General Assumptions

This is the screen where you can describe some general assumptions about the company you wish to analyze. Here is what the screen looks like:

The assumptions include:

• Plan name. What is a good name so you can remember this plan? For example, Fast Growth or Conservative or Sally's Plan.
• Company name. This is the name of the company that you want to have appear at the top of your financial statements.
• Industry segment. In what industry is your company? By selecting an industry, Offtoa will be able to (a) advise you when some assumption value entries are out of range for other companies in your industry, (b) compare your financial results to norms for your industry, and (c) determine a valuation for your company based on other companies in your industry that have experienced acquisitions or IPOs.
• Founding date. On what date was the company founded? Or, if not yet founded, on what date do you expect it to be founded? This is the date when the company was officially registered with the government. We will also assume that the “founders' round” will (or did) occur on this date.
• First month of company's fiscal year. Companies are managed based on a 12-month fiscal year, usually starting on the first day of a calendar quarter (January 1, April 1, July 1, or October 1). If you have no reason to do otherwise, keep your life simple and choose January 1.
• Calendar year for start of analysis. In what calendar year would you like to start your analysis? Offtoa will analyze your company using your fiscal years. Enter the year that you want the analysis to begin. Note that if your fiscal year begins on any month except January, the name of the first fiscal year that will appear at the top of the first column on many of your financial statements will actually be one more than the year entered here.
• How many years to examine? This will determine how many years of financials Offtoa will examine. Five years will give you a pretty good idea if your company is viable, but feel free to go higher or lower.

Can I change my plan name later?

Absolutely.

Can I change my company name later?

Absolutely.

Can I change my industry segment name later?

Absolutely. As you progress in your company planning, you might very well decide to shift your emphasis. For example, say your company manufactures spicy sauces using a secret family recipe. You had planned on selling your product retail via the internet to consumers in units of single 12 oz. jars. This puts you in the on-line specialty retail industry as well as the food manufacturing industry. But assuming that you are not yet committed to that plan, and you possess appropriate core competencies, you could instead sell your product wholesale to grocery stores or distributors in units of palettes of 100 cases of 24 twelve oz. jars. Now you are in the wholesale food distribution industry as well as the food manufacturing industry.

Can I change my founding date later?

Since this is the date you register with the government, yes, you can change the date in Offtoaas long as you have not yet actually performed the act. Be aware that until the company is founded, the company does not exist; therefore, it is impossible for the company (before this founding date) to take out a loan, accept an investment, or purchase anything.

What happens if I later want to delay my start of analysis by a year?

No problem. We'll just add a year to the end of the analysis and we'll ask you how you want us to handle the shift.

What happens if I later want to accelerate my start of analysis by a year?

No problem. Again, we'll just ask you how you want us to handle the shift.

What happens if I want to add analysis years later?

No problem. We'll just add the years to the end of the analysis and ask you to fill in the missing data.

What happens if I want to remove analysis years later?

When you ask to do this, we'll first warn you about the data from the final years that you will lose if your proceed.