Busy is not the same as profitable
Many boutique owners finish the wedding season exhausted, with a full order book, and still are not sure whether they made money. Fabric bills, karigar salaries, rent, electricity and the auto fare to the embroidery unit all add up. Boutique profit and expense reports put the numbers side by side so you can see where the money goes.
Record expenses as they happen
Every expense gets a category:
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Lining, canvas, client-supplied top-ups |
| Trims | Laces, buttons, latkans, zari border |
| Transport | Autos to the market and to job-work units |
| Rent | Shop and workshop rent |
| Electricity | Machines, lights, AC |
| Maintenance | Machine servicing, repairs |
| Salary | Staff pay outside payroll runs |
| Contractor | Payments to outside units |
| Misc | Everything else |
Suppliers are kept as vendors, grouped by category, so you can see how much you spend with each one.
The galla, your daily cash register
Cash still matters in most shops. The galla records cash in and out each day by source: client payments, worker payments, vendor payments, expenses and miscellaneous. At closing time you can match it against the drawer and catch mistakes the same day, not at month end.
The profit and loss report
VogueDesk builds the profit and loss report from what you already record:
| Section | Comes from |
|---|---|
| Revenue | Your invoices and payments |
| Cost of goods | Materials issued to orders, plus wastage, from inventory |
| Expenses | Expense entries by category |
| Payroll | Approved and paid payroll runs |
| Profit | What is left |
Choose a monthly, quarterly or yearly period. Switch between accrual, which counts a sale when you bill it, and cash, which counts it when the money arrives. Each report is compared with the previous period, so you can see whether this Diwali was better than the last quarter.
There is also a current-month summary with a breakdown of expenses by category.
How it works in VogueDesk
- Bill clients and record payments as usual.
- Add expenses with their category as you pay them.
- Run the galla each day for cash.
- Run and approve payroll at month end so salaries are counted, and issue materials to orders from inventory so their cost is counted.
- Open the profit and loss report for the month, quarter or year.
A small example
Say in October a boutique bills ₹3,20,000. Materials used come to ₹60,000, expenses such as rent, electricity and transport to ₹45,000, and payroll to ₹1,10,000. The report shows a profit of ₹1,05,000, with each line listed and a comparison against September. If transport doubled, you will see it.
Who it is for
- Owners who handle the money themselves and want a monthly picture.
- Growing boutiques deciding whether they can afford another karigar.
- Anyone planning a new branch, who needs real numbers first.
Sales come from billing and salaries from payroll. For GST returns, see GST billing for tailors. Planning your shop’s finances from scratch? Read our boutique business plan for a small city. Plans are on the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
What goes into the profit and loss report?
Revenue from your sales, cost of goods (materials issued to orders and wastage, from inventory), your recorded expenses and approved payroll. The report shows each section and the profit left after them.
What is the difference between cash and accrual view?
Accrual counts sales when you bill them, even if the client has not paid yet. Cash counts money only when it actually comes in or goes out. VogueDesk can show either.
Which expense categories are there?
Fabric, trims, transport, rent, electricity, maintenance, salary, contractor and miscellaneous.
What is the galla in VogueDesk?
The galla is your daily cash register. It records cash received and paid out, by source, such as client payments, worker payments, vendor payments, expenses and miscellaneous.
Does this replace my CA or accounting software?
No. It gives you a clear day-to-day view of your shop's money. Your CA still handles books of accounts, tax filing and audits, and can use VogueDesk's GST reports as input.
Last updated 31 October 2026.