Finance Tips Archives - Connor Business Resources

The 5 Best Ways to Handle a Late-Paying Client

A small business’s cash flow is, not surprisingly, dependent on cash. That’s why late-paying clients can be an incredibly frustrating challenge for a small business owner. It not only ties up money you need to pay your own bills — trying to get clients to pay can become a real time drain. In fact, a study found that small business owners spend an average of 1.3 days a month chasing down money that’s owed to them.

Top 35 Ways to Improve Cash Flow

Sales Related:

Increase sales (particularly those involving cash payments).
Increase prices especially to slow payers.
Review the payment performances of customers with sales force.
Become more selective when granting credit.
Seek deposits or multiple stage payments.
Reduce the amount/time of credit given to customers.

12 Ways to Improve your Cashflow

Managing cash flow is the lifeblood of every small business. Your work may reward you in ways that are not about money at all, but if the cash flowing in does not exceed the cash flowing out, you will probably be in trouble before long.

Ten Facts About Bonuses

Money required for bonuses comes from profit which belongs to shareholders. It should only be invested in bonuses if it will increase shareholder wealth and/or financial security.
If bonuses are distributed too widely among employees, the individual bonuses are invariably too small to act as profit motivators.
Small bonuses for outstanding performers are inadequate rewards that probably act as demotivators, and do not motivate continued high performance.
Bonuses should be at least 10 percent of an employee’s annual salary, and preferably much higher, if the bonus is expected to motivate continued high performance again next year.
Bonuses distributed to most employees as the ‘same percentage of annual salaries’ become an entitlement after two years and do not motivate high performance.
Firms cannot continue to pay out large bonuses unless they generate high profits in most fiscal years.
Executives, managers and other key employees such as chief engineers, principal designers and business developers have greater impact on a company’s success than employees performing roles at lower organizational levels, so naturally they will be eligible for bonuses, and their bonuses should be larger than many other employees.
Outstanding performers’ income packages should include a market-related salary, the opportunity to purchase shares in the company, and an outstanding incentive bonus.
An out-of-date business culture can mask unacceptable productivity levels and dangerous marketing problems, both of which contribute to reduced profit and small or no bonuses.
Some employees believe that they are already working very hard (input) and should receive a bonus when, in reality their performance level (output) is less than adequate.

A Pocket Dictionary of Basic Financial Terms for Small Business

Studies show that many Business Owners are not reviewing their Financial statements … WHY? It’s because they do not understand all of the financial terminology.

Business Ratios

Here is a glossary of terms regarding various business ratios.

Current Ratio

Measures whether or not the firm has enough resources to pay its debt over the next 12 months – formula:

Current Ratio = Current Assets ÷ Current Liabilities

Acceptable ratios are between 1.5 and 2 – below 1 the company may of issues meeting its short term obligations