New Business Ideas

One of the challenges of running a small business is dealing with the feast-or-famine nature. That’s not just about the flow of business, but also the flow of cash. Sometimes things get tight; here’s how you can improve your business’s cash flow

Bill Promptly

Ever find yourself so busy building your business that you don’t get around to billing regularly? You’re not alone. This is a common – but potentially crippling – problem.

If you don’t already have a system in place, start billing for projects on a regular basis. When taking on longer-term projects or clients, negotiate in advance for regular payments instead of allowing the amount to build up.

Create Incentives for Faster Payment

Small businesses can sometimes cut the time spent waiting for payment by offering a discount for quick payment. I’ve received bills from businesses offering discounts of 1% or 2% for payment within 10 days. If I was going to pay the bill within 30 days anyway, I’m likely to pay up right away to get that extra discount. Good for my bottom line; good for the business’s cash flow.

Avoid Slow Pay and No Pay Customers From the Start

The best way to avoid cash-flow problems because of people not paying is to weed them out before they start owing you money. So if someone is about to become a significant customer, do your homework. Check out credit references. Call other businesses that have had a relationship with the client.

Use Barter Instead of Cash

You could reduce the strain on your immediate cash if you need something from someone and can offer goods or services of your own in return.

Trim Your Inventory

OK, so you can’t go to a “just-in-time” inventory management system like many larger manufacturers. How about “just-in-less-time”? Money spent on inventory is money that’s not producing any interest or savings for you.

Sometimes reducing inventory can be pretty simple. I’ve seen restaurateurs cut back on the size of their wine cellars, focusing on quality wines from a few regions instead of trying to be all things to all diners. If the customer still has good choices, it might not matter that he has fewer than before.

Consider Consolidating Your Loans

It’s often tough for small businesses to borrow money. But I’m surprised at the number of ways entrepreneurs do manage to borrow. One small business owner I know has only one employee, but has four different loans related to his business: an equipment loan, a car loan, a business line of credit and a business credit card.

If you also have several loans, review the rates and terms on each one. You may be able to consolidate two or more loans into a lower-interest account and improve cash flow. I’m generally not a fan of stretching out repayments, but if you’re thinking of talking to a lender about consolidating existing loans into a new one, you might look at taking on a longer-term loan in exchange for lower payments.

You may have heard about the distinct advantages of offering credit-processing services to your clients, but do you know how to obtain a free merchant account? Many lenders request applicants to pay an online credit application fee that can run more than $100. Others waive this fee, but they then impose other types of costs, like an annual membership fee. Yet there are some lenders out there who offer a merchant account at no direct cost to business owners. While there will be expenses associated with processing transactions and performing service maintenance on credit processing equipment, some lenders will limit their merchant account costs to fees like these and provide the card account at basically no extra cost to the business owner.

To find out more about how to take advantage of this type of offer for a free merchant account, ask your business banker for details. If the bank cannot provide information, check with other business operators in your area to find out if they have merchant accounts and where they got them. Some may have a free account, so you will have to ask for details if they are willing to supply them. Otherwise, you can always use a search engine to browse the Internet for companies that provide a merchant account at no cost. Be wary about offers that seem too good to be true, as they probably aren’t true. Read the fine print in contracts, and ask about every type of fee you can think of. Some applicants have complained that “hidden fees” surfaced after their account was approved, forcing them to pay fees they did not anticipate. Leave nothing to chance.

Create a business plan that will put your free merchant account to good use. Don’t get a merchant account simply to have one. The primary advantage is to offer credit-processing services to your customers via a number of options. These might cost an initial outlay of company funds, but the return on your investment will be valuable in terms of the shopping convenience that will make visiting your company or your site a pleasant experience for customers. Develop a reasonable budget that will show you how much you can afford to invest in credit equipment like a terminal processor, perhaps one with a printer combined. Or you may prefer to get a wireless processor if you deliver goods or services to customers at remote locations. You also can get a pager to enhance communications within your organization. Or you may want to upgrade your phone system to include a digital program that lets customers dial in to place and pay for orders without the need for direct employee assistance.

Obtaining a free merchant account will release funding that might have been earmarked otherwise for account fees, allowing you to direct it to more needy areas of your operation. If you are able to negotiate a low per-transaction fee (especially one that is less than 20 cents per transaction) or a low monthly overall rate, your savings will be enhanced, providing additional savings that can be used in other parts of the budget.

For these and other reasons, apply today for your free merchant account!