Carl Hughes
Posts by Carl Hughes
In the early 1900s, Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto developed a mathematical formula to describe the uneven distribution of income and wealth in Switzerland. Read more»
Of all the useful managerial tools available to retail propane distributors, none may be more underutilized than a well-designed, performance-incentive compensation plan. Read more»
Residential real-estate experts have known for years that dollars invested into existing homes for improvements do not return the same value when the homes are sold. Read more»
Higher wholesale propane costs press need for working capital Read more»
A quality program incorporates quality customers and clear expectations Read more»
Historically, a number of consistently profitable operators in the retail propane industry have chosen to finance growth through their company's annual earnings. This is an overly simplistic and, frankly, shortsighted view of how to finance growth. Read more»
As owners and operators of mostly small-to-medium-size businesses, we tend to focus first on matters that are specific to our marketing footprint. Because our customer base is local, we have an immediate vested interest in local affairs. For our own self-interest, we become actively engaged in organizations like local fire protection or city, county and township government agencies. Read more»
Last month we addressed the financial fundamentals of a retail propane startup. The objective is to grow sales and gross margin to the scale that the business achieves profitability and then begins earning a sufficient return on equity capital deployed. What is typically overlooked in the business planning of a start-from-scratch operation is the significant ongoing growth capital required to build a retail business. Read more»
In this second column of a series, we address the financial fundamentals of a startup retail propane operation. This two-dimensional visual is useful in talking about the important financial components of your startup operation. Read more»
This is the first of a two-part series on retail propane startups. I chose this topic because the launching of a new retail propane plant is and always has been a fundamental part of the retail propane industry. In a way, it is the classic American capitalistic story – that of entrepreneurs risking capital and energy to create a new business. Read more»
