Every business needs cash reserves to pay their bills and expenses on time. It is vital to balance the timing and amount of money flowing in and out of your business daily, weekly and monthly. While this may seem fundamental to some, it is surprising how often experienced people miscalculate the required level of cash reserves.
‘Cash’ is the amount of money immediately available to your business – including coins, notes, money in your bank account, any unused overdraft facility and foreign currency and deposits that can be quickly converted into your currency.
Cash does not include any money or value owned by the business that cannot be accessed quickly – e.g. long-term deposits that cannot be quickly withdrawn, money owed to your business by customers, stock or assets
In order to make a profit, most businesses have to produce and deliver sold goods or services to their customers before being paid. So it is therefore essential to have measures in place to control your cash flow. This ensures you always have enough cash available to pay your staff and suppliers before receiving payment from your customers. If not, you will be unable to meet your customers’ requirements or receive any profit.
It is important not to confuse your ‘cash balances’ with profit. Profit is the difference between the total amount your business earns and all of its costs, usually assessed over a year or a specified trading period. You may forecast a good profit for the year, yet still face times when you are strapped for cash.
Fortunately there are very effective solutions tailored to overcome cash flow shortages. One such solution is Debtor Finance which is widely used to accelerate cash flow by releasing valuable cash tied up in debtors and provide the working capital for growth.
However, having a lot of cash in your bank account may not always be the best thing for your business. If you have a lot of spare cash available, it can sometimes be a good idea to move it to another account with a higher interest rate, or use it as capital for short-term investments. Choosing the right bank account/s for your business is very important, so it is recommended that you seek professional advice from your bank, accountant or financial adviser.