Budget 2026: what it means for you and your business —
In short
A forecast lets you see the effect of a new hire, a price change or a large purchase before you commit to it — and it is what lenders and investors ask for first. We build cash-flow forecasts, budgets, three-way integrated models and scenario plans, then track them against actuals monthly, so the plan stays a live management tool rather than a document that dies in a drawer.
A model that links the profit and loss, the balance sheet and the cash flow so that they move together — because in reality they do.
It is the difference between a P&L forecast (which shows a profitable business) and a three-way model (which shows that the same business runs out of money in month seven because it is funding stock and 60-day debtors).
Lenders and investors expect one. More importantly, you need one.
Because profit is recognised when you invoice; cash arrives when you get paid.
Growth consumes cash. Every new order means stock or labour paid for now, and invoiced later. The faster you grow, the more working capital you need — which is why fast-growing businesses fail more often than stagnant ones.
Add debtor days, stock, capital expenditure and the tax you owe on last year’s profit, and a business can be genuinely, sustainably profitable and still be unable to make payroll.
That is what a forecast shows you, in time to do something.
An integrated cash-flow forecast, a P&L budget, and usually a three-way model — with clearly stated, defensible assumptions.
The assumptions matter more than the arithmetic. A funder is not testing your spreadsheet skill; they are testing whether you understand your own business well enough to be lent money. Vague or over-optimistic assumptions are the fastest way to lose credibility in the room.
We build models to a standard funders recognise, and prepare you to defend them.
By tracking actuals against it, every month, and asking why the variances arose.
A forecast prepared once, for a bank, and never opened again is a cost. A forecast reviewed monthly becomes the instrument panel of the business — and the variances tell you far more than the plan ever did.
Three-way models, not just a P&L — because that’s where the cash surprise hides.
Built to a standard funders recognise — and we help you defend the assumptions.
Tracked monthly against actuals — a live tool, not a document.
Scenario planning — see the hire, the price rise or the capex before you commit.
Chartered (ICAEW) advisers who’ve sat on both sides of the lending table.
This page provides general information about the 2026/27 UK tax year and is not advice on your particular circumstances. Tax and regulatory rules change frequently. Please contact us before acting, or refraining from acting, on anything set out here. LMJ Group is a firm of Chartered Accountants regulated by the ICAEW. LMJ Group is not a registered auditor and does not provide audit services. Last reviewed: July 2026.
