Financing plan: building a solid plan

Updated March 2026 - A financing plan is used to check, before starting, whether the resources really cover all the needs of a project. In practice, it makes it possible to secure a creation, a takeover or a growth phase by linking investment, working capital requirements, collection schedule and cash sources in a coherent and defensible document.

See also: Treasury management, BFR financing and Capex: definition, calculation and issues for your SME.

The financing plan answers a very simple question: with what will you pay for what your project will consume? This question arises in business creation, but it remains essential during growth, massive recruitment, a site opening or a takeover.

In 2026, financiers are increasingly looking at the readability of cash, the robustness of WCR and the manager's ability to present several scenarios. A good financing plan is therefore not just a table for the bank. It is a management tool for the manager, the accounting firm, the investor and sometimes the credit committee of a public partner.

The most common weak point is to only count the main purchase. But a project almost always creates expenses around the heart of the project.

The needs to be identified include:

• tangible and intangible investments;
• the furniture, equipment, software or website;
• the initial working capital requirement;
• initial stocks or purchases;
• creation, advice and compliance costs;
• the security cash to absorb the first months;
• transition, recruitment or training costs;
• any guarantees or deposits requested by lessors, banks or suppliers.

A useful method is to separate the need into three blocks:

This distinction helps to build a clearer and more credible case.

The second reflex consists of distinguishing between certain resources, possible resources and still conditional resources.

The good financing plan does not just add up promises. It also indicates when the money actually comes in, who makes it available, and under what conditions.

1. Start from total need#

Start by listing everything that comes out of the box during the launch or deployment phase. Many plans fail because they only see the end asset, not the breathing period surrounding it.

2. Cut by nature and date#

An immediate need cannot be financed like a need spread over twelve months. Take a calendar view: what expense is coming now, what resource is coming later, and what cash tension appears between the two?

3. Check resource compatibility#

A resource may be available on paper but unsuitable for the project. For example, a long-term loan may be suitable for a machine, but not for a very short WCR peak. Conversely, short-term financing can relieve cash flow but become expensive if it finances a structural need.

4. Add a cautious scenario#

A solid financing plan must hold if sales start a little slower, if collections fall behind or if certain costs increase. It is often the prudent scenario which convinces the banks the most, because it shows that the manager has not built his case on a single ideal world.

5. Link the financing plan to the cash flow plan#

The financing plan proves that the project can be financed. The cash flow plan shows whether, month after month, the bank account remains positive. The two documents must speak to each other. Otherwise, we can have a financed project on paper but suffocate in operation.

Let's take a SME which is launching a new activity with:

• 110 kEUR investment;

• 35 kEUR of initial WCR;

• 20 kEUR of security cash;

• 15 kEUR launch and support costs. The total need is therefore approaching 180 kEUR. The manager can imagine covering it with:

• 50 kEUR contribution;

• 80 kEUR bank loan;

• 30 kEUR leasing;

• 20 kEUR of additional help or resources.

This type of example shows why the financing plan is more than just a total. It helps to check the balance between the nature of the need and the nature of the resource.

• forget the WCR or calculate it too low;
• assume immediate sales while the commercial cycle takes time;
• forget about payment deadlines from suppliers, customers and public aid;
• confuse negotiated financing line and money already available;
• do not provide a safety margin;
• present a document that is too optimistic, and therefore not very credible.

Hayot Expertise Advice: a good financing plan must survive a reality check. If your record only holds up with perfect sales and customer payments without delay, it still needs to be strengthened.

A financing plan is not set in stone. It must be reviewed:

• before a major investment;
• before fundraising or a bank request;
• after a change in commercial rhythm;
• if the WCR evolves quickly;
• in the event of a delay in recruitment, work or delivery;
• when a new financing paragraph appears.

The more the project advances, the more the financing plan must become a living management tool.

In 2026, a serious financing plan remains one of the best tools to convince and manage. It reassures partners because it shows the logic between needs, resources and schedule. It also reassures the manager, because it very quickly reveals the project's weak points.

(Official sources: Bpifrance Creation on the business plan and the cash flow plan, Banque de France on corporate financing)