
You can browse Office 365’s budget spreadsheet templates, customize your own, or start from scratch.Ĭompared to other tools, Excel is the most flexible in terms of providing exactly what you need. The power behind the program means you can forecast your funds years ahead, but the ease of the software means you can also create a simple log of transactions to track monthly spending.

Excel functions can be as complex or as simple as you need. Microsoft Excel has long been known as the standard in spreadsheet software, and it’s easy to see why. Why is Excel a great tool for creating a budget? A budget can help limit unnecessary spending, improve your business’s profit margins, and help you work your way out of any existing debt. The more you overspend, the more you limit your future spending power. A profit and loss statement (i.e., P&L) can help you see where you’re spending money in black and white so you can decide which expenses are really necessary. Examine spending habits through your P&L.What if you didn’t make any new sales for three months? Could your business survive a worst-case scenario like this? Budgeting can allow you to put away a portion of funds so that they’ll be ready in an emergency.

Budgeting allows you to map out all of your expenses each month, so you aren’t scrambling on the last day of the month to pay your team. Budgeting helps you plan long-term financial goals, including how much money to allocate per month for expenses and an estimation of how long it might take to reach your goals. By taking your current sales numbers and expenses into consideration, you can create a business growth plan for the upcoming quarter (or year).


From Warren Buffett to Eric Ries and Mike Michalowicz, you’d be hard-pressed to find a single financial expert who wouldn’t recommend budgeting as the first step in managing your business’s finances.
