You hear some success stories about new businesses instantly making tons of money, but the reality is often much different. It usually takes years for new companies to discover how to make a profit, and that’s if they’re able to stay open at all. If you’ve recently started a business, you’ve hopefully planned for this delay in income; however, you’re also eager to start bringing in more money. After all, this is one of the reasons why you’ve decided to become an entrepreneur in the first place.
Eunice Lui/ Pexels | Profit is what happens when you do everything else right.
Building a business requires two important things: strategies and profit. A general rule in your financial success in business is that you cannot increase profits directly, only indirectly. You cannot just say that you are going to increase profits of your business without some specific strategy. The only thing you can do to increase your profits ins to improve the underlying variables that directly determine and affect your level of profitability. Here are two important tips to guide you to your own path to profit.
Understand financials
Andrew Neel/ Pexels | Profit isn't a purpose, it's a result
The very first and important step towards profit is to understand what it really means to make a profit. The money you bring into your company is considered revenue and you don’t get to put all of that in the bank. Once you pay for costs including payroll, taxes, supplies and other expenses, what’s left over is your profit margin. This is the real number that will determine if you stay in business, experience explosive growth or have to close your doors.
You also need a basic knowledge of financial terms and the ability to read financial statements. You wouldn’t fly a plane without knowing how to read the gauges, and the same applies to business. You can’t tell if you’re winning or losing if you don’t understand the controls. Being able to read a balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement means you’ll be able to participate fully in conversations about how to make a profit.
Number of transactions
Fauxels/ Pexels | The greatest profit, is to make your own gain
If you want to make a profit, you will need to focus on increasing the number of products you sell. Consistent sales at a low volume should never lead you to complacency. You need to gain more exposure through great marketing to increase your reach so that your sales increase as a result.
It is also a good idea to focus on multiple marketing channels that help to make your business be seen on multiple platforms. While Facebook may be your best marketing platform, you should also look at options such as LinkedIn or Instagram. Dependent on what you sell, you will need to find the best platform or the best combination of platforms and channels to reach as much of your target market as possible. This helps to increase the success of your marketing campaign.
