Profit & Loss Workshop
Understand what your numbers are really telling you.
Your Profit & Loss statement is one of the most useful tools you have for understanding how your business is performing — but only if you know how to read it and what to look for.
This practical workshop is designed to help business owners build confidence with their numbers and use financial information to make better business decisions.
You do not need a finance background.
The workshop is straightforward, practical and focused on helping you understand what the numbers mean for your business and the decisions you make.
Who is the workshop for?
The Profit & Loss Workshop may be a good fit if:
you receive financial reports but are not always sure what they are telling you
you rely heavily on your accountant or bookkeeper to interpret the numbers
you want to understand where the business is making or losing money
you want greater confidence when reviewing business performance
you are unsure whether your margins are strong enough
costs are increasing and you want to understand the impact
you want to make better-informed pricing, cost and operational decisions
You do not need to be comfortable with numbers before you attend.
The workshop is designed to make them easier to understand.
What will we cover?
During the workshop, we work through the key parts of a Profit & Loss statement and what they mean for your business.
You will learn how to understand:
revenue and sales performance
cost of sales
gross profit
gross margin
operating expenses
net profit
fixed and variable costs
how pricing affects profitability
how changes in costs affect the bottom line
where to look when performance changes
what your Profit & Loss statement can tell you about how the business is operating
We also look at how the different numbers connect, so you can move beyond simply reading the report and start using it to ask better questions.
What will you come away with?
By the end of the workshop, you will have:
a clearer understanding of how a Profit & Loss statement works
greater confidence reading your own financial reports
a better understanding of margins and profitability
greater awareness of the impact of pricing and costs
a clearer idea of which numbers matter most in your business
practical questions you can ask when reviewing performance
a stronger foundation for making better business decisions
The aim is to give you enough understanding to use your financial information confidently as a business owner.
Practical and interactive
This is not a lecture on accounting theory.
The workshop uses practical explanations, examples and discussion to help you understand how the numbers relate to real business decisions.
You will have the opportunity to ask questions and work through the concepts in a way that makes sense for an owner-led business.
Where appropriate, you can also relate the learning back to your own business.
Workshop format
Duration: 3.5 hours
Format: Small-group workshop
The group format gives business owners the opportunity to ask questions, hear how others are thinking about similar issues and learn from the discussion in the room.
No specialist financial knowledge is required.
Why does this matter?
A Profit & Loss statement is more than a report for your accountant.
It can help you understand:
whether sales are translating into profit
whether margins are improving or deteriorating
where costs may be getting out of control
whether pricing needs attention
how operational decisions are affecting financial performance
where you may need to investigate further
The better you understand your numbers, the better questions you can ask — and the better decisions you can make.
Want help applying this to your own business?
The workshop is designed to build your understanding and capability.
If you want help applying the learning to your own business, working through pricing or margin issues, improving performance, or addressing a wider business challenge, THRIVE Business Advisory can provide tailored one-to-one support.
Interested in attending a Profit & Loss Workshop?
Get in touch to find out about upcoming workshop dates or to discuss running a workshop for your business group or organisation.
Management Capability Development Fund
This workshop is registered with the Management Capability Development Fund. Find out more by visiting www.regionalbusinesspartners.co.nz