Accounts payables procedures
At the successful end of any business is a strong accounts payables and accounts receivables procedure. You need to be able to set up accounts payables in a manner that is easy for you to actually adhere to. Not all of the vendors out there are willing to negotiate better payment terms and many of them are not willing to extend payment terms so you must be able to collect the funds from your customers in a timely manner in order to actually have the money to pay your bills on time.
How real world management experience compares to MBA Textbook experience
Managing a small business is not a piece of cake as you already know. As the owner/manager you are suddenly thrust into many different roles like becoming a financial controller. Learning how to manage your business finances can be very challenging, especially if you do not have a lot of background experience dealing with it. This poses the question to many people about the difference between real work management experience and the MBA textbook experience. Some critics say you learn how to manage your business finances better by going to get your MBA. Others disagree and claim that you need to have real world management experience to teach you these important characteristics.
Why do you need a business plan?
Acquiring financing, investors, and partners for your business can be a challenge if you don't have the right type of documents ready. A business plan offers you the ability to teach others about your business so you can acquire the financing you need along with other things. A business plan is easy to create and it will easily help you establish yourself as a reputable company.
Different financing options for your small business
Every small business will need financing in one way or another. Financing allows you to purchase the right type of equipment you need to get your business up and running. The problem many small businesses have been running into lately is finding out that lenders are not offering money anymore. Small businesses are inheritably risky to lenders because they have a huge failure rate in the first 2 years. Until you can prove that your business is going to sustain the ups and downs of the economy, you may not be able to convince them to offer you funding.
A look at cost management and BPM
BPM or business process management is a systematic approach to improving your organization's business processes.Business process management seeks to make the business processes more effective, efficient and more capable to adapting to change.Cost management goes hand in hand with business processes; striving to make your business processes more effective and efficient cost money and finding a balance is extremely important.Let's take a look at cost management and BPM.
How to attract investors
One thing that every company dreams about doing is expanding or growing, most businesses don't want to remain where they are at even if it means just hiring an employee or two. Most owners of businesses have dreams about making more money and like most of you know in order to make money you are going to need to spend money. This is actually where investors come in. There are plenty of people who want to invest in businesses, but the problem is trying to figure out what you can do to get them to invest in your business.
Difficulty rating: Moderate to difficult
Tips for reading and understanding fiscal reports
A fiscal report helps track the source and use of money. It shows both cash flows (profits) and spending (expenses) and therefore helps determine how much money is left to spend. This report is also helpful to the company to see its overall performance for the year and how, where and what it needs to change or improve in the coming year to continue being successful. The fiscal reports capture the equity, activity and balances associated with the business spending and earnings for the year.
At the end of the year, the company publishes an end of year fiscal report. The report shows that the company was firmly on track to meet its fiscal objectives with strong surpluses on the current budget and stable levels of net debt maintaining the business stability. It provides a better understanding of the background of the finance projections published in the pre-budget report.
Continue reading "Tips for reading and understanding fiscal reports"How to apply for a business credit card
ash flow is always a priority and the need to stay in control of your business expenses sometimes gives you no other options but to apply for a business credit card. You want to apply for a business credit card that offers ways to help you control your business expenses better and that gives you the flexibility to manage your spending however you want. Credit cards are so universal among business people just because they are very easy to carry in a wallet instead of big amounts of cash, and they seem to be accepted anywhere in the world making business transactions fast and easy.
You want to find the best credit card for your business purchasing whether you need to do so from the office, on the road or from home. You must look for a credit card with a credit limit well suited for your growing business needs. There are so many credit card offers online or in the mail that the choices can be overwhelming. You can start by reviewing all credit cards offers for business purposes that come in your mailbox or by checking online. More and more credit card company offers a no annual fee with a zero percent introductory rate on purchases or on a balance transfer that you can take advantage of during that period. They also give great incentives such as travel rewards, gift certificates and merchandise to get you to sign up for one of their credit card options as well as convenient access to your account and dedicated customer service anytime you need. Once you have decided, then select the credit card company that best meets your business goals.
What investments can be used as business write-offs?
One of the good things about owning your own business is the ability to write off certain business expenses and investments. This means that you can deduct the price of your investment or item from your overall taxable income, saving you money in the long run.
You can end up saving a lot of money when it comes to writing off investments. However, there are a number of rules pertaining to tax write offs that must be adhered to; if you write off things that are not legitimate business expenses, then you run the risk of being audited by the IRS.
What types of investments are best for business
One way to grow your business and secure your company's financial future is through investments. Many businesses are turning to investments to help grow their own business as well as increase their cash flow.
If your business is looking to invest, there are many different types of investments to choose from. The following are some of the best investments for businesses that have the lowest risk rates and highest returns:
Using an investment management service for your business
An investment management service can help you determine your financial goals and objectives while helping you to manage your portfolio and your risks. This is an excellent idea for businesses that are new to investing and want to ensure their company money is being spent wisely. Even businesses experienced with investing would be wise to utilize these services.
Choosing an investment management service
There are a number of things you need to consider when choosing the right investment management service. The following are a few tips to helping you choose the right management service:
- Do they offer a tailored approach? Chances are you have your own goals and objectives when it comes to your investing, and your investment management service should be accommodating in regards to how involved you would like them to be in your investment. Make sure there is an agreement beforehand.
How to make your books clean and accurate
Keeping accurate financial accounts is essential to any type of business.It helps your business run more smoothly and gets you prepared for tax time.Let's be honest- it's much easier to keep good financial accounts on an everyday basis than it is to frantically try to organize your accounts later on.Here are some tips on how to make your books clean accurate so that your business can be ready for anything that might happen.
If you are the one who takes care of your books, the first thing you might want to do is re-evaluate the financial software program you've been using.Do you know how to use it?Is the program easy to use?Have you used it before?Will you be able to efficiently input all your information?Does it enable you to quickly and easily access past information?Will you be able to store all the information that is relevant for your business?
Questions you should ask your accountant monthly
Building a relationship with your accountant is very important to your business success.Asking the right questions and being on the same page as your accountant is a huge step in the right direction.As you get to know your accountant they will meet with you and already know what you are going to ask.
To start the relationship you need to come into meetings with your accountant with the most productive questions in mind.Know what you want to find out, be prepared with a list of questions.Whether you sit down with your accountant every month and have a meeting, or simply keep informed by short conversations, don't be afraid to ask.
Continue reading "Questions you should ask your accountant monthly"How to declare bankruptcy as a business
Bankruptcy is a way of negotiating your debts with creditors that you cannot afford to pay. The process of bankruptcy has very deep consequences, so therefore before you think about bankruptcy, it is strongly suggested that you consider an alternative course of action that might be available to you. You should try to solve your debt problems first with your creditors. You can make an arrangement with them as to how much you can pay them each month until the loan is paid off. After all your attempts to defer the process of bankruptcy you still find that you are struggling to pay your monthly payments as they become due and your business is in jeopardy, only then should you consider your option to declare bankruptcy.
It is very important as a businessman to know the best way to declare bankruptcy. Bankruptcy can be a good way to solve all your financial issues especially if you have no other alternatives. It's very crucial that you learn and know the steps of how to declare bankruptcy before you actually file for one. Filing for bankruptcy without the right counseling can be a devastating situation that may further increase your financial troubles as well as your anxiety. Also, while you are compiling information on bankruptcy, you may find other sources of help to avoid bankruptcy. The best way to declare bankruptcy is actually to contact a bankruptcy expert who will go through your financial issues with you. The only reason for your business to file for bankruptcy is because it's struggling to keep up with its creditors and it's not generating enough money to stay caught up with collection agents.
Business investing, what to avoid
Every time you invest your money, there is no way to know if you are going to make a return. Investing your hard-earned dollars is a very risky business. There's no way to know the future and investing in something that seems to be doing well today may turn out differently a few years in the future. Investing in stocks, bonds, real estate and other investments are really investments where you have no way of knowing the outcome. You can make or lose money according to the fluctuation of markets.
Most people as well as businesses like to invest in the hopes of achieving the financial goals they set for themselves. While there is always the opportunity of making huge investment gains, there are also other investment decisions that have gone wrong. When investors make the wrong decisions on investments, they can actually lose a big chunk of their capital and more. You need to be educated and find out all that you can to make the best investment of your hard-earned money.
Continue reading "Business investing, what to avoid"Being prepared for anything financially, including an audit
They say that you should expect the unexpected, which is true. You should also expect the expected, which sometimes companies and small businesses fail to do. With a little discipline, some planning, organization, and some investment in the right software and technology, your company can be ready for anything that may come your way.
Another often used saying is that you should save for a rainy day. This is just as true in a business as it is in personal finance. Do not ever think that your business is invincible, even when things are going well. Things can and will go wrong. There may be a law suit that you don't feel comfortable fighting, and so you would rather settle it out of court. Maybe you have a situation such as a major accident or natural disaster where your insurance does not cover the whole damage due the limits of liability being exceeded, due to a high deductible, or due to the policy not covering it. What if you get audited by the IRS, and they find that your company owes more than you had hoped. The best way to protect your business against these problems is to have on hand some cold, hard cash. You can, of course, invest some of this money into short term, medium yield investments, but overall, you need to have some funds available to hedge your bets against the expected and the unexpected. Don't think that something bad won't happen to your company. It can and will happen, and you should plan ahead by contributing a portion of your profits to a cash account that you can draw from in an emergency.
Quarterly assessment of business finance
Financial statements are the actual records of a business' financial activities. Financial statements provide an overview of a company's profitability and their financial condition in both the short and long term. Financial statements are used by both internal and external users. But something else that you need to know about financial statements is that if you are a publicly traded company then you are going to need to file your financial statements on a quarterly basis so your investors can examine the finances of your business. But even if you are not a publicly traded company by preparing your financial statements on a quarterly basis you are able to perform a financial assessment of your business four times a year which gives you a lot of insight into how well your company is doing.
Internal users are owners, managers, or other people who are directly connected with the company who is preparing the financial statements. Some internal users use the financial statements to help them make important business decisions that can affect the operations of the company. Employees will also use financial statements in discussing their compensation, promotion, and rankings, which is known as collective bargaining. External users, such as creditors and potential investors use the financial statements to determine if the company will be able to pay any loans or if they company is a good choice to invest in. The government actually uses the financial statements to ensure that the right amount of taxes and other things declared by the company have actually been paid by the company.
Protecting yourself from embezzling and business finance fraud
When it comes to running a business there are numerous things that you are going to need to worry about and unfortunately two of those things are embezzlement and business finance fraud. Nobody wants to think that they can become a victim of these two types of financial crimes because they tend to think that everybody is as honest as they are and for the most part this is true. But with the advances in today's technology you not only have to worry about your own employees when it comes to financial fraud but you have to worry about outside forces as well. But the good news is that there are things that you can do to protect yourself from embezzlement and business finance fraud.
Internet monitoring software is actually a pretty much known as parental control software, but it actually has other uses. Businesses have actually started to make use of internet monitoring software because it is a great way to help protect them from embezzlement and business finance fraud. The reason that internet monitoring software is used to protect business from embezzlement and business finance fraud is that it can allow the companies to see what it is that their employees are doing on the computers at all times, which includes recording all of the key strokes that an employee can make at any given time. And the best part about this software is that it is perfectly legal for companies to use and not tell their employees that it is installed.
How to better stay on top of invoices
Invoicing is one of the main parts of business. Without invoices companies would not receive payment for their services. Because of how important invoices are it is a good idea to make sure that you stay on top of your invoices. Remember if you don't send out an invoice you will not be getting paid by your customer.
Difficulty rating: Easy to moderate
How to track expenses and make sure they are legitimate
There are at least two good reasons for you to track your business expenses. One reason to track business expenses is for tax purposes.At the end of the business year, you can claim tax deductions for all of your legitimate business expenses.The other reason to track business expenses is to keep your eye on your money and avoid paying for non-business items claimed by employees.
In order to track you expenses for tax purposes, you might consider using computer software to help track and organize business expenses.If you have a larger company, consult with your administrative assistant, financial officer, or whoever is in charge of the tracking of money in your company.Find out what sort of software he or she recommends for your particular situation.If your company is smaller, you might be the person in charge of all the money.If this is the case, you will likely want a simple program that allows you to organize your deductions.
How to best show costs
Knowing how to best show costs is central to proper and accurate accounting and budgeting for your small business or corporation. Normally, accounting has to do with matching your revenue from the sale of a product or a service with all of the costs that are associated with producing that product or service and then delivering that product or service within a particular time period.This matching of revenue and cost is rather straightforward for some industries, while for other industries they are more complicated.We will use the construction business as an example for understanding different ways to best show costs when you are coming up with a budget and accounting for costs and revenue.
There are four different ways to track costs and to match revenue, costs, and profit, particularly when you are in the construction business:cash, accrual, completed contract, and percentage of completion.
Cash method of showing costs
Hiring a great CFO, tips and tricks
Everybody who has ever hired somebody for any position already knows how hard it is to find the right person for the job. But when you are hiring somebody for the position of Chief Financial Officer or CFO then the job has just gotten that much harder because of the importance of that position and how nobody wants to be known as the person who hired the CFO that wasn't up to the job. But luckily there are a few tips and tricks that you can use when hiring a CFO so that you can make the best decision possible to help your company.
Here are some tips and tricks to hiring a great CFO.
Tip one:
Look to hire from inside the company first. You want your new Chief Financial Officer or CFO to have the same values and morals that your company has. Chances are many of your employees who are working in accounting or finance already share those views. What you need to do is look at your current employees to see if any of them have the traits and qualifications that you are looking for to become the next CFO.
Tips for staying on top of your business finances
The point of business is to make money.You want your business to be a successful, profitable company that yields more than it spends.But making money isn't always as easy as it sounds.Even with a business that seems to be prospering, there can be times where you're not actually making money.But if you're on top of your business finances, you'll be much more likely to recognize whether your business is succeeding or not.So keep reading and learn some tips for staying on top of your business finances.
Educate yourself
There's no better way to ensure that your company's finances are secure than to educate yourself.You should be the expert on all things relating to your company.You should know all about the product or service you sell.You should be able to understand the different kinds of costs and expenses your business incurs.Knowing about your business is the key to staying on top of your finances.
What are variable or direct costs and what do they mean to your business?
Once you get involved in business finance, you cannot help but deal with both variable cost, and direct costs.Even before you start your business, when you are preparing your business plan and budget, you will have to account for both types of costs.This article will help you understand each type of cost and the difference between them.
Variable costs are costs that change based on the amount of business you are doing.The best example of variable cost comes from the manufacturing industry.If there is more demand for your product, you increase production.As you increase production, you need more raw materials to work with.These raw materials represent a cost (you have to pay for your stuff, right?) and that cost varies depending on how much of your product you are manufacturing.
How to read your financial charts, graphs, etc
Introduction
If you are involved at all in business finance, you will spend a fair amount of time looking at charts and graphs that represent visually what is happening or expected to happen with your money.Reading charts and graphs seems straightforward but there are actually some things that you need to know to read them properly.
Instructions
How to forecast your financial atmosphere for next quarter
Introduction
As your business grows, it will become more and more important for you to be able to forecast your financial needs and project future financial statements.This is especially true if you are making an investment proposal.You need to be able to tell investors what they can expect out of your company so that they can decide whether to invest in you.You will also be expected to forecast finances for you company if you are employed as a financial analyst or financial officer.
Instructions
How to forecast your financial atmosphere for next quarter
Introduction
As your business grows, it will become more and more important for you to be able to forecast your financial needs and project future financial statements.This is especially true if you are making an investment proposal.You need to be able to tell investors what they can expect out of your company so that they can decide whether to invest in you.You will also be expected to forecast finances for you company if you are employed as a financial analyst or financial officer.
Instructions
How to maintain a clear understanding of your business finance
As someone who has or works in a business, it is important that you are aware of the financial situation of your company.Understanding your business finance is important for a couple of reasons.First of all, understanding your business finance helps you to follow the business budget, because you will understand why money is allotted to each budget category.You also will be better able to keep your business' budget balanced, since you will be aware of how much money you need to spend and earn in each budget category.In addition, understanding your business finance is also helpful because you will be better able to look for ways to improve your business within its financial means.Here are a couple of ways that you can maintain a clear understanding of your business finance:
- Constantly review your business' budget:If your business has a good budget model, it is already set up to be constantly modified and reviewed.Even if you aren't the person who specifically modifies and changes the budget, make sure that you review it often.When you review the budget often, it will be easy for you to see when changes are made.In addition, you will be able to better understand why changes and modifications were made, based on the current situation of the business.If you only review the company's budget once every six months or every year, you will not be able to pay attention to all of the changes and details as well.It is better to review your company's budget on a bi-weekly or monthly level so that you can maintain a clear understanding of your business finance.
Continue reading "How to maintain a clear understanding of your business finance"Education necessary for the business finance field
One of the fastest growing and most lucrative job fields today is the field of business finance.The field of business finance includes a number of different possible jobs, such as loan officers, business finance officers, business finance managers, CFOs, financial advisors, financial specialists, accounting specialists, and more.The demand for various business finance jobs is only growing with the fast pace of the world-wide economy.So how can you be prepared to be competitive in the field of business finance?What kind of education do you need for the business finance field?
Let's use a particular job opening as an example to demonstrate the education qualifications necessary for a successful career in the field of business finance.Recently, a major developmental commission in a large Western city listed a job opening for a business finance officer.The job responsibilities for this business finance position requires that the officer underwrite loan requests for businesses from any size; implements, plans, and coordinates loan programs along with community development initiatives; serves as a coordinator and a liaison between different community and private departments.
Continue reading "Education necessary for the business finance field"Education necessary for the business finance field
One of the fastest growing and most lucrative job fields today is the field of business finance.The field of business finance includes a number of different possible jobs, such as loan officers, business finance officers, business finance managers, CFOs, financial advisors, financial specialists, accounting specialists, and more.The demand for various business finance jobs is only growing with the fast pace of the world-wide economy.So how can you be prepared to be competitive in the field of business finance?What kind of education do you need for the business finance field?
Let's use a particular job opening as an example to demonstrate the education qualifications necessary for a successful career in the field of business finance.Recently, a major developmental commission in a large Western city listed a job opening for a business finance officer.The job responsibilities for this business finance position requires that the officer underwrite loan requests for businesses from any size; implements, plans, and coordinates loan programs along with community development initiatives; serves as a coordinator and a liaison between different community and private departments.
Continue reading "Education necessary for the business finance field"How to attract the best in the industry without overpaying.
It's important for business owners and business managers to know how to attract the best employees in the industry without overpaying them and running your budget into the ground.
All employers want to find the very best possible employees that they possibly can.You want the people who are at the top of their field.You want people who know what's going on in the industry.You want people who can keep up with changes in the field, who can work well with others on your office team, and who are business savvy enough that they will be a financial benefit to your company.So how can you afford to attract these top notch employees without devoting all of your money to their salaries?
How to keep people from abusing the company credit cards
Wondering how you can ensure that your different employees don't abuse your company credit cards?Here are some guidelines to help you control the use of company credit cards and how you can monitor the way that your employees use your company credit cards.
1.Put in place definite guidelines for the use of company credit cards.
How to read a balance sheet
There are different ways that you can set up a balance sheet for your business. Depending on what you want on your balance sheet will depend on how you will want to lay it out. If you do not know how to read a balance sheet there are some things that you might want to look at. Here are some tips on how to read a balance sheet.
The first tip on how to read a balance sheet is to look at the beginning balance and the ending balance and make sure that the starting balance matches with what the ending balance was for the month before. You will want to check your bank statements and make sure that everything on your balance sheet matches up. Usually a balance statement will have all of a company's accounts payable and all of the accounts receivable. You will want to make sure that everything that has gone in and out of your company is put on the balance sheet, Then you will be able to go down the balance sheet and see where exactly your finance have been after every transaction. If your balance sheet is set up correctly you should be able to see the correct balance after each transaction.
Matching your business finance with your company goals
An entrepreneur with a dream and an idea is an important tool in this growing economy. A self-starter has a variety of reasons why he chooses to create his own company. The ability to create a business demands lots of ingenuity, money, perseverance, self-confidence, motivation, and a great deal of faith. As a business owner you find yourself constantly planning for the future of the company. Each self-starter businessman doesn't become millionaire over night, but continually tries to find ways at each stage of the company to improve it by offering new ideas, services, products, adding staff members or even renovating or expanding an area of the business.
There are many financial institutions willing to lend you the money to start your own business as long as you can show them the potential of your business, and more importantly that you can make the monthly payments on your loan.
Manage your business by delegating properly and allowing those working for you to share their ideas on how to make the company more prosperous and enjoyable.
Setting goals for the company:
How to track your business finance
Running a business can be a very stressful and difficult job.Business finance is important.Having a good system of keeping track of all business finances is a must.A business stands on how much money it is making, if the business is not making money it will no longer be a business. Today there are many ways that a business owner can track their finances.Below are some examples on how to track business finances.
1) Strategy.
Make a strategy on how you are going to take care of your finances. Research ways you can track your finances.Make a list of things you will need to be taken care or, for example: do you just need to keep record, do you need to know every single expense,can you manage all finances by yourself or do you need to bring in a professional.Get references, ask people what they do to keep track of their finances, maybe their way will be an easy way for you too.Remember that everyone chooses the way that is best for them, so choose the way that will be best for you.
How to control your business finances, not let them control you
Here are some guidelines that will help you control your business finances instead of letting them control you.
Do you feel like you have completely lost control of your business' money?At the end of every month, do you just pray that things will work out?Do you have any idea where your money is going and do you simply hope that you will have enough coming in to cover what goes out?
Continue reading "How to control your business finances, not let them control you"What is commercial financing and how does it apply to your business?
usinesses can be financed, whether they are just starting up or if they are expanding, taking a new direction, and so on.Commercial financing is one of the most common ways that businesses are financed.Knowing your different financing options, and the different options of commercial financing, can help you make important financing decisions when it comes to your own business.
Technically, commercial financing refers specifically to the offering of loans to businesses.Most typically, commercial financing is done through a bank or some other major lender.Many banks offer small business loans that are especially designed to fit the needs of a variety of small businesses.If you decide that you want to finance your business through a bank loan, ensure that you visit a number of different lenders, such as banks and credit unions.Review your options carefully so that you can choose the lending option that is best suited for your business and for your current financial situation.
How to attract the best in the industry without overpaying.
It's important for business owners and business managers to know how to attract the best employees in the industry without overpaying them and running your budget into the ground.
All employers want to find the very best possible employees that they possibly can.You want the people who are at the top of their field.You want people who know what's going on in the industry.You want people who can keep up with changes in the field, who can work well with others on your office team, and who are business savvy enough that they will be a financial benefit to your company.So how can you afford to attract these top notch employees without devoting all of your money to their salaries?
5 tips for choosing a business finance broker.
Choosing the right business finance broker is a difficult decision for you to make.Your business finance broker can make or break your sale or your purchase; you need to choose a broker who understands your own needs and has a marketing approach that will be most beneficial and productive for your specific situation.
So, before you go out and choose any old business finance broker from off the street, and end up frustrated a year later, read these 5 tips for choosing a business finance broker.
Continue reading "5 tips for choosing a business finance broker."What investment mistakes can your business avoid?
When it comes to investing, mistakes are inevitable. A big part of investing is taking risks and making mistakes, then learning from them so you can avoid them next time you need to make an investment decision for your business. However, by knowing some of the more common investing mistakes, your business can avoid them or at least be aware of them.
The following are some investment mistakes your business should avoid: