Getting Started
Welcome to Business Conveyor Belt (BCB)
This guide will walk you through your first experience in the platform and help you understand how your accounting, operational and forecasting information comes together in one place.
By the end of this guide, you'll have:
- Connected your integrations
- Synced your data
- Reviewed your Cashflow forecast
- Created a Projected Transaction
- Created a Scenario with Apollo
- Reviewed a Scenario against your Baseline forecast
- Created your first Quote
- Created your first Work in Progress (WIP) item
Step 1. Connect Your Integrations
The first thing you'll want to do is connect the systems your business already uses.
Navigate to Integration Centre.
BCB currently supports:
- Xero
- MYOB
- Simpro (Momentum and Performance plans only)
Select Connect on the integration you'd like to connect and follow the prompts provided.
Tip: You can connect integrations in any order and add additional integrations later.
Step 2. Run Your First Sync
Once your integrations are connected, perform your first sync
Inside the Integration Centre, select Sync Now
Depending on the amount of information being imported, your first sync may take longer than future syncs.
During syncing, BCB will begin importing information such as:
- Accounts
- Transactions
- Categories
- Contacts
- Jobs
- Quotes
The available information depends on which integrations are connected
Step 3. Review Your Cashflow Forecast
Once your data has synced, navigate to Cashflow.
This is your baseline forecast and forms the foundation of the platform.
Spend a few minutes reviewing:
Opening Balance:
The balance your forecast starts from.
Cash In
Expected future money coming into the business.
Examples include:
- Customer payments
- Revenue
- Other income
Cash Out
Expected future money leaving the business.
Examples include:
- Expenses
- Direct costs
- Payroll
- Supplier payments
Closing Balance
Your forecast cash position after expected inflows and outflows have been taken into account.
As you use more features inside BCB, you'll begin to see how transactions, WIP, quotes and scenarios influence this forecast.
Step 4. Create your first Projected Transaction
Projected Transactions allow you to plan for future events that may not yet exist in your accounting software.
Examples include:
- A planned equipment purchase
- An expected insurance renewal
- Future office rent increases
- New recurring costs
To create a Projected Transaction:
1. Navigate to Projected Transactions
2. Select New
3. Choose whether the transaction is:
- One-off
- Recurring
4. Enter the details
5. Save the transaction
Return to Cashflow and observe how the transaction influences your future forecast.
This is a great way to learn how forecasting responds to planned business events.
Step 5. Create your first Scenario
Scenarios are one of the most powerful features in BCB.
Navigate to Scenarios.
Select Create with Apollo.
You can describe a business change in plain language.
Examples:
- Hire two tradespeople in November
- Purchase a new vehicle next quarter
- Delay customer payments by 30 days
- Increase supplier costs by 10%
Select Plan this Scenario.
Step 6. Review Apollo's Questions
Apollo may ask additional questions to understand your request.
For example, when creating a hiring scenario Apollo may ask:
- How many employees?
- What will their monthly wages be?
- When will they start?
- Are they employees or contractors?
Answer as much as you can.
If information is missing, Apollo may make reasonable assumptions.
Any assumptions used will be displayed before the scenario is created.
Step 7. Review the Scenario Impact
Once Apollo has completed the scenario, you'll be shown:
Your Request
- The original business change you described.
Scenario Summary
- A plain-English explanation of what Apollo plans to add or change.
What Was Written
- The financial entries Apollo created.
This shows:
- Which categories were affected
- The values used
- The dates applied
- Whether changes are recurring or one-off
Assumptions
- Any assumptions Apollo used during calculation.
Review these carefully.
If everything looks correct, select:
Keep Scenario
If not, select:
Discard
Step 8. Compare the Scenario Against Your Baseline
After saving the scenario, you'll be taken to the comparison view.
This view allows you to compare:
- Baseline forecast
- Scenario forecast
Review:
Closing Balance Chart
- See how the scenario impacts future cashflow over time.
Category Breakdown
- View the impact on:
- Revenue
- Expenses
- Cash In
- Cash Out
- Direct Costs
Monthly Differences
- Identify where the scenario is creating the largest impact.
This helps you understand the implications of a decision before committing to it.
Step 9. Create your first Quote
Navigate to Quote Register.
Quotes help you track future opportunities and understand their impact on your business.
Create a test quote and familiarise yourself with:
- Customer name
- Quote value
- Quote status
- Expected timing
- Description
The Quote Register helps connect future work with future business planning.
Step 10. Create your first Job or Work Item
Navigate to Work in Progress (WIP).
WIP helps you understand how operational activity may influence future cashflow.
Create a test work item and review:
- Job details
- Milestones
- Expected value
- Timing information
As work progresses through milestones, BCB can more accurately reflect future operational activity and expected cash movement.
Step 11. Explore the rest of the platform
At this point you've experienced the core workflow of BCB.
Spend some time exploring:
- Cashflow
- Projected Transactions
- Scenario Modelling
- Quote Register
- Work in Progress
- Integration Centre
- BCB Pulse (where available on your subscription)
These areas work together to provide a forward-looking view of your business.
Need More Help?
If you become stuck at any stage:
1. Search the Knowledge Base.
2. Watch the available video guides.
3. Submit a Support Request through the BCB Support Centre.
When contacting support, include:
1. The page you were on
2. What you were trying to do
3. Any error messages
4. Screenshots (where possible)
This helps our team investigate and resolve issues more quickly.