Over the years I have been asked this question on many occasions. The enquirer is looking for a number but the number depends on many factors. So the answer is to explore a range of principles that apply to these factors. Let’s look at this for both from the “gross profit margin” and the “net profit margin” perspectives. Gross profit margin The first issue to explore is how vertically integrated the business is. From procurement through production/delivery through to sales & marketing. What activities is the business responsible for and how complex are these activities? The growth phase the business [...]

How front of mind is the meaning of gross profit for most business managers. If asked to describe what gross profit is, they would invariably say it is sales revenue minus cost of sales. Of course that is correct, but what does it truly represent? For me, it represents a measure of customer value created by the business in the reporting period. Another way of describing this is that it is a measure of wealth created by the business. As such, it is the most important measure for the business to focus on. Why do businesses exist? In the [...]

Planning is one of the key drivers of success in business. We all know that a proactive management approach is critical for achieving successful outcomes. A key element of your business plan is the financial plan, or forecast. This is used for budgeting purposes. For a budget to be a valuable performance management tool it must be based on the drivers of financial performance. It must be constructed from the ground up. For example, your revenue forecast must include: The volume of sales in each products/services category Where will they be sold (markets) What channels will they be sold [...]

You’re in business. Risks are all around you and many of them are capable of doing major harm to your business. Some could even destroy your business. This is a given. So how do you manage your risk exposures. For SME businesses this is a difficult, and often poorly managed, element of accountability. There is usually some focus on liquidity risk (having enough cash) and this is from necessity. Many SME businesses manage key risk exposures such as product risk or system risk through well developed Quality Assurance procedures. Once again, often through necessity (e.g. I can’t supply Coles [...]