The formulas that replace expensive software — cash flow, invoices, inventory, and profit, all in Excel.
A simple cash flow model has three columns: Date, Description, Amount (positive for income, negative for expenses). Add a running balance column:
=D1+C2 (previous balance + this row's amount)
-- Drag down to see running balance at every point in time=IF(AND(C2="Unpaid", B2=SUMIFS(amount_col, client_col, "Acme Ltd", status_col, "Unpaid")=Revenue - COGS - Operating_Costs (gross profit)
=(Revenue - Total_Costs) / Revenue * 100 (profit margin %)=opening_stock + purchases - sales (closing stock)
=IF(closing_stock < reorder_level, "REORDER", "OK") (reorder alert)Storing individual transactions (not monthly totals) means you can analyse any time period, filter by category or client, and build pivot tables that answer questions you haven't thought of yet. Monthly totals lock you into fixed reporting.
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