Starting in October, MultiFunding will host a three-course class, “ARA Masterclass: Determining How Big You Want Your Business To Become.”
The course, available exclusively to American Rental Association (ARA) members, starts with looking at and tracking profit and loss (P&L) statements differently. Typically, the top of P&L statements includes variable expenses. These expenses include the cost of goods sold, commissions, etc. These are expenses tied to the products and services delivered and sold to customers. Therefore, they will go up and down based on sales.
The bottom of P&L statements includes “other expenses.” These include items like rent, marketing expenses, payroll, insurance, travel, etc. So, if you think about the costs at the bottom of the statement, they could be broken down into two different categories: the money available to spend and the money chosen to try new things to grow and expand businesses.
The money that has to be spent includes rent, insurance, utilities, salaries, etc.; these are basic expenses to keep the lights on and the business running on time. The money that does not need to be spent, which I believe should now be tagged as “investment expenses,” are new items for testing or trying to use to grow and expand the business. These are investments to get bigger, better or different in the future.
What have you been investing in? These investments might include new salespeople, new products, or different marketing campaigns or channels. You may have even decided to open a new store or location. Whatever your investments might be, they should be tracked and monitored to understand them.
If you invested $100,000 in the stock market, you could log onto your account at any time of day or night and see how your investments are doing. When it comes to investments we make in businesses, the information might not be as precise, but we still should have a similar understanding. How are we doing, and what have we learned? Where should we double down, and what programs should we kill? Are we investing fast enough?
If you think you don’t have the time to focus on these questions, you’re probably working too much “in” your business. Instead, think about hiring others to work in your company because you are the only one who can focus on working “on” your business and pushing it to that next level.
The “ARA Masterclass: Determining How Big You Want Your Business To Become” can help. The first class is Oct. 6 at 1 p.m. Eastern time, followed by the second class on Oct. 20 and the third class on Nov. 3. Here are a few things attendees can expect to gain from the classes:
Determining what investments are required to meet your goal.
Knowing whether you are making those investments fast enough.
Finding out if you have the right capital structure to support your plans.
Learning new ways to classify P&L expenses.
The best methods to track your investments.
For more details and to register, visit kf1brdxe.pages.infusionsoft.net.
Ami Kassar is the founder and CEO of MultiFunding, a Philadelphia-based consulting firm that specializes in helping business owners across the U.S. develop creative, cost-saving alternatives for their business debt needs and structure. He can be reached by e-mail at ami@multifunding.com or online at multifunding.com.