Monday, October 29, 2012

How Much Should my Owners Draw Be?

An excellent question asked by all new business owners.  The answer lies in understanding overhead.  Overhead is defined as all administrative, marketing, vehicle, office space, utilities - the basics that it takes to run a business.  This category should never contain a cost of goods sold, for instance something directly related to creating sales such as inventory or payroll.

To determine an appropriate draw, look at a span of time 6 months or more on the Profit and Loss - the longer the period the increased accuracy.  This is because insurance premiums and property taxes are paid just once or twice a year.  Determine the monthly average for Overhead.  Now take a look at average sales and factor in what you really expect to happen.  Cost of Goods Sold can be shown as a percentage of Sales so once you remove that and Expenses/Overhead you can realize net profit.

Sales - Cost of Goods Sold (Direct Costs) - Overhead = Profit.

Often 10-20% is retained for capital investments but it depends on the status of your business and your goals.  Congratulations you've now deducted an appropriate Draw.

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