Once you begin trading, you’re faced with a new challenge – successfully managing the course of your brand-new business and making sure it’s a profitable enterprise.
It’s easier to manage your startup’s sales and finances when you have access to the best possible information and data about your performance. Tracking specific metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) allows you to see how you’re performing against your targets – so you can take action to improve performance, sales, growth and profitability.
But which KPIs should you be tracking?
Sales and conversion rates
An obvious metric to track is the number of sales you’re making each month. You’ll have set a target for these sales in your business plan, so it’s important to record each sale and see how the startup is performing over the first six months of the business.
It’s also important to log and track the drivers that lead to these sales. How many sales enquiries are you receiving? How many of these enquiries are being converted into actual sales? How many customers are being engaged by your marketing campaigns, and is this engagement leading to interest in your products and/or services.
The more detail you can track from your sales and marketing activity, the more forensic you can get with which campaigns are actually delivering the goods.
Sales revenue and other revenues
When customers buy your goods, that creates income (or revenue) for the business. Ultimately, no business can succeed unless it’s generating enough revenue to keep the wheels turning in the business. So, tracking your sales revenue is a vital measure of your financial health.Tracking your various revenue streams over time keeps you in control of your finances and helps you make the right decisions. You can track performance against your revenue targets. You can forecast how much working capital you’ll have at a future point in time. And you can see if there’s enough cash in the bank to fund your projects and growth plans.
Cashflow and ongoing cash position
Good cashflow management is all about balancing the process of cash coming INTO the business and cash going OUT if the business. Recording and tracking your cash position is easy to do with the latest cloud accounting software and cashflow apps, so there’s no excuse for not tracking your cash position.
Ideally, you want the business to be in a positive cashflow position (with more cash coming in, than going out). But to achieve this, it’s helpful to see these cash inflows and outflows in real-time. With up-to-date metrics on your cashflow position, you can make informed decisions about spending, payment of bills and where additional cash and funding may be needed.
Debtor days and aged debt
When customers fail to pay your invoice on time, that creates an aged debt – money that you SHOULD have received but which the customer has yet to pay. An aged debtor report shows you which invoices are unpaid, which customers haven’t paid, and the total size of this debt.
Your debtor days number is a metric that shows the average number of days it takes your customers to pay you. Anything above 45 days is bad news, so you want to aim to keep this number between 14 to 30 days, if possible. A large amount of aged debt will leave a hole in your cashflow – and that can quickly start to impact on the day-to-day running of the business.
Gross profit margin
Generating a profit is crucial to the continued success of your startup. Having metrics to measure your profitability is an important part of managing your finances.
One common way to do this is to track your gross profit margin. This metric shows the amount of profit made BEFORE you deduct things like overheads and the cost of goods sold (COGS), shown as a percentage. The formula for calculating your gross profit margin looks like this:
Gross Profit Margin = Gross Revenue minus COGS, divided by Net Revenue, multiplied by 100
- Deduct your COGS value from your gross revenue to find your gross profit.
- Divide this gross profit by your revenue.
- Multiply the resulting number by 100 to get a percentage.
- This is your gross profit margin as a percentage of gross profit
- A percentage of 50% to 70% is healthy, but aim for a big a margin as possible
By keeping a close eye on these financial metrics and KPIs, you have the best possible insight into the performance of your new startup – and that’s invaluable as your startup journey unfolds.
If you’re at the early stages of planning out your business idea, please do get in touch. We’ll help you set up a custom KPI dashboard to manage the future path of your business.
Once you’ve sold your business and have received the funds from the sale, you’re then faced with a big question: what happens next?
After guiding the helm of your company, it will be tough to let go. But if the circumstances are right, there’s no reason why exiting the business should be a sad occasion. You’ve built a stable business and personal legacy. You’ve employed a team of talented people and helped them drive their careers. And you’ve brought your products and/or services to a satisfied and loyal customer base.
So, how will you now focus your time and effort? Let’s look at your options…
Retire and live out the entrepreneur’s dream
After many years of hard work, worries and stress, the thought of a business-free lifestyle may well be appealing. But retirement isn’t for everyone. If you have thrived on the pressure, challenges and excitement of being the captain of your business ship, retiring may seem like a step away from the action.
On the flipside, the allure of a more relaxed lifestyle may be strong. With the proceeds from your sale, you should be in a position to make you, your family and those around you very comfortable. It may be that the entrepreneur’s dream of building a business, selling up and retiring to a hot climate is your idea of perfection.
Stay involved in the business
Even though you don’t own the business anymore, it doesn’t mean you have to step away completely from the company. You could remain involved in the business in some capacity, allowing you to ‘keep your hand in’ and support the future course of the business.
For example, you could become:
- A joint partner in the business – you could sell a part share in the business and work as a joint partner with your new investor. This allows you to free up some capital, while maintaining an element of control and influence.
- An external adviser or consultant – you could advise the new owner and their board as an outside adviser. After all, who knows this business better than you? Becoming a consultant could well be an astute move and keeps you in the loop with the future path of the business – while charging out a consultancy fee as an added benefit.
- A non-executive director (NED) – you could join the board as a NED and use your personal experience to help guide and support the new owner and their board. If that’s the route you choose, it’s a good idea to retain some shares in the business, so you have a vested interest in the company’s performance and your own share value.
- An informal adviser to your family – if you’re handing the business down to the next generation of your family, they will almost certainly want your advice. You’ve been through the ups and downs of setting up the business, so you’re in the best position to give your family the guidance and tips they need to run a smooth operation.
Set up a new business
With so much experience behind you, it could be that you’re itching to start the whole business cycle again. If you’ve got the ideas, the capital and the motivation to start another new business, this can be a new and rewarding challenge to get your teeth into.
First time around, you’ll have been a little green and less aware of the many pitfalls of founding a new business. You’re now better prepared and more knowledgeable about what’s required from a founder and business leader. We learn plenty from our mistakes, so you’re in a great position to return to the business cycle again with a new idea.
As with any new businesses venture:
- Make sure you have a detailed breakdown of your business idea
- Write an in-depth business plan that maps out your journey
- Ensure you have the funding to get this idea off the ground
- Be prepared for a period of hard work and lower income before the company takes off.
Do your bit for charity and your community
We all have interests and causes that are close to our heart, so supporting charities and community projects in these areas is a great way to use your money for long-term good.
Donating money to your chosen charity or social enterprise is also a triple whammy:
- You get to provide funding to causes that are close to your heart
- You can be philanthropic and help people who are in challenging situations
- You get the positive impact of tax breaks for donating to charity.
You also have the option of putting your own time into working with these charitable causes. You can use your expertise and experience to guide them, help with fundraising or provide hands-on support at events, community projects or lobbying the Government for greater support.
The end of the road, or a new chapter?
Once the business is sold and you close your office door for the last time, you take a step into the unknown. But with so many varied and valuable options to choose from, your life post-exit need never be boring or predictable.
The potential is there for an exciting new venture, or the pleasure of relaxing in the sunshine by the pool. It’s up to you to define the next chapter in your life and your business career.
If you’re thinking about exiting your business, please do get in touch. We’ll help you plan your exit strategy, add value pre-sale and choose the best options for your personal future.
Talk to us about your next step.
Ascentant Accountancy are based in Derby (01332 981920, info@ascentant.co.uk) and Ripley, Derbyshire (01773 424009, Ripley@ascentant.co.uk), call us to see how we can assist.
