Maps help us navigate the world, and they not only show us how to get from point A to point B, but, depending on the type of map, they can also help us to see where patterns, clusters, and gaps exist in a spatial environment. As part of KCARD’s state-wide Local Food System Expansion Initiative, a series of interactive maps has been developed to visualize the Kentucky local food system. Stay tuned for parts two and three of the series in the next few weeks. We will present a closer look into local food sales in Kentucky and the various industries that make up the local food system.
It is important to understand the cash flow needs of your business and the potential threat of not having enough cash on hand. One of the most common challenges we see in businesses with whom we work is cash management.
Keeping records is VITAL to your business. It helps you measure your growth (or decline), see what is costing you the most, and give you an idea of how much money you have at a given time. A business owner must think about how they can best keep records to ensure the system will be useful. In this blog post, KCARD outlines the three different types of recordkeeping systems.
At KCARD, when we are working through financials for clients, we are often asked “Do I need to file a Schedule F?” or we often ask businesses if they have ever filed a Schedule F.
One question we receive a lot at KCARD is how to begin looking at a business’s financial statements and learning from them so that you can make good decisions going forward. Right now, this topic is especially timely since we know a lot of folks who are calendar-year tax filers are putting together their documents to take to their tax preparer.
Keeping records is VITAL to your business. It helps you measure your growth (or decline), see what is costing you the most, and give you an idea of how much money you have at a given time. A business owner must think about how they can best keep records to ensure the system will be useful. We’ve listed three types of systems you can choose from or blend together.
We have a saying in KCARD when we are looking at financial statements or projections that come into our shop – “Did you find the dead body in them?” This is our little way of referring to the situation where we see a financial statement and instantly know that something is not quite right. A lot of times it is not on purpose. Instead, it is often where someone makes a mistake as they are developing the statement that can lead to the financial reports being inaccurate and the business owner not truly understanding the past or future financial performance and health of their business.
In our blog post a few weeks ago, we took a look at how you develop initial revenue assumptions for a new business. In this post, let’s talk about an existing business and how we help that business develop financial projections. Why bother with developing projections? You know they are going to be wrong, right? Sure. Projections will almost certainly not be exactly correct because so many factors go into what will happen to reach a sales number or expense number.
Have you wondered if your business has too many or too few employees working? You might want to consider calculating your labor-to-sales ratio. This number is a commonly used performance measure by businesses to track their labor costs and its impact on operations. The labor-to-sales ratio shows the total labor costs for each $1 in sales.
To prepare financial projections for a new business, you have to be able to come up with a way to calculate expected revenue. I have had conversations with people who insist that there is no way to come up with such a number and really struggle with this. How do you calculate your expected revenue for the next year to three years?
To continue our financial series this week, we’re discussing balance sheets. Your balance sheet shows what you own (assets) and what you owe (liabilities) on a specific date. This important financial statement says a lot about your business…
The Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development is a non-profit organization established to facilitate agricultural and rural businesses in Kentucky. We are supported primarily through grants provided by the USDA Rural Cooperative Development Program and the Kentucky Agricultural Development Board. Additional support is provided through our work with partners around the state and through fees charged for select client services.
