Making a virtue of necessary cost control
Businesses are often caught out by threats of economic uncertainty or even outright recession and it is then that they are most likely to embark on a series of drastic cost-cutting measures. Cost control is not a matter of expediency, driven by external events, rather, it should be cultural; a way of operating in good times and bad.
The question is 'how do you ensure that your approach to cost control is thoroughly rooted in the way you do business?'
Cash Flow Management for Service-Based Small Business Owners
One of the biggest problems I see with small service-based business providers, particularly those whose owner is the sole provider of the service, is how to ensure consistent cash flow. So that you don't experience the peaks and troughs of cash coming in whilst delivering your service, then cash stopping when service delivery ends.
Debt Management - a Process for Positive Cash Flow
Debt is one of the realities of business. Even if your customers pay within the allocated terms, it's your business that is carrying the risk. Many businesses avoid thinking about debt until they are in a position where they are faced with a potentially ruinous situation of a large debt and insufficient capital to keep the business operational.
Searching for Expansion Finance – 4 Actions to Get Prepared
Most businesses require funding from external providers if they are to achieve the expansion the stakeholders and directors envisage. Within the northeast there are more than 60 sources for external funding. Across the UK and internationally, a lot more.
Business Plans – Why are they are essential
Generally there are two occasions when a Business Plan will be produced for a trading business - we're going to look at the reasons and what you should be including in your plan.
What nobody tells you about raising venture capitalist finance
Raising funding for a startup is hard. There's no question about it: raising capital from angel investors or venture capitalists is a huge hurdle for almost every startup out there.
Cashflow forecasts - the basics
Every business should have a cash flow forecast so that it can project the amount of money coming into the business (inflow) and the amount of money leaving the business (outflow). Your cash flow will help you to identify peaks and troughs in your finances. Used effectively it is a valuable tool for your business. A cash flow forecast usually covers a 12 month period for smaller businesses, larger businesses may need to produce one for three or even five years.
10 steps to maintaining a healthy life balance
The work-life balance is one of the hardest things to get right, especially when you're trying to start, grow or develop a business. Here are ten things that you can look at to make a start.
How to get people to do what you want them to do
We all at some point need to get people to do things for us, and some people find it hard to achieve the end result. Here are 5 simple steps to getting people to do things, without looking like Attila the Hun.
