Finance in Plain Language

Cost per labour hour in cleaning: where the margin goes

Thirty-four sites, no downtime, one and a half million in revenue — and no profit? In cleaning the price is fixed once at signing while the cost keeps growing every month. We break down direct versus fully loaded labour hours, how a site quietly grew by 56 hours with no price change, and why staff turnover costs more than the warehouse rent.

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Chair-hour cost: where a dental practice loses profit

Three chairs, booked two weeks ahead, revenue growing — and no profit? A clinic counts margin on materials and never sees the cost of a chair hour. We break down why the first visit runs at a loss, why 63% of a treatment plan's profit sits in the final visit, and what no-shows and unclaimed crowns really cost.

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Printing cost: how to calculate press hour and makeready

A hundred and eighty orders, the press running two shifts, a 58% margin — and still no money for a second machine? A print shop counts margin as price minus paper, but the main cost in printing is press time. We break down the cost of a press hour, why makeready is identical for a thousand copies and a hundred thousand, and why two orders for the same flyers differ twenty-eightfold in result.

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Fitness club: why the money in your account is a debt, not a profit

Two million in the account in January, a payroll loan in May? A prepaid membership is not profit but a liability: the client paid for twelve months and you have delivered one. We break down what a single visit really costs, why the club earns on the people who never show up, and what happens if everyone comes as planned.

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Land surveying: the result of a case and 135 days of waiting

A hundred and seventy cases in progress — and sixty thousand in the account? A case in progress is not an asset but a liability: the site visit is paid, the state fees are in, and the second half arrives four and a half months later. We break down the real result of a case, why a 50% advance does not even cover cost, and how half a million sits permanently in somebody else's office.

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Greenhouse growing: cost per kilo, not kilos per square metre

The best yield in the district — and in July you sold the car to pay the gas bill? Gas eats 39% of revenue and does not depend on the harvest: the boiler heats a volume, not the fruit set. We break down what really remains from a square metre, why a quarter drop in yield flips the cycle into a loss, and why a ten-day delay costs more than a whole year of substrate.

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Water-well drilling: profit per well, not per metre

A hundred and ninety wells in a season, and no money in November? Half of a drilling company's costs do not depend on depth at all: the rig move, the crew call-out, the rig-up and the drive are the same for 25 metres and for 80. We break down why a shallow well runs at a loss, what really remains from a typical job, and how to count a rig-day.

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CCTV installation: the site is delivered, but the contract brings the money

Twenty-eight sites delivered in a year, and in February nothing to pay the engineers with? CCTV installation is two businesses with opposite economics. We break down what really remains from a site after the crew, commissioning and the warranty year, and why a service portfolio of forty points is worth more than ten new installations.

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Filling stations: you earn on the shop ticket, not on the litre

Half a million in revenue a day, and still not enough for the next tanker? After every cost, fuel margin is half what it looks like, and you barely influence it. We break down what really remains from a litre, why the shop and the coffee deliver a third of the earnings from six per cent of turnover, and how cash freezes in the tanks.

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