Lesson ProgressPhase 2 of 6
Phase 2Introduction
Introduction: Unit Launch: Sarah's Inventory Problem

Set up Sarah's month-long business simulation and learn how to read the inventory scoreboard

Phase 2: Introduction

Scan the Month Before It Starts

You are stepping into Sarah's month before the accounting rules are explained. Read the setup first, then decide where the business pressure shows up.

Starting shelf

12 kits

Sarah starts the month with kits already on the shelf from an earlier batch.

Starting cash

$1,200

Every new order uses cash before the kits are ever sold.

Unit scoreboard

Beginning Inventory + Purchases - COGS = Ending Inventory

This is not today's full lesson. It is the scoreboard Sarah will need to defend by the end of the unit.

Month Scanner

Your job:

Before you run the month, scan each event and decide what Sarah is probably feeling first: cash pressure, shelf-value pressure, or margin pressure.

Event 1: Buy 10 new kits

Sarah orders 10 more launch kits at $20 each. That is higher than the $18 cost in her opening batch.

Event 2: Sell 8 kits

TechStart sells 8 kits at $38 each. The bookkeeper has already attached $144 of cost to these sold kits.

Event 3: Buy 6 more kits

Sarah buys 6 more kits at $22 each after supplier prices rise.

Event 4: Sell 7 kits

TechStart tests a slightly higher selling price and moves 7 kits at $40 each. The assigned cost for those sold kits is $140.

Why this matters before the lesson gets technical

Sarah is not feeling "inventory theory" right now. She is feeling pressure in real time: cash getting tied up, margin being tested, and shelf value becoming harder to explain.