Blog
Systemize your invoicing to prevent mistakes and improve your cash flow
Invoicing is a core aspect of small service business cash flow. It's how you let clients know what they owe, how they should pay you, and how long they have to pay you. Without invoicing, you wouldn't get paid and money wouldn't flow into your business (which is...
Things to consider when setting revenue-based goals
Basic revenue and profit targets are some of the most common business goals. They're straightforward, unpretentious, and easy to make. They don't need any fancy software to track or assess progress. And, you can keep them as simple as a sticky note on your screen, a...
How to constructively think about your business without totally ruining the holidays
Great business planning (and New Year's resolution-ing) involves a lot of intentionality, self-reflection (on both yourself and your business), and reviewing business stats (like financials, CRM data, etc). You need to take a hard look at your business, what's...
Late fees aren’t the answer to your cash flow problem
Every business owner has been burned by a late payment (or even nonpayment) before. You followed up, sent emails, and left voicemails, but your client was still full of excuses and the payment was late. And, while you were still upset with your client, you may've...
Systemize your owners’ bonuses for more predictable cash flow
There's a variety of reasons why you may've become an entrepreneur and started your own business. You might've wanted a better work/life balance, more flexibility, to be your own boss, you were laid off, etc. But, money is always part of the equation. (You have bills...
Getting more value out of a SWOT analysis
Everyone's first experience with a SWOT analysis is terrible. It's typically your first real exposure to business strategy and you just don't have enough experience in your business yet (because you're a business student, new entrepreneur, new to business...
The symptoms of disorganized cash distributions (and how to correct them)
Small business cash flow is an incredibly complex topic with lots of nuances. Every single aspect of your business impacts your cash flow. That's what makes rooting out the core cause of your cash flow issues and fixing them such a difficult process. It can take...
An intentional, targeted mini-budget is better than a half-assed full-business budget
Budgets play a vital role in big businesses and startups. They keep everyone on the same page in those hectic or unwieldy environments where there isn't one point person (like the owner, a controller, CFO, or director of operations) calling all the shots and approving...
Reader question: “Should I send clients gifts during the holidays?”
Halloween is behind us, everyone is gearing up for the holidays, the radio is playing entirely too much Mariah Carey, and business owners everywhere are wondering if they should send client gifts because "that's what real businesses do". But, like most other "that's...