Opinion, research and method from inside the work.
Notes on growing a small business, from Gridwerk engagements.
How to grow a small business in Sri Lanka
What makes a small business grow, why fixing one part at a time often fails, and a map of our guides on sales, cash, pricing, costs and operations.
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Business and finance terms, explained
Plain explanations of working capital, free cash flow, profit, margin, markup, break-even, capex and more, with worked examples in rupees.
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How to get an SME loan in Sri Lanka, and the business plan banks want to see
What Sri Lankan banks check before they lend to a small business, the documents they ask for, and how to write a business plan that answers their questions.
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Profitable but always short of cash: a cash flow guide for small businesses
Why a profitable small business can still run out of money, how to see it coming with a 13-week cash flow forecast, and what to change first.
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How to get more customers for your small business
How small businesses in Sri Lanka grow: win more buyers, be easy to think of when people need you, be easy to buy from, and measure what works.
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How to price your product and calculate your margin
Margin vs markup, how to calculate gross and net margin, and how small businesses in Sri Lanka can set prices that cover every cost and leave a profit.
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Hiring a digital marketing agency in Sri Lanka: what to ask before you sign
What to sort out before you hire a marketing agency in Sri Lanka, the questions to ask, how to read a proposal, and how to tell if it's working.
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How to make a business budget you'll actually use
A step-by-step way to build a monthly budget for a small business in Sri Lanka, set limits on costs, and use it every month to stay in control of spending.
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Market research for small businesses in Sri Lanka: how to size a market and study your competitors
How to research your market in Sri Lanka without a big budget: start from the decision, size the market from the bottom up, and study competitors properly.
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How to run your business without being there every day: a guide to standard operating procedures
Why growing businesses get stuck on the owner, and how to write standard operating procedures that your team follows, measures and improves.
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Internal controls for small businesses: how to stop leakage, errors and staff fraud
How small businesses lose money through theft, error and waste, and the simple controls that catch it early without treating your team as suspects.
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Sales forecasting and sales targets: how to predict sales and set targets your team can hit
How to build a sales forecast from drivers and your pipeline, set sales targets that motivate without being gamed, and review both every month.
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Financial ratios and KPIs for small businesses: what to track, and how to read them
The handful of financial ratios and KPIs a small business should track each month, what each one tells you, and the mistakes people make reading them.
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Bookkeeper, accountant, finance manager or outsourced CFO: what a growing business in Sri Lanka needs
The difference between a bookkeeper, an accountant, an auditor, a finance manager and a CFO, the signs you've outgrown your setup, and the options in Sri Lanka.
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Buy, lease or rent? Capex and opex decisions for small businesses
How buying, leasing and renting equipment affect a small business's cash, profit and balance sheet, with a worked example and the questions to ask first.
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How much should a small business spend on marketing?
How to set a marketing budget for a small business in Sri Lanka: what you can afford per customer, why steady reach beats bursts, and how to test before you scale.
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How to value your business: a guide for small business owners
How small businesses are valued: adjusting profit for the owner, multiples, discounted cash flow and assets, and what makes a business worth more.
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How to get paid on time: collecting money from customers who pay late
Why customers pay late, how to set credit terms, build a simple collection routine and handle post-dated cheques, so a small business gets paid on time.
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Inventory management for small businesses: how much stock to hold, and when to reorder
How small businesses can hold less stock without running out: stock days, sorting stock by value, reorder points, safety stock and dealing with slow movers.
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Distinctive brand assets: how to make your small business instantly recognisable
Why being recognisable matters more than being clever, how to choose your brand's colours, logo and other assets, and how to use them consistently.
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How to scale a business: growing revenue faster than costs
The difference between growing and scaling, why some businesses get less profitable as they grow, and how to build a business that earns more on every extra sale.
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Selling on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp in Sri Lanka: a practical guide for small businesses
How Sri Lankan small businesses can use Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp to reach more buyers, be remembered, answer fast and turn messages into sales.
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Google Business Profile for Sri Lankan businesses: how to be found when people search nearby
How to set up and run a free Google Business Profile so your business shows up on Google Search and Maps when people nearby look for what you sell.
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How to read your financial statements: the profit and loss, the balance sheet and the cash flow statement
What the profit and loss statement, balance sheet and cash flow statement each show, how they connect, and the questions an owner should ask of each one.
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HR policies for small businesses in Sri Lanka: the ones you need, and how to write them
The HR policies a growing Sri Lankan small business needs, from leave and working hours to discipline, and the legal costs like EPF, ETF and gratuity to plan for.
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Segmentation, targeting and positioning for small businesses: what holds up, and what to do differently
How small businesses should use segmentation, targeting and positioning, informed by what research on buying behaviour shows about how brands grow.
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Automation for small businesses: what to automate first, and what to leave alone
How a small business can decide what to automate, from invoices and reminders to stock alerts, why the process has to be clear first, and how to avoid costly mistakes.
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Planning for economic shocks: scenario planning for small businesses in Sri Lanka
How a small business can prepare for exchange-rate moves, cost spikes and demand drops: find what you're exposed to, model scenarios, and decide your responses in advance.
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How to reduce business costs without hurting sales
How to cut costs in a small business without damaging the things that bring in revenue: which costs to look at first, how to negotiate, and what to protect.
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How to turn more enquiries into sales
Why enquiries go cold, and how small businesses can win more of them: reply speed, clear quotes, follow-up, and measuring each step from message to sale.
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How to describe your business so people understand it: messaging for small businesses
How a small business can write plainly about what it does: say the category, name the buying situations, use specifics instead of adjectives, and stay consistent.
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