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Prep 1 · Economics
Economics and economic aggregates · Production and the business

Costs, Revenue, and Profit of a Business

At the street market (the tianguis), a stall can be packed with people all day and still end the month with a loss. Selling a lot is not the same as making money. Before opening a business, it is worth knowing how many sales it takes before it starts to bring in profit, and that is worked out with numbers.

Fixed costs and variable costs

Graph with the horizontal line of fixed costs and the sloped line of total costs, which starts at the level of the fixed costs. cost (pesos) units sold fixed costs total costs

Fixed costs form a horizontal line: they do not change with sales. Total costs start at that level and rise because the variable cost of each unit is added to the fixed costs.

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The coffee shop "El Rincón" has the following costs: premises rent, coffee beans, fixed salary of the waiter, cardboard cups, monthly fee for the card payment terminal,…

The coffee shop "El Rincón" has the following costs: premises rent, coffee beans, fixed salary of the waiter, cardboard cups, monthly fee for the card payment terminal, and napkins. Classify them into fixed costs (they exist even if no one comes) and variable costs (they increase with every coffee sold), and explain what happens to each group in August when the neighborhood is empty.

Solve

Revenue, total costs, and profit

Diagram: total revenue minus total cost equals profit. Total revenue − Total cost = Profit
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Define total revenue, total cost, and profit, and calculate them in this case: at the market, Julia sells $40$ bracelets at $\$60…

Define total revenue, total cost, and profit, and calculate them in this case: at the market, Julia sells $40$ bracelets at $\$60$ each; the materials for each bracelet cost her $\$10$ and the stall cost $\$400$. How much revenue does she take in, how much does she spend, and how much profit does she make?

Solve

The break-even point

The break-even point is the sales quantity at which revenue equals costs: there is neither profit nor loss. To calculate it, we assume that the price and the variable cost per unit do not change, that fixed costs are stable, and that everything produced is sold.

Break-even graph: the revenue line crosses the total cost line at Qe; to the left there are losses and to the right, profits. pesos units sold revenue total costs Qe loss profit
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The figure shows the total revenue (green line) and total costs (red line) of Valeria's group's T-shirt stall, based on the number of T-shirts sold. Each T-shirt is sold…

The figure shows the total revenue (green line) and total costs (red line) of Valeria's group's T-shirt stall, based on the number of T-shirts sold. Each T-shirt is sold for $\$60$, the materials for each cost $\$20$, and the fixed costs of the stall are $\$1\,200$.

pesos units sold total revenue total costs ?
  1. a) Do the calculations to find how many T-shirts must be sold for total revenue and total costs to be equal, and explain what the point marked with the question mark represents.
  2. b) Explain what happens on the graph to the left and to the right of that point (where there are losses and where there are profits) and what would happen to the point if fixed costs increased.
Solve
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The bicycle repair shop "La Rueda" pays $\$18\,000$ per month in rent and utilities, regardless of how many repairs it carries out. It charges $\$600$ per repair and…

The bicycle repair shop "La Rueda" pays $\$18\,000$ per month in rent and utilities, regardless of how many repairs it carries out. It charges $\$600$ per repair and parts cost an average of $\$200$.

  1. a) Calculate the margin left by each repair and how many repairs are needed per month to cover fixed costs.
  2. b) If it carried out $60$ repairs this month, calculate its profit.
  3. c) Explain what would happen to these figures if the landlord raised the rent.
Solve
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The food truck "El Perrito Viajero" sells each hot dog for $\$100$; the roll, sausage, and ingredients cost $\$40$ per hot dog, and the monthly fixed costs (insurance,…

The food truck "El Perrito Viajero" sells each hot dog for $\$100$; the roll, sausage, and ingredients cost $\$40$ per hot dog, and the monthly fixed costs (insurance, permits, fuel) are $\$12\,000$.

  1. a) Calculate the profit if it sells $250$ hot dogs.
  2. b) Calculate how many hot dogs it needs to sell per month to avoid losing money.
  3. c) To attract customers, it is considering lowering the price to $\$80$: calculate the new break-even point and advise whether this move could work out well or badly.
Solve

When prices or costs change

Almost every decision a business makes changes the unit margin or the fixed costs. The rule is always the same: calculate the new margin, the new break-even point, and compare the profit.

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The bakery "Dulce Vera" sells each cake for $\$360$. Until now, the ingredients for each cake cost $\$120$, but chocolate prices have gone up and they now cost $\$160…

The bakery "Dulce Vera" sells each cake for $\$360$. Until now, the ingredients for each cake cost $\$120$, but chocolate prices have gone up and they now cost $\$160$. The bakery's fixed costs are $\$9\,600$ per month.

  1. a) Calculate how many cakes it had to sell per month to cover costs before the price increase.
  2. b) Calculate how many it needs now.
  3. c) Propose two decisions to return to the previous figure without reducing quality, and verify them with numbers.
Solve
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The stationer's "El Tintero" sells $100$ backpacks a month for $\$500$ each; each backpack costs $\$240$ from the supplier, and its fixed costs are $\$20\,800…

The stationer's "El Tintero" sells $100$ backpacks a month for $\$500$ each; each backpack costs $\$240$ from the supplier, and its fixed costs are $\$20\,800$ per month. The owner is considering lowering the price to $\$440$ and believes that doing so would increase sales to $150$.

  1. a) Calculate the current profit.
  2. b) Calculate the expected profit with the discount and decide whether it is worthwhile.
  3. c) Calculate how many backpacks it would need to sell at $\$440$ to make exactly the same profit as now, and assess the risk of the discount if sales do not rise as much as expected.
Solve

Deciding with numbers: selling a lot is not enough

A business with a very small margin has to sell enormous quantities to cover its fixed costs. When it sells below its break-even point, it has three paths: raise the price, lower the variable cost, or reduce the fixed costs (for example, by sharing the space).

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The local delivery app "RepartoSur" charges $\$60$ per order and pays $\$40$ to the delivery driver who carries it out. Its fixed costs (office, licences, advertising)…

The local delivery app "RepartoSur" charges $\$60$ per order and pays $\$40$ to the delivery driver who carries it out. Its fixed costs (office, licences, advertising) are $\$40\,000$ per month.

  1. a) Calculate how many orders it needs per month to cover costs.
  2. b) Last month it fulfilled $1,700$ orders: calculate the result and reason whether the business should close now or hold on, taking into account that its orders are growing every month.
  3. c) Propose two measures (increasing the price to $\$70$, charging restaurants a fixed monthly fee) and analyse a risk associated with each.
Solve
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"As long as I sell, the business is going well." Bruno sells customised T-shirts for $\$200$ each; each one costs him $\$180$ in total for the T-shirt and ink, and he…

"As long as I sell, the business is going well." Bruno sells customised T-shirts for $\$200$ each; each one costs him $\$180$ in total for the T-shirt and ink, and he pays $\$3\,000$ per month for his workshop-storage unit. This month he has sold $100$.

  1. a) Calculate his financial result for the month and explain why selling a lot is not enough: use the margin per T-shirt and fixed costs.
  2. b) Calculate how many T-shirts he needs to sell per month just to cover costs.
  3. c) Propose two solutions (raising the price to $\$240$, sharing the workshop with another craftsperson) and verify with numbers that they work.
Solve

Back to the beginning: a packed stall only makes money if it sells above its break-even point, $Q_e = CF / (P - CV_u)$. Below it, each sale helps but is not enough; above it, each sale is profit.

Summary

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