreadsheet, so the lowest cash point arrives as a surprise.
One optimistic scenario
There is a plan, but no downside case and no agreed trigger. When a big customer leaves or the round is late, the decisions are made in a panic.
Metrics you half understand
Investors ask about net revenue retention, CAC payback and burn multiple. You know roughly what they mean, but not how your own numbers compare.
A plan nobody checks against reality
The model was built for the raise and never opened again. Board meetings run on impressions because actuals and plan live in different places.
Picture the next few weeks with the kit open beside you.
Picture the Wednesday you sit down with your co-founder and the Driver Discovery Worksheet. In forty-five minutes you have written the three decisions the model must support, your revenue formula in words, and an honest list of what you know and what you are guessing.
Now imagine typing your channels, team and prices into the Startup Financial Model. As you switch the scenario to Downside, you watch the lowest cash point move and see exactly which hires cause it. You write the trigger and the first action on the sign-off form while there is still time to choose calmly.
Then the investor call. You open the Annual Summary, then the Cash Dashboard, and walk through drivers, cash and the downside in ten minutes. When the question about burn multiple comes, the answer is already on the SaaS Metrics sheet.
And then the first monthly close. Actuals go in, the review form separates timing from permanent changes, and a short note from the message library goes to your board. Whether you start with the e-book tonight or the worksheet tomorrow morning, the model keeps getting more useful every month you use it.
19 files that do the work for you
The e-book shows you how. The tools make it happen. Here is exactly what you download.
The Startup Financial Model Kit (e-book, PDF)
The guide: methods, worked examples, scripts and exercises
Start here: the model job on one page
The whole job as nine steps with the file to open at each, your first hour, a 30/60/90 day plan and the matching assessments.
Startup Financial Model workbook
18-sheet driver-based three-statement model for 36 months: settings, scenario switch, channels and CAC, headcount, opex, revenue build, monthly P&L, annual summary, cash flow and runway, balance sheet, SaaS metrics, default alive test, actuals vs plan, checks and two dashboards with ARR and cash charts.
Unit Economics and Payback Calculator
7-sheet calculator: fully loaded CAC, simple and cohort payback, LTV with a lifetime cap, channel comparison ranked by payback, a churn-against-CAC sensitivity grid and a summary with a chart.
Driver discovery worksheet
Three-page fillable worksheet to run before you build: what the model must decide, your revenue formula in words, a driver tree, the evidence and confidence behind each driver, and the five drivers to test first.
Assumptions and scenarios sign-off
Three-page fillable form: the key assumptions with evidence and owner, the upside and downside cases with triggers and actions, the numbers each case produces, and sign-off by the founders.
Monthly actuals vs plan review
Two-page fillable form for the monthly close review: close checklist, variances on revenue, costs, cash and customers, timing versus permanent differences, driver updates and decisions.
Board finance summary one-pager
Two-page fillable board finance summary: headline, key metrics against plan, cash and runway, scenario status, decisions needed and risks, plus a page of notes for the presenter.
Model walkthrough script for investors and board
Preparation checklist, a minute-by-minute ten-minute investor walkthrough, a fifteen-minute board version, 15 likely questions with the shape of a good answer, and words for awkward moments.
Assumptions book template
Word template that records the source, date and owner of every assumption in the model, grouped in nine areas, with a change log and sign-off. Send it with the model to investors and the board.
Monthly finance update message library
32 ready-to-adapt messages and scripts: board finance notes, investor update finance sections, team and budget-owner requests, hiring freeze and cost-cut notices, supplier and customer cash messages, and fundraising notes.
Finance rhythm and model control policy (one page)
A one-page policy the founders can adopt: the weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual finance rhythm, eight model control rules (owner, master copy, versioning, checks, AI use) and a handover checklist.
Worked example pack: a usage-based SaaS startup over 36 months
The forms and the model shown completed for one composite company, Routewise: driver discovery, assumptions, base and downside cases with triggers and actions, a month 3 actuals review and a board finance summary.
AI prompt pack for startup financial models
28 tool-agnostic prompts grouped by the nine steps of building and using a model, each with what to paste in and what to check before you use the output.
Metrics and decision card
Fifteen metric definitions exactly as the workbook calculates them, plus fourteen if-this-then-that rules for scenarios, runway and unit economics.
Mistakes investors spot card
Sixteen common model mistakes, what each looks like and what to do instead, with a five-minute self-check before you send.
Country notes on accounting and tax basics, October 2026
Dated notes for setting the model's placeholders: revenue recognition standards, payroll on-costs, corporate tax, VAT and GST, R&D incentives and fundraising instruments, with the official source to check.
6-week model build and monthly close calendar
41 calendar events: a six-week build from driver discovery to sending version 1, Monday cash checks, three monthly closes and reviews, and the first quarterly reforecast. Each names the file to open.
Model build task board import
35 tasks as a CSV ready to import into Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira, with step, week, owner, file to open and due date.
Chapter by chapter
Each chapter opens with a real situation, gives you a method and ends with something to do today, using the tools in your kit.
- Format
- PDF e-book + XLSX + fillable PDF + DOCX + printable PDF + ICS + CSV
- Files
- 19 files plus a one-click ZIP
- E-book
- 61 pages
- Workbooks
- 18-sheet model and 7-sheet calculator, with sample data, formulas, checks and dashboards
- Works with
- Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice, Word, Google Docs, Acrobat Reader, GoodNotes, Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar, Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner, Jira
- Best for
- Pre-seed to Series A startups of any business type, in any country and currency
A Model Is a Decision Tool
Why a startup model is a decision tool rather than a forecast, and the nine-step method with a monthly loop.
What Your Model Is For
The four jobs a model does, how it changes from pre-seed to Series A, and writing the decisions before the numbers.
Drivers, Not Guesses
Driver-based thinking: building a driver tree, rating evidence and confidence, and keeping every assumption in one place.
Revenue Models by Business Type
Six revenue shapes (subscription, usage-based, marketplace, transactional, services, hardware) and how to adapt the revenue build to yours.
Customers, Channels and CAC
Channels, funnels, channel CAC versus fully loaded CAC, and why product-market fit comes before scaling spend.
People, Costs and Margins
A dated hiring plan with fully loaded cost, operating expenses, cost of revenue, gross margin and contribution margin.
Cash, Profit and the Three Statements
Profit and loss, cash flow and balance sheet in plain words, and why cash and profit drift apart.
Runway, Default Alive and Scenarios
Runway, Paul Graham's default alive test, and base, upside and downside cases with triggers agreed in advance.
Unit Economics and SaaS Metrics
MRR, ARR, churn, NRR, CAC payback, LTV to CAC, burn multiple and the Rule of 40, read as trends.
Fundraising, Cap Tables and Presenting the Model
How a round flows into the model, cap table basics in plain words, and a ten-minute walkthrough for investors and the board.
Keeping It Alive: Hygiene, Actuals and AI
Model hygiene, monthly actuals against plan, quarterly reforecasts, and where AI helps and where a person must decide.
The Model Is a Conversation
What a good model buys you, and your first hour.
Metric Definitions in Plain Words
Fifteen metric definitions exactly as the workbook calculates them.
Country Differences That Touch Your Model
Five country differences that touch a model: currency, payroll on-costs, tax, indirect tax and revenue recognition.
Not just reading. Tools you will actually open again.
E-book
- The Startup Financial Model Kit: 10 chapters, 2 appendices and 6 figures (PDF)
Start here
- 00-Start-Here-Startup-Financial-Model: the job as nine steps with the file to open at each, your first hour and a 30/60/90 day use plan
Spreadsheets
- Startup Financial Model workbook (18 sheets): Start here, Settings, Scenario Switch, Scenarios, Channels, Headcount, Opex, Revenue Build, P&L Monthly, Annual Summary, Cash Flow, Balance Sheet, SaaS Metrics, Default Alive, Actuals vs Plan, Checks, Dashboard with an ARR chart and Cash Dashboard with a cash chart
- Unit Economics and Payback Calculator (7 sheets): inputs, fully loaded CAC build, 36-month cohort payback, channel comparison, churn against CAC sensitivity and a summary with a chart
Fillable PDF forms
- Driver discovery worksheet: decisions, driver tree, evidence and confidence, drivers to test first
- Assumptions and scenarios sign-off: key assumptions, scenario definitions, triggers, actions, results and signatures
- Monthly actuals vs plan review: close checklist, variances, timing or permanent, driver updates and decisions
- Board finance summary one-pager, with presenter notes
Word templates
- Model walkthrough script: a ten-minute investor walkthrough, a board version and 15 likely questions with the shape of a good answer
- Assumptions book template with change log and sign-off
- Monthly finance update message library: 32 board, investor, team, hiring freeze, cost-cut, supplier and cash messages
- Finance rhythm and model control policy (one page)
- Worked example pack: one usage-based SaaS startup modelled for 36 months with a downside case
- AI prompt pack for startup financial models: 28 prompts, each with what to paste in and what to check
Cheat sheets
- Metrics and decision card: fifteen definitions and fourteen if-this-then-that rules
- Mistakes investors spot card: sixteen mistakes and a five-minute self-check
- Country notes on accounting and tax basics, dated October 2026
Calendar and import
- 6-week model build and monthly close calendar (ICS): 41 events for Google Calendar, Outlook or Apple Calendar
- Model build task board (CSV): 35 tasks for Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira
When you have worked through it, you will be able to…
Every outcome is practised with a worked example and a tool, not just described.
- Write your revenue and costs as drivers you can measure, test and explain
- Build customers, revenue, costs and cash month by month for 36 months, in the shape of your business type
- Read a P&L, cash flow and balance sheet, and explain why cash and profit differ
- Find your runway, your lowest cash point and your default alive result
- Run base, upside and downside cases and agree triggers and actions in advance
- Calculate and explain CAC payback, LTV to CAC, NRR, burn multiple and the Rule of 40
- Walk an investor or a board through the model in ten minutes
- Compare actuals with plan every month and keep one trusted version of the model
Know your starting point. Prove your progress.
People who measure before and after improve faster and can show it. AssessAll, our sister assessment platform, has AI-graded assessments that pair with this kit. Take one now, work through the kit, then re-take it.
Four Quarters: Financial Judgement for Managers Who Are Not in Finance
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentStrategic Numerical Reasoning — Executive DI
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentEstimation & Forecast Calibration
Take the assessment →JobularyHow a Jobulary development plan works
Make it a growth plan →A taste of Chapter 6
The profit and loss account (P&L) shows what you earned and what it cost in a period. Revenue, minus cost of revenue, gives gross profit. Minus operating expenses gives EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation, a rough measure of operating profit). Minus depreciation and tax gives net profit. The cash flow statement shows money actually moving in and out of the bank. It starts from net profit and adjusts for everything that is not cash: customers who have been invoiced but have not paid yet, equipment bought this month but spread over three years in the P&L, and money that is not revenue at all, such as equity from investors. The balance sheet is a snapshot of what the company owns and owes on one date. What it owns (cash, money customers owe, equipment) equals what was put in (paid-in capital) plus profits or losses to date, plus anything it owes others. When it balances, every number in the other two statements has gone somewhere.
The honest comparison
| Free templates and typical advice | This kit | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | A yearly revenue line with a growth percentage | Customers, channels, conversion, price, usage and churn, month by month |
| Costs | Salaries only | Fully loaded headcount by month, cost of revenue from unit costs, per-employee and fixed opex |
| Cash | Cash equals profit | Cash flow with receivables, equipment and the round, plus a balance sheet that is checked every month |
| Scenarios | One optimistic case | Base, upside and downside from one switch, with triggers, actions and a default alive test |
| Metrics | A few ratios with unclear definitions | MRR, ARR, NRR, fully loaded CAC, payback, LTV, burn multiple and Rule of 40 with stated definitions |
| Presenting | Send the file and hope | A ten-minute walkthrough, 15 likely questions, a board one-pager and an assumptions book |
| After the raise | Never opened again | Monthly actuals vs plan, a review form, a message library and a one-page control policy |
Made for you if…
- First-time and second-time founders from pre-seed to Series A who are not finance people
- Co-founders who want one shared model instead of two competing spreadsheets
- Startup operators and chiefs of staff who own the plan, the budget and the board pack
- Accelerator staff, mentors and fractional CFOs who help founders build and present models
- Founders in any country and currency: India, the US, the UK, Europe, Singapore, the Gulf, Africa, Latin America
- Subscription, usage-based, marketplace, services, e-commerce and hardware startups
Probably not for you if…
- Anyone looking for investment, tax, legal or accounting advice: the kit is educational and points you to your accountant, lawyer and local rules
- Established companies seeking a bank loan: The Bank Loan and Funding Proposal Kit covers debt funding
- Founders who need the whole fundraising process, from investor lists to term sheets: The Startup Fundraising Kit covers that, and this kit gives it the numbers
Built by trainers, tested in real rooms.
Bodhih Training has designed and delivered corporate programmes since 2008. Bodhih Pro Kits package what works in those workshops into a guide plus the exact tools we use, so you can apply it the same day without a facilitator in the room.
From here to using it in three steps
- STEP 1
Tap Get the kit
Name, email and country. UPI, card or netbanking in India; international cards everywhere else. No account to create.
- STEP 2
Download instantly
Your download page opens at once, with every file and a one-click ZIP. A permanent link lands in your inbox too.
- STEP 3
Open the first tool
Start with the quick-start chapter, then the main spreadsheet or planner. Most buyers use something from the kit the same day.
Your next investor, board meeting or hiring decision will ask for the numbers. Have a model you can explain.
Open the Start Here map, fill in page 1 of the Driver Discovery Worksheet and type your settings into the model. Whether you begin with the e-book this evening or the worksheet with your co-founder tomorrow, your first hour is already planned.
Personal licence for the buyer's own use (and use with your own team or clients where the kit says so). Please don't share or resell the files. Team and company licences: solutions@bodhih.com.
What buyers say
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The Bodhih family, when you are ready for more
The Founder Agreement and Company Set-Up Prep Kit
Agree the hard things with your co-founders and prepare to incorporate.
The Go-to-Market Launch Plan Kit
Take a new product to its first customers with a plan.
The First Ten Hires Kit
Hire your first ten people without an HR team.
AssessAll
250+ AI-graded assessments to measure skills and earn verified credentials.
Jobulary
Individual development plans that start from evidence and stay yours.
Bodhih Training
Run this topic as a live workshop for your team, in person or online.
Pewple
Book a vetted coach for career, leadership or communication. Pay per session.
Bodhih.org pathways
Certification pathways in Applied AI, Workplace English and management.
The Startup Financial Model Kit: FAQs
Read the free guideAlready bought? Resend my linkHow do I build a financial model for my startup?
Write down the decisions the model must support, then turn revenue and costs into drivers: channels and conversion, price and usage, churn, hires and their dates. Build customers, revenue, costs and cash month by month, check that the statements tie together, and add a downside case. The kit's workbook does the formulas; the e-book explains each step.
Do I need finance experience to use this kit?
No. It is written for founders who are not finance people. The e-book explains every statement and metric in plain words, the workbook separates white input cells from grey formula cells, and a worked example shows a complete model before you type your own.
Does it work for marketplaces, services or hardware, not just SaaS?
Yes. The sample is a usage-based software company, and Chapter 3 shows how to adapt the revenue build for subscriptions, marketplaces, transactional businesses, services and hardware, including what to change on which sheet.
What is the default alive test?
It comes from Paul Graham's 2015 essay. Assume your costs stay where they are and revenue keeps growing at its recent rate: do you reach profitability with the cash you have? The workbook runs the test from your latest month, using actuals where you have typed them.
How do I measure my starting point with numbers and forecasts?
AssessAll offers assessments that match this kit: Four Quarters: Financial Judgement for Managers Who Are Not in Finance, Strategic Numerical Reasoning, Executive DI, and Estimation & Forecast Calibration. Take one before you build the model and again after a few monthly closes. Links are on the Start Here map; the assessments are separate products and not included.
How do I turn this into a development plan for myself or my team?
Pick one or two skills from the kit, such as reading cash flow or calibrating forecasts, and build them into a plan with the monthly routine as practice. Jobulary explains how its development plans work, and the link is on the Start Here map.
Will the model work in my currency and country?
Yes. Type any currency code on Settings; amounts are plain numbers in that currency. Payroll on-costs and tax are placeholders you set with your accountant, and the dated country notes cover headline rules for several countries with the official source to check.
Can I use AI to help build the model?
Yes, for explaining and writing formulas, drafting scenario narratives and challenging assumptions. The prompt pack has 28 prompts, each with what to paste in and what to check. A person checks every number, and confidential data stays in tools your company has approved.
Is this financial, tax or investment advice?
No. The kit is educational. It helps you build a planning model and present it clearly. Tax, accounting, payroll and equity rules differ by country and change often, so check your accountant, lawyer and local rules before you rely on any figure. Nothing in the kit promises funding or results.
Which software do I need?
The workbooks open in Excel, Google Sheets or LibreOffice and use no macros. The forms are fillable in Acrobat Reader and most PDF apps, the templates open in Word or Google Docs, the calendar imports into Google Calendar, Outlook or Apple Calendar, and the CSV imports into Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira.
What is the refund policy?
Digital kits are non-refundable once downloaded. The exceptions are corrupted files that are not fixed within 3 working days, duplicate charges, or failed delivery.
How much does The Startup Financial Model Kit cost?
₹1,299 including 18% GST for buyers in India, or $34 for buyers outside India. One-time payment, no subscription, with an automatic invoice.
How do I get the files after paying?
Instantly. Your download page opens the moment payment succeeds, and a permanent download link is emailed to you. Download each file separately or everything in one ZIP.
What software do I need?
Any of the usual tools: Excel or Google Sheets for spreadsheets, Word or Google Docs for templates, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Preview, Xodo or GoodNotes for the fillable PDFs, and Google, Outlook or Apple Calendar for the calendar plan.
Can I get a refund?
Because it is a digital download, kits are not refundable once downloaded. We always refund a duplicate charge or a failed delivery, and if a file is corrupted and we cannot fix it within 3 working days. Full terms: bodhih.org/refunds.
Can my company buy this for a team?
Yes. Team and company licences, and workshops on this topic run by Bodhih Training, are available. Write to solutions@bodhih.com or call +91 99000 11601.
