I am compiling a checklist for aspiring beverage company distributors. Included in the checklist is everything you will need, in the form of resources, to start your own soft drink, new age, beer, or energy drink beverage distributorship:
1. Warehouse/Storage 51. Cell Phone
2. Van/Delivery Truck 52. Voice Mail
3. Uniforms 53. Route Book
4. Two Wheeler 54. Distribution Channels
5. First Aid Kit 55. Company Policy
6. Route Accounting 56. Employee Policy
7. Point of Sale 57. Fuel Supplier
8. Route Sheets 58. Electricity
9. Tape Gun 59. Gas/Water
10. Build To Lists 60. Blade Cutter
11. Pricing/Label Gun 61. Tape Strips
12. Products 62. Cleaning Supplies
13. Shelf Strips 63. Breakeven Analysis
14. Customers 64. Receiving
15. Insurance 65. Legal Ownership
16. Cash Flow 66. Organizational Chart
17. Glide Racks 67. Filing Cabinet
18. Imagination 68. Stapler
19. Patience 69. Security
20. Health 70. Inventory Controls
21. Banker 71. CMA Programs
22. Calculator 72. Discounting
23. Invoices 73. Rebate/Return Policy
24. Fork Lift 74. Promotions
25. Static Stickers 75. Damaged Product Procedure
26. Pallet Jack 76. Forecasting
27. Computer 77. Ledger
28. Suppliers 78. Petty Cash
29. Street Sheets 79. Budget
30. Presentations 80. Long Term Plan
31. Wallet Chain 81. Margins
32. Honesty 82. Laid Ins
33. Internet 83. FOB’s
34. Pen/Pencil 84. Order Staging
35. Notepad 85. UPC’s
36. Printer 86. COD or Credit Terms
37. Humor 87. Rotation
38. Mission Statement 88. OSHA Guidelines
39. Goals 89. CDL
40. Business Plan 90. Balance Sheet
41. Excel Spreadsheet 91. Franchise/Contract
42. Fire Extinguisher 92. Brand Programming
43. EDI Capabilities 93. Merchandising skills and Tools
44. Word 94. Dependability
45. Power Point 95. Versatility
46. Space Management 96. Laptop Computer
47. Enthusiasm 97. Briefcase
48. Comfortable Shoes 98. Business Cards
49. Samples 99. Back Brace
50. Dealer Loaders 100. TIME
Please let me know what I've left out!
Monday, March 10, 2008
100 Resources Needed to Start Your Own Soft Drink Beverage Company
Monday, March 03, 2008
Calculating Gross Profit per Case
An excellent, straightforward reference for checking the health of your beverage business is calculating your gross profit per case. Many route accounting systems have report functions that will give you an estimate of this figure, but route accounting systems don't take into consideration all of the outside influences; such as samples, free cases, breakage, discounts, promotions, or theft. I use a simple spreadsheet program that will give you the exact figure once you have entered the neccessary sales information. At the end of the month, I enter my individual case sales, gross dollars by individual case, any promotional dollars and then, in a flash, I get my figure. It stands at $4.65 a case at present, which is up substantially from three years ago, when it was a stagnant $3.87. In fact, my margins have also increased a nice 3 percentage points to 26.4%.
Analyzing your gross profit per case will undeniably impact your margins and profits in a positive manner. This simple report will also give you needed guidance in reducing unneccessary discounts, rationalization or elimination of unprofitable SKU's, monthly forecasting and ordering, and a wealth of data about your portfolio.
This program is built using simple excel formulas that you can develop very easily. If you want an example of mine, you can download it here.
