How to Avoid the Biggest Mistakes in Business

Mistake No. 1 – Not Knowing Your True Break-Even Point

In my 30 years in the world of owner-managed businesses I see one huge mistake time and time again. This is:

Not Knowing Your True Break-Point

Your true break-even point:

• Must cover all your outgoings including your Income Tax, GST, ACC & drawings
• If you buy & sell goods or incur costs which vary with sales e.g. contract labour, your true break-even point must be measured in terms of your $ gross profit, not your sales.
• Must be re-assessed regularly
• Should also allow for items which don’t feature in your Profit and Loss account e.g. the principal element of loan repayments.

This is a typical example of using an out-of-date or incorrect break-even point. Last year I was referred by a local business bank manager to a client (with a low gross profit margin) who was getting into difficulty and whose business borrowings kept increasing.

When I met the client he said if his sales were $60,000 pm he was OK and could cover all his outgoings. This was in February, so I enquired if the sales for the year to 31 March were going to reach $720,000. He said “oh yes, about $850,000”.

So of course, that didn’t stack up, as he was complaining about his overdraft which kept increasing. The problem? Because of price competition he was discounting which meant his margins were slipping which meant the historical gross profit margin his accountant had used to calculate his break-even point was way out of date!

Come on now, it’s not rocket-science, it’s common sense business, so if you need a hand to work out your true break-even point contact Nick on 0800 ASK NICK or email Nick.