Spending less than you make is a no-brainer, but right now, figuring out how to do that is probably one of your biggest problems. To expand on my last post about some of the ways SAF is here for you, we are also here to help you with your cost control. No matter what size your business is, we know how important it is - and difficult - to control costs, and our Cost-of-Goods-Sold (COGS) resources are a must have.

From the major cost centers, such as marketing, to the smaller line items, like shipping, expenses of all kinds can be reined in SAF services. Discounts on FedEx shipping and Paychex payroll management services are just two discounts that we offer to services you are likely already using.

You can't control your costs if you don't even know what you're spending or where the money is going. Our free members-only Retail Pricing Worksheet is one of the most valuable tools we have that will help you get a grip. The Excel spreadsheet calculates your COGS, calculating prices per bunch, per bloom and per stem.

The June Floral Management magazine featured an excellent article on sales forecasting, written by Paul Goodman, CPA "I Can See Clearly Now: Sales Forecasts For All Shops." We all know times are different now than they were five years ago, but the question you need to consistently ask yourself is, what am I doing differently to control my costs that I didn't do five years ago?

Our Business Fitness Kit, a collection of more than 50 articles over the last few years, includes articles on cost-cutting, pricing-strategies and productivity-boosting ideas from successful business owners and floral industry experts.

If you have made significant cuts in your costs please share below in the comments section! We're always looking for new ways to save you money. If we can help you in any way with these invaluable resources, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .