Small business owners often deal with challenges on the job. They attempt to create products or services cost-effectively, boost sales, negotiate with unsatisfied clients, and motivate discontented employees. However, most quickly discover they can solve several problems they confront with cash. Cash flow is a snapshot of your business’s financial conditions during a specific period. It shows you how efficient and flexible your business is while taking a shot at its health. You should generally evaluate your cash flow monthly, but it can also help you look at it weekly, quarterly, or annually.
ANALYZING CASH FLOW
If you intend to keep track of your cash flow before, you might want to begin with a simple spreadsheet:
- Start calculating how much money is on hand at the beginning of the period on the first row, on the first month, for example.
- If you have multiple accounts, add them.
- Put that amount at the top of the sheet.
List all of your income and payments for that month. Include your operating, investment, and financing activities. Subtract the expenses from your cash in hand and add your income to your money in hand. Require actual income rather than invoiced income that you haven’t received.
That will inevitably leave you with a number either greater than or less than the money you began with (positive cash flow) or smaller than the money you started with (negative cash flow). So, while you might have a negative cash flow for a brief period, especially if you have some significant, one-time expenses, you should usually observe a positive cash flow each month.
TIPS TO IMPROVE CASH FLOW
Cash flow is vital for the continuing operations of a business. It pays employees’ salaries, provides resources for purchasing equipment and supplies, and puts money into building facilities. Owners who cannot efficiently manage business cash flow are prone to failure. Conversely, those that can improve their cash flow can substantially improve their business. Unfortunately, many small companies make mistakes regarding cash flow finances. They overestimate their sales, don’t pay bills on time, misallocate resources at the start, or don’t plan.
It ought to be your goal to make more money than you expend, whatever expenses you may have incurred. However, you may find that if over a short or long period, your income doesn’t exceed your expenditures, it puts pressure on your cash flow. Being cash flow positive means understanding the flow of money in and out of your company and making modifications to accommodate short- or long-term shortages. Therefore, your goal should always be to move toward your accounting ledger’s positive side.
Take advantage of the following measures to improve your cash flow, whether you are a big or little enterprise.
Anticipate Future Needs
Avoid surprises. Nothing is more discouraging or difficult than missing revenue when you’re in the best shape. Keep detailed, up-to-date accounting records to describe all financial transactions accurately. Carefully examine your financial documents, using your past income and cash flow statements and your balance sheet, finding estimates of the amount of money that will be available for spending and goals in the upcoming three to six months.
These pro forma statements can help you see possible problems, giving you the chance to focus in advance on plans to deal with them. It’s not uncommon for business owners to establish a relationship with a bank for payroll and general business accounts to monitor any developments better. Unfortunately, depending on your banker’s authority, these efforts don’t always succeed. To improve your chances, notify your banker that you want to apply for a loan, making it clear that your objective is to have loan access if you need it.
Build Connections With Lenders
High interest or a failure to recruit an investor willing to put in more money could result in a business in dire straits having a tough time obtaining funding. The bankers who specialize in helping struggling companies are the least motivated to lend. Begin to build connections with the financial community before you need them, and then you may be able to secure a commitment to future loans.
Bankers provide secured loans on certain assets, such as the following:
Accounts Receivable
Accounts receivable financing is the most common type of corporate loan when auto lending lines and AR change. The equilibrium moves up and down in line with the line’s AR.
Inventory
Bankers tend to favour finished or raw inventory since it’s frequently likely to be sold and then repurchased if and when it is deleveraged. Conversely, loaners value finished or uncooked inventory since it is expected to be sold and turned into cash. Like an accounts receivable loan, an inventory loan fluctuates in line with changing inventory levels. A typical loan-to-inventory ratio is 50%.
Equipment
While technically not a short-term loan, treated equipment in good condition is a way for someone to get a fixed-term loan for a single shot of cash in an emergency. The less functional it is, the lower the loan-to-value ratio will be.
Keep Your Cash Working
Keeping your cash balances in interest-earning accounts that are available at banks is good. Often, banks have minimum balance requirements for these types of accounts. On the other hand, interest on these accounts is typically lower than on savings accounts, certificates of deposit (CDs), or money market accounts. So keep the bulk of your funds in higher-paying accounts.
Transfer the funds you need to meet the minimum balance requirement within your checking account as required. Avoid CDs, which lock you into a formula for a definite length of time, as redeeming them early can cost you interest. Instead, either invest money in penalty-free CDs or commit to that part of the money you will not need during the CD’s length.
Set up a separate payroll account and set up a bi-weekly payroll cycle. Bi-weekly payroll systems require 26 pay cycles a year, bi-monthly only twenty-four, which saves you the administrative costs of collecting, verifying, and tabulating payroll information. In addition, employ your personnel to make direct deposits to suppress the prices of writing and delivering checks. Finally, move payroll funds before paying to maximize your earnings, even before distributing them.
Train Your Customers
As a small-business owner, your goal is to collect payment for your goods or services before or shortly after incurring the expense of producing or delivering them. The most effective outcome is to obtain payment on delivery (COD), but that may not be feasible at all times.
Note on the invoice that the customer is expected to pay as soon as the product is delivered. This should be present on their receipt of the invoice. Do not suggest that the user will be able to wait until the end of the month when settling the invoice. You may indicate that the customer will be charged interest in all payments after 30 days, and you may initiate collection processes if the invoice isn’t paid.
Work With Your Suppliers
Just as customers want your payment as soon as possible, your suppliers want payment without delay. Delay making payment until you’re able because paying suppliers early may hurt your cash flow and that ought to be averted whenever possible. Delay payments to vendors as long as you can while sticking to the terms of your sale.
Maximize Cash Inflows
If you’re selling custom products or signing contracts that stretch out over months, there are several strategies you can use to increase cash flow. First, charge a greater down payment of 50% of the order if it’s substantial, complex, or unique.
Shrink Cash Outflows
Limiting overall expenses and delaying payment for as long as possible to lower demand for cash. Ways to minimize cost include the following:
Repair Capital Equipment, Don’t Replace It
Avoid frequent and expensive repairs by developing a regular maintenance program, using reconditioned replacement parts supplied by third-party suppliers (instead of factory parts), and employing your local repair facility to handle large or complex jobs for in-house personnel.
Buy Used Equipment
Used equipment in good condition is typically just as good as new. Search for auction and dealer companies in your area, concentrating on companies selling repossessed assets and equipment in excellent condition. Grow your savings up to 80 per cent by purchasing high-quality, salvaged equipment.
Delay Product Upgrades Until Absolutely Necessary
Delay product upgrades to consider open-source solutions, which are generally free of charge or available for a small donation. Any software application you use must focus on security and safety, which should be a top priority for any organization.
CONCLUSION
Small business owners learn two principles early in their careers. “Cash is king” refers to the vital essence of cash in any company, and the Golden Rule – “He who has the gold establishes the rules” – is crystal clear to anyone who’s ever gone hat in hand to a bank. Maximizing cash stock provides more opportunity and flexibility for businesses so their proprietors can enjoy a sense of security day and night.
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