Cash flow shows how money moves throughout your company. It shows a company’s cash inflows and outflows over a specific time period. To record the origins and applications of money over time, the company creates cash flow statements. Positive cash flow is good for your business when you have more money coming in than going out. However, it is negative when cash outflows surpass cash inflows. Therefore, one needs to track their financial flows closely. Contact a Long Island accountant to learn how to manage negative cash flow in your business.
Tips to manage negative cashflow in your business
Let us start by analyzing the causes of negative cash flows and the impact that they have on your company.
What causes cash flows to be negative?
These are the top five causes of negative cash flows that you must think about:
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Low Profits
Profits are your primary source of earnings, just like in any other business. Low or no profits could result from a variety of factors:
Insufficient sales and marketing techniques.
Low productivity in the production units.
The high operating costs or underpricing your product.
These often end in inadequate funds to maintain operations.
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Overinvestment
A company’s or individual’s investment requires a strategy that takes into consideration a number of rules. For example, you set up a plant ignoring the true need for your products, believing it will boost production and revenues. However, you find out that the plant’s maintenance and repair costs surpass your higher revenues. Finally, you have this plant in place of the money you need to support your business. Therefore, excessive spending could not be in your company’s or shareholders’ best interests. Hence, it can rapidly result in negative cash flow.
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Unexpected Expenses
Unexpected expenses, such as insurance premiums, equipment upkeep, taxes, and shrinkage, are the most common cause. As a business owner, you are unable to predict these unexpected expenses in a financial plan. Therefore, you need to set aside cash to handle irregular cash flow and avoid negative cash flow.
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Due Payments to Customers
A 2019 QuickBooks report states that a negative operating cash flow cycle can result from late payments. Outstanding receivables for SMB owners in the US increased by 81% between 2018 and 2019. Approximately 71% of those questioned said that late payments hindered their ability to pay suppliers. These figures show how important it is for invoices to have clear conditions for payment. Your cash flow will be adversely affected by past-due customer payments, making it hard for you to maintain business operations.
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Expedited growth
You always wish your company to grow, and a strategic plan is the only way to do so. Your money and efforts will only be successful if you have an effective strategy for expanding your company. Growing your business too rapidly is an alarm sign. Additionally, your cash flows are affected by a number of growth challenges. For example, recruiting employees at random, focusing exclusively on short-term gains and improperly managing financial tracking.
Once the causes of negative cash flow have been identified, read about their possible effects on your company.
Impact of Negative Cashflow
Poor cash flow management has an impact on each component of your company. Investors, in particular, review your cash flow statement before deciding whether to make an investment. It creates an adverse reaction if there is uneven positive cash flow. For this reason, a lot of investors are going to withdraw their money from your business. Additionally, banks offer your company no fixed-rate interest loans or loans with higher interest rates for the same reason. In addition to displaying your company’s terrible financial situation, it also shows the following:
- The company’s incapacity to fulfill its daily operational commitments
- Business losses
- Growth Stunned, Dividend Payout Hampered
- Ineffective or poor operations
As a business owner, you want to stay out of the situations mentioned above. You can, therefore, handle negative cash flow through a few methods.