It doesn't matter if you are here in Lake Nona, a community within Orlando, FL "the City Beautiful", where my tax practice is, or anywhere else in the country, these ideas can work for your business if you need cash fast.
For many small businesses, it’s time to get scrappy and entrepreneurial when it comes to cash flow. Here are 31 ideas ideas to make it through the next few weeks or months.
Rearrange your budget.
There are lots of things you may not need to spend money on this year specifically due to the pandemic. They can be re-appropriated to cover payroll or other necessary expenses while the revenue slows down. Here are a few ideas:
1. Re-appropriate travel expenses.
2. Re-appropriate transportation expense.
3. Re-appropriate conference fees.
4. Re-appropriate your reduced office utilities if you are working from home
5. Re-appropriate reduced office supplies like coffee that you won’t need to spend on if workers are working from home.
Trim the fat, then go a little leaner if you have to.
Some of these may not be easy to do, but they may save your business.
6. Cut pay as much as possible during this temporary time.
7. Freeze hiring.
8. Ask workers if they want to voluntarily reduce their hours.
9. Offer extra days of unpaid leave
10. Cut training expenses.
11. Cancel dues and subscriptions.
12. Slash marketing costs.
13. Cut contractors.
14. Cut all other unnecessary expenses.
Get the cash flowing.
Get your creative entrepreneurial juices going and find a way to boost revenue.
15. Move your service to delivery if it works for your industry.
16. Move your products to those that are in need. Designer masks, anyone?
17. Move your service to a virtual version.
18. Offer a new service.
19. Acquire and sell an item in need.
20. 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.
21. File your tax return ASAP if you’re due a tax refund and use that money in your business.
22. If you have losses from 2018 and 2019, check with your tax professional to see if you will benefit from amending those tax returns.
Speed up your cash flow.
There are many things you can do to permanently improve your cash flow. Here are a few:
23. Make deals with vendors to extend credit or slow down your payment to them.
24. Work on collections and get your accounts receivable balance lower.
25. Invoice faster and tighten the pay terms.
Borrow money.
There are many options right now to borrow money.
26. Take money out of your 401K to use in your business (I only recommend this as a last resort).
27. Use your stimulus check in your business.
28. Use your bank line of credit if it is still available.
29. Take advantage of the EIDL, PPP loan, employee retention credit, or the deferred taxes option from SBA and the Treasury.
30. Borrow money from a relative or friend.
31. 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.
-Brad
I enjoy helping individuals with tax preparation and tax planning as well as offering financial coaching to individuals (and businesses) looking to overcome challenges and reach their financial dreams. I also service businesses (including nonprofits and churches) by providing tax preparation and tax planning as well as consulting for accounting, bookkeeping, and other finance related questions. I live in Orlando, FL, but I serve clients all across the country. Contact us if you need assistance and take a look at the resource page.
6900 Tavistock Lakes Blvd Ste 400
Orlando, FL 32827
(407) 243-8678
Serving clients in Orlando, Lake Nona, Altamonte Springs, Apopka, Azalea Park, Celebration, Hunters Creek, Lake Buena Vista, Lake Hart, St Cloud, Winter Garden, Winter Park and via the latest technology remotely around the country.
*The blog posts (as well as the YouTube channel) are my personal opinions and thoughts about a wide range of topics. They are not meant to apply to individuals specifically and should never be relied on as tax or investment advice. You should contact a professional for specific advice before taking action.
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