Custom Reports
Creating tailored financial reports for your business
While standard reports provide essential financial information, custom reports allow you to create specialized reports that address your tailoring business's unique needs. Custom reports help you gain deeper insights into specific aspects of your business.
Benefits of Custom Reports
Focused Analysis
Create reports that focus on specific aspects of your business, such as profitability by garment type or fabric usage efficiency.
Tailored Metrics
Include the exact metrics and KPIs that matter most to your tailoring business, such as average revenue per customer or material cost percentage.
Custom Comparisons
Compare performance across different time periods, locations, or service types to identify trends and opportunities.
Specialized Formats
Present data in the most meaningful format for your needs, whether that's detailed tables, visual charts, or executive summaries.
Creating a Custom Report
Steps to Create a Custom Report
- Go to Finance > Reports > Custom Reports
- Click "Create New Report"
- Enter a name for your report
- Select the report type (financial, sales, expense, etc.)
- Choose the data sources (accounts, transactions, customers, etc.)
- Select the columns to include in your report
- Set up filters to focus on specific data
- Choose sorting options
- Select grouping and subtotal options
- Choose the visual elements (charts, graphs, tables)
- Preview your report
- Save the report for future use
Custom Report Examples for Tailoring Businesses
Fabric Utilization Report
This report helps you track how efficiently you're using fabric, which is often one of the largest expenses for a tailoring business.
Key Components
- Fabric purchases by type and supplier
- Fabric used in completed projects
- Fabric waste percentage
- Cost per meter utilized
- Comparison of actual usage vs. estimated usage
Service Profitability Report
This report breaks down the profitability of different services you offer, helping you focus on the most lucrative aspects of your business.
Key Components
- Revenue by service type
- Direct costs (materials, labor) by service type
- Gross profit margin by service type
- Average time spent per service
- Profit per hour by service type
Customer Value Report
This report helps you identify your most valuable customers based on various metrics, not just total spending.
Key Components
- Total revenue by customer
- Number of orders/services by customer
- Average order value
- Profit margin by customer
- Referrals generated by customer
- Payment promptness (average days to pay)
Seasonal Trends Report
This report helps you identify seasonal patterns in your business, allowing you to better prepare for busy and slow periods.
Key Components
- Monthly revenue comparison across years
- Service type demand by month
- Staffing levels vs. demand
- Inventory needs by season
- Profit margin fluctuations by season
Scheduling and Sharing Reports
Automated Report Scheduling
Once you've created a custom report, you can schedule it to run automatically at regular intervals:
- Go to Finance > Reports > Custom Reports
- Select the report you want to schedule
- Click "Schedule Report"
- Choose the frequency (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly)
- Set the delivery method (email, dashboard, saved file)
- Select recipients if sending by email
- Click "Save Schedule"
Sharing Reports
You can share reports with team members, partners, or advisors:
- Email: Send reports directly via email in PDF, Excel, or CSV format
- Export: Download reports in various formats for sharing or further analysis
- Print: Generate printer-friendly versions of reports
- Dashboard Sharing: Give specific users access to view reports in their dashboard
Advanced Report Features
Drill-Down Capability
Click on summary figures to see the detailed transactions that make up that number. For example, click on "Total Fabric Expenses" to see a list of all fabric purchases.
Conditional Formatting
Set up visual cues like color coding to highlight important information. For example, highlight profit margins below 30% in red or customer balances over 60 days in orange.
Calculated Fields
Create custom calculations based on your data. For example, calculate "Revenue per Employee" or "Material Cost as Percentage of Revenue."
Interactive Dashboards
Combine multiple reports into interactive dashboards with filters and controls that allow users to explore the data from different angles.
Real-World Example
"Mohammed runs a tailoring business that specializes in both traditional and modern clothing. He created a custom 'Service Profitability Report' that breaks down his revenue, costs, and profit margins by garment type. The report revealed that while traditional wedding attire generated the highest total revenue, business suits actually had a higher profit margin due to lower fabric costs and faster production time. Based on this insight, Mohammed adjusted his marketing to attract more business suit customers while also slightly increasing prices on wedding attire to improve margins. He scheduled this report to run automatically at the end of each month and shared it with his production manager to help with staffing and inventory planning. After six months of using this custom report to guide business decisions, Mohammed saw his overall profit margin increase by 12%."