I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Max Lucado and rate it among my top tier of books I've read. The book helps the reader explore their past to determine their sweet spot so that they can make informed choices about doing what they are good at and what they enjoy. I've read books like this, [...]
This article talks about how to separate investment costs from your operating costs in the profit and loss statement so that you have good numbers from which to make meaningful analysis. P&L Cost Buckets In my P&L, I like to group operating costs into the following buckets: COGS, marketing, and operations. There are many expense line [...]
To sell to Walmart can be boiled down to the following: Cash and Inventory Retail takes cash. You will have to invest in product inventory that won't realize cash very soon. Expect to pay upfront shelf fees to get your product on shelf. It could be a combination of cash, free product to stock stores [...]
This post demonstrates how to use margins and benchmarks in financial statements for a CPG or consumer product business. Margins Defined By margins, I mean an expense line item that is relative to net profit, expressed in percentage. Figure 1 is a basic example with the key margins to which we will pay attention. Figure [...]
I rate this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars. I did not really learn anything, but just obtained a different perspective on his take on what is required to succeed in building a business. He said a few interesting and though-provoking things, which allows me to cautiously recommend. I did not like the writing [...]
This post is a basic guide to get your product and company ready for retail CPG. Finance Retail takes cash. You will have to invest in product inventory that won't realize cash very soon. Expect to pay upfront shelf fees to get your product on shelf. It could be a combination of cash, free product [...]
This is a nuts and bolts post on operations for a DR TV/Radio/Print business for a consumer product. It includes the pieces you need to setup and manage in order to run such a business, whether it is part of a business or is the business. Think of these components as your team on the [...]
