From bizops
Build and track a business budget — create annual or quarterly budgets, log actuals vs. plan, analyze variances, flag overspend, and get recommendations to improve financial performance, or any request involving building a budget, tracking spend, or comparing actual results to targets.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/bizops:bizops-budget-builder [setup/update/report/variance] [--period annual/quarterly/monthly] [--category revenue/expenses/both][setup/update/report/variance] [--period annual/quarterly/monthly] [--category revenue/expenses/both]This skill is limited to the following tools:
The summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
> **Disclaimer:** This skill produces financial planning analysis for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for advice from a licensed financial advisor or CPA. Verify all figures with qualified professionals before making major financial decisions.
Disclaimer: This skill produces financial planning analysis for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for advice from a licensed financial advisor or CPA. Verify all figures with qualified professionals before making major financial decisions.
Budget Builder helps business owners create a budget, track actuals against it, and understand where they are on track vs. off track. Most small business owners have no formal budget — they react to money rather than plan it. This skill fixes that. Build your budget once, update actuals monthly, and get variance analysis that tells you exactly where your plan is working and where it is breaking down.
Works in three modes:
search_notes with query "bizops budget preferences" (folder: brain/preferences)write_note → title: bizops-budget-preferences, folder: brain/preferences💰 Budget Builder | {Business Name} | {Period} | Preferences: ✓ loaded
Add: "Say 'update my budget preferences' to change settings."When the user is creating a budget for the first time (or a new period):
Step 1: Determine the period
Step 2: Collect revenue plan For each revenue stream the user identifies:
| Revenue Stream | Monthly Target | Annual Target | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| {Stream 1} | ${X} | ${X×12} | |
| {Stream 2} | ${X} | ${X×12} | |
| Total Revenue | ${X} | ${X} |
Step 3: Collect expense plan Use saved categories from preferences, or collect them now. Group into:
| Expense Category | Type | Monthly Budget | Annual Budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| {Category} | Fixed/Variable/One-time | ${X} | ${X} |
Step 4: Calculate summary
BUDGET SUMMARY — {Business Name} — {Period}
============================================
Total Revenue Target: ${X}
Total Expenses Budget: ${X}
-------------------------------------------
Net Profit Target: ${X}
Target Profit Margin: {X}%
Step 5: Save to Cloud Brain
Use write_note:
budget-{business-slug}-{period}-{YYYY}brain/budgets["budget", "financial", "active"]When the user is logging actual numbers for a period:
Step 1: Load the budget
Use search_notes with query "budget {business name} {period}" (folder: brain/budgets) to find the active budget. If not found, prompt to run Setup first.
Step 2: Collect actuals Ask for actuals by category (or accept them in bulk if the user pastes data):
"What were your actual numbers for [period]? Give me revenue by stream and expenses by category."
Step 3: Save updated budget with actuals
Use write_note with overwrite: true to update the existing budget note with actuals column added.
When the user wants to see how actuals compare to the plan:
Step 1: Load budget note
Use search_notes → read_note to retrieve the current budget with actuals.
Step 2: Calculate variances
For each line item:
Step 3: Output the variance report
BUDGET VARIANCE REPORT — {Business Name} — {Period}
===================================================
REVENUE
| Stream | Budget | Actual | Variance $ | Variance % | Status |
|--------|--------|--------|-----------|-----------|--------|
| {name} | ${X} | ${X} | +/- ${X} | +/- X% | ✅/⚠️/🚨 |
EXPENSES
| Category | Budget | Actual | Variance $ | Variance % | Status |
|----------|--------|--------|-----------|-----------|--------|
| {name} | ${X} | ${X} | +/- ${X} | +/- X% | ✅/⚠️/🚨 |
SUMMARY
| | Budget | Actual | Variance |
|---|--------|--------|---------|
| Total Revenue | ${X} | ${X} | +/- ${X} |
| Total Expenses | ${X} | ${X} | +/- ${X} |
| Net Profit | ${X} | ${X} | +/- ${X} |
| Profit Margin | X% | X% | +/- X pts |
WHAT'S OFF TRACK
🚨 [Category]: $X over budget — {brief explanation of why this matters}
⚠️ [Stream]: $X under revenue target — {brief explanation}
TOP 3 RECOMMENDATIONS
1. {Specific action to close the biggest gap}
2. {Specific action for second-biggest issue}
3. {Proactive suggestion for the remainder of the period}
| Content | Path |
|---|---|
| Preferences | brain/preferences/bizops-budget-preferences.md |
| Budget files | brain/budgets/budget-{slug}-{period}-{YYYY}.md |
npx claudepluginhub owenmecham/mbg --plugin bizopsGuides creation, editing, and verification of skills for AI coding agents using test-driven development with subagent scenarios. Use when authoring or debugging skills.