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Keeping your small business in the green

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One of the biggest worries you’ll have with running a small business is keeping it afloat. Will you get all those contracts you’ve forecast? Will clients pay on time? Will you have enough funds in the pot to further expand and develop your company, to take on staff and to create new products and services? It all comes down to running a strong company, planning and strategy – and adapting where you need to. Particularly, if you’re starting with relatively little cash in the bank in the first place.

Feeding the cash monster

Running a small business, on the face of it, may seem straightforward – including with the finances. You make a sale, you take the payment. Simple? Not necessarily. How you run your cash flow is vital in determining the success of your business. There can be lots of costs associated with running a venture, some you may not encounter until they are staring you in the face. Effective financial planning is very important.

If you had some start-up capital to kick off your business, make sure you don’t blow it. As part of your business planning, you need to look at the priority areas for spending – and stick to your targets and goals.

If you’re putting some of your own money into the business to get it going, think carefully. Make sure you’re leaving enough to cover all of your personal bills and expenses. You may want to think about consolidating your finances into one personal loan, to free up a little more cash to invest. Have a look at an online platform like Bonsai Finance, to see what’s out there.

When you’re running a small company, you need to leave yourself some wriggle room. By that, you need to have some cash in the bank all the time. Why? Because your clients may not pay on time, or contracts may get cancelled. But, you still have the bills to pay – and you don’t want to find yourself in a predicament.

Do you need an office?

When you start up your business, have a think about where you are going to be based. If your company doesn’t need a storefront, do you need to have an external office? Could you work from home to begin with? If you have a spare room, why not convert it into an office? If you sign up to a serviced office, for example, you could be locked into a contract for months. And what happens if your venture doesn’t work out? It could be a costly mistake.

If you do need a storefront or other trading premises, make sure you do your homework. Not only into how much it’s going to cost you and for how long, but also the location and nearby facilities. If you’re relying on customers dropping in to buy your products, for example, have you picked the best area in terms of your target audience? Is it the most visible location? Will your location bring in the revenue you’re looking for?

Know who you’re selling to

You would know that selling ice in the Arctic probably isn’t the most profitable business venture. But, joking aside, you really need to know your client base – to keep up your revenues, and to stay in the green.

For all companies, it’s vital that they have a profile of their customers in mind in everything that they do. They are real people, or real companies, and you need to understand their personalities, needs and desires. And, when you have them, you need to look after them – so that they come back time and time again.

This isn’t just about you and your business planning. It’s about equipping any staff you have with the skills and knowledge that they need to sell to your client base.

As with all things now, trends are changing all the time. Make sure you keep up with your marketplace. Your customer profiles and wants may change, depending on all sorts of circumstances, make sure you keep up with them and adapt your approach accordingly.

Get social

A great way to connect with your clients, and new potential clients, is through social media. If you’re running a small business, you need to make sure that you not only have a website, but profiles on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Get your follower numbers up and spread the word about how great your company is.

Social media can be a useful marketing tool, to promote new products and services – and to highlight promotions and incentives. Think about adding some photos and videos now and then. But make sure the standard is good.

With social media, you need to make regular posts to make an impact. You need to be adding content most days, if not every day. Your profiles can also help drive up traffic to your website, so make sure it’s all connected up.

Stand out from the rest

Running a successful business is all about moving forward, not standing still. As well as keeping up with your customers’ changing needs, always keep an eye on the competition – to see what they’re offering. And always think of new ways to win new business. Could you refine some of your existing products or services? Are there some new ones you can offer? And are there any add-ons you can create?

If you’ve been running a small business for a while, is it worth having a re-think about your company branding and image? Does it look tired and out of date? Has your business developed down a different path? Has your client profile changed?

If things have changed, consider updating your website, logo and overall branding. You need it to reflect what you do, and it needs to look great. Don’t think you’re all alone with this. If you don’t have a marketing person in-house, then think about hiring in a consultant for a few days to give you some top tips and advice – it could make the difference when it comes to future sales!

Cut The Costs of Your Business Without Cutting Corners

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In business, being able to keep costs as low as possible is key to get the maximum return for your business. But what many businesses get confused with, is the fact that cutting costs doesn’t have to jeopardise jobs or quality in your business or product. If you think honestly about how to resolve the business’ insufficiencies, then it can really make a difference. So here are some good ways to reduce costs at work, without having to reduce quality. Because in the long-run, if quality is reduced, it is going to affect your bottom line after all.

StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article
Photo courtesy of Pixabay

Reduce Overhead Costs

If you have reduced costs of where you work from, then it can make a big difference. Your office and employees can cost you a lot of money. So could you arrange a rota where half work from home on certain days and then swap on other days? When you need a smaller office space, or don’t need an office at all, it can make a massive difference. You could also look to outsource or always hire remote employees from now on. Those are both ways to cut down costs, but still get the job done to a good quality.

Outsource

Along similar lines, outsourcing is a great way to cut down costs but still get some exceptional work done. The reason being, you get experts in their fields working as freelancers. They will dedicate their time to your project to get it done and then that is it until you might need them again. So it makes things cheaper than having a full-time employee. It also helps to work to timelines, which is helping to still delivery a top quality product or business to your customers and clients. Look at your current tem, though, to see where their existing skills lay. If you have someone that is quite capable to achieve the same task, then it could be cheaper for them to do it. It all depends on what people are already able to do.

Avoid Company Cars

Company cars can be a massive expense for the business, particularly when it come to tax. So if your business involves a lot of driving to see clients, then using your own car and expensing the cost of the fuel can be a cheaper way to go. It can also work out cheaper to lease cars, from somewhere like Flex Fleet, for instance. When you only need cars or trucks for a set amount of time, then it means you only pay for what you use, rather than it taking a chunk of money out of the business.

Talk To Suppliers

If your business involves working closely with suppliers, then make sure that you are doing just that. Your costs are going to affected by their costs. So talk to them regularly about how to improve systems as well as reduce the cost of things. It may be that they need a new piece of equipment to make something quicker and cheaper in the long-term. If so, you could help them towards it, for example. It is certainly worth having that conversation, though.

Freedom Financial Gives Five Financial Management Tips Every Successful Entrepreneur Follows

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To achieve and sustain success, entrepreneurs must be skilled in a variety of areas. One of the most important of these is financial management. The lack of proper financial management is one of the primary causes of early failure for entrepreneurs. Freedom Financial provides five key areas of finance that are critical for entrepreneurs to have a greater chance at success.

Proper preparation for lean months.

Entrepreneurial income typically fluctuates from month to month and even from year to year. Income can swing from high to low in a matter of weeks, without warning. It’s important for entrepreneurs to prepare for the lean months by setting aside money during higher earning months, according to Freedom Financial. While, it’s tempting to spend money to reap the benefits of your hard work, it’s wiser to put money away while it’s plentiful. Without a reserve of cash set aside, some business cannot survive.

Keep business and personal finances separate.

Many entrepreneurs fund their startups using money from personal savings or a personal credit card to get the business going. In the early stages of entrepreneurship, it’s often simpler to conduct all your transactions from a single account. Once your business starts growing, Freedom Financial recommends separating business and personal finances, is essential. Keeping funds separate funds simplifies accounting and gives your business credibility. Keep business funds in a business account and pay yourself as though you were an employee of the company.

Diversify your assets and your efforts.

Entrepreneurs have to maintain a delicate balance between focusing on their entrepreneurship efforts and diversifying their income and time. Statistically speaking, entrepreneurship has a high risk of failing. Freedom Financial recommends entrepreneurs to hedge against that risk by putting time into other ventures, putting money into other investments, or sometimes even maintaining full-time employment.

Get professional financial advice.

You may be able to do many things on your own, but you cannot do everything on your own. When it comes to matters of finance, it’s better to seek professional council. Getting professional advice from an accountant and tax professional can ensure your business is both operating legally and taking advantage of the possible tax deductions. It’s wise to shop around for the best fit for your business, but this isn’t an area where you should cut costs.

Minimize business expenses.

As your business begins to generate more revenue, owners may increase their business spending, justifying these expenses as necessary for business growth. Remember that the more you spend, the less profit your business makes. Always aim to minimize business expenses by negotiating lower prices, seeking lower-cost alternatives, and forgoing unnecessary expenses. Freedom Financial suggests having another person who has to sign off on business spending, to help keep the owner’s spending impulses in check.

To achieve and maintain success, entrepreneurs must always plan for the financial future and be careful not to take the present circumstances for granted. Spending time reviewing the business finances and constantly seeking ways to improve are two steps entrepreneurs can take for better financial management.

Why So Many Different Loan Types Exist

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When it comes to business, there’s one thing everyone needs to get started: financing. This can come in a variety of forms, the number of which can be confusing. What do you turn to when you have specific needs and a budget to adhere to? What about the amount of variance in these things? There’s a lot to keep in mind when applying for a loan, so let’s try to make things a little simpler.

Loans exist to service the consumer, and banks exist to give it out. That’s how they make their profit: by helping you make yours, and then demanding interest on your repayments. With this in mind, there’s two big factors involved in why different loan types exist, and here’s a quick rundown of what’s on the market.


Because Every Lender has their Own Interest Rate

Some loans don’t even have interest generated and added on. When it comes to capital one, a small business line of credit means you only have to pay back what you use. If the credit just sits in a bank account, there’s no interest added and no need to give it back. This is a loan that’s virtually risk free, but of course you have to fill a criteria to get it. And being able to show that your business makes good profit and will be able to pay it back no questions asked is not something a lot of people can be sure to keep up with.

If you have a personal loan, them the interest rate is sure to skyrocket. If you’re not looking to finance a business, getting these small amounts is beneficial. Similarly, if you have a credit card, you’re likely to spend and keep on spending as it’s a popular method of payment and it seems everyone has one. But once again, the interest rate can skyrocket due to the popularity and likely overspending of the amount on a card.

Because Credit Scores Vary

As someone in business or not, you have at least one credit score. Yes, there can be more than one number to your name. Because of these multiple numbers, credit scores can be a lot more accurate, and predict your likeliness to go into debt when you can’t make up with payments after a certain period.

Credit scores mean a lot to a lender, and that’s why they’re so integral to different loan types. Credit scores dictate what you can and can’t get because of your payback period or payment rate. Loans have to be different to service these needs. Even if you have bad credit, you can find a lender to service your needs. As long as you have a credit score, or a prediction on your finances, you can guarantee there’s a loan waiting for you.

To go into more detail, a lot of your own research will be required, so set aside time. Yet, these reasons are a good starting point if you’re considering taking out your own loan.

How You Can Save Your Business Money by Cutting Down on Paper

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StrategyDriven Tactical Execution ArticleIt may have escaped your notice, but UK businesses are gradually changing how they deal with the paper trail. Offices around the nation are looking at ways to reduce the need for paper mills to order pulp (which makes paper) that comes from the cutting of small trees and the remnants of harvesting larger ones. This way, forestry across the UK stays where it is, which looks more appealing and helps clean the air across the country too.

Here are a few ways that your business can reconsider how it manages its paper use and what options there might be.

Intentionally Going Thinner and Lighter

Just like with our waistlines, aiming for a lighter, thinner version is a good choice when it comes to paper usage in the office. It needs the cooperation of the office manager who handles paper orders from the photocopier right down to the little notepads to pull it off. Cutting down the environmental impact from your business’ paper use is as easy as cutting down the paper stock thickness to use less volume.

It’s also worth noting that paper which comes with a special coating over it, or has been treated to be reflective, also uses different types of thicker paper to achieve this result. The greater use of this kind of paper product is impactful too.

Lower Storage Costs for Paper Files

With the use of thinner paper stock, paper files that are necessary for businesses to keep on-hand are thinner. With each page being a lower GSM stock (as recommended above), files get thinner overall. Fewer metal storage cabinets are needed, and you need less space to store them and access them too. A filing clerk is no longer needed either when there’s fewer files to manage.

Think Before Printing Out

Pausing to consider whether a printout really needs to be produced is a great way to reduce paper usage. The mindless printing of multiple copies of a seldom accessed paper version is not helpful to reduce paper usage or the costs of it. Where copies are needed, consider printing on both sides and train staff on how to set up their software and printer to achieve this result. Alternatively, the company could look at tablets for teams to use and access digital versions of reports for reference purposes.

Paper copies fade over time and are a poor way to keep records in the wake of the complete digitisation of software. Set standards for employees where staff are rewarded for reducing paper usage, which cuts the environmental impact and office costs.

Fewer Photocopies

Taking fewer photocopies is another way to reduce costs both in paper usage and maintenance expenses for the photocopier machine. Distracting staff by having to monitor repair staff when they have to attend to fix a copier machine is a time suck. The greater the use of the photocopier, the more often it’s likely to run into trouble too.

There are always more ways to cut down on paper usage to save money. You can a look at the GoCanvas.com website to learn more about how much paper usage is costing your company and how you can set up your business to operate more efficiently and less expensively.

Going digital saves businesses money in many areas. They are no longer reliant on a paper trail for most activities and the company operates more smoothly as a result. It’s also easier to look up key information online when necessary because putting hands on the paper file is no longer needed.