どんぶり勘定で口座がゼロになった話し

▶ Free Business Consultation (For those who want to consult casually first) https://notera.co.jp/contact/ ▶ Apply for the Agri-Business Seminar here https://nouterasu.myshopify.com/ If agriculture is a business... The basic principle of business is to buy low and sell high. That's the basic principle. However, many people currently engaged in agriculture are forced into a situation where they cannot do this "basic" thing. This is because procurement costs continue to rise year after year. Fertilizers, pesticides, fuel, materials. All of them are increasing in price. On the other hand, what about the price of agricultural products? Just because costs have risen doesn't mean that selling prices will immediately rise. The price of vegetables on supermarket shelves fluctuates in consultation with consumers' wallets. No matter how much farmers increase costs, that doesn't directly translate into prices. In other words, it's a pincer movement. Costs are rising. But selling prices don't rise so easily. If this situation is left unchecked, it will gradually put pressure on the business. That's why, more than ever, we need to be strict about costs. It's time to seriously review your expenses again. Let me share my story. I used to work in agriculture. Honestly, back then, I was very haphazard with my finances. I didn't keep track of my income and expenses properly. But the economy wasn't bad at the time, and my produce sold well, so I was making money and managing somehow. Even if I spent freely, my income exceeded my expenses. So I didn't worry about it. Or rather, I didn't need to worry about it, that's the more accurate way to put it. The story of how my haphazard finances led to a bank account being empty after 5 years. The consequences of that complacency caught up with me 5 years after starting my agricultural business. Before I knew it, I had absolutely no money. I looked at my bank account and panicked. "How did this happen?" I thought. It's often said that people only act when they're cornered, and that was exactly me. It was only then that I started studying finance. What are expenses? How much money was going out each month? How much was being spent on what? I checked each item one by one. I realized something after doing this: I was spending far more money than I thought. Moreover, upon closer inspection, there were things mixed in that made me wonder, "Was this really necessary?" Materials that I'd been renewing every year without really understanding how to use, materials I'd added without knowing how to use them, contracts I'd continued out of inertia—all of these piled up, unknowingly eroding my profits. The scary thing about "rough accounting" is that you don't notice it while you're doing it. And there's another psychological aspect: You're curious, but you don't want to look at the numbers. You fall into this state. So, to avoid looking at the numbers, you keep yourself even busier, further worsening your business. Surprisingly, if you have income, it "looks like things are running smoothly." But beneath the surface, profits are thinning. And by the time you realize it, it's almost too late. That's what happened to me. So, what should you do? The first step is simple. Make it a habit to check your income and expenses every month. Some people only open their ledgers when it's time to file their tax returns. That's too late. Even if you look at a year's worth of records at once, the money has already been spent. Even if you notice a problem, you can only address it the following year or later. By checking every month, you can notice anomalies at an early stage. "This month's expenses were higher than expected," "How does this compare to the same period last year?" These kinds of things become clear. The same applies to people trying to lose weight. People who have a habit of stepping on the scale will think, "Oh no!" when they gain a little weight, and reduce their snacking. However, if you're afraid to step on the scale, you'll think, "Oh no... it's over..." It's too late to try now... It becomes irreversible. So, let's organize what you should specifically look at. First, separate and understand your fixed expenses and variable expenses. Fixed costs are expenses incurred every month regardless of sales. Examples include machinery lease fees, insurance premiums, and land rent. Variable costs, on the other hand, change depending on the scale and timing of cultivation. Examples include fertilizers, pesticides, and seedling costs. Simply understanding these two categories will reveal areas where costs can be reduced. Reviewing fixed costs once will have cumulative monthly benefits. Variable costs can be reduced through careful management. Next, focus on the "money left over" after deducting expenses from sales. High sales are meaningless if expenses exceed them. In agriculture, sales can appear high. However, after deducting fertilizer, pesticides, mac...