What are the 5 Most Common Cash Flow Mistakes Business Owners Make?

In any business, money is the backbone of the operation. Managing a company's financial resources effectively becomes increasingly important as the company grows. The day-to-day operations of a small firm can easily get entangled, leaving little time or money for the management of the company's cash flow. Mismanagement of finances at this stage of your company's development could have catastrophic consequences. According to research, 29 percent of all businesses fail due to a lack of financial resources.

Cash flow mistakes can be caused by various factors, including forced growth, underestimating of profits, inadequate preparedness for a lean period or crisis, issues collecting payments, and others. The first signs of a cash flow problem are a fall in sales and a build-up of unsold inventory, both of which result in a decrease in revenue for your company. If you don't have adequate money management and forecasting skills, you can find yourself unable to make your payments on schedule.

Some of the major mistakes related to common cash flow are,

Mistake #1: Not Getting a Good Understanding of Your Accrual Accounting

When reconciling financial events, accountants commonly use the accrual basis of accounting. Cash flow forecasting on an accrual model, which includes current and future cash inflows and outflows, looks more realistic. The transaction time is not a concern in the accrual basis method since it is recorded before any money changes hands. Consider a utility company that invoices its clients monthly. The utility business keeps track of its monthly costs to provide service to its clients and avoids cash flow problems.

Mistake #2: Assuming Rent is the Only Cost of Doing Business

Before deciding whether to buy or lease a corporation, small business owners must weigh several criteria. After determining their facility needs, a business owner must now decide whether to buy or rent commercial real estate to bring business stability.

• The owner of the desired property is open to both selling and renting the property.
• While some competing spaces are for sale, many more are for lease.

Examining the benefits and drawbacks of leasing vs buying a facility will help you decide which option is best for your business expenses. A fair comparison is required between renting and owning a home for commercial purposes.

Mistake #3: Shifting Capital Expenditures into Operating Expenses to Reduce Tax Liability

A company owner knows that controlling expenses is critical to keeping their bookkeeping in line, managing cash flow, and running their entire organization smoothly. As you might expect, capital and operational expenses are taxed separately. All operational expenditures are fully deductible in the year incurred. Prepaying future costs and deducting them from your current year's tax strategy may save you money if you are a cash basis taxpayer. For example., consider paying a rent of $15,000 every year. This can be deducted from your taxable income when you file your tax return. Your taxable income can thus be reduced, helping you save a considerable amount in taxes.

Mistake #4: Not Selling Your Product in new markets

Global marketing blames the discrepancy on the absence of formal processes and human management practices.

Small businesses are often confident in their ability to generate ideas but less so in promoting them. Global marketing blames the discrepancy on the absence of formal processes and human management practices. It is a severe issue since it decreases the ROI from corporate R&D investments. Alternatively, companies who have spent millions inventing innovative technologies must enhance their marketing skills in the international markets.

Mistake #5: Undervaluing Your Company with Fictional Book Value or Owner's Equity

The phrase "book value" refers to a company's worth based on its financial planning mistakes and is easily understood. If all of the company's assets and liabilities were sold, investors would get the following. Thus, book value is the company's valuation, or the amount shareholders would receive if forced to sell the firm. One of the major downsides of book value is that firms only report quarterly or annually. After the reporting period ends, an investor can assess how the business has evolved.

Mistake #6: Getting Caught Up in the Latest Technology and Overlooking Existing Systems

Long-term trends in the industry include IoT, robots replacing humans, and traditional vs. digital production. It's excellent that technology is becoming more pervasive. Workers who handle machines, answer phones, make items, and other duties have several concerns. An industrial concern is this: "We are at a time of transition. I worry about being left out at times". A balance between tech and existing systems could be the solution to this problem.

Getting your cash flow mix right is a big challenge. And often, small businesses find themselves facing this situation. At Capital Boost, we help small businesses find the right business loan options to overcome cashflow challenges. To know more, contact our lending specialists.

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