
Moreover, for many businesses, SG&A expenses are one of the first places you can look to start to trim down your budget and develop a more effective plan when sales drop. One of the misconceptions that exist, especially among small businesses, is that only larger https://www.bookstime.com/ expenses are riskier. Bigger expenses are not riskier always but not knowing your complete spending’s even on the little expenses is the risk. Understanding where your expenses will grow and where they will stay stagnant will help you determine how to allocate capital and grow the business.

Based on previous data, customer acquisition, retention, and entertainment costs can also be approximated. However, variable costs can not be accurately estimated and can always be subject to change. Happay’s travel and expense management solution is one such platform that offers end-to-end travel management solutions. For example, you can measure the performance of a digital marketing team by looking at websites, social media KPIs, inbound leads generated, etc. Access and download collection of free Templates to help power your productivity and performance.
First, let’s briefly recap what Selling, General & Administrative (SG&A) expenses are. SG&A consists of all general and administrative expenses, as well as the direct and indirect selling costs incurred by a company to manage its day-to-day operations. These expenses include salaries for salespeople and their commissions, marketing efforts, rent, utilities, office equipment, supplies, insurance, and more. SG&A expenses represent various costs not directly attributed to sgand a production or sales but required to run a business effectively.

Apple Inc. (AAPL) reported $14.29 billion in operating expenses as part of its financial reporting for the third quarter of 2024. Of this, $7.77 billion was for research and development and $6.52 billion was for selling, general, and administrative costs. For many businesses, SG&A expenses are one ledger account of the first places you can look to start to trim down your budget and develop a more effective plan when sales drop.

This means understanding these expenses and finding ways to save money where possible. While reducing SG&A costs can provide a quick boost to profits, it’s important to avoid making cuts that could have a negative impact on long-term profitability. For example, reducing marketing and advertising costs might provide a short-term increase in profit, but it could also harm sales in the long term.