6 Ways to Solve a Cash Flow Conundrum

Experiencing cash flow problems can be a massive obstacle for businesses of all sizes, but it's especially common in smaller firms. Not having this can mean your company is limited in a number of different ways, and can even jeopardize your relationship with suppliers and employees.

Cash flow troubles can easily and quickly put your firm in financial trouble if they’re allowed to get out of hand. However, there are ways to help you tackle these issues.

Here are six ways that you can solve your cash flow problems:

Cut back expenses

It's simple in theory, but much more difficult for organizations to carry out in reality. However, if you're able to reduce the amount of money you are spending it will have a considerable impact on your cash flow. However, not everything should be cut. Make sure you are considering the long-term impact of reducing your spend in certain areas.

Prioritize invoices

If cash flow is affecting your ability to pay your invoices on time, you should prioritize which ones are the most urgent to be paid. This should be evaluated based on the potential risk of not paying the bill. For example, if you need the internet for your business to run, this should be one of the first invoices you pay, along with any software subscriptions you have.

Check your margin

For companies with consistent cash flow issues, it's wise to look at the margin you have on your product. It may be that you're not charging enough for the work you're doing, which is often a problem with clients you've had for a long time. Of course, you don't want to risk their custom but they also need to be paying competitive prices. Your margin is a key element to consider on an ongoing basis when you're running a company if you want to avoid experiencing cash flow issues.

Evaluate payment terms

Looking at the payment terms on your invoices could help you to better manage your cash flow. Introducing incentives for customers who pay quarterly or annually can be an effective way of ensuring your cash flow gets a boost. By receiving larger sums of money less frequently, you can better budget for your expenses throughout the year.

Check your bad debt

Bad debt, which occurs when a client doesn't pay for a product or service you've sold them, presents a very obvious problem for your cash flow. To prevent this happening in the first place, check the commercial credit of your customers before you extend any payment terms. This will save you time chasing up bad debt and will also see you create more long-term relationships with consumers.

Inventory monitoring

There are a wide variety of resources to help companies better manage their inventory, which can reduce cash flow problems by ensuring you only have the right level of stock at any time. This means you don't have to waste your money on placating customers who are going to get their product late - because this is never an issue - but you also don't have a bigger upfront cost than necessary purchasing surplus stock.