7 cash flow problems (and solutions) for small businesses | QuickBooks (2024)

Other cash flow solutions

Cash flow problems can threaten your business’s health, whether you’re self-employed or a small business owner with employees. Fortunately, you can use these tactics to help tackle common cash flow problems.

Reduce and negotiate your expenses

Reducing or negotiating expenses is a smart way to encourage positive cash flow. With more working capital, you can prioritize expenses and prevent cash flow problems from spiraling out of control.

Depending on your circ*mstances, a few creative changes may help get you back to positive cash flow.

  • Discontinue nonessential services temporarily.
  • Expand virtual services.
  • Cancel or reduce premium services.
  • Move to a lower-cost supplier temporarily.
  • Reduce operating costs.

Looking for methods to reduce operating expenses isn’t easy, but it will bring essential and non-essential expenses into the spotlight.

Create a short-term business survival plan

For small business success, examine your business plan, processes, operations, income, and expenses. If your business works on a per-project basis, use job costing to review your business’s profit and loss statements and margins. Identify the lion’s share of expenses and profits in products, services, clients, and labor.

Understanding this information can give you an accurate cash flow projection under normal circ*mstances. It can also help you predict how scaling back will affect your business.

Consider borrowing options

Borrowing money is another way to balance your cash flow. Ideally, you opened lines of business credit when your finances were in a better place. But if that isn’t the case, ask your current financial service provider what they can offer before turning to other lenders.

Although short-term loans can seem like a lifeline when you’re experiencing problems with cash flow, there are caveats. First, you may need to have a documented business plan and cash flow forecast to show lenders. Second, interest rates and other terms and conditions can have lasting consequences. It is important to read the fine print before borrowing. Finally, if there’s an internal flaw in your business, a fresh injection of cash won’t solve cash flow problems, it will only delay them.

7 cash flow problems (and solutions) for small businesses | QuickBooks (2024)

FAQs

What is the problem with cash flow in small business? ›

A cash flow problem occurs when the amount of money flowing out of the company outweighs the cash coming in. This causes a lack of liquidity, which can inhibit your ability to make payments to suppliers, repay loans, pay your bills and run the business effectively.

What are some solutions to cash flow problems? ›

How to solve common cash flow problems
  • Revisit your business plan. ...
  • Create better business visibility. ...
  • Get better at forecasting. ...
  • Manage your profit expectations. ...
  • Minimise expenses. ...
  • Get good accounting software. ...
  • Try not to overextend. ...
  • Try to get paid quicker.
Dec 23, 2022

What are the five main causes of cash flow problems? ›

5 Biggest Causes of Cash Flow Problems
  • Avoiding Emergency Funds. Businesses — like individuals — need to be prepared for the unexpected. ...
  • Not Creating a Budget. ...
  • Receiving Late Customer Payments. ...
  • Uncontrolled Growth. ...
  • Not Paying Yourself a Salary.
May 3, 2023

What is an example of a business with cash flow problems? ›

For example, an investor or bank can withhold a portion of your funds if you don't meet expectations or your income is much less than you projected. This can cause cash flow issues if you rely on those funds to cover major expenses, such as replacing broken equipment or responding to an emergency situation.

What are the three main causes of cash flow problems? ›

The main causes of cash flow problems are:
  • Low profits or (worse) losses.
  • Over-investment in capacity.
  • Too much stock.
  • Allowing customers too much credit.
  • Overtrading.
  • Unexpected changes.
  • Seasonal demand.
Mar 22, 2021

How to avoid cash flow problems in a business? ›

How To Avoid Cash Flow Problems
  1. Don't confuse sales figures with cash flow. ...
  2. Don't fall prey to poor planning. ...
  3. Set up cash flow reporting. ...
  4. Avoid delay of payment from customers. ...
  5. Don't overextend your available inventory. ...
  6. Don't leave yourself without a cushion.
Mar 7, 2024

What actions should be taken to improve cash flow? ›

Improve your cash flow
  • Consider your pricing.
  • Increase your sales.
  • Collect cash owed to you faster.
  • Review your expenses.
  • Employ the right people.
  • Manage your inventory.
  • Make your assets work for you.
  • Get advice from a professional.
Jan 18, 2024

How to improve cash flow in a business? ›

6 ways to improve cash flow in your business
  1. Use software to track your inflows and outflows. ...
  2. Send invoices out immediately. ...
  3. Offer various payment options for customers. ...
  4. Reduce operating costs. ...
  5. Encourage early payments, while discouraging late payments. ...
  6. Experiment with your prices.

What is most likely to cause a cash flow problem? ›

Late Payments from Buyers

This is one of the biggest cash flow issues affecting businesses. As businesses need to pay expenses, a delayed payment reduces cash inflows while adding pressure to pay bills on time.

What hinders cash flow? ›

Inadequate credit policies, lax follow-up on outstanding invoices, and ineffective collection practices can hinder cash flow and create liquidity issues.

How many small businesses struggle with cash flow? ›

1: Cash flow problems. According to SCORE, 82% of small businesses fail due to cash flow problems. Cash flow is a blanket term that has many underlying roots. Cash flow is simply a metric that indicates how money is coming in and being spent at your business.

How can a small business manage its cash flow? ›

Below are some cash flow management strategies to consider:
  1. Pay bills strategically. ...
  2. Choose the right payroll cycle. ...
  3. Negotiate your payments with suppliers. ...
  4. Collect receivables quickly. ...
  5. Manage your credit policies carefully. ...
  6. Use a business credit card. ...
  7. Consider a line of credit. ...
  8. Use technology to make and accept payments.

Can a profitable business fail because of cash flow problems? ›

According to a study, 82% of small businesses fail because of cash flow problems. This means that even if a business is profitable on paper, it can still go under if it doesn't have enough cash on hand to pay its bills and expenses.

How can a business improve cash flow problems? ›

8 ways to improve cash flow:
  • Negotiate quick payment terms.
  • Give customers incentives and penalties.
  • Check your accounts payable terms.
  • Cut unnecessary spending.
  • Consider leasing instead of buying.
  • Study your cash flow patterns.
  • Maintain a cash flow forecast.
  • Consider invoice factoring.
Apr 29, 2021

What is the problem with cash flow statement? ›

Some common problems with the cash flows statement are the following: Classification differences between the operating statement and the cash flows statement. Noncash activities. Internal consistency issues between the general purpose financial statements.

How important is cash flow to a small business? ›

Cash Flow is the money that's flowing in and out of your small business - hence the name. Having a positive cash flow means that more money is coming into the business than going out. It's just as important as profit when it comes to determining your business' performance.

Why is cash flow bad? ›

If a company is constantly reporting negative cash flow, it is either overinvesting or losing money over time which is certainly not a good sign. This can lead to unpaid bills and increased layoffs.

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