ROI Calculator

Make business investment decisions with a clearer view of the numbers.

The Forge South Research Business ROI Calculator is a simple, reusable Excel spreadsheet designed to help you estimate return on investment, payback period, and multi-year value for a wide range of business decisions.

Use it to evaluate equipment purchases, software, automation, hiring initiatives, marketing projects, training, process improvements, outsourcing, technology upgrades, and other investments.

You only need to enter your own assumptions into the highlighted cells. The calculator does the rest automatically.

It calculates:

• Total upfront investment
• Annual gross benefit
• Annual net benefit
• Simple annual ROI
• Payback period in years
• Payback period in months
• 3-year net value
• 5-year net value
• Lifetime net value

It also includes a Scenario Planner that automatically compares conservative, expected, strong, and aggressive outcomes so you can see how the economics change when your assumptions change.

Built for beginners

You do not need advanced Excel experience.

The workbook includes a clear Start Here page with simple instructions, plain-English explanations of every input, and examples showing what to enter.

Just:

1. Open the ROI Calculator tab.
2. Replace the example numbers in the highlighted cells.
3. Review the results.
4. Open the Scenario Planner for additional analysis.

No formulas need to be edited.

What you receive

One downloadable Microsoft Excel .xlsx workbook containing:

• Start Here guide
• Functional ROI Calculator
• Automatic calculations
• Scenario Planner
• Visual scenario comparison
• Built-in explanations and guidance

The workbook can be reused for multiple investments and business decisions.

Important note

This calculator is intended for general informational and educational purposes only. Results are estimates based entirely on the assumptions entered by the user and are not a guarantee of savings, profitability, performance, or any specific outcome. It is not legal, tax, accounting, financial, engineering, safety, or other professional advice. Verify important assumptions independently and consult qualified professionals where appropriate.