Are you Running your Business Blindfolded?
Look to the future with planning to ensure you are running your business successfully.
When you think of taking a holiday, you make decisions about where you want to go, what you want to see and what you’ll do during the trip. Even if you decide to go where the whim takes you, you’ll still see the signposts along the road and make decisions about which way you’re going to go.
Business is no different to planning a holiday, you need to have a plan on where you want to go and how you’re going to get there.
Firstly, you need to set financial goals, this may be a revenue target, or a profit target or capping expenses at a particular figure, it’s your choice what is important to you.
Using those goals put them into a budget projection and fill in the rest of the details with the cost of sales, expenses and other payments. You may do this initially using annual figures and then break them down into monthly figures taking into account any seasonal...
EOFY and it's Time to Reset your Business Goals
Taking the time to reset your business goals throughout the year can provide great value.
The old saying is that time flies when you’re having fun, but I think that needs to be upgraded to time flies when you’re running a business. Weeks fly by, then it’s months, and before you know it, we’re almost at the end of the financial year and halfway through the calendar year. Yikes.
While a new financial year is a great time to set goals and budgets for the next financial year, the key is not to set them and forget them. Goals and budgets need to reviewed and re-assessed throughout the year.
There’s nothing more discouraging than setting a lofty revenue goal at the beginning of the year, falling short of it on a monthly basis for the first few months and then feeling like a failure for the rest of the year.
DON’T DO IT. INSTEAD, RE-ASSESS YOUR GOALS, ADJUST THEM, DOWNWARDS IF YOU NEED TO, SO THAT YOU ALWAYS HAVE GOALS THAT FEEL...
Beware Tax Planning, It's not all it's Cracked up to be
Don’t Waste Your Money on Tax Planning Opportunities If You Don’t Need To.
The end of the financial year isn’t far away, and whether you’ve made a profit or suffered a loss, it’s time to focus on tax planning. Tax planning is all fine and good, but you have to have the cash flow or funding to reap the benefits of most of the opportunities available.
Hopefully, you’re aware that as a small business, the ATO allows you to claim a full deduction for the cost of equipment, fittings, computers and so on up to a cost of $ 30,000 per item.
Superannuation contribution limits are $ 25,000 for employees of all ages.
If you have a family business where both you and your partner work in the business, you have the opportunity to contribute $ 50,000 which includes superannuation guarantee on your wages.
LET’S SEE HOW THIS MIGHT LOOK FROM A CASH FLOW PERSPECTIVE.
1. Assuming that both family members take a salary of $ 90,000, that means...
How to get Paid on Time when Selling to Small Businesses
I regularly get asked the question “What do I do with xyz company to make sure I get paid, they owe me $$$, and it’s way overdue?”.
I also have situations where clients don’t pay me on time, and I understand the time and emotional costs in chasing up the payment not to mention the potentially disastrous impact it has on your cash flow and ability to pay the bills. While the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman has been working hard to get Small Businesses paid faster by large corporations, it’s still up to you when you’re selling to Small Businesses.
These three key areas will make a big difference to your outstanding invoices.
1. CREDIT CHECKING BEFORE PROVIDING CREDIT.
When we apply for credit with our suppliers, the chances are we’ve had to fill in an application form with details of our financial viability, references and possibly provide a directors personal guarantee.
We need to apply this same...
Find out where the pressure is in your business
The Business Barometer will measure your business finances across three critical areas: Core Concepts, Focused Management and Planned Growth.