I love time-saving apps and tools. 
I am in full support of efficient systems. 
But...

If what you are doing now isn’t creating a profitable outcome…
Doing it more efficiently is only going to get you the same outcome faster.

YES, Implementing tools + systems are a BIG part of how I help business owners achieve their profit goals.
But it’s the FINANCIAL STRATEGY that matters the most. 

Without a clear set of goals + a strategy for reaching them
tools can ONLY help you be more efficient, not more profitable. 

In this video I’m sharing:

• The 2 things you MUST do before shopping for tools, apps or software

• My ‘Before You Buy’ Checklist

If you’re thinking about making a software purchase be sure to watch. 
If you recently made a purchase and are having buyer's remorse, there is value in this information for you too! 

Looking for low-cost helpful tools to build your profitable food business?

Checkout our Financial Success Toolkit and be sure to visit the Tools + Resources page for more of our favorites!

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About the Author: Sarah Delevan is a Food Business Financial Coach and Consultant with over 7 years of working in the food industry. 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. To learn more about Sarah and opportunities to grow a more profitable food business Click Here.

I know… You want your prices to be competitive. 

You may be thinking...
They are a successful business at the top of their game, so if I model what they are doing I’ll be heading in the right direction. Right? 
Wrong. 

NOTHING is as rosy and perfect as it looks on the outside.  
Take it from me - there are lots of  “successful” businesses with awesome products, killer sales numbers, and not a penny of profit to show for it. 

Pricing your products based on what the “top” brands in your market are doing puts you on the fast track to financial struggle. 

To achieve long-term, sustainable financial success you need to price your products right for YOUR business. 

Here’s a little story for you…
New clients of mine recently pivoted their business model to offer weekly meal delivery service. 
The changes to their business model were quick - they needed to create menus, price them, build a new webpage and start promoting FAST. 

To set prices they looked at other businesses making the same pivot and mimicked the pricing of the company that everyone respects and admires in their industry….

“We saw their pricing and figured they know what they are doing (they are super successful) let’s match their pricing and we should be good.”

Well, two weeks later that successful company was raising their prices!  
The message that sends is that they DIDN’T have it all figured out. 
They were likely losing money at the low price point they set and needed to make adjustments. 

Now my clients were seeking help to set prices that were right for their business, and stop chasing what others were doing. 
Smart Move! 

The time and money lost over the first few weeks can’t be recovered, but corrections can be made. 

Pricing your products based on the competition, your gut, or an industry-standard is one of the biggest mistakes I see food business owners make. And it costs you a lot of time and money. 

But, don’t feel bad if this is a mistake that you’ve made or are making. 
It’s an easy fix and I’m here to help you get it right. 

Building a financially sustainable and profitable business starts with knowing YOUR Financial Success Formula.  

If you’re eager to learn more…

Visit our products page here

AND OF COURSE, THE PROFITABLE FOOD BUSINESS COMMUNITY IS ALWAYS OPEN! 

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About the Author: Sarah Delevan is a Food Business Financial Coach and Consultant with over 7 years of working in the food industry. 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 and is the host of the Good Food CFO Podcast. To learn more about Sarah and opportunities to grow a more profitable food business Click Here.

No two food businesses are alike… BUT the financial struggles you experience and the solutions to those struggles are very much the same. 

There is no doubt about it - you WORK HARD. 

But if it feels like no matter how hard you work, 
no matter how consistent your sales are, 
or how much your sales grow...

...You aren’t achieving the financial results you desire
...You’re anxious about the day to day availability of money to pay your vendors, your team or yourself
...Or you simply don’t know what the right next step is for your business

You are NOT ALONE.  

And you don’t have to figure it all out on your own.

Together, our conversations will help you identify SOLUTIONS to your struggles and implement STRATEGIES so you can start to see FINANCIAL IMPROVEMENT.

I invite you to:

• Join other food + beverage business owners in THE PROFITABLE FOOD BUSINESS COMMUNITY and meet me on Instagram

  
  Listen in on educational talks + conversations with food business owners in The Conversation Series, where we talk about all things related to food business financials and building a profitable business.

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About the Author: Sarah Delevan is a Food Business Financial Coach and Consultant with over 7 years of working in the food industry. 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. To learn more about Sarah and opportunities to grow a more profitable food business Click Here.

For the past 6 years I’ve been encouraging food biz owners with advice that I believe is both TIMELESS and TIMELY…

"SLOW DOWN" 

Look at what is happening in your business RIGHT NOW
Spend time with the numbers, identify any inconsistency in your business, and implement key changes so you can be PROFITABLE.

While this advice does come from years of working with amazing business owners + clients to help them become profitable, it also comes from personal experience. 

When I owned a food business, we thought that successful growth would come by repeating what we’d done at the beginning that brought us financial success. 

Makes sense, right?
Surely if we kept repeating that model over and over again, we’d incrementally have more profit. 

As we grew and added more locations for our business more revenue did come in... but our costs were outpacing it. 

We believed what so many other food business owners believe:
If we’re struggling with cash flow, and profits aren’t there...
We’ve got to do more, sell more, and work harder! 
We don’t have the time to look at our finances - we know what they’ll tell us!

Turns out, we didn’t know what our finances would tell us at all.
If my business partner and I took some time to look closely at our financials, we could’ve created a better STRATEGY that would’ve produced better OUTCOMES.

Instead, we continued to subscribe to the “SELL MORE” mentality. 
We were focused on the wrong goals, and in the end, closed the business. 

I didn’t know it at the time, but it would become my mission to help other food business owners avoid this outcome.

NOW is the time to dispel the belief that profitability comes by doing more and selling more.

Slowing down is not a luxury. It’s a hard thing to do, but it is vital. 
Digging deeper into the numbers may be scary, but I promise you... the more time you spend with them, the easier it’s going to get and the more empowered you are going to feel in your food business. 

This week, I encourage you to slow down for 10-15 minutes to spend some time
with your monthly Profit + Loss Statement. 

What does it tell you about your business - anything? 
Is the report helpful?  Is it confusing? 
Are your financial results consistent or inconsistent month to month? 
What else do you see?

If you’re a business owner who is not yet tracking your financials in accounting software I urge to find a way to start doing so.
The reports provide valuable information, but not only that, there are efficiencies to be gained and systems that can be implemented by utilizing your software as a tool.

Learn more about the importance of recording your financial data - and I’m not just talking about recording sales - in the Profitability Roadmap.

Click here for the free download.