Help & Getting Started
This is your main help page. Use the big buttons below to go where you need, or follow the step-by-step path to build your first model.
Where do you want to go?
Click one card. Each card opens the right place in Goalfix.
Your step-by-step path
Follow these steps in order the first time. You can always come back and change numbers later.
- Run the setup wizard, or skip it and type numbers yourself under Model Inputs in the left menu.
- Check Project Settings (name and how many months) and Model Parameters (tax, credit days, interest).
- Complete Products & Sales, then Fixed Expenses, Variable Expenses, Capex, Funding, and Deposits.
- Click Save Model at the top of the model page.
- Open the Income Statement and the Dashboard to see results.
- Review Key Financial Indicators, then try Sensitivity Analysis. Use Best / Worst case with Scenario Settings.
What do you want to achieve?
Match your goal to the right inputs. Completing these sections is how you build a useful forecast.
1. Forecast sales and profit
Tell the model what you sell, how many units, and at what price and cost. Without this, almost nothing else works.
2. Plan and control costs
Fixed expenses stay similar each month (rent, salaries). Variable expenses rise with sales (e.g. commission as % of sales).
3. Plan equipment, vehicles, or other assets
Add purchases or leases so depreciation, deposits, and cash outflows appear in the right months.
4. Fund the business (owners’ money and loans)
Enter capital and loan amounts, timing, and interest so cash and interest costs are correct.
5. Track deposits (rent, municipal, and similar)
Deposits affect cash when paid and when refunded. Enter them so your bank balance stays realistic.
6. Set the “rules” of the model
Tax rate, credit terms (how long customers take to pay), stock months, dividend %, and interest assumptions live here.
7. See if the plan works overall
After inputs are saved, read statements, schedules, KFIs, and sensitivity — not just one number in isolation.
Understanding your results
Below, each topic is explained for three levels. Start with Beginner. Skip ahead if you already know the basics.
Supporting Schedules Open IS Schedules →
Supporting schedules are the detailed workings behind the main statements. The statements show totals; schedules show how those totals were built.
In Goalfix: IS Schedules (income detail), BS Schedules (balance sheet detail), and Tax Schedule.
Beginner Plain English
- Think of schedules as the “workings” pages. The Income Statement is the summary; IS Schedules are the proof.
- Open a schedule when a total looks wrong or surprising — you can see which line caused it.
- You usually fill in Model Inputs first; schedules are mostly for reading and checking, not for typing every cell.
Intermediate What to take away
- IS Schedules — revenue build-up, cost of sales, expense roll-ups that feed Gross Profit and EBITDA.
- BS Schedules — debtors, creditors, stock, assets, and funding balances that explain the Balance Sheet.
- Tax Schedule — how taxable profit and tax payable move over the months.
- If the Balance Sheet does not balance, check BS Schedules and timing of funding, capex, and credit terms.
Expert Decision use
- Use schedules to audit working-capital timing (DSO/DPO/stock months) and reconcile statement links.
- Trace interest, depreciation, and tax through schedules before trusting NPV/IRR on the KFI page.
- Compare schedule lines across Baseline / Best / Worst to see which drivers move the balance sheet and cash.
Key Financial Indicators (KFIs) Open KFIs →
KFIs are the model’s scoreboard. They summarise profitability, cash generation, break-even, and investment returns for Year 1 and Year 2.
Beginner Plain English
- Profitability — Are we making money after costs? Look at Revenue, Gross Profit, and Profit After Tax (PAT).
- Cash flow — Is cash building up or running out? Profit and cash are not the same thing.
- Break-even — How much sales do you need before the business covers its costs?
- Start here after you save your inputs. If numbers look odd, go back and check Products & Sales and expenses first.
Intermediate What to take away
- Watch margins (% of revenue) as well as rand amounts — Gross Profit %, Contribution %, EBITDA %, PAT %.
- Contribution shows profit after variable costs — useful for pricing and sales volume decisions.
- Free cash flow and payback month show when the project recovers cash invested.
- Switch scenarios on the model bar and re-read KFIs — Best vs Worst shows how fragile the plan is.
Expert Decision use
- Use IRR, NPV (with WACC), and payback together — not one metric alone.
- Compare Project IRR vs Dividend IRR to separate project returns from shareholder cash returns.
- Link KFI movements to Model Parameters (tax, credit, stock) and funding structure before changing strategy.
- Stress the plan: if PAT looks fine but free cash flow or payback fails, working capital or capex timing needs attention.
Sensitivity Analysis Open Sensitivity →
Sensitivity Analysis answers: “If one thing changes a little, how much do profit and cash change?” Goalfix tests volume, price, cost of sales, and fixed costs, then ranks which change matters most for EBITDA and bank balance.
Beginner Plain English
- It is a safe “what if” tool. Your saved model stays as it is; the page shows test results.
- Look for the item ranked most sensitive — that is your biggest risk or opportunity.
- Example: if price ranks #1, small price cuts hurt more than small cost increases — protect pricing carefully.
Intermediate What to take away
- Compare EBITDA sensitivity (earnings power) with bank balance sensitivity (cash survival).
- A driver can hurt cash more than profit (e.g. volume down with slow-paying customers) — act on both views.
- Use results to prioritise: fix the top 1–2 drivers before spending time on low-impact items.
- Re-run after you change Scenario Settings so Best/Worst multipliers reflect your latest assumptions.
Expert Decision use
- Treat rankings as a tornado-style priority list for management focus and contingency planning.
- Combine with scenarios: if Worst case and high price/volume sensitivity both flag risk, build buffers in cash and covenants.
- Map top drivers back to contracts (price lists, supplier COS, lease/fixed cost commitments) and hedge or renegotiate those first.
- Document which single-factor moves break minimum cash or EBITDA covenants for board or lender packs.
More help on this site
- Detailed Guide — full walkthrough of every sidebar section and how to enter data.
- Model Anatomy — diagram of how inputs become statements and analysis.
- Financial Modelling eBook — deeper learning, chapter by chapter.
- Glossary — plain-English meanings of financial words.
- Abbreviations — IS, BS, COS, KFIs, Capex, and more.