Business Overview Reports | Help (2024)

Business Overview Reports | Help (1)

The Business Overview section consists of the following reports:

  • Profit and Loss
  • Cash Flow Statement
  • Cash Flow Forecasting
  • Balance Sheet
  • Business Performance Ratio
  • Movement of Equity

Profit and Loss

This report is a comprehensive summary of all theprofits and losses that you’ve made in your business during a specificperiod of time. It also containsthe summary of your operating and non-operating expenses.

To view this report:

  • Go toReports > Profit and Loss.

Let us take a look at the different sections that this report contains:

Operating Income
Money that you’ve receivedfromall the salestransactionsbetweenyour customers and your organization.

Cost of Goods Sold
All thecosts incurred in buyingor manufacturingthe goods that you sell to your customers.

Operating Expense
These are the expenses incurred in your business.While recording any of your expenses, if you’ve selected anExpense account to track them, it’ll bedisplayed here.

Some expense accounts in Zoho Books include Advertising & Marketing, Meals and Entertainment,Automobile Expense and Lodging.

Non Operating Income/Expense
These are income or expense are incurred by activities in an organization which are not part of its business operations.

For example, the dividends a business has received. Also, a non-operating expense would include loss in a currency exchange.

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Note:

  • You can click any account in the report to view it’s drill down summary.
  • All the values are generated based on the time period that you’veset.

To customize this report:

  • Go toReports > Profit and Loss.
  • ClickCustomize Report in the top of the page.

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You can customize the report based on the following filters:

FiltersDescription
Date OptionsSelect the time period for which you want to generate the report. This can be for a current or previous period/year. You can even set a custom time period of your own.
Compare WithCompare the report with previous period(s) or year(s).
Report BasisAccural: Values are generated when the transactions are created.
Cash: Values are generated when they receive the cash.
Year To DateCompare this report with the report generated from the beginning of the financial year to this date.
Reporting TagsFilter your reports based on the reporting tags that you have created.
  • ClickRun Report.

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Cash Flow Statement

This report contains all the money that is flowing in and out of your organization from different sources like operations, investments and financing.

To view this report:

  • Go toReports > Cash Flow Statement.

Let us take a look at the differentsections that this report contains:

Cash Flow from Operating Activities
The business activities carried out by an organization are called operating activities. Money that is coming in from such activities is recorded underaccountssuch asNet Income, Accounts Receivable and Inventory Asset.

Click any of the sub-fields to view a drill downof any account.

Cash Flow from Investing Activities
As a business, you would be looking to invest in various assets for its smooth functioning.Cash flow resulting from such activities will be displayed here.

For example, buyingstationery, furniture for a new branch of your office.

Cash Flow from Financing Activities
Sometimes, you might want to raise funds for your organization or clear up any pending debts or loans. You can create transactions for any such activities in Zoho Booksfor them to reflect in your accounts.

In Zoho Books, you can record such transactions in the Banking module under a bank.

Net Change in cash
Sum ofthecash flow fromoperating, investing and financing activities.

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Note:
You can click any account to view it’s drill down summary.

To customize this report:

  • Go toReports >Cash Flow Statement.
  • ClickCustomize Reportin thetop of the page.

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You can customize the report based on the following filters:

FiltersDescription
Date OptionsSelect the time period for which you want to generate the report. This can be for a current or previous period/year. You can even set a custom time period of your own.
Compare WithCompare the report with previous period(s) or year(s).
Year To DateCompare this report with the report generated from the beginning of the financial year to this date.
Reporting TagsFilter your reports based on the reporting tags that you have created.
  • ClickRun Report.

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Cash Flow Forecasting

You can now forecast the money coming in and going out of your organization in Zoho Books. Zoho Books forecasts your cash flow based on recurring actuals such as recurring invoices, bills, journals, and expenses. By forecasting cash flow for your business, you can make informed business decisions to grow your business.

Note: This feature is available only for certain plans of Zoho Books. Visit the pricing page to check if it’s available in your current plan.

To forecast the cash flow for your organization:

  • Go to Reports on the left sidebar.
  • Click Cash Flow Forecasting in the Business Overview section.

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Zoho Books will forecast the cash flow for the period mentioned below the report name. You can change the period by clicking the dropdown on the top-left corner and selecting your preferred period.

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Pro Tip: If you do not find the period you’re looking for, you can forecast the cash flow for a custom period by clicking Custom from the drop-down in the top left corner.

The dashboard helps you analyze the cash flowing in and out of your organization, the actual balance of the past and the projected balance for the future.

SectionDescription
Total Money InThe cash earned through your sales transactions.
Total Money OutThe cash spent on your purchase transactions.
Beginning Actual BalanceThe balance of your actuals at the start of the period.
Ending Projected BalanceThe forecasted balance at the end of the period.

The graph will show your organization’s current cash flow (depicted in green) and the forecasted cash flow (depicted in orange).

Note: Any change you make to the recurring profiles may not reflect immediately. You will have to click Refresh Report below the report name to update the report with the latest values.

Customize Forecast Inputs

You can choose to generate your cash flow forecast report based on:

  • The recurring profiles you want to include or exclude
  • By adding assumptions

Include Recurring Profiles

In this section, you can select the recurring profiles you want to consider while forecasting your cash flow.

  • Click Customize Forecast Inputs in the top left corner.
  • Click Configure under the recurring profile.
  • Select the profile you want to include in this report to forecast the cash flow.

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  • Click Add Items.
  • Click Apply.

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Your cash flow forecast report will now be generated based on the selected profiles.

Assumptions

In this section, you can add assumptions based on the transactions that you predict to happen in your organization. These assumptions will influence your cash flow report.

Let us understand how assumptions work with the help of a scenario.

Scenario: Peter runs an online tutoring business that invoices his clients for their courses. During the start of the academic year, he expects ten new students to enroll in his course. However, he also expects to incur new expenses while introducing new courses in demand. Peter wants to factor these predicted enrollments and expenses into his cash flow report. Peter adds two assumptions - one for the amount of the enrollments he expects to be credited and the other for the amount of expenses debited to his bank or cash account. This assumption will now be factored in when Zoho books generates the cash flow forecasting reports.

  • Click Customize Forecast Inputs in the top left corner and click Assumptions.
  • Click +Add New Assumption.

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  • Enter the Name and Description for the assumption.
  • Select the Account that will be credited or debited for the assumption.
  • Enter the Amount.

The amount for the assumption will be credited to or debited from the Cash flow Assumption Adjustment account.

  • Select Mark this as a recurring assumption if you want the assumption to repeat at regular intervals. Select the Frequency and enter the Assumption Period.
  • If it is not a recurring assumption, select the date on which you want to consider the assumption.
  • Select Include this assumption in the cash flow forecast if you want this assumption to be included in the report.
  • Click Save.

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Your cash flow forecast report will now be generated based on the assumptions.

Balance Sheet

The balance sheet is a statement that summarizes thebalanceofmoneyin alltheaccounts under various categories like assets, liabilities and equities in your organization.

To view this report:

  • Go toReports > Balance Sheet.

Let us take a look at the different accounts that this report contains:

Assets
Value of all the assets in your organization. Some of the asset accounts in Zoho Books include:

  • Current Assets
  • Cash
  • Other Current Assets

Liabilities & Equities
All the liabilities and equities that are recorded in your organization. Some of these accounts include:

  • Current Liabilities
  • Equities

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Note:
You can click any account to view its drill-down summary.

To customize this report:

  • Go toReports > Balance Sheet.
  • ClickCustomize Reportin the top of the page.

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You can customize the report based on the following flters:

FiltersDescription
Date OptionsGenerate a report for ever month year and other time intervals or set a custom time period of your own.
Compare WithCompare the report with previous period(s) or year(s).
Report BasisAccural: Values are generated when the transactions are created.
Cash: Values are generated when they receive the cash.
Reporting TagsFilter your reports based on the reporting tags that you have created.
  • ClickRun Report.

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Business Performance Ratio

The Business Performance Ratio report helps you to evaluate the performance of your business by comparing different aspects of a business. These reports help you to gain insights into your company’s financial structure and analyze its financial health.

The business Performance Ratio report provides you with these eight dedicated ratio analyses to assess your business:

RatioDescription
Current RatioA liquidity ratio that helps a business understand if they will be able to pay their short-term obligations or those due within one year.
Gross Profit RatioA profitability ratio that helps you understand the operational performance of your business.
Debt RatioThe ratio of total debts to total sales. It shows if a business will be able to pay off its liabilities with its assets.
Net Profit RatioThe remaining profit after all costs have been deducted from sales, and taxes.
Acid Test Ratio/Quick RatioHelps a business understand if it has sufficient short term assets to pay off short term liabilities.
Receivable Turnover RatioA measure of the efficiency of a business to collect its dues from its customers.
Debt To Equity RatioA ratio that helps businesses understand the weight of total liabilities and debts against the shareholders’ equity.
Operating Cost RatioA measure of business management’s efficiency at keeping costs low while generating revenue.

To view the business performance ratio report:

  • Go to Reports in the left sidebar and click Business Performance Ratio report under the Business Overview section.
  • Select a ratio analysis from the dropdown below the organization’s name.

Each of these eight ratio analysis comes with a dedicated dashboard that illustrates the performance of your business over time.

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To customize this report:

  • Go to Reports in the left sidebar and click the Business Performance Ratio report under the Business Overview section.
  • Select a ratio analysis from the dropdown below your organization name.
  • Click Customize Report in the top bar.
FieldDescription
Date RangeSelect the period for which you want to generate the report.
As of dateAn effective date until when you want to generate the report.
  • Click Run Report.

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Movement of Equity

Equity or net worth is the difference between the value of assets and liabilities in a business and it follows the accounting equation, Equity = Assets - Liabilities. The Movement of Equity report is a comparative statement that shows the changes in equity of a business for a particular period. Also, you can customize the report and compare the changes in equity based on reporting tags, branches, period, or year.To view the report:

  • Go to the Reports module.
  • Select Movement of Equity reportunder Business Overview reports**.**
  • Select the period for which you want to view the report.

The report will consist:

  • Opening Balance
  • Changes in Equity which further comprises ofthe Capital Stock**,** Current Year Earnings, Distributions, Dividends Paid, Drawings, Investments, Opening Balance Offset, Owner’s Equity and Retained Earnings which will give the Net Changes in Equity.

Note: Clicking Current Year Earnings will take you to the Profit and Loss report of the particular period and clicking any other item will take you to the respective transaction report to view a drill down.

  • Closing Balance

You will then be able to customize and perform other actions on the report.

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Customize Report

You can customize the report based on various fields and filters. To customize:

  • Go to the Movement of Equity report.
  • Click Customise Report in the top bar.

Here, you will be able to find two options,

  • General
  • Show or Hide Columns
General

Under General, youwill be able to customize based on the following:

Basic Filters

FilterDescription
Date RangeSet a date range for which you would like to customize the report.
Report BasisSet the basis of report. This can be:
Accrual: Values generated when the transactions are created.
Cash: Values generated when the organization actually receives the cash.
Filter AccountsFilter accounts that you’d like to include. This can be:
1. All accounts
2. Accounts with transactions
3. Accounts without zero balance

Compare Filters

  • Compare Based on Period/Year

    Compare the report with Previous Years’ or Previous Periods’values.

    The **Previous Year** option will let you view the report as a comparative statementbetween multiple years.The **Previous Period** option will let you view the report as a comparative statement for multiple periods based on the Date Range you've chosen above. 
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  • Compare Based on Reporting Tags

    Compare the movement of equity based on various reporting tags you have created in your organization.

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  • Compare Based on Branches

    Compare the movement of equity based on various branches you have created in your organization.

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Advanced Filters

Filter the report based on projects, branches and reporting tags using Advanced Filters. To do this:

  • Click Add Filters.

  • Select a Fieldsuch as a project or branch or reporting tag or all of it

  • Select a Comparator.

  • Select name of the field accordingly.

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Note: Comparing based on reporting tags and comparing based on branches will let you compare and generate the equity statements between multiple reporting tags and multiple branches created in the organization, whereas reporting tag and branches in advanced filters are used just to filter the generated report.

Show/ Hide Columns

Thisoption will allow you to choose the columns to be displayed in the report. Click the + icon near a column name to include it in the report.

  • Click Run Reportto view the reportor Save as Custom Report. Learn more aboutCustom Reports.

OtherActions

Schedule report

You can schedule your Movement of Equity report to be generated on a provided Frequency. The generated report can be sent to an email address of your choice.Learn more about Scheduling Reports.

Add Temporary Notes

Click the + Add Temporary Note option to enter notes that appear at the footer of your report.

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Note: The temporary note that has been added will not be available when the report has been customized and saved as a custom report.

Share Report

To share the report:

  • Click the Share icon in the top right corner.
  • Select the User and the Permissions you want to provide.
  • Click Share.

The report will be shared with the user. Read more about configuring role based accessand sharing reports.

Print Report

Print your report by clicking the Print icon at the top right corner and configure the Print Preference for this report, if required.

Insight: You can either configure the print preference for each report or configure the report layout that will apply to all the reports in your organization.

Export Report

Download this report by clicking the Export As option and selecting the file format in which you want to download.

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FAQs

How do you write a business overview report? ›

Writing the business report
  1. Analyse the problem and identify the purpose of the report.
  2. Analyse the audience and the issue.
  3. Prepare a work plan and a draft outline.
  4. Collect and sort the information you require.
  5. Evaluate and organise the information.
  6. Revise the draft outline and restructure it if necessary.

How do you write a good business overview? ›

What should I include in a company overview?
  1. Basic company information. Consider the company overview like an introduction for your business. ...
  2. Ownership and management team. ...
  3. Company history. ...
  4. Mission statement. ...
  5. Product/service and customer. ...
  6. Future goals. ...
  7. Start with the elevator pitch. ...
  8. Stick to the basics.
Oct 22, 2020

How do business reports help? ›

They can identify trends, and pinpoint any anomalies that may require additional examination. Corporate reports, such as those that record yearly budgets, sales, meetings, and planning projects, assist in building an audit trail of business operations, in addition to assisting in guiding crucial choices.

How to write effective business reports? ›

Before You Begin:
  1. Think about your audience and their expectations, and plan your report accordingly. ...
  2. What is the purpose of the report? ...
  3. Gather and organize your supporting information/data/visuals.
  4. Focus on the facts.
  5. Make sure to be clear and concise, so the report is easy for everyone to read and understand.

How do you start an overview report? ›

The introduction should:
  1. discuss the importance or significance of the research or problem to be reported.
  2. define the purpose of the report.
  3. outline the issues to be discussed (scope)
  4. inform the reader of any limitations to the report, or any assumptions made.
May 28, 2024

What are 5 examples of reports? ›

There are 5 main types of business reports including: research reports, analytical reports (i.e. financial analysis or market analysis), performance reports, inventory reports and trend reports. Some companies use business daily reports while others do business reporting on a more infrequent basis.

What is a business overview statement? ›

What is a business overview? The business overview is a component of a business plan that provides a general explanation of your company. By reading this section, the audience learns about your company and its structure, values, mission and offerings.

How do you structure a company overview? ›

What To Include in Your Company Summary
  1. Business name.
  2. Location.
  3. Legal structure (i.e., sole proprietorship, LLC, S Corporation, or partnership)
  4. Management team.
  5. Mission statement.
  6. Company history (when it started and important milestones)
  7. Description of products and services and how they meet the needs of the marketplace.
Oct 14, 2022

Why is a business overview important? ›

Its main purposes are to help you avoid risks, keep everyone on the same page, plan finances, check if your business idea is good, make operations smoother, and adapt to changes. It's a way for small business owners to plan, communicate, and stay on track toward their goals.

How to make a business report look good? ›

Keep the layout clean and uncluttered.

Allow enough space so that the display doesn't look crowded and the type size can stay large enough for easy reading. If you are creating a paper report, don't squeeze the information into a predetermined length but make it as long as it needs to be.

What is the most important part of a business report? ›

1 Purpose and scope. The first component of a business report is the purpose and scope, which explains why the report was written, what it covers, and what it aims to achieve. The purpose and scope should be stated clearly and briefly in the introduction, and should align with the report's title and objectives.

What are the three main purposes of business reports? ›

Reports will provide important detail that can be used to help develop future forecasts, marketing plans, guide budget planning and improve decision-making. Managers also use business reports to track progress and growth, identify trends or any irregularities that may need further investigation.

How should a business report be structured? ›

Start with creating a plan before writing, and check whether the company has its format. Followed by a title page, then a table of content, give a summary or an abstract, introduction, then the body of the report, add some recommendations, add references, then appendices.

What is a business report format? ›

In a business report, you will analyze a problem or a need within the business and make recommendations for a solution or a course of action. The report will contain various sections, so section headings should be used. Business reports may also contain visual representations of data such as graphs, charts, or tables.

What do all business reports have in common? ›

Business reports are always formal, objective, and heavily researched. Every fact must be clear and verifiable, regardless of whether the report focuses on a single situation or examines the overall performance of an entire company.

What does a business overview look like? ›

A company overview should include essential information about your business, such as its name, legal structure, location, industry, target market, unique selling proposition, and competitive advantage. It should also highlight any notable achievements, milestones, or partnerships.

What is a company overview report? ›

A company overview is a component of a formal business plan that outlines key information about a new organization. It typically summarizes details like the company's history, management structure, mission statement, location and legal organization.

What is the proper format for a business report? ›

How do you write a business report? Start with creating a plan before writing, and check whether the company has its format. Followed by a title page, then a table of content, give a summary or an abstract, introduction, then the body of the report, add some recommendations, add references, then appendices.

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