3:I[5613,[],""] 5:I[1778,[],""] 4:["slug","actuals-vs-forecasts","d"] 0:["F37xnJYJk2ZrfTSsAxtd4",[[["",{"children":["resources",{"children":["financial-forecast",{"children":[["slug","actuals-vs-forecasts","d"],{"children":["__PAGE__?{\"slug\":\"actuals-vs-forecasts\"}",{}]}]}]}]},"$undefined","$undefined",true],["",{"children":["resources",{"children":["financial-forecast",{"children":[["slug","actuals-vs-forecasts","d"],{"children":["__PAGE__",{},["$L1","$L2",null]]},["$","$L3",null,{"parallelRouterKey":"children","segmentPath":["children","resources","children","financial-forecast","children","$4","children"],"loading":"$undefined","loadingStyles":"$undefined","loadingScripts":"$undefined","hasLoading":false,"error":"$undefined","errorStyles":"$undefined","errorScripts":"$undefined","template":["$","$L5",null,{}],"templateStyles":"$undefined","templateScripts":"$undefined","notFound":"$undefined","notFoundStyles":"$undefined","styles":[["$","link","0",{"rel":"stylesheet","href":"/_next/static/css/2e6661b0417b461e.css","precedence":"next","crossOrigin":""}]]}]]},["$","$L3",null,{"parallelRouterKey":"children","segmentPath":["children","resources","children","financial-forecast","children"],"loading":"$undefined","loadingStyles":"$undefined","loadingScripts":"$undefined","hasLoading":false,"error":"$undefined","errorStyles":"$undefined","errorScripts":"$undefined","template":["$","$L5",null,{}],"templateStyles":"$undefined","templateScripts":"$undefined","notFound":"$undefined","notFoundStyles":"$undefined","styles":null}]]},["$","$L3",null,{"parallelRouterKey":"children","segmentPath":["children","resources","children"],"loading":"$undefined","loadingStyles":"$undefined","loadingScripts":"$undefined","hasLoading":false,"error":"$undefined","errorStyles":"$undefined","errorScripts":"$undefined","template":["$","$L5",null,{}],"templateStyles":"$undefined","templateScripts":"$undefined","notFound":"$undefined","notFoundStyles":"$undefined","styles":null}]]},[null,["$","html",null,{"lang":"en","children":[["$","head",null,{"children":[["$","meta",null,{"name":"robots","content":"index, follow, max-image-preview:large, max-snippet:-1, max-video-preview:-1"}],["$","link",null,{"rel":"icon","href":"/images/website-icon.svg"}]]}],["$","body",null,{"itemScope":true,"itemType":"https://schema.org/SoftwareApplication","className":"c455","children":[["$","meta",null,{"itemProp":"applicationCategory","content":"Business Planning Service"}],["$","$L3",null,{"parallelRouterKey":"children","segmentPath":["children"],"loading":"$undefined","loadingStyles":"$undefined","loadingScripts":"$undefined","hasLoading":false,"error":"$undefined","errorStyles":"$undefined","errorScripts":"$undefined","template":["$","$L5",null,{}],"templateStyles":"$undefined","templateScripts":"$undefined","notFound":"$L6","notFoundStyles":[],"styles":null}]]}]]}],null]],[[["$","link","0",{"rel":"stylesheet","href":"/_next/static/css/f5c18260de885e3c.css","precedence":"next","crossOrigin":""}]],"$L7"]]]] 6:E{"digest":"NEXT_REDIRECT;replace;/;307;"} 8:I[4699,["6081","static/chunks/6081-024259f4f6c69551.js?v1757931091489","3842","static/chunks/3842-fc747814cdab0121.js?v1757931091489","6142","static/chunks/6142-fe3b722656e566bf.js?v1757931091489","4181","static/chunks/app/resources/financial-forecast/%5Bslug%5D/page-f7dccd0e5de8435a.js?v1757931091489"],""] 9:T65aa,{"id":"cG9zdDozOTE5","title":"What’s the Difference Between Actuals vs Forecasts?","content":"\n

Forecasting and tracking actual performance are essential aspects of managing a small business. Understanding the differences between actuals vs forecasts can help you make data-driven decisions, adjust strategies, and ensure your business is on track to meet its goals. In this article, we’ll break down a forecast, how it compares to actual results, and why analyzing these differences matters for your business performance.

\n\n\n\n

What Is a Forecast?

\n\n\n\n

A forecast is an estimate or prediction of future financial outcomes based on historical data, market trends, and business assumptions. Forecasts provide a roadmap, helping businesses anticipate revenue, expenses, and cash flow for a specific period. These projections are crucial for planning purposes and are often used in budgeting and setting financial goals.

\n\n\n\n

A solid forecast can guide decision-making, helping businesses allocate resources, manage expenses, and set realistic sales targets. However, forecasts are not guaranteed results. They are educated guesses that rely on the accuracy of your data and assumptions.

\n\n\n\n

What Are Actuals?

\n\n\n\n

Actuals represent the real, measurable financial data that a business records after a specific period has passed. These are the factual figures that show what truly happened in terms of revenue, expenses, and other key financial metrics. Unlike forecasts, which are predictions, actuals are the final results and reflect real-world performance.

\n\n\n\n

By regularly updating your actuals, you can get a clear view of your business’s financial health. Tracking actuals allows you to measure how well your company performed against the estimates made in your forecast.

\n\n\n\n

Comparing Actuals and Forecasts

\n\n\n\n

The key to understanding your business’s financial performance is comparing your forecasts to actuals. This process helps you assess how accurate your predictions were and identify areas where performance deviated from expectations. Analyzing the differences between actuals and forecasts helps businesses in several important ways:

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Why Tracking Actuals vs Forecasts Matters

\n\n\n\n

Tracking actuals vs forecasts isn’t just about checking if your predictions were accurate—it’s a critical process that helps drive business growth. Regularly reviewing this data provides actionable insights into the efficiency of your operations and the accuracy of your planning.

\n\n\n\n

Here are some key reasons to track regularly:

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

How to Analyze the Difference Between Actuals and Forecasts

\n\n\n\n

To effectively analyze the difference between them, it’s important to use a structured approach. Here’s how you can break down and analyze the variances:

\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. Track Variances by Category: Break down your comparison into specific categories, such as revenue, expenses, and cash flow. This will help you identify which areas of your business are most accurate and which need improvement.
  2. \n\n\n\n
  3. Calculate the Variance: The variance is the difference between your forecasted figure and the actual result. For example, if you forecasted $100,000 in sales but only achieved $90,000, your variance is -$10,000.
  4. \n\n\n\n
  5. Identify Causes: Once you have the variance, explore the reasons behind the discrepancy. Was it due to a drop in demand, higher-than-expected expenses, or an external market shift? Understanding the “why” behind the difference is crucial for adjusting your strategy.
  6. \n\n\n\n
  7. Adjust Future Forecasts: Use the insights gained from comparing actuals to forecasts to refine future predictions. Adjust assumptions, improve data accuracy, and account for unexpected factors to make your forecasts more reliable.
  8. \n
\n\n\n\n

The Importance of Regular Actuals vs Forecasts Analysis

\n\n\n\n

Regularly comparing forecasts and actuals is an essential business practice. It helps you track progress, stay on budget, and make more informed decisions. By understanding where and why actual performance deviates from your forecast, you can improve your financial planning, ensuring more accurate projections and better business outcomes.

\n\n\n\n

Take control of your business’s financial future. Modeliks can help you streamline your financial processes with advanced financial planning tools, making it easy to track your forecasts and actual performance. Sign up for Modeliks free trial today and unlock better financial management for your small business.

\n","slug":"actuals-vs-forecasts","date":"2024-09-23T13:43:51","categories":{"nodes":[{"id":"dGVybToxNA==","name":"Financial Forecast"}]},"mainCategory":{"mainCategory":["financial-forecast"],"videoHeader":null},"tags":{"nodes":[{"name":"financial forecasting"},{"name":"financial reporting"}]},"featuredImage":{"node":{"id":"cG9zdDozOTM3","sourceUrl":"/images/cms/actuals-vs-forecasts.jpg","altText":"Modeliks guide explaining how comparing actuals vs forecasts helps businesses track performance and adjust financial strategies."}},"seo":{"metaDesc":"Learn how comparing actuals vs forecasts can improve financial planning, track progress, and refine strategies for better business outcomes."},"modified":"2024-09-23T13:46:33","related":[{"id":"cG9zdDoxMTU0MQ==","title":"How Accountants Can Offer High-Margin Advisory Services","content":"\n

Why Advisory Services Matter for Accounting Firms

\n\n\n\n

The accounting profession is shifting. Compliance and bookkeeping remain essential, but today’s clients expect more. They want guidance on how to run their business smarter, manage cash flow, and plan for the future.

\n\n\n\n

According to a CPA.com survey:

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

This means the demand is already there. The opportunity for accounting firms is clear: move beyond bookkeeping into high-margin advisory services.

\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

The Challenge: Scaling Advisory Without Burning Out

\n\n\n\n

For most small and mid-sized firms, the hesitation is simple:
❌ Limited staff time
❌ No standardized tools for forecasting & reporting
❌ Concern about overcomplicating workflows

\n\n\n\n

The good news? Advisory can be delivered at scale, without adding headcount or creating inefficiencies — if you have the right system.

\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

The Solution: Modeliks for Advisory Services

\n\n\n\n

Modeliks helps accountants transform their existing relationships into advisory partnerships by automating the heavy lifting.

\n\n\n\n

Here’s how it works in practice:

\n\n\n\n

1️⃣ Connect QuickBooks in Minutes
Sync client actuals directly — no messy spreadsheets or manual imports.

\n\n\n\n

2️⃣ Build Budgets & Automated Financials
Instantly generate a forward-looking P&L, Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow statement, tailored to each client.

\n\n\n\n

3️⃣ Deliver Dashboards & Variance Analysis
Clients see Actual vs. Plan vs. Previous Periods. You provide insight into why numbers moved — without building reports from scratch each month.

\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

The Impact for Accounting Firms

\n\n\n\n

Firms using Modeliks see:
New revenue streams by offering planning & reporting as premium packages
Higher client retention thanks to consistent value beyond compliance
No extra headcount required, since processes are automated
Improved positioning as trusted advisors, not just bookkeepers

\n\n\n\n

As one accountant put it:

\n\n\n\n
\n

“Our clients can now make confident decisions. For us it’s a game-changer — we finally sell insight, not just compliance.”

\n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Why Now Is the Time

\n\n\n\n

Client expectations are rising. Competitors are moving into advisory. Technology makes it easier than ever to scale.

\n\n\n\n

If you’re an accountant or firm owner, now is the time to position your practice for the next decade. Advisory services are not just an add-on — they’re the future of accounting.

\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Next Steps

\n\n\n\n

📽️ Watch the full video playbook here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlQEwnWOdKQ.
🌐 Explore how Modeliks can help you launch advisory services in under an hour -> HERE.

\n\n\n\n

📩 Or reach out to us directly to explore how Modeliks can be tailored for your firm.

\n\n\n\n

Enjoy Modeliks! We know we are!

\n\n\n\n

Author:
Modeliks Team

\n","slug":"high-margin-advisory-services-accountants","date":"2025-09-02T08:30:06","categories":{"nodes":[{"id":"dGVybToxMQ==","name":"Business Plans"},{"id":"dGVybToxNA==","name":"Financial Forecast"},{"id":"dGVybTozNQ==","name":"News"},{"id":"dGVybTozNA==","name":"Partners"},{"id":"dGVybToxMg==","name":"Pitch Decks"},{"id":"dGVybToxMw==","name":"Reports & Dashboards"}]},"mainCategory":{"mainCategory":["financial-forecast"],"videoHeader":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlQEwnWOdKQ"},"tags":{"nodes":[{"name":"accounting advisory services growth"},{"name":"budgeting and forecasting"},{"name":"business planning"},{"name":"consulting firm profitability strategies"},{"name":"Financial analysis"},{"name":"financial forecasting"},{"name":"financial modeling"},{"name":"financial planning"},{"name":"financial planning for professional services firms"},{"name":"financial reporting"}]},"featuredImage":{"node":{"id":"cG9zdDoxMTU0Mg==","sourceUrl":"/images/cms/Screenshot-2025-09-02-at-10.27.59.png","altText":"How to offer Advisory Services at High Margin?"}},"seo":{"metaDesc":"Learn how accounting firms can add high-margin advisory services without extra headcount. Discover how Modeliks helps accountants deliver financial planning, reporting, and dashboards that clients will pay more for."},"modified":"2025-09-02T08:30:10","related":null},{"id":"cG9zdDoxMTQ4Mw==","title":"How to Manage & Grow Your Professional Services Business: A Strategic Playbook","content":"\n

Running a professional services business is demanding. Whether you’re a founder, consultant, accountant, or finance leader, the challenges are similar:

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The truth? Many services firms outgrow spreadsheets faster than they realize. A project-based business requires a planning and reporting framework that adapts as you grow – not one that breaks every time a new client, project, or team member comes onboard.

\n\n\n\n

That’s where having a structured financial planning and reporting system becomes a game-changer.

\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Who is This Playbook For?

\n\n\n\n

This strategic framework is designed for:

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

If you run a project-based business, use timesheets, or manage multiple clients, this playbook is for you.

\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

How to Grow Profitability in Professional Services

\n\n\n\n

Professional services firms often face profitability challenges because margins are tied to capacity, efficiency, and client mix. Here’s where the right planning approach makes a difference:

\n\n\n\n

1. Plan by Project (Not Just Company-Level)

\n\n\n\n

Each project has its own revenue, costs, and resources. Without project-level visibility, it’s impossible to know which work is actually profitable.

\n\n\n\n

2. Track Actuals vs. Plan

\n\n\n\n

It’s not enough to create a yearly budget. Monthly actuals vs. plan reporting helps you quickly see where projects are off track and adjust before problems snowball.

\n\n\n\n

3. Build Scenarios

\n\n\n\n

What happens if a big client leaves? Or if you add two more consultants next quarter? Scenario planning gives you the confidence to make tough decisions with numbers to back them up.

\n\n\n\n

4. Monitor Utilization & Capacity

\n\n\n\n

Employee utilization is the heartbeat of a services firm. By linking financial forecasts to billable hours, staffing, and client demand, you can identify bottlenecks and prevent costly underutilization.

\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

How Modeliks Helps

\n\n\n\n

At Modeliks, we’ve built a platform that turns these best practices into a structured, repeatable process.

\n\n\n\n

With Modeliks, you can:

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Why This Matters Now

\n\n\n\n

Most firms wait until they have 100+ employees to rethink planning. But the truth is, dimensional planning and reporting matters at 20 employees, as much as at 200.

\n\n\n\n

The earlier you set up a scalable framework, the faster you can:

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Key Takeaway

\n\n\n\n

Growing a professional services business isn’t just about winning more clients — it’s about building a system that lets you manage projects, measure performance, and grow profitably.

\n\n\n\n

That’s what this playbook is about — and why we built Modeliks.

\n\n\n\n

👉 If you want to see how Modeliks can help you manage and grow your services firm, watch the full video walkthrough here.

\n\n\n\n

📩 Or reach out to us directly to explore how Modeliks can be tailored for your firm.

\n\n\n\n

Enjoy Modeliks! We know we are!

\n\n\n\n

Author:
Modeliks Team

\n","slug":"financial-planning-for-professional-services","date":"2025-09-01T11:47:08","categories":{"nodes":[{"id":"dGVybToxMQ==","name":"Business Plans"},{"id":"dGVybToxNA==","name":"Financial Forecast"},{"id":"dGVybTozNQ==","name":"News"},{"id":"dGVybTozNA==","name":"Partners"},{"id":"dGVybToxMg==","name":"Pitch Decks"},{"id":"dGVybToxMw==","name":"Reports & Dashboards"}]},"mainCategory":{"mainCategory":["financial-forecast"],"videoHeader":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E87pBDPZzPc"},"tags":{"nodes":[{"name":"accounting advisory services growth"},{"name":"budgeting and forecasting"},{"name":"business planning"},{"name":"consulting firm profitability strategies"},{"name":"Financial analysis"},{"name":"financial forecasting"},{"name":"financial modeling"},{"name":"financial planning"},{"name":"financial planning for professional services firms"},{"name":"financial reporting"}]},"featuredImage":{"node":{"id":"cG9zdDoxMTQ4NA==","sourceUrl":"/images/cms/Screenshot-2025-09-01-at-13.39.02.png","altText":"Financial planning for professional services"}},"seo":{"metaDesc":"Discover how to manage and grow your professional services firm with project-based financial planning, reporting, and forecasting strategies."},"modified":"2025-09-01T11:47:11","related":null},{"id":"cG9zdDoxMDQyMA==","title":"Modeliks 2.0 is Live!","content":"\n

Today we released a massive new update of Modeliks.  A multidimensional Modeliks 2.0. I am both happy and sad to see Modeliks grow up. I liked baby Modeliks. He was cute and a little clumsy. Now, we created a beast.  

\n\n\n\n

We listened to your feedback and made Modeliks by far the best financial planning and reporting tool for SMEs. Alright, I might be a bit subjective, but here is what’s new:

\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. Multi dimensional planning and reporting. This means that you can plan and track performance by organizational unit, whether that is business units, departments, geography, stores, projects. However your company is structured, you can have clear targets and track performance across your whole organization.
  2. \n\n\n\n
  3. Consolidation: if you plan on a business unit level, Modeliks will consolidate your financial plans upwords.
  4. \n\n\n\n
  5. Allocations: allocate costs from the head office down to the operating units. Why? Some costs are incurred in the head office, or regional offices, but should be allocated down to the operating units, in order to get a correct picture of profitability across the organization.
  6. \n\n\n\n
  7. Quickbooks integration. Connect Modeliks to your Quickbooks and have your planning and monthly reporting automated, error free and done in minutes.
  8. \n\n\n\n
  9. Account grouping. Group several accounts into one group account. For example, you can create a Utilities group account and make your Energy, heating, phone, internet, water accounts part of the utilities group. Why? Because when you plan, you don’t want to plan on every single small account that you have in your accounting system. It is too tedious and messy. So, group them logically, plan on groups, and make planning and reporting easy and useful.
  10. \n\n\n\n
  11. Initiative planning and evaluation. You have a new initiative in mind for your business? Create a business case and see how it will impact your business. If the numbers say it’s good, keep it. If not, drop it.  
  12. \n\n\n\n
  13. Monthly forecasting. Now you can forecast up to 3 years on monthly basis.
  14. \n\n\n\n
  15. Lastly. Speed. Modeliks is now 10 times faster than before.   
  16. \n
\n\n\n\n

And there is a lot more to come in the next few months. Stay tuned for new features, and in the mean-time, plan, manage and grow your business with Modeliks 2.0.

\n\n\n\n

Let’s recap. Now you can:

\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. Build driver based financial models for any business
  2. \n\n\n\n
  3. Do it by department, business unit, geography, stores, projects
  4. \n\n\n\n
  5. Run scenarios and evaluate new initiatives
  6. \n\n\n\n
  7. Track actual performance vs budget, on every level in your organization. Especially easy with the Quickbooks integration
  8. \n\n\n\n
  9. Automate monthly investor and management reporting
  10. \n\n\n\n
  11. And write professional and detailed business plans with the help of our AI assistant.
  12. \n
\n\n\n\n

Enjoy Modeliks 2.0! We know we are!

\n\n\n\n

Author:
Modeliks Team

\n","slug":"modeliks-2-0-a-live","date":"2025-04-01T08:59:31","categories":{"nodes":[{"id":"dGVybToxMQ==","name":"Business Plans"},{"id":"dGVybToxNA==","name":"Financial Forecast"},{"id":"dGVybTozNQ==","name":"News"},{"id":"dGVybTozNA==","name":"Partners"},{"id":"dGVybToxMg==","name":"Pitch Decks"},{"id":"dGVybToxMw==","name":"Reports & Dashboards"}]},"mainCategory":{"mainCategory":["financial-forecast"],"videoHeader":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-61deO4BkFg"},"tags":{"nodes":[{"name":"budgeting and forecasting"},{"name":"business planning"},{"name":"Financial analysis"},{"name":"financial forecasting"},{"name":"financial modeling"},{"name":"financial planning"},{"name":"financial reporting"},{"name":"market analysis"},{"name":"modeliks"},{"name":"quickbooks"}]},"featuredImage":{"node":{"id":"cG9zdDoxMDQyMg==","sourceUrl":"/images/cms/Modeliks-2.0-Post-image.png","altText":"Modeliks 2.0."}},"seo":{"metaDesc":"A massive new update of Modeliks is here. A multidimensional, Quickbooks integrated, faster than ever Modeliks 2.0. GROW your business, NOW!"},"modified":"2025-04-01T09:20:31","related":null}]}2:["$","$L8",null,{"post":"$9"}] 7:[["$","meta","0",{"name":"viewport","content":"width=device-width, initial-scale=1"}],["$","meta","1",{"charSet":"utf-8"}],["$","title","2",{"children":"Modeliks | What’s the Difference Between Actuals vs Forecasts?"}],["$","meta","3",{"name":"description","content":"Learn how comparing actuals vs forecasts can improve financial planning, track progress, and refine strategies for better business outcomes."}],["$","link","4",{"rel":"canonical","href":"https://www.modeliks.com/resources/financial-forecast/actuals-vs-forecasts"}],["$","meta","5",{"property":"og:title","content":"Modeliks | What’s the Difference Between Actuals vs Forecasts?"}],["$","meta","6",{"property":"og:description","content":"Learn how comparing actuals vs forecasts can improve financial planning, track progress, and refine strategies for better business outcomes."}],["$","meta","7",{"property":"og:url","content":"https://www.modeliks.com/resources/financial-forecast/actuals-vs-forecasts"}],["$","meta","8",{"property":"og:site_name","content":"Modeliks"}],["$","meta","9",{"property":"og:locale","content":"en_US"}],["$","meta","10",{"property":"og:type","content":"article"}],["$","meta","11",{"name":"twitter:card","content":"summary"}],["$","meta","12",{"name":"twitter:title","content":"Modeliks | What’s the Difference Between Actuals vs Forecasts?"}],["$","meta","13",{"name":"twitter:description","content":"Learn how comparing actuals vs forecasts can improve financial planning, track progress, and refine strategies for better business outcomes."}],["$","link","14",{"rel":"icon","href":"/favicon.ico","type":"image/x-icon","sizes":"16x16"}]] 1:null