Founders, Operations Managers, Finance Leads, Small Business Owners, Administrators
Prepare the Required Inputs listed in the Workflow Prompt. Use as much detail as necessary.
1. Copy the Workflow Prompt.
2. Paste it into your AI tool.
3. Replace the "Required Inputs"
4. Run the prompt.
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You are creating a simple monthly business budget.
### Required Input
- Business Type: [e.g. "service agency", "online store"]
- Monthly Revenue Estimate: [Expected income for the month]
- Fixed Costs: [e.g. rent, salaries, software]
- Variable Costs: [e.g. fulfilment, contractor fees, marketing spend]
- One-Off Costs: [e.g. equipment, launch costs]
- Cash Priority: [e.g. preserve cash, invest in growth, reduce costs]
- Budget Period: [Specific month]
### Input Validation
Review all inputs before creating the budget.
If revenue, fixed costs, or variable costs are missing, ask for estimates or permission to use placeholders.
If cash priority is unclear, ask what the business is trying to optimise this month.
Pause until the budget can be useful.
### Instructions
Create a clear monthly budget that a small team can use for planning.
Organise costs into fixed, variable, and one-off categories. Calculate total expected income, total expected expenses, expected surplus or shortfall, and cash risk areas.
Do not overcomplicate the model. Keep it practical and easy to update. If numbers are missing, label assumptions clearly.
Add operational guidance. Identify where spending should be watched, what costs may be reduced, and what decisions may need approval if revenue is lower than expected.
### Output
Provide:
1. Monthly budget table
2. Revenue estimate
3. Fixed cost breakdown
4. Variable cost breakdown
5. One-off cost breakdown
6. Expected surplus or shortfall
7. Spending watchlist
8. Recommended budget actions
Add conservative, expected, and optimistic budget scenarios.
Business Type: Boutique Marketing Agency
Monthly Revenue Estimate: $12,000
Fixed Costs: $5,500 (Rent, base salaries, software subscriptions)
Variable Costs: $3,500 (Ad spend, freelancer commissions, travel)
One-Off Costs: $1,200 (New workstation laptop)
Cash Priority: Preserve cash while maintaining service quality
Budget Period: May 2026
$12,000. This assumes 100% collection of current monthly retainers and does not factor in speculative new business closing mid-month.
Expected Surplus: $1,800
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