From the minute they open their doors, business owners are urged to keep a close eye on cash flow. And for good reason — even companies with booming sales can get into serious trouble if they lack the liquidity to compensate employees and pay their bills. Here are four ways businesses can better control cash flow.
Applying for a Commercial Loan With Confidence
Few and far between are businesses that can either launch or grow without an infusion of outside capital. In some cases, that capital comes in the form of a commercial loan from a bank or some other type of lender.
If you and your company’s leadership team believe a loan will soon be necessary, it’s important to approach the endeavor with confidence. That starts with having valid, well-considered strategic reasons for borrowing. From there, you need to engage your bank or a prospective lender with a strong air of professionalism and certainty.
B2B Businesses: Assess Customer Credit Carefully
Does your company operate in the business-to-business (B2B) marketplace? If so, you’re no doubt aware of the double-edged sword that is customer credit.
On the one hand, it’s common practice. Most customers likely expect to be offered a credit option when engaging in B2B transactions. On the other, credit arrangements inevitably come with risk of late payments or nonpayment, which can lead to cash flow problems for you.
Managing Cash Flow is Key to Business Success
Cash flow is the lifeblood of every small business, but many business owners underestimate just how vital managing cash flow is to their business’s success. A healthy cash flow is more important than your business’s ability to deliver goods and services.
While that might seem counterintuitive, consider this: if you fail to satisfy a customer and lose that customer’s business, you can always work harder to please the next customer. You are out of business if you fail to have enough cash to pay your suppliers, creditors, or employees.
Cash Management Tips for Your Small Business
Cash flow is the lifeblood of every small business, but many business owners underestimate just how vital managing cash flow is to their business’s success. In fact, a healthy cash flow is more important than your business’s ability to deliver its goods and services.
Tips for Getting Paid on Time
For many business owners, collecting on your accounts receivables can be challenging especially as more people switch from established collection procedures to online payment methods. The good news is that you can take positive action to improve collection rates, shorten the aging days of your accounts receivable, help your business improve its cash flow and tighten up its credit and collections policies. While some of the tips discussed here may not be suitable for every business most can serve as general guidelines to give your company more financial stability.