In an agency, decisions are made quickly. Sometimes too fast. A new customer to sign? A profile to recruit? An investment to validate? Do you push, or do you hold back?
Without a clear view of the months ahead, you’ll be flying by the seat of your pants. And that’s when the trouble starts.
The good news? Building a solid budget scenario for 6, 12 and 24 months isn’t just for the CFOs of large groups. In fact, it’s now essential for any agency that wants to grow smoothly, without blowing up in the air.
Three horizons, three uses
No need to break out the crystal ball. Simply structure your visibility around three complementary timeframes:
- At 6 months You anticipate cash flow, imminent recruitment and actual project workloads. It’s your short-term cockpit.
- At 12 months you take a step back. What business volume should you aim for? What balance between fixed and variable costs? What investments should be made?
- At 24 months You’re planning the agency. Where do you want to be? How many employees? What customer portfolio? This is where you align ambition and profitability.
You don’t have to be a mind reader. Just make the right assumptions.
A good scenario starts with solid assumptions
A good budget scenario is not based on a hunch or a copy and paste from the previous year. It begins with rigorous work on assumptions. Assumptions that are clear, realistic and, above all, in line with reality on the ground. You need to project the evolution of your sales, job by job, customer by customer, taking into account the possible variations in your sales ADR. On the HR side, anticipate future recruitments – profiles, costs, arrival dates – and cross-reference them with your capacity indicators: occupancy rate, availability, turnover.
Add to this a precise vision of your fixed and variable costs: rent, licenses, service providers, freelancers. Once you have this foundation, build three versions of your scenario: a realistic version, based on current data; an optimistic version, if signings accelerate; and a stress-test scenario, to simulate a drop in income, a delay in payment or the loss of a strategic customer.
Our aim is not to predict the future, but to prepare you for it with method and composure.
The wrong idea: spreadsheet + instinct
Let’s be honest: many agencies still make do with a spreadsheet, a “treasure” tab, a few hastily made assumptions… and a good feeling.
The problem?
- You waste a lot of time consolidating information.
- You work with data that is often obsolete.
- You underestimate your costs or your real capabilities.
- You make the wrong decisions because you lack visibility.
Result: hasty recruitment, an assignment accepted when teams were already stretched to the limit, a poorly timed investment. And decisions made in a hurry.
Planning is better decision-making
A good budget scenario is not just a table. It’s a management tool. In concrete terms, it enables you to :
- Postpone recruitment if activity does not yet justify it.
- Adjust expenses or renegotiate certain items in the event of a forecast dip
- Refuse an unprofitable assignment, even if it seems attractive in the short term.
- Prioritize projects and smooth out the workload according to actual capacity.
- Convince an investor or partner with clear, realistic projections.
You’re no longer a victim of events. You orchestrate them.
Furious: the missing brick in your scripts
With Furious, you’re no longer starting from scratch. Your scenarios are based on consolidated, real-time data: finance, staffing, sales pipeline… everything is centralized. In just a few clicks, you can adjust your assumptions, test different projections, and immediately visualize the impact of a new assignment, a recruitment or a dip in activity. The result: you identify areas of tension before they explode, you manage with a clear, shared vision, and above all, you gain in responsiveness. No more instinct. Make way for strategic decision-making.
Ready to turn your forecasts into growth drivers?
With Furious, build precise budget scenarios reliable and actionable. Give yourself the means to make the right choices, at the right time.
Book your free demo and discover how to move from instinct to strategic management.
