Phase 1 · Discovery · Clarity Begins Here
Pre-Revenue Financial Planning
Running out of money is the most common cause of startup failure. It is also, almost always, a planning failure — because the money ran out in a way that a financial model would have predicted.
Pre-revenue financial planning is the design of the financial model, the cash flow forecast, and the funding plan that gives a pre-revenue business the visibility it needs to manage its resources until revenue arrives — and to know, with confidence, how much runway it has and what it needs to do to extend it. We build the financial model that turns the business plan into a numbers-based plan that the founder can manage against and that investors can interrogate.
The Pain We Solve
You may recognise yourself in one of these.
Three audience scenarios · because the same service produces a different transformation depending on where you are in the business journey.
Scenario 1
The pre-revenue founder spending without a clear model of when the money runs out
Expenses are being incurred. Revenue has not yet arrived. And the honest answer to 'how long can the business continue at this rate?' is that nobody has modelled it properly. The runway is unknown — which is dangerous in proportion to how fast the cash is leaving.
Scenario 2
The startup approaching investors without a financial model that stands up to scrutiny
The pitch deck has a revenue projection on a slide. The projection is a straight line from zero to a number that the founder believes is achievable. There is no model behind it — no assumptions, no cost structure, no cash flow — and an investor who asks 'walk me through the numbers' will find nothing to walk through.
Scenario 3
The early-stage business that has never modelled the break-even point or the unit economics
The product is being built and the customers are being acquired. But the business does not know at what volume of customers it stops losing money — or whether the current pricing model is capable of reaching that point before the cash runs out.
The Impact It Creates
The Moment You Will Feel the Difference.
Runway understood precisely — the founder knows when the cash runs out under different scenarios
Break-even and unit economics modelled so the commercial targets are financially grounded
Funding requirement quantified and justified with a model that investors can stress-test
Financial discipline established early — decisions made with a view of their cash impact
What You Receive
The Specific Deliverables.
Tangible outputs · documented, dated, and yours to keep.
- Financial model — P&L, cash flow, and balance sheet for 36 months
- Unit economics model — customer acquisition cost, lifetime value, contribution margin
- Break-even analysis — volume, revenue, and timeline
- Runway analysis under base, optimistic, and pessimistic scenarios
- Funding requirement calculation and use-of-funds plan
- Monthly financial dashboard for management reporting
The Outcome
Where You Will Be on the Other Side.
The founder manages the business with a clear financial picture — knowing how long the runway is, what the commercial targets need to be, and what the financial model looks like at scale — and can present that picture to investors with confidence.
Primary Focus
Building the financial model, cash flow forecast, and funding plan that gives pre-revenue businesses the financial visibility to manage runway and raise investment.
KPI Measurement
- Runway accuracy vs forecast
- Burn rate vs planned
- Break-even timeline vs model
- Investor financial model acceptance
- Financial forecast vs actual variance
Investment & ROI
Pricing Engineered Around the Value You Create.
Every engagement is sized against the value we believe we can create with you · the fee is always a fraction of the outcome. Four tiers · so the investment matches your stage of business.
Tier 1
Foundations
£5,000 – £15,000
Right for
Pre-startup, startup, and micro-business founders ready to build on evidence rather than instinct.
Typical Value Created
£50K – £500K avoided in misdirected launches and bad bets
Engagement
4 – 8 weeks
Target Return
5 – 10× ROI
within 12 – 18 months
Tier 2
Acceleration
£15,000 – £50,000
Right for
Growing SMEs and established small businesses ready to scale a working model into the next revenue band.
Typical Value Created
£250K – £2M of better-informed launch decisions and faster market traction
Engagement
8 – 16 weeks
Target Return
5 – 10× ROI
within 12 – 18 months
Tier 3
Transformation
£50,000 – £250,000
Right for
Medium enterprises and scale-stage businesses ready to commit to a multi-quarter, organisation-wide shift.
Typical Value Created
£1M – £25M in strategic pivots de-risked and new categories validated
Engagement
3 – 9 months
Target Return
5 – 10× ROI
within 12 – 18 months
Tier 4
Enterprise
£250,000 – £2M+
Right for
Large enterprises, global operators, and complex organisations ready for a multi-year strategic partnership.
Typical Value Created
£5M – £100M+ in optimised market entry, M&A diligence, and category positioning
Engagement
12 months and onward
Target Return
5 – 10× ROI
within 12 – 18 months
Why We Price This Way
Every engagement is sized around the value we believe we can create with you. The fee is always a fraction of the outcome · typically 10 – 20% of the expected first-year return.
This is how we make sure pricing aligns with results. The conversation is never “what does this cost?” · it is always “what is this worth to your business?” We answer that together in the first call, transparently, and decide the right tier from there.
If we cannot articulate a credible 5–10× return for your specific situation, we will tell you in the first call. That honesty is part of why our clients trust us with the work that matters most.
Why This Conversation Matters
“Every startup that runs out of money had warning signals in the data — months before the bank account reached zero. The financial model is the warning system. We build it early so the founder sees what is coming in time to change it.”
A 90-minute structured strategy session · produces a usable roadmap whether you engage further or not.
More in Phase 1