If you’re like most small business owners, your income feels like a moving target. One month you’re on top of the world. The next, you’re wondering how to cover expenses—let alone pay yourself.
The truth is, unpredictable income isn’t just stressful. It makes it nearly impossible to make smart business decisions.
That’s why revenue planning is one of the first skills we teach inside The Small Business Planner. You don’t need to predict the future perfectly—you just need a structure that helps you anticipate patterns, plan ahead, and make confident moves.
Here’s how to project your monthly income realistically, even if your sales vary.
Step 1: Look at Your Historical Data
Start by looking backward. Review the past 3–12 months and write down:
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Total revenue by month
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Number of clients, orders, or sales
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Notes about launches, discounts, or seasonality
This gives you a baseline. You’re not planning from scratch—you’re planning based on real patterns in your business.
If you’re brand new and don’t have data, use average numbers from early sales or set a conservative goal based on your capacity.
Step 2: Identify Patterns and Outliers
Next, review your numbers and ask:
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Are there months that are always higher or lower?
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Did a launch or event drive a spike?
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Is your income tied to a specific season, holiday, or industry cycle?
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Do most of your clients buy at the beginning of the month, quarter, or year?
You don’t need a perfect spreadsheet. You just need to spot what’s typical versus what’s a one-off.
Inside The Small Business Planner, you’ll find monthly and quarterly reflection pages designed to help you do this in a simple, visual way.
Step 3: Forecast Based on Capacity and Marketing Plans
Now project the next 1–3 months based on what you know is happening:
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Are you launching anything new?
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Are you booking clients or running promotions?
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Are you taking time off?
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How many clients or orders can you realistically fulfill?
Then assign a projected revenue number to each upcoming month. Be realistic. Underestimate a little if you’re unsure. The goal is visibility, not perfection.
Step 4: Align Revenue with Your Take-Home Pay Goal
Revenue means nothing if it doesn’t support your personal salary and expenses.
Use your projected revenue to check:
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Will this cover your fixed business expenses?
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Can you pay yourself consistently?
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Are you setting aside 15–30% for taxes?
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Do you have a buffer for slower months?
If the numbers don’t add up, you have options. Adjust your pricing, reduce costs, increase visibility, or revisit your offer strategy. The point of planning is to see the gap before it becomes a crisis.
Step 5: Track Progress and Adjust Monthly
Revenue planning isn’t a one-time exercise—it’s a monthly rhythm.
At the end of each month:
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Compare your projected revenue to what actually came in
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Note what worked and what didn’t
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Adjust next month’s forecast based on what you learned
The Small Business Planner makes this process frictionless, so you can build this habit without needing a spreadsheet or extra software.
Planning Creates Power, Not Pressure
You don’t have to hit your projections perfectly. The point is to stop flying blind and start building a rhythm.
When you can see your revenue trends clearly, everything else becomes easier: marketing, hiring, expenses, taxes, even rest.
That’s the power of revenue planning—and it’s why The Small Business Planner is designed to make this second nature.
Explore The Small Business Planner: https://smallbusinessplanner.com/products/planner
More Posts to Help You Plan with Confidence
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How to Set Revenue Goals Based on Personal Expenses
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What to Include in a One-Page Business Plan
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The Most Common Business Planning Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)
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How to Build a Business Plan If You’re Not a Numbers Person