5 Common Mistakes When Calculating Percentage Increase
Avoid these 5 math errors that ruin your percentage calculations. Learn why you shouldn't just "add" percentages together.
Measure business momentum. Calculate month-over-month or year-over-year sales growth percentages instantly.
Track Your Revenue & Sales Performance
Sales growth confirms that demand for your product is rising. Consistent growth attracts investors and fuels expansion, while stagnating sales may signal market saturation or the need for a new strategy.
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Growth Formula:
Growth Rate % = ((Current Sales − Previous Sales) ÷ Previous Sales) × 100Usage of growth metrics is vital for any business. Are you stalling, shrinking, or scaling? Percentage growth calculations give you the honest answer.
This tool works for all key metrics: Revenue, Net Profit, Customer Count, and Website Traffic.
Avoid Seasonal Traps:
Retail businesses often peak in December. Comparing January sales to December sales (MoM) looks like a disaster. Comparing Jan 2025 to Jan 2024 (YoY) reveals the true health of the business.
The universal growth formula works for everything:
((Present Value - Past Value) / Past Value) * 100$10k to $15k
Result: 50% growth
$50k to $55k
Result: 10% growth
$100k to $90k
Result: -10% decline
$200k to $400k
Result: 100% growth (doubled)
$1M to $1.2M
Result: 20% growth
Q1 $25k to Q2 $30k
Result: 20% QoQ growth
Year 2024 $500k to 2025 $600k
Result: 20% YoY growth
Daily $500 to $600
Result: 20% growth
$0.5M to $1.5M
Result: 200% growth (tripled)
$100 to $110
Result: 10% growth
$80k to $120k
Result: 50% growth
$15k to $12k
Result: -20% decline
$300 to $315
Result: 5% growth
$50k to $60k
Result: 20% growth
$1200 to $2400
Result: 100% growth
YoY means 'Year over Year'. It compares results from one period (e.g., Jan 2024) to the same period in the previous year (e.g., Jan 2023) to avoid seasonal distortions.
A healthy small business grows 15-25% annually. Startups often target 50-100%+. Large mature companies may settle for 2-5%.
Use the formula: ((This Month - Last Month) / Last Month) * 100. This is called MoM (Month over Month) growth.
Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) measures smooth growth over multiple years, assuming steady rates. It is more complex than simple percentage growth.
Avoid these 5 math errors that ruin your percentage calculations. Learn why you shouldn't just "add" percentages together.