Addressing the current financial challenges by (small) businesses – Effective strategies
We live in a rapidly changing world where businesses have to adapt to every market change. Through generations, we’ve seen businesses adapt to entirely new marketing channels, be it web and now social. Growing businesses face a range of challenges. As a business grows and success, there are piles of problems and challenges waiting at your front door, demanding different solutions. And the thing is, what worked for a business a year ago now, might not be the best approach. So, with changing times come changing problems that demand new solutions.
The number one factor that a business needs for growth are financial stability. Most small businesses don’t get a chance to grow because of a lack of funds.
When thinking of funds and where to invest them, people stop at products, employees, and maintenance. But there is a lot lost in the background that people neglect when starting a business, which costs them.
Below, we’ll discuss major financial challenges that small businesses or start-ups face and how to overcome them.
Insufficient working capital and limited cash flow Working capital and cash flow are two of the most fundamental concepts of financial analysis, even of more importance when starting a business. Working capital means the difference between a firm’s current assets and current liabilities. Usually, it is the amount of money a company has available to pay its short-term expenses. Under short-term expenses come the original loan that a person took when starting their business. Positive working capital or an increase in working capital means the company has more assets than current liabilities, and it is capable of covering its short-term expenses. However, negative working capital is when the current liabilities exceed the current assets, which means a company most likely can’t pay bills that are coming due. This can cause legal problems, including the seizure and closure of your business, employees going unpaid, or losing sponsors. The easiest way according to research, to improve your situation if you feel you are moving towards a negative working capital is to try and cut your expenses by 20% and put that amount aside every month to build your working capital. Another quick way to bring in cash is to have a sale. Looking for assets you can sell to bring in extra money, helps as well. While Cash flow refers to the amount of cash that moves in and out of a company in a specific period of time. Cash flow involves balancing accounts when an amount is paid and when an amount is received. Therefore, payable and receivable amounts. By maximizing the cash-to-cash conversion cycle, companies ensure they have enough cash flow to access capital. Apart from this, you should develop cash flow forecasts based on historical performance and current conditions, that is industry changes, economic downturns, customer shifts, and use scenarios to develop a realistic financial plan. Invoice efficiently to maximize liquidity.
Not Paying Bills on Time When you start a business you anticipate payments. Receiving payments on time is an important part of running your business, and so is paying bills on time. Occasional late payments might be overlooked by suppliers or staff, but these damage supplier relationships in the long term and result in being cut off from needed services and constantly running behind on the debt. Staff paychecks, utility bills, material bills, and other costs of business operations continue as per usual, regardless of whether or not you have been paid. And if they’re not paid on time it creates a chain of debt which can be harmful to any company’s financial health. Create a monthly budget so you’re aware of how much money has to be aside for bills. Set a day every week to sign on checks and make payments, so you’re not behind on bills and they don’t add up.
Not sticking to a budget: Another common business challenge is budgeting. Budgets are an absolute key to running a clean operation, doing so will not only help you plan for the future, it will give you a tool for analyzing expenditures and the ability to make changes whenever needed. It helps in keeping a close eye on expenses and make cuts when required. The struggle for most small businesses is creating one. It may seem daunting, and if not updated regularly, it might seem like a lot of work and scary numbers. One piece of advice is to make a realistic budget, know the ins and the outs of your business and update them. Having it all in one place might help you make better decisions than scaring you. It’s a huge help for business goals and profit potentials. At a minimum, every small business budget should include these five elements:
Fixed costs
Variable costs
One-time costs
A cash flow statement
Profits (what’s left after all of the above are factored in)
SOME SOLUTIONS FOR PROBLEMS SMALL BUSINESSES MIGHT ENCOUNTERIf your sales are good but profit is badThis could indicate overspending or some hidden costs increasing your expenditure. For this, revisit your vendors and make sure the materials you’re buying for your business bring value. Track your spending and streamline purchases.Mixing business and personal finances.Open a separate business account and use it to manage all company-related inflows and outflows. Make sure to pay your salary, a fixed amount, from that account rather than grabbing any money at the end of each month.Mispricing your productsMake a pricing strategy before you start your business. Decide your selling point, your niche, and make sure to research how your competitors are selling.
Make the best use of your finances in the growth of your business and in accessing new opportunities.
For your growth,
Team Shoonyas.