Tina’s Tidbits

Find Cash in 30 Days or Less

By Tina White

One of the things I often hear from entrepreneurs is “Cash is tight. I don’t know if I will be able to pay my employees or not.”

Let’s face it, companies do not get into a cash crunch overnight.  It is hard to quickly find cash, but it is possible if you know where to look. Here are a few places to look to help improve cash flow within the next 30 days.

Clients

• Do you have unfinished projects or projects that haven’t been invoiced? The sooner a project is finished, the sooner you can issue the invoice, and get paid.
• Aggressively collect accounts receivable. The squeaky wheel gets paid first.
• Educate your clients on the other services you offer.
• Ask for referrals from your top clients.

Suppliers & Vendors

• Review all contracts and search for ways to renegotiate the terms.
• Consolidate your suppliers so you can negotiate better terms and pricing.
• Slash the price of old inventory and sell it to free up cash today.

Overhead Expenses

• Sell assets you no longer use.
• Review your expenses over the past six-months and identify where you can cut back. Here’s a good question to ask yourself: “Are the dollars I’m spending helping me make money?”
• Sublease the extra space in your office you don’t use.

Employee Expenses

• Offer a bonus to employees who provide ideas to improve cash flow.
  • Reduce overtime and unproductive time.
  • Stop loaning money to employees. You’re not a bank!

This list includes quick fixes and not a cure for your cash flow problems. It’s important to search for the root cause of your money problems, so you can prevent this issue in the future. Don’t ignore what you uncover! It will not go away on its own. Write it down and create a plan to fix it.

Tina White, CPA is the owner of Panoramic Business Solutions. She is a number crazy, profit finding accountant. She helps business owners enjoy the panoramic view of their finances and business. She can help your business grow with a customized pricing strategy, technology tips to shorten your learning curve, and a proven system to improve efficiency.