FREE TEMPLATE
Basic ROI Calculator
Calculate in minutes whether your actions actually generate a return or just consume resources.
Difficulty level · 1 (Easy)
- ⏱️ Calculate your ROI in minutes
- 🧭 Reading traffic light (🟢/🟠/🔴) with recommendations
- 📌 Decide the next step clearly
What is this basic ROI calculator used for?
The Basic ROI Calculator (SME version) It helps you quickly estimate whether a stock is worth the investment. You enter costs e income/savings and you get the ROI (%) with a automatic interpretation and next-step advice. It's designed for management, marketing, operations, and any team that needs a clear signal without advanced accounting.
- ✅ Simple and practical: you get your ROI in 3 fields
- ✅ Mode income o saving (or both)
- ✅ Traffic light with actionable recommendations
- ✅ Compatible with Google Sheets and Excel
How does it work?
1) Enter the data
Duck Cost (€) and the Return (€) (income and/or savings).
2) Get ROI automatically
We calculate ROI = (Return − Cost) / Cost and we show it in %.
3) Interpret and act
Read the traffic light and the recommendations to decide whether to move forward, optimize, or discard.
Download the template
A simple calculator to estimate your stock returns. Includes clear instructions, usage examples, and an automatic color-coded system. No financial knowledge required.
What does the tool include?
01_Instructions
Clear steps and practical examples for filling in the fields.
02_ROI Calculator
Enter costs, revenues, or savings and get the ROI
03_Interpretation
Visual traffic light and guidance text on what to do next.
04_Results/decision
ROI %, estimated profitability and stock recommendation.
Real-world use cases
Marketing
Evaluate whether a campaign, website redesign, or content recovers its cost and provides margin.
Operations
Check the return from automation (time saved, licenses, processes).
Address
Filter initiatives and prioritize those that contribute more value per euro invested.
Frequently asked questions about the basic ROI calculator
The basic calculator is designed to quickly and generally estimate ROI by simply entering the data. costs and returns (income or savings).
The advanced version allows for a more in-depth analysis: probability of success, gross margin, time horizon, payback and sensitivity scenarios.
You only need to estimate three pieces of information: the total cost of the action, he expected return (income or savings) and, optionally, a margin percentage if you want a more realistic calculation.
No financial knowledge required: the formulas are built in and the result is displayed automatically.
ROI is shown as a percentage and with a traffic light system:
🟢 High profitability → recommended to move forward
🟠 Average profitability → review or optimize
🔴 Low profitability → postpone or rethink
In addition, the sheet includes guidance messages to help you decide on the next step.
Yes. It's designed to work in both environments without loss of formatting or formulas.
You can open it directly in Google Sheets, duplicate it for your projects, or use the downloadable Excel version if you prefer to work offline.
The result is not an end, but a starting point. If you achieve a high and positive ROI, you can prioritize that action and climb it.
If ROI is low or uncertain, the tool helps you to identify which variable to adjust (cost, margin, or expected return). From there you can move on to a improvement plan for the Advanced Calculator, where you can analyze scenarios and make more accurate decisions.
Download the template
Complete template with glossary, interpretive messages and "Portfolio 90d" sheet and instructions for easy use without the need for advanced technical knowledge.
Our way of understanding consulting
In Direction & Results we believe that a effective ROI calculator It shouldn't complicate things, but rather offer a clear view of whether an action truly generates a return. That's why we designed our Basic ROI Calculator for SMEs, A practical and easy-to-understand tool that transforms numbers into decisions. Its goal is to allow any manager to assess, in just a few minutes, whether an initiative is worth the investment or should be optimized before moving forward.
Our approach is based on the idea that measure return on investment (ROI) It is essential for intelligent resource management. This logic is aligned with the recommendations of the European Commission on the digitalization and productivity of SMEs and with the good practices of financial analysis proposed by the World Bank, which promote impact and efficiency assessment before scaling up any project.
The tool automatically calculates the ROI (%), shows a traffic light type reading (🟢/🟠/🔴) and suggests immediate actions, helping to decide based on data, not intuition. Its simple structure allows for the analysis of income, savings, or margins without financial knowledge, offering visual and comparable results between projects.
This spirit of applied simplicity defines our entire methodology: helping companies measure, prioritize, and act with sound judgment. From marketing to digital transformation, we work to ensure that every decision is guided by real indicators and a measurable return. Because at Rumbo & Resultados, we know that Understanding ROI is not just about doing the math: it's about leading with focus and moving forward with a firm course towards sustainable results.
