How to use Planly Biz Books Lite

Your template lives in your own Google Drive, so the first step is making your personal copy.

1. Open the PDF from your Etsy purchase (Etsy → You → Purchases and reviews → Download files).
2. Click the “Make my copy” button. If you're asked, sign in to your Google account.
3. Google shows a “Copy document” screen. Click the blue “Make a copy” button.
4. Your copy opens. Rename it if you like (click the title in the top-left), e.g. “Side Hustle Books 2027”.

STEP 1 and STEP 2 on BOOKKEEPING SETUP set the basics every other tab relies on.

1. Open the BOOKKEEPING SETUP tab.
2. Under STEP 1 – CURRENCY, type your currency symbol (for example $, €, or £).
3. Under STEP 2 – START DATE, enter the date your books begin, usually January 1 or the day you started selling.
4. The monthly profit goal list in STEP 4 starts from this month, so pick it carefully.

STEP 3 – INCOME/EXPENSES CATEGORY decides how your money is grouped on the dashboards. There's room for 50 income and 50 expense categories, and most side hustles need far fewer.

1. In the INCOME column, list each way you earn money, e.g. “Etsy sales”, “Market sales”, “Commissions”.
2. In the EXPENSES column, list what you spend on, e.g. “Supplies”, “Shipping”, “Platform fees”, “Advertising”.
3. Keep names short and clear. They appear in dropdowns and on charts.
4. Add more any time; new categories show up in the TRANSACTIONS dropdown right away.

STEP 4 – MONTHLY PROFIT GOALS lists the months starting from your start date. These goals drive the goal progress on MONTH and ANNUAL.

1. Scroll down to STEP 4 – MONTHLY PROFIT GOALS.
2. Next to each month, enter the profit you're aiming for.
3. Fill at least the next 12 months. The list covers 10 years from your start date, so you can keep adding later.

The TRANSACTION TRACKER is the only place you log money in and out. Every dashboard reads from it.

1. Open TRANSACTIONS and start on the first empty row.
2. Enter the DATE and, if you have one, the INVOICE # (or order number).
3. Choose INCOME OR EXPENSE from the dropdown, then pick the CATEGORY. The list matches the type you chose.
4. Enter the NET AMOUNT (before tax and fees), then any SALES TAXES and OTHER FEES. TOTAL AMOUNT adds them up for you.
5. Add a short DESCRIPTION (e.g. “Craft fair – 6 prints”) and an optional NOTE.

Planly Biz Books Lite · Transactions

MONTHLY DASHBOARD shows one month at a time. You only choose the period. Everything else fills in.

1. Type the YEAR and pick the MONTH from the dropdown at the top left.
2. Read PROFIT / LOSS, NET INCOME and NET EXPENSES at the top, with the INCOME vs EXPENSES chart.
3. PROFIT GOAL PROGRESS shows how close you are to that month's goal and how much is left to achieve your goal, plus your PROFIT MARGIN.
4. The INCOME and EXPENSES tables break each category into gross amount, TAXES & FEES, net amount and PERCENTAGE, with INCOME BREAKDOWN and EXPENSES BREAKDOWN charts.

Planly Biz Books Lite · Monthly dashboard

ANNUAL DASHBOARD covers 12 months from the start month you choose, so it works for a calendar year or a fiscal year.

1. Under START DATE, type the year and pick the start month. It's set to May by default. Change it to January for a calendar year, or to your own fiscal start month.
2. Read PROFIT / LOSS, PROFIT MARGIN, NET INCOME and NET EXPENSES for the whole period.
3. ANNUAL OVERVIEW lists every MONTH with INCOME, EXPENSES, PROFIT, PROFIT GOAL, MARGIN and CUMULATIVE PROFIT.
4. PROFIT GOAL PROGRESS compares the year with your ANNUAL PROFIT GOAL.
5. Scroll down for the ANNUAL CASHFLOW and CUMULATIVE PROFIT charts and the income and expense breakdowns by category.

Planly Biz Books Lite · Annual dashboard

TAXES TRACKER adds up the SALES TAXES and OTHER FEES you logged on TRANSACTIONS, month by month.

1. Under START DATE, type the year and pick the start month (it defaults to May, so change it to match your tax year).
2. At the top, read TOTAL SALES TAX COLLECTED (on income), TOTAL SALES TAX PAID (on expenses) and the DIFFERENCE.
3. SALES TAX TRACKER shows Sales tax collected, Sales tax paid and Difference for each month, with a Total and Average.
4. OTHER FEES shows Fees (income) and Fees (expenses) each month the same way, with distribution charts below.

A short weekly habit keeps month-end painless.

1. Each week, log new sales and expenses on TRANSACTIONS. Your shop's order list and statements make a handy checklist.
2. At month-end, switch MONTH to the month just finished and review profit vs. goal.
3. Check TAXES before any sales tax filing.
4. Add new categories on BOOKKEEPING SETUP as your business grows, and extend your monthly profit goals.