A Monthly Routine for Stock, Cash and Content (in One Afternoon)
Most small stores run on urgency: restock when it runs out, post when it's quiet, check money when it's tight. One afternoon a month, done in a fixed order, replaces all three.
25 August 2026 · 1 min read
If your month is organised by whichever problem shouts loudest, you're not running the store — the store is running you. A fixed monthly sequence, done in one sitting, moves all three recurring decisions out of crisis mode.
The short version
- Numbers first
- Then stock
- Content last
- Same order every time
The afternoon, in three passes
| Pass | Look at | Decide |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Numbers | Last month's orders, margin, discount share | Which products earned their shelf space |
| 2. Stock | Sell-through, reorder points, cash available | What to reorder, cut, or clear |
| 3. Content | The three best-selling products | What to photograph and write this month |
That order matters more than the content of any single pass. Planning posts before you know what's in stock produces the classic mistake: a month of promotion for the one product that runs out in week two.
Write the month as five lines
Five lines at the end of the afternoon — reorder X, clear Y, photograph Z, one promotion, one fix — is a plan you'll actually follow. A forty-row spreadsheet is a plan you'll open twice.
The monthly checklist
- Last month's orders and margin reviewed
- Discount share of orders calculated
- Reorder points recalculated on the top five
- Cash and committed stock money written down
- Content planned only for products in stock
- One thing from last month's list actually fixed
The sixth row is the one that makes the routine compound. Without it, the same three problems reappear every month, written down carefully and solved never.
Keep the routine inside one back office
Orders, stock and customer details in one place is what makes a weekly or monthly check take minutes instead of an evening.
See plansFrequently asked questions
When is the best time to do a monthly review?+
The first working day after the month closes, before you start answering messages. The numbers are fresh, and the decisions land before the week fills up.
What if I don't have time for a whole afternoon?+
Split it into three fifteen-minute passes across the first week — numbers, stock, content — in that order. What matters is the sequence and the repetition, not the length of the sitting.
Should content planning come before stock decisions?+
No. Planning content first means promoting products you may not have. Decide what you can actually sell this month, then write about those.
Sources
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