Calculating the profit margin for your business

Before diving into the details of calculating your profit margin, let's quickly review what it is and why it matters. Profit margin tells you how much money a company makes after deducting all expenses from its total revenue. To put it another way, if a company has a 20% profit margin, that means that for every $100 in sales, they make $20 in profit.

The bigger your profit margin is, the more likely your business will succeed and deal with macroeconomic challenges. Things like inflation, increases in advertising costs and even new competitors. If you have a low profit margin, small increases in supplier costs, wages or other factors can have a massive impact on your business. However, if you have a large profit margin, you can more readily weather the storms that may arise from time to time.

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Profit Margin Formula

Now that we have reviewed what profit margin is and why it's important let's move on to the actual formula itself. The formula is relatively simple and looks like this:

‍Profit margin = (Net Income / Revenue) x 100 ‍

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Here is a breakdown of each section in the formula:  

• Net income refers to the amount of money your business makes after deducting all expenses from total revenue. This includes things like operating costs, taxes, and other overheads.  
• Revenue is the total amount of money a business generates through sales or other activities. It does not include any expenses or deductions; only gross income should be used here.  
• The profit margin is the final result of calculating net income divided by revenue multiplied by 100. This gives you an exact percentage of how much money your business makes after deducting all expenses from its total revenue.    

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There are several ways you can use the profit margin to assist with strategic business decisions. By monitoring your profits over time, you can gain insight into trends in customer spending habits and adjust your pricing accordingly to maximise profits and ensure long-term success for your business. You can also compare your profit margin against industry averages or competitors in your field. This can help you identify areas where you may need to make changes to stay competitive with others in your market.

If your profit margin is low, can you increase your net income by looking at costs you can reduce? Are suppliers providing the same or better-quality products at a lower price? Do you have too many staff? Likewise, on the revenue, can you increase your prices or launch new products that deliver new income streams? Monitoring your profit margin closely forces you to think about these strategies.

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Profit margins can vary significantly from one industry to another. For example, companies in the retail industry typically have very low profit margins, while companies in the pharmaceutical industry often have very high profit margins. In the tech industry, you are typically generating higher margins. Existing market dynamics, such as the maturity of the product landscape, competition and consumer demand, influence margins considerably. Apple, the iPhone maker, has tended to have a profit margin in the 30-40% range which is very strong. Because of their strong brand and quality product range, they can charge more than their competitors. They have also invested well in finding efficient ways to build and distribute their products.

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Profit Margin FAQs

What is profit margin?

Profit margin is a financial metric that measures the percentage of revenue a company retains as profit after accounting for its costs of goods sold and other operating expenses.

How is profit margin calculated?

Profit margin is calculated by dividing a company's net profit (revenue minus expenses) by its total revenue and multiplying the result by 100 to get a percentage.

What is a good profit margin?

The answer to this question depends on the industry, competitive landscape and the company's size and growth stage. For example, a good profit for a SaaS business can range from 20% to 40%; however, it can be 5% to 15% for a retail business.

How can a company increase its profit margin?

A company can increase its profit margin by either increasing its revenue, reducing its costs, or a combination of both. This can be achieved by improving operational efficiency, increasing sales volume or price, reducing waste or overhead, and negotiating better deals with suppliers.

Why is profit margin important?

Profit margin is important because it provides insight into a company's profitability and financial health. A high-profit margin indicates that a company is generating a healthy investment return. In contrast, a low-profit margin may indicate inefficiencies or other issues that must be addressed. Additionally, the profit margin is often used as a benchmark to compare a company's performance to its competitors or the industry.

Knowing your profit margin will be essential for making strategic decisions about your small business. Now that you know how to calculate and use it, it can significantly influence your approach to pricing, suppliers or even staff wages. Understanding your profit margin can help improve the overall financial performance of your business, so it's important to keep track of it. You have the power...now it's your time to use it wisely!