Should I grow first, THEN focus on Financial Sustainability and Profitability?
Should I grow first, THEN focus on Financial Sustainability and Profitability?
The simple answer is NO.
You’ve got to build a financially sustainable business from the INSIDE, and once that’s done growing sales WILL produce more profits -- but if you haven’t yet done that work, MORE SALES can equal BIGGER Losses.
I saw this happen in my own food business, and it’s often the catalyst for people reaching out to me for Consulting + Coaching Services.
The most extreme example I’ve seen first hand was a business that did a Facebook Promotion and her online sales soared to over $50,000 in a single month. That same month she experienced over $30,000 in LOSSES because her business was not structured to support those sales and she hadn’t done the work to understand what shipping offer and discount level would work for her business.
I see less extreme versions of this all of the time, where businesses are slowly and steadily growing revenue, but their profits are stagnant, or declining — I share a few examples in the Profit Assessment Online Course.
I want business owners to stop believing that losing money is “how it is” when you’re a young business and that more sales will solve the problem.
Taking the steps to understand your financials, set the right goals for your business, and implementing Profit First strategies, if it’s a good fit for your business, will help you become financially efficient and ensure that as your sales grow your profits do too.
Discover how to become a Financially Sustainable and Profitable Good Food Business!
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About the Author: Sarah Delevan is a Profit First Certified Food Business Financial Consultant and Coach with over 8 years of food industry experience. She received her MBA from Rollins College, and In 2017 she founded Sarah Delevan Consulting based in Los Angeles, CA and serving clients across the United States. She is the creator of the Financial Success Formula and the founder of the Profitable Food Business program as well as the host of The Good Food CFO Podcast. To learn more about Sarah and opportunities to grow a more profitable food business Click Here.