Cash flow management is the process of tracking the money moving in and out of your business or personal finances. It involves understanding the revenue you’ve received to assess whether you have enough funds to cover both your short-term and long-term expenses.
Many businesses can struggle with managing their cash flow. This can be due to changing business conditions such as inflation, wage pressures or even government regulations.
To better understand your cash flow, it's important to analyse it using key financial tools.
A Cash Flow Statement is a good starting point for understanding your business better. It includes three main sections:
Operating Activities: Cash generated from daily business operations, such as sales revenue and operating expenses.
Investing Activities: Money used for capital expenditures, investments, and asset purchases.
Financing Activities: Cash related to loans, investors, and debt or equity financing.
By calculating the amount of free cash flow, you are able to gauge how much cash your business has at the end of a period.
Along with the cash flow statement the two most used reports are the balance sheet and profit and loss statement.
This is a snapshot of your business’s financial position at a specific point in time.
It shows what the business owns (assets), what it owes (liabilities), and the owner’s equity or value in the business.
This a is a summary of your business’s revenues, costs, and expenses over a specified period (usually quarterly or annually).
When shown on a cash basis, it complements the cash flow statement by providing a clearer picture of cash transactions.
Together, these reports allow investors, lenders, and business owners to assess financial stability, profitability, and liquidity.
One of the easiest ways to improve your cash flow is by ensuring you send invoices promptly when they are due. If you delay sending an invoice for even a week, that’s a week you won’t be paid! For recurring invoices, consider setting up automated billing systems to save time and avoid the hassle of creating invoices each month. If some clients consistently pay late, try offering incentives like a 1-5% discount for early payment. This could encourage them to settle their bills faster. Many people are willing to pay quickly if it means saving a few dollars.
Another strategy to improve cash flow is negotiating payment terms with your suppliers. For example, if they currently expect payment within 7 days, try discussing an extension to 14 days. Long-term clients are often in a better position to negotiate these terms. Delaying payments for as long as possible and receiving income as quickly as possible goes a long way in managing your cash flow.
If you’re a business that sells goods it may be worthwhile minimising the stock you hold. Look at which items are selling fast and focus on ensuring you have those on hand.
Mastering cash flow management is essential for keeping your business running smoothly and setting it up for long-term financial success.
By understanding key financial statements, regularly monitoring cash flow, and implementing effective strategies, businesses can maintain a healthy financial position, enabling growth and stability.
At DS Financial Partners, we help businesses take control of their finances through expert accounting and advisory services.
Contact us today to learn how we can support your business’s financial health.