Your 12-Month Plan

Know what the next twelve months look like before you make your next big decision.

A financial model, an operational strategy report and a 10-point plan for your business, built with you in seven working days for a fixed price.

Book your 12-Month Plan See three examples

Is this you?

Your business is profitable and it still depends on you.

You are weighing a hire, a price rise or a step back from the day-to-day work, and you cannot yet see what each one does to your profit, your cash and your own pay. Your accountant can tell you what happened last year, and this plan shows you what the next twelve months could look like.

What you get

Here is exactly what you receive.

Document 1

A 12-month financial model

You get a month-by-month forecast of your revenue, costs, profit and cash for the next twelve months. It comes in two versions, so you can see the business as it is today next to the business with the change you are weighing. The spreadsheet is yours to keep and change.

Document 2

An operational strategy report

You get a written report on how the business runs today and what the next twelve months ask of it. It covers your people, your systems, your pricing and your own time.

Document 3

A 10-point plan

You get five things that are working well and should be protected, and five things that would improve the business. Each one has a date and a number, including what you can pay yourself.

With me

Two calls

We spend 90 minutes going through your numbers at the start, and 45 minutes going through the three documents at the end.

Examples

Here is what a finished plan looks like.

These three businesses are fictional, and every figure in them is invented to show you what you receive. Each example shows the question the owner asked, what the financial model found and the 10-point plan that came out of it.

Example A

A marketing agency

The owner asked whether the business could afford an account manager, and what the hire would do to the owner's own pay.

  • The change costs £39,000 in the first year.
  • It has paid for itself by July 2027.
  • Profit for the year is £6,497 higher, after the owner is paid £3,000 more.
  • By September 2027 the business makes £3,598 a month more than it would have done.
Read the 10-point plan for this business

Five things that are working well

  • 1. Retainer income. It grew from £22,000 to £27,000 a month in a year. Keep it above the current level while the changes go in. By when: Every month. The number: £27,000 a month or more.
  • 2. Profit margin. The business kept 26% of revenue as profit after your pay. Keep the margin at this level through the year. By when: Checked each quarter, first on 31 December 2026. The number: 25% or more.
  • 3. Cash. You hold enough cash to pay for the hire out of profit. Keep a floor under it. By when: Every month end. The number: £50,000 or more.
  • 4. Delivery. Work goes out on time with a team of two and four freelancers. Keep both employees, and hold their next pay review in spring. By when: April 2027. The number: £8,200 a month in salaries today.
  • 5. Referrals. Every new client so far has come by referral. Ask each current client for one introduction. By when: 31 January 2027. The number: 9 asks.

Five things that would improve the business

  • 6. Hire an account manager. Move client contact away from you, starting with the smaller retainers. By when: Start date of 1 December 2026. The number: £3,600 a month, plus £3,000 to recruit.
  • 7. Raise retainer prices. Send written notice 60 days ahead, and tell your largest client in person first. By when: Notice by 1 November 2026, new prices from 1 January 2027. The number: 8%, about £2,176 a month.
  • 8. Fix the two systems gaps. Track time for eight weeks, and move the monthly client report to a template the team fills in. By when: 30 November 2026. The number: Two days a month back.
  • 9. Rely less on one client. Grow the rest of the retainer book so that your largest client is a smaller share of it. By when: September 2027. The number: From 31% to about 25% of retainer income.
  • 10. Your time and your pay. Spend two days a week on new business, and raise your own pay once the change has paid for itself. By when: January 2027 for your time, July 2027 for your pay. The number: £6,000 a month, up from £5,000.

Example B

A coaching business

The owner asked whether the business could afford a programme manager, and whether the group programme could grow without taking more of the owner's week.

  • The change costs £26,700 in the first year.
  • It has paid for itself by June 2027.
  • Profit for the year is £9,395 higher, after the owner is paid £3,000 more.
  • By September 2027 the business makes £3,568 a month more than it would have done.
Read the 10-point plan for this business

Five things that are working well

  • 1. The group programme. It grew from 20 to 28 members in a year. Keep membership above today's level while the changes go in. By when: Every month. The number: 28 members or more.
  • 2. Profit margin. The business kept 46% of revenue as profit after your pay. Some of that will go on the hire, so set a floor. By when: Checked each quarter, first on 31 December 2026. The number: 40% or more.
  • 3. Cash. You hold enough cash to pay for the hire out of profit. Keep a floor under it. By when: Every month end. The number: £40,000 or more.
  • 4. Your associate coaches. They let the programme grow without more of your hours. Agree their availability for next year. By when: 30 November 2026. The number: £3,000 a month today.
  • 5. One-to-one income. It is steady and it pays well. Keep it where it is, and do not add clients. By when: Every month. The number: 12 clients, about £9,600 a month.

Five things that would improve the business

  • 6. Hire a programme manager. Hand over joining, payments, the calendar and member questions. By when: Start date of 1 November 2026. The number: £2,200 a month for three days a week.
  • 7. Rebuild the programme. Record the core sessions once, so that a new member can start in any week. By when: 31 December 2026. The number: £2,500, paid in November 2026.
  • 8. Raise the programme fee. Give current members 60 days' notice, and charge new members the new fee straight away. By when: Notice by 1 November 2026, new fee from 1 January 2027. The number: £600 to £660, about £1,686 a month.
  • 9. Fill the programme. Spend a day and a half a week on it, and start a waiting list. By when: From January 2027. The number: About 2 extra members a quarter, 38 by September 2027.
  • 10. Your pay. Raise your own pay once the change has paid for itself. By when: July 2027. The number: £7,000 a month, up from £6,000.

Example C

An online product business

The owner asked whether the business could afford an operations assistant, and whether the owner's time was better spent on marketing and new products than on packing orders.

  • The change costs £21,200 in the first year.
  • It has paid for itself by July 2027.
  • Profit for the year is £8,526 higher, after the owner is paid £2,000 more.
  • By September 2027 the business makes £4,008 a month more than it would have done.
Read the 10-point plan for this business

Five things that are working well

  • 1. Website sales. They grew from £38,000 to £46,000 a month in a year. Keep them above the current level while the changes go in. By when: Every month. The number: £46,000 a month or more.
  • 2. What you keep from each sale. After goods, fulfilment and advertising you keep about 36p in the pound. Protect that share. By when: Checked every month. The number: 36p in the pound or more.
  • 3. Cash. You hold enough cash to pay for the hire out of profit. Keep a floor under it. By when: Every month end. The number: £50,000 or more.
  • 4. Orders out on time. Customers get their parcels when you said they would. Hold that standard through the handover. By when: From the first week of the hire. The number: Dispatch within one working day.
  • 5. Marketplace sales. They are steady and need little of your time. Keep them as they are. By when: Every month. The number: About £11,200 a month.

Five things that would improve the business

  • 6. Hire an operations assistant. Hand over packing and dispatch first, then returns, then supplier orders. By when: Start date of 1 November 2026. The number: £1,700 a month for 20 hours a week.
  • 7. Write down the stock rules. Set a reorder level for each of your twenty best sellers, and write a one-page packing guide. By when: 31 October 2026. The number: 20 reorder levels.
  • 8. Email the list every week. Your 14,000 subscribers hear from you once a month. Plan a month of weekly emails ahead. By when: From December 2026. The number: Four emails a month, up from one.
  • 9. Launch two new products. Use the time the hire frees to bring out the first new products in a year. By when: December 2026. The number: £2,500 for photography, samples and launch.
  • 10. Your time and your pay. Spend two and a half days a week on growth, and raise your own pay in June. By when: December 2026 for your time, June 2027 for your pay. The number: £5,000 a month, up from £4,500.

How it works

Three steps and seven working days.

  • 1You book, pay and fill in a short form about your business.
  • 2We spend 90 minutes on a call going through your numbers and the decision in front of you.
  • 3Seven working days later you have your financial model, your report and your 10-point plan, and we go through them together on a second call.
First five clients pay £499

Fixed price

Your 12-Month Plan

£999

Your 12-Month Plan costs £999. The first five clients pay £499 in return for honest feedback and, if they are happy with the result, a short testimonial.

If you book a One-Day Intensive Workshop within 30 days, the price of your plan comes off the workshop.

Book your 12-Month Plan

About Paraag

Forecasting businesses has been my job for a long time.

I am Paraag Amin. I spent nearly two decades in technology research at investment banks including Goldman Sachs, Citi and Credit Suisse, where the job was to forecast where companies were heading. I then served as CFO of dotdigital Group, an AIM-listed company, and I am a CFA charterholder. I am not an accountant, and this is a forward plan for your business, not bookkeeping or tax advice.

Questions

Frequently asked.

What do I need to provide?
Your profit and loss figures for the last twelve months, your current cash balance and a list of your regular costs.
What if my books are not tidy?
They do not need to be perfect. The form tells you exactly what I need, and I will tell you before we start if something is missing.
Is this financial advice?
No. It is a business forecast and plan built from your own figures, and it does not replace your accountant or a regulated adviser.
What is not included?
This is a 12-month plan for you to run the business by. It does not include anything written for clients or investors, and it is not bookkeeping or tax advice.
How is this different from a workshop?
The plan covers the next twelve months. A workshop goes further, with a three-to-five-year plan, investor readiness and a sales and marketing deck.
What happens afterwards?
The plan is yours to act on. If you then want the longer view, the price of your plan comes off a workshop booked within 30 days.

See your next twelve months before you commit to them.

Planning calls start on Monday 12 October, and the first five plans are £499.

Book your 12-Month Plan