Difference in P/L line items between a SaaS and Manufacturing company?

Got asked this during an interview for growth equity and I was really only able to say that margins, depreciation and interest expense would probably be different. Am I missing something else? I feel like those line items are the main ones. I would assume they might have been also looking for an increase in sales and marketing expense.

Would appreciate any insight!

7 Comments
 

Because saas growth equity companies are not public and I’m looking for boiler plate answers to the interview question

 

It’s a boilerplate question though. Why wouldn’t you just walk through each line item and talk about how they differ? You don’t need to mention how Klaviyo’s S-1 pg. 57 differs from Stanley Black & Decker’s, just broad strokes how their income statements differ.

 

Right but I feel like I answered the main points but the interviewer made me feel like I was missing something obvious. That’s why I ask because I know the different lines in P/L and the ones I mentioned in the post are the ones I have learned about that differentiates a saas growth company to a manufacturing company.

 

Just think about the business models. One is very asset intensive, and the other very asset light. What line items would either be unique to, or greater under, each of those models?

Manufacturing: freight; equipment rental; repairs and maintenance; inventory adjustments; product returns; depreciation (from purchase of PP&E); 

SaaS: labor; computer / IT expenses; sales & marketing; professional fees; amortization (from capitalized development costs); 

 

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