Good cash flow management is vital to the success of your small business. In fact, research by U.S. Bank found that mismanagement of cash flow contributed to 82% of small business failures - a worrying statistic, to be sure. As a small business owner, cash flow may well feel like the bane of your life but we have seven strategies to make this process easier and ensure that your company stays on track for financial success. Let’s take a look.

1. Create a Cash Reserve

It’s always a good idea to have a safety net in place. A cash reserve will help you to cover unforeseen costs and keep your business afloat should disaster strike. Speaking to Business News Daily, Jay Singer of Mastercard advised “it would be wise to have enough cash on hand to cover up to six months of your average cash flow.”

2. Stay Frugal

Every business owner knows that it can be difficult to find a balance between business growth and conversative spending. However, it’s important to develop a minimum viable budget and continue to stick to it, even when cash is flowing into your business. Good times don’t last forever and if you’re unable to save money when the going is good, it will be incredibly difficult to do so during hard times.

3. Keep an Eye on Your Inventory

Managing your inventory poorly can cause a whole host of expensive problems which seriously damage your cash flow. You risk failing to fulfil orders based on inventory demands that should have been predictable, and then incurring further costs by having to fill backorders. This also results in disappointed customers, meaning that your reputation is likely to take a hit.

Furthermore, when you fail to properly organise your inventory you may misplace items and end up ordering replacements that you don’t actually need. You may also let items expire and become worthless, rather than selling them off at a discounted rate. The likelihood is that you’re probably also paying for more space than you actually need.

4. Lease Your Equipment

Buying equipment may prove cheaper in the long term and therefore may help with profitability, but profit means very little if you run out of cash. On top of this, frequently forking out for expensive upgrades can present a real problem when funds are tight. Leasing equipment leaves you with more cash in the bank and helps to regulate your cash flow. Moreover, you may have the option to purchase the equipment at the end of the lease or upgrade it.

5. Equipment Loans

If buying rather than leasing equipment makes more sense for your small business, then it’s still worth considering an equipment loan. This type of loan functions in much the same way as a traditional bank loan, but is lower-risk. Before taking out an equipment loan, be sure to consider how quickly your equipment is likely to become outdated; if the answer is “soon” then leasing may be a better option.

Only when your purpose is crystal clear can you articulate it to your team and then your customers and target audience.

Having a clear purpose is also about sustainability. There is mounting evidence that in these times of change and disruption, having a clear purpose will improve a business’s ability to transform and adapt.

So, what’s your purpose? Need help defining it? We can help.

“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” - Simon Sinek

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