Çetele Blog
The small-shop numbers guide
From unit cost to waste, from margins to the appointment book: answers to the sums you do every day running a shop or a studio. With the formula, a worked example and numbers you can check on a calculator.
Cost and pricing
What a product costs you, what to charge, and what to do when prices rise.
Cost and pricing12 min readHow to calculate unit costDivide the total by the quantity, yes. But in which unit, at which price, and with what included? Unit cost, from ceramic mugs to olive oil.Read
Cost and pricing12 min readRecipe costing, step by step: cakes, dishes and coffeeA recipe gram by gram, a cost line by line: what does a slice of cheesecake, a flat white or a plate of risotto really cost you?Read
Cost and pricing12 min readProfit margin and pricing: how to set a selling priceAdding 50% to cost doesn't leave you a 50% margin. The right formula, a conversion table and workshop, home-maker and café examples for setting a selling price.Read
Cost and pricing13 min readWhen supplier prices rise: how much to raise your pricesAn ingredient going up 18% rarely means your price should go up 18%. Work out the real effect on each product, the new price and the alternatives, with bakery, café, textile and restaurant examples.Read
Cost and pricing13 min readBreak-even point: how many sales (or members) cover your rentIf rent, bills and staff come to ₺93,000 a month, how many coffees do you need to sell? The break-even formula, café, workshop and studio examples, and what changes when the rent goes up.Read
Stock and waste
What's on the shelf, what you're losing, and how long stock will last.
Stock and waste14 min readHow to calculate waste and what it costs youYou can't cut waste until you know what it costs. How to work out your waste rate and its value, with worked examples and four habits that bring it down.Read
Stock and waste13 min readStock tracking for a small business: notebook, spreadsheet or appStock tracking comes down to four movements: in, out, waste and counts. We compare a notebook, a spreadsheet and a phone app, and work out how many days your stock will last and when to reorder.Read
Stock and waste13 min readHow to do a stock count and find the gapHowever carefully you record, the shelf and the records drift apart. When and how to count, and how to read the gap you find.Read
Stock and waste14 min readChoosing a stock and cost app: 10 questions to askTen questions to ask before you settle on a stock and cost app, a table of which kind of software handles which need, and a one-week trial plan.Read
Appointments and memberships
The appointment book, no-shows, class packs and sessions.
Appointments and memberships12 min readHow to keep an appointment book for a salon or barberPaper or phone, a good appointment book records the same things: who, when, what, how long and how much. From the service list to closing the day, step by step.Read
Appointments and memberships13 min readNo-shows: what they cost you and how to cut themFive no-shows a week at a ₺600 average is ₺3,000. How to work out your no-show rate, send reminders at the right time and fill the slots that open up.Read
Appointments and memberships16 min readHow to track members, class packs and sessions for a studio or courseWhat does an 8-class pack cost per class, who has how many classes left, and should instructors get a share or a flat fee? The numbers behind class packs, sessions and payments for studios and courses, with examples.Read
Have a good day at work!
Çetele is an iPhone app that tracks cost, stock and waste for small businesses and makers.