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With over 25 years of frontline experience Tom Shay is America's leading small business management expert. He's a "Must Have" for your next event.

What it takes to make a profit calculator from Profits Plus

Small businesses often have a challenge of getting staff to understand the challenges of profitably operating a business. Too often the staff thinks that you simply double the cost of everything you buy, have some minimal expenses and then put the rest in your pocket. If only it were that easy.

This calculator is provided to help you illustrate to your staff just what it takes to operate a business. Without sharing specific numbers, this calculator asks you to input several numbers from the operating expense part of your income statement and the maintained margin which also comes from your income statement.

After inputting that information, pick an example item from your business and input the selling price. The calculator will then show how much of the sale of that item goes to each of the categories of expense and how much is profit. This calculator provides a great illustration, using your business, to show that it is quite a challenge to profitably operate a small business.


What it takes to make a profit calculator from Profits Plus
Our maintained gross margin is:
As a percentage of sales, our occupancy costs are:
As a percentage of sales, our staffing costs are:
As a percentage of sales, our advertising costs are:
As a percentage of sales, other operating expenses are:
As a percentage of sales, our total operating expenses are:
As a percentage of sales, our taxes are:
When an item sells for this amount, here is where the money goes:
Pay for the item:
Occupancy costs:
Staffing costs:
Advertising costs:
Other operating expenses are:
Our taxes are:
Our net profit is:

   

PROFITS PLUS, FOUNDER OF...

 

©1998-2026 Profits Plus Solutions, Inc.
Tom Shay
PO Box 128
Dardanelle, AR 72834

(727)823-7205

APRIL 2026
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Small Business

AdvisoriES


The April Small Business Advisory quotes research performed by a faculty member at Purdue. The question was asked of 20,000 people, "What do you want in an experience with a business?".

 

The advisory shares the top five answers, for which the majority require the skills that only a human can have. It is not artificual intelligence or software that deals with customer service management.

Small Business

NewS

Top Story

It has been many years since we received an email from Ron of Arrow Floor Covering. Yet we still read it time and again as there are words of wisdom in his message.

 

Would the next generation want to work in your small business?

Article of the Month

Owning a small business has a lot of similarities to owning a small business. Not so much because of the hours you spent with the business, but because of the commitment you are making to yourself, your employees and your customers.

 

The April Article of the Month is titled, "With this ring, I thee wed".


Book of the Month

Everything in the April edition of Small Business News has a tie to the connection of you and your employees to your business. The same is true with this month's book suggestion which is, "Hit Refresh" by Satya Nadella, chairman and CEO of Microsoft.

All this plus the Internet Tool for Your Business and a staff incentive idea for your business.

BOOK US

With over 25 years of frontline experience Tom Shay is America's leading Small Business Management Expert. He's a "Must Have" for your next event.

Small Business

Advisories

The April Small Business Advisory quotes research performed by a faculty member at Purdue. The question was asked of 20,000 people, "What do you want in an experience with a business?".

 

The advisory shares the top five answers, for which the majority require the skills that only a human can have. It is not artificual intelligence or software that deals with customer service management.

Small Business

News

 

Top Story

It has been many years since we received an email from Ron of Arrow Floor Covering. Yet we still read it time and again as there are words of wisdom in his message.

 

Would the next generation want to work in your small business?


Article of the Month

Owning a small business has a lot of similarities to owning a small business. Not so much because of the hours you spent with the business, but because of the commitment you are making to yourself, your employees and your customers.

 

The April Article of the Month is titled, "With this ring, I thee wed".


Book of the Month

Everything in the April edition of Small Business News has a tie to the connection of you and your employees to your business. The same is true with this month's book suggestion which is, "Hit Refresh" by Satya Nadella, chairman and CEO of Microsoft.

 

All this plus the Internet Tool for Your Business and a staff incentive idea for your business.