Small business operating decisions
Choose a Product Mix When Machine Time and Finishing Labor Both Bind
Compare feasible production plans across two scarce resources, then price an extra finishing hour by the output it actually enables.
Financial education
Small business operating decisions
Compare operating alternatives with explicit costs, constraints and cash-flow assumptions.
Analysis & practical guides
16 articles
Small business operating decisions
Mark Down Aging Stock by Its Remaining Cash Recovery
Separate a past purchase cost from the decision to sell seasonal stock now, wait for full-price buyers, or accept a salvage offer.
Small business operating decisions
Take a Supplier Settlement Discount Only After Funding the Cash Gap
Price an early-payment discount against borrowing fees and the dated operating buffer it consumes.
Small business operating decisions
Choose Production Batch Size After Pricing Changeovers and Unsold Output
Compare smaller replenishment runs with a consolidated batch using setup cash, useful released capacity, and inventory exposure.
Small business operating decisions
Close for the Quiet Season or Pay to Keep Restart Capacity
Compare winter standby with a temporary shutdown using avoidable weekly costs, restart spending, and contribution lost during reopening.
Small business operating decisions
Finance an Order from Receivables Only After Pricing the Reserve Holdback
Compare an invoice advance with a funded credit-line draw by cash released today, fee duration, and contribution from a specific otherwise lost order.
Small business operating decisions
Keep the Shop Open Longer Only When Incremental Sales Cover the Shift
Test an additional opening window using contribution per sale, avoidable staffing, and sales shifted from existing hours.
Small business operating decisions
Accept a Supplier Minimum Order Only After Pricing the Unsold Stock
Compare a bulk purchasing discount with a smaller replenishment order using sell-through, salvage, storage, and cash commitment.
Small business operating decisions
Repair a Production Machine or Replace It After Counting Downtime
Compare repair with replacement using net acquisition cost, expected lost contribution, and the operating horizon shared by both options.
Small business operating decisions
Set a Shipping Subsidy Threshold from Order Contribution
Test a free-shipping threshold using merchandise contribution, fulfillment costs, genuinely additional orders, and subsidies on existing demand.
Small business operating decisions
Choose a Payment Processing Plan Using the Small-Ticket Transaction Mix
Compare a percentage-plus-fixed-fee plan with a monthly alternative using transaction count, ticket size, and the actual scope of quoted charges.
Small business operating decisions
Outsource Routine Bookkeeping Only After Identifying the Owner Hours It Frees
Compare an external bookkeeping service with owner-performed work using productive hours recovered, oversight, setup, and service boundaries.