If your small business needs more cash, you might try everything possible to increase your savings. However, there might be some easy techniques you’re overlooking. Your startup should already have a budget to adhere to, as it’s the foundation on which you can build. From there, these three money management tips will help you cut back on spending and may even maximize your profits.
Why Your Budget Guides Your Small Business
You may already have a budget for your household, but you should also have a budget for your business. Dividing funds into different categories can keep you aware of your money and what you can do with it. You can make better decisions for your company when you have a clear map of what you want to do with your funds.
Over 50% of executives in a study thought their budget needed to be more transparent, which could lead to conflict. You should strive to build a budget that works well for your business and share it with any stakeholders who need to know your plans. It might create just enough pressure on you to learn how to manage money in a small business.
Some benefits of having a budget for your business include:
- Helping you achieve financial goals.
- Ensuring you have enough resources to operate.
- Aiding you in creating a roadmap for your business.
- Making a list of priorities for your business.
- Monitoring your business’s performance.
- Troubleshooting any problems to fix them faster.
Your budget will help you know how much money you can allot to different categories. For example, you can spend some of your advertising money on social media ads. At the same time, you may contribute another portion of that fund to influencer marketing to interact directly with your consumers. Review your budget monthly to ensure it prioritizes the categories you want.
How to Manage Money in a Small Business: 3 Ideas
Learning to manage small business money can be tricky, especially if the startup only has you or a handful of employees. If you can’t budget your money effectively, you’re doing no favors for your company. Try out these three essential techniques to better your organization, no matter where you are in your journey as a business owner.
1. Track Every Expense
When you start tracking all your expenses, you have a better idea of where your money is going. No matter how insignificant the amount feels, you should keep track of it — both in a digital file and on paper, if possible. Tracking your expenses in two different places might help you resolve any discrepancies at the end of the month, when you should review everything.
One of the easiest ways to track these expenses is by checking your account statements regularly, which allows you to pinpoint spending patterns you may need to break. You can set budgets like the 50/30/20 method, which will help you divide up your must-haves and need-to-haves. That way, your expenses will be easy to track and adjust monthly as necessary.
Once you’ve tracked your expenses for several months, you’ll notice where you waste the most money. Look at categories you can cut back in and compare it with your business’s analytics. You may find areas you can scale back in and save for other expenses. You’ll be able to operate your business more smoothly or invest in something big in the future.
2. Transition to Owning Your Practice
If you currently work under another company as a contractor, you may want to branch out to own your own business to take charge of your work and clients. Making this change may also help you keep your personal and professional funds separate.
If you often find yourself spending too much money on your enterprise or not paying yourself effectively, pivoting to your own practice might help you take charge of what you’re charging. For example, you might make more money if you host your store instead of listing yourself on a third-party website that takes go-between fees.
By pivoting in this way, you can also set your own prices. If your practice takes insurance, you can make more money by setting up your own private practice. It can skip the middleman, so you don’t have to deal with the hassles of insurance. It also offers your clients the flexibility and privacy they need in a secure service.
Owning your own business can help you craft an exit strategy when the time comes for you to exit. One day, someone may want to build on what you’ve created for a hefty price and you have to think about how that transition will affect your company. If you plan to sell your business eventually, you must ensure it’s profitable and stable enough to stand without you.
To stabilize your startup, you should also invest in its growth. If you feel you need help managing things effectively, hire an administrative assistant to help you get the work done. Most openings for administrative assistants come from current workers leaving the workforce by means of retiring, but small businesses can use these assistants for simple tasks they may not have time for.
3. Keep an Eye on Credit
As a business, you’ll likely be using a line of credit at some point if you haven’t already. However, if you aren’t used to using credit, you may not be fully aware of how to use it properly. Around 35% of Americans carry credit card debt from month to month, which is up from the past couple of years. To effectively utilize credit cards, you need to plan how to work with them.
The basic steps for using a credit card should be as follows:
- Make your payments on time.
- Pay more than just the minimum.
- Try to use less than 10% of your available credit.
- Check your statements frequently.
People use credit cards for several things and you could get one just for your business. However, you have to have a plan to pay things off while accruing additional debt or else you might never make that money back. It’s best to use credit only for the amount you have in your account currently, though each situation might be slightly different.
It can be overwhelming to manage so much money sometimes. You may need to take a break to focus on the big picture and forget about your little responsibilities. Budgets are meant to help you, not hinder your path to success. Still, avoid getting so caught up in them that you feel hopeless or immobilized. Moving around just two minutes every half hour will maximize your productivity and create a better business practice for yourself — one with far less stress.
Manage Small Business Money Well
Learning how to manage small business money can be challenging, but you can practice your methods over time to ensure they work. You want to ensure everything runs smoothly with your startup and managing your money well is a great way to grow your profits and cut back on unnecessary spending.
You don’t have to make several changes at once — just try a couple at a time to see what works best for you and your finances. The transformation may surprise you.