Sample work · Business analysis & reporting
Which sales are
worth growing?
A shop sells $136,000 in a month. Before spending more to grow, it’s worth seeing what’s left after the costs.
The business question
Where would you
put the next dollar?
Start with a month of sales across three categories. Subtract product, fulfilment and allocated marketing costs, then compare what’s left to cover overhead and profit.
Monthly category review
Follow the money.
| Category | Sales | Product cost | Fulfilment | Marketing | Contribution | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $48,000 | $21,600 | $4,800 | $7,200 | $14,400 | 30.0% |
| Seasonal | $62,000 | $34,100 | $8,060 | $16,740 | $3,100 | 5.0% |
| Accessories | $26,000 | $9,100 | $2,600 | $3,900 | $10,400 | 40.0% |
The next step
What to
check next.
Take a closer look at Seasonal.
Before adding to the budget, check discounts, returns, the cost of winning a customer and whether they buy again. Any of those could change the recommendation.
Find out how far Accessories can grow.
A 40% margin makes Accessories worth a look. Check demand and what it would cost to bring in the next sale. The margin may change as spending grows.
Assumptions and limits
These made-up figures cover one month. Sales are assumed to be after discounts and refunds, excluding sales tax. Marketing costs are assigned to categories for this example. That split does not tell us which sales the marketing caused.
Contribution is the amount left after the variable costs shown here. It still has to cover salaries, rent, financing, income tax and other fixed costs. In a real project, we would check the cost definitions and source figures, then compare several periods before drawing conclusions.
A note to Kirtan
Tell me what’s been
eating your time.
Tell me about the report you dread or the question you keep coming back to. A few lines is plenty. We’ll work out whether there’s a useful project in it.
Who you’ll work with
Kirtan Shah
Founder & CEO
16+ yearsacross finance, operations,
data & AI
Kirtan has built a consulting practice, led enterprise projects and taken AI products from early ideas into everyday use. His background includes Deloitte, HSBC, GoAir and work for Zurich Insurance.
He leads each project, explains the choices in plain English and stays involved through delivery. When you have a question, you can go straight to him.
Happy to arrange a private reference, with their permission.