Driver-based Modeling Basics
The basics of driver based modeling
Organized into sections for various company roles, the Staff Sheet allows for detailed input and monitoring of staff-related costs, tailor roles and expenses, track salary increments, and plan for new hires.
The Staff Sheet is a crucial component of the Slidebean Financial Model, designed to manage and forecast the company's payroll expenses. It provides a detailed layout to input, monitor, and project various staff-related costs and their impact on the company's financial health.
The Staff Sheet is organized into distinct sections, each representing different roles within the company, such as Operations, Product, Marketing & Sales, and Customer Support. Notice how these roles are BLUE, and can therefore be edited or renamed.
The Staff sheet is designed so you think of 'roles' instead of unique employees.
This column lists the various positions within the company, such as CEO, COO, Office Manager, and other specific roles in different departments.
Each role is categorized under an expense category, which is used to generate the 'Use of Funds' charts on the Dashboard. The dropdown options can be edited on the Settings Sheet.
Annual Salary (Input)
The Annual Salary offered to a given role, before overhead, taxes, benefits, and other costs. This is NOT the salary the employee receives, but rather, the agreed upon wage for that employee.
A percentage that accounts for additional employment costs such federal and city taxes, health insurance, pension, and other employee benefits.
In the US, 25% is a good reference for the 'overhead' cost per employee: including a basic health insurance and required taxes.
If you would like to account for contractors on your Staff sheet (also called 1099 employees in the US), you can set this value to 0%.
The projected annual salary increase rate for a given, indicating how salaries may rise over time due to inflation, promotions, or performance increments.
Annual increments are estimated for the role itself, exactly 12 months after the first hire for that expense line.
The base monthly wage paid to the role, before any deductions or overhead costs.
The actual monthly cost of an employee to the company.
The monthly company headcount is tallied on the Headcount Section of the SG&A sheet.
In a regular model, you'd be required to input the number of employees per month, and scrolling back and forth to scale them accordingly. Instead, we've designed a system to estimate the number of employees for each role with a reduced number of inputs. Then, the model transforms that employee count into a cost value on the Payroll section of the SG&A Sheet.
Indicates the month and year when the first hire for each role is expected.
Specifies the number of new hires added for each role in a given period.
Defines the frequency of new hires, such as annually, quarterly, or monthly. Unique roles can be set to 'Never'.
Sets the cap on the number of individuals in each role. If set to 0, it implies the position is not currently active or required. If set to 1, it implies the position is a unique role, such as the CEO or CTO.
The basics of driver based modeling
The Assumptions Sheet lets users input key variables impacting business forecasts. It includes sections like Capital Expenditures and Loans, guiding the automatic estimation of costs like computer purchases and setting depreciation periods for various assets.
This article serves as an introduction to the template, guiding you through its various components and how to effectively utilize them.
The Settings Sheet allows you to set company-specific parameters like start dates, currency, and tax rates, ensuring all other sheets align with your unique business context.