Start-ups can find it difficult to manage money, but established businesses also face money problems. For a successful run of a business, you need to have enough cash flowing in. There are various fixed business expenses that you are to meet even if you cannot generate revenues.
This is why you must have some money in your cash reservoir. Many entrepreneurs run out of money despite generating high revenues. This happens because of a lack of skills in managing money.
As an entrepreneur, you also take up challenges and risks to push your boundaries and stay ahead of competitors, but this audacious nature sometimes makes you commit some mistakes. Sometimes you fail to manage money because you are doing a full-time job alongside your business.
It is not easy to serve two masters. Well, whether you are a start-up or you are an established business, you should avoid making these money mistakes.
Not having a business budget
Most entrepreneurs do not realise that they should make a budget. Like you need a personal budget to meet all household expenses, you also need a business budget. It can help you know how much funds you have to mainly spend on all business activities after stashing them away in a cash reservoir.
You can also get to know which expenses are inessential. Look at the statements of the previous couple of months to find the average estimate of revenues. This is crucial to know because you cannot spend more than that.
Sometimes marketing and other operation overheads eat into the real money. List your fixed expenses and variable expenses. You can find the average cost of variable costs by considering the statement of a couple of past months. Try to brainstorm how you can save more money by cutting down on variable expenses.
Taking on several loans for business
You may need to take out a business loan to keep the ball rolling. At the same time, you need to remember that loans can be a bit expensive. You are to pay interest on top of the principal. If you have multiple debts, you will naturally have difficulty to manage other business expenses.
You cannot afford to run out of money because some expenses enable the smooth running of your business. You also need to consider your personal loans apart from business loans. Make sure that when you have a large business loan, you do not take out another loan to fund significant personal needs like car loans.
It can be very hectic to keep up with repayments of both types of loans while you meet your business expenses. If the balance disrupts due to a car finance deal, you will borrow more and more money for meeting your regular business expenses, resulting in a debt spiral.
Not getting invoices paid on time
To run a business smoothly, it is essential to have enough cash coming in. Many of the entrepreneurs have a cash shortage because they do not get paid invoices on time. Since you have good relations with your buyers, you can be flexible with repayments.
However, the business does not run with emotions. You must have enough money when you need it, and that could be possible if you have your invoices paid on time. Approach your customers and ask them politely to pay on the due date.
Send follow-ups to remind them politely about it. You can also offer them discounts if they pay before the due date. Tell them they will be penalised if they do not pay on the due date. This kind of strategy can allow you to have your customers pay on time.
Immediately making a big business purchase
When you start a new business, you need some money to invest in infrastructures like desktops, laptops, website building, furniture, and the like. You will buy things out of your savings. Further, you will have to pay your staff out of your savings because your business will take some time to reach the breakeven point.
This all means to say that any amount you earn with the sale of your product or service will add in the cost unless you reach the breakeven point. You should not make a big business purchase in this scenario, even if it feels like an investment.
You should wait until your business starts making profits. In the beginning years, you should focus on how you can quickly make profits, and once you start making profits, you can think of buying a big purchase.
Incurring credit card debt
You should never count your eggs before they hatched. When running a business, it is not surprising to have some expenses out of the blue and meet them with your credit card.
You may intend to use your credit card, hoping that you can easily manage to pay off the bill because you are expecting a good deal to be clinched.
This is where you slip up. What if you take on a credit card debt and fail to clinch the deal? You will undoubtedly end up with huge credit card debt and using cash reserved for other business expenses to pay off the debt. It will be worse if you do not have enough money set aside.
Credit cards carry higher interest rates. If you fail to pay off the debt within the interest-free period, you will end up falling into a debt circle.
Running a business is not that easy. You must have enough money to meet all the business expenses. You should not be discouraged to borrow money if you need it, but make sure you pay it off on time. Do not commit the mistakes mentioned above if you want to have a constant supply of cash. Even if you have an established business, you should make most of your business money.