For many small businesses, it’s time to get scrappy and entrepreneurial when it comes to cash flow. Here are dozens of ideas to make it through the next few weeks or months.
Rearrange your 2020 budget.
There are lots of things you won’t need to spend money on this year. They can be re-appropriated to cover payroll while the revenue slows down. Here are a few obvious ones:
- Apply travel expenses to payroll.
- Apply transportation expense to payroll.
- Apply conference fees to payroll.
- Apply your reduced office utilities to payroll if you are working from home
- Apply reduced office supplies like coffee that you won’t need to spend on if workers are working from home to payroll.
Trim the fat, then go a little leaner if you have to.
Some of these may not be too palatable, but they may save your business.
- Cut executives’ pay as much as possible during this temporary time.
- Freeze hiring.
- Offer early retirement.
- Ask workers if they want to voluntarily reduce their hours.
- Offer extra days of unpaid leave (and require a minimum if you need it to avoid layoffs)
- Cut training expenses.
- Cancel dues and subscriptions.
- Slash marketing costs.
- Cut contractors.
- Cut employee benefits.
- Put a hold on 401K matches.
- Cut all other unnecessary expenses.
Get the cash flowing.
Get your creative entrepreneurial juices going and find a way to boost revenue.
- Move your service to delivery if it works for your industry.
- Move your products to those that are in need. Designer masks, anyone?
- Move your service to a virtual version.
- Offer a new service.
- Acquire and sell an item in need.
- Got extra space? Find a renter.
Get a tax refund.
The new laws provide for a couple of ways you can get a tax refund.
- File your 2019 return ASAP if you’re due a refund and use that money in your business.
- If you have losses from 2018 and 2019, check with your tax professional to see if you will benefit from amending those returns.
Speed up your cash flow.
There are literally hundreds of things you can do to permanently improve your cash flow. Here are a few:
- Make deals with your vendors to extend credit or slow down your payment to them.
- Work on collections and get your accounts receivable balance lower.
- Invoice faster and tighten the pay terms.
Borrow money.
There are many options right now to borrow money. PPP might be the best game in town, but it’s not the only one.
- Take money out of your 401K to use in your business.
- Use your stimulus check in your business.
- Use your bank line of credit if it is still available.
- Take advantage of the EIDL, PPP loan, employee retention credit, or the deferred taxes option from SBA and the Treasury.
- Borrow money from a relative or friend.
- Check locally in your bank, credit union, city, county, or state for small business programs.
Every penny counts for some small businesses, so use any and all of the ideas above so you can ride this situation out.
And if we can assist you with your cash flow projections or creating or modifying your budget, just reach out.