What are the costs in your pharmacy business and what are you spending on? Speak to your accountant for a full breakdown if needed, then calculate the percentage that each cost contributes to your overall overheads.

This analysis will allow you to look critically at each image cost line and see if you can minimise each one. For example, some simple actions could help reduce utility bills: switching off the pharmacy computer and monitor overnight can save over £50 per annum; switching off lights in unused rooms and corridors has been shown to bring the average small business an annual saving of 15 per cent in electricity payments. 

Monitoring

Once you have reviewed your income streams and minimised your costs it is important to ensure you monitor these areas regularly. It is useful to have a monitoring system in place to check these aspects of your business; in many cases a simple spreadsheet will do. For larger businesses, a balanced scorecard system may prove useful.