The Discounting Trap

The reality is that at some point, almost every business experiences a cash flow crunch. This may be because the business has experienced growth too quickly and eroded its cash reserves, or because it has experienced a downturn in trading conditions. Managing your cash flow during a crisis is crucial for the survival and stability of any business. The below steps can help ensure liquidity and financial health during challenging times. Step 1: Take Stock and Assess Cash Flow Status Begin by conducting a thorough analysis of your current cash flow. How much money do you have in your bank, how much do your customers owe you, how much do you owe other people, and how much headroom do you have in your bank facility. Step 2: Build a 13-week Cash Flow Plan Prepare a condensed 13-week cash flow plan that maps your inflows and outflows to identify areas where you can cut costs or delay expenses. Then you can create a detailed cash flow forecast to predict short-term and long-term cash needs. Step 3: Monitor Establish a daily routine to monitor your cash position. Not monthly, not weekly - daily. This will help you gain back control. Step 4: Prioritise Essential Expenses Focus on the most critical expenses necessary to keep the business running. This might include payroll, rent, utilities, and essential supplies. Postpone non-essential expenditures and investments until stability is restored. Step 5: Improve Receivables Expedite the collection of outstanding invoices. Offer discounts for early payments and implement stricter credit terms for customers. Regularly follow up on overdue accounts to ensure timely payments. Step 6: Negotiate with Vendors Open lines of communication with suppliers to negotiate better payment terms. Extended payment periods or discounts for bulk purchases can provide temporary relief. Building strong relationships with vendors can lead to more flexible arrangements. Step 7: Communicate with the ATO Establish payment plans and structures but do not ignore your obligations. Silence here is NOT golden. Step 8: Reduce Inventory Levels Excess inventory ties up cash that could be used elsewhere. Optimise inventory levels to match current demand, and consider liquidating slow-moving stock to free up cash. Step 9: Access Financing Explore various financing options such as lines of credit, short-term loans, or government relief programs. Maintaining a good relationship with your bank can facilitate quicker access to funds when needed. Step 10: Cut Unnecessary Costs Review all expenses and eliminate or reduce non-essential costs. This might include subscription services, travel expenses, or marketing budgets. Streamlining operations can lead to significant savings. Step 11: Sell Surplus Assets Realise cash by disposing of equipment or other assets that are not essential to daily operations. Step 12: Communicate with Stakeholders Maintain transparent communication with employees, investors, and other stakeholders about the financial health of the business and the steps being taken to manage cash flow. Their support and understanding can be invaluable during a crisis. Conclusion: By implementing these strategies, businesses can better navigate financial challenges and emerge more resilient from a crisis. Most importantly, remember this: cash flow pressure is incredibly common , even in strong, well-run businesses. You’re not alone in facing it, and with the right plan, structure, and support, it’s something you can work through with confidence. At Your Success Lab , we work with hundreds of Australian business owners to improve cash flow, increase profitability, and put strong financial foundations in place. If you want to take control of your numbers and plan with confidence, we’d love to support you. Get in touch today to start building a stronger, more resilient business.

When improving business profitability, many business owners make the mistake of focusing too much on cutting costs instead of striking a balance between reducing expenses and growing revenue. Most business owners and managers simply focus on cutting overheads without balancing their profit-improvement time in other important areas like growing revenue and improving margins. To get the best outcomes you must take a strategic approach to your profit and loss (P&L) statement. This requires allocating your time effectively across key areas: overhead costs, direct costs, and revenue improvement. 1. Overhead Costs (10-15% Time Allocation) Overhead costs—such as rent, utilities, and general administrative expenses—are relatively fixed. While you might be able to cut these expenses by renegotiating contracts, reducing waste, or improving operational efficiency, significant reductions are typically limited to 10-15%. Since potential savings are limited, no more than 15% of your profit-improvement time should be devoted here. Focus on reviewing these costs quarterly and ensure any ongoing expenses still provide value. Key Actions: Negotiate supplier contracts for rent, insurance, and utilities. Identify unnecessary or redundant services. Automate administrative processes to improve efficiency. 2. Direct Costs (30-35% Time Allocation) Direct costs include both fixed and variable costs related to delivering your product or service, such as raw materials, labour, and manufacturing expenses. In my experience, businesses can achieve up to a 30% margin improvement by optimising labour, improving operational efficiencies, and negotiating buying better terms with suppliers. This is a high-leverage area because improvements here go straight to your gross margin. Allocate around 35% of your time to reviewing and improving your direct costs. Key Actions: Improve labour utilisation through better scheduling and training. Optimise procurement processes to secure better pricing from suppliers. Reduce waste and inefficiencies in production or service delivery. 3. Revenue Improvement (50% Time Allocation) The most significant opportunity for profit growth lies in revenue improvement. Efforts to enhance your sales process, increase lead generation, develop new products, or improve pricing strategies often yield much higher returns than simply cutting costs. By focusing half of your time here, you'll create sustainable, scalable profit growth. Marketing, business development, and refining your sales process are key to driving top-line revenue. Pricing is another critical factor—small price increases can have a significant impact on profitability without increasing costs. Key Actions: Optimise your sales process to increase conversion rates. Invest in marketing to generate more qualified leads. Explore pricing adjustments to increase margins. Develop strategic partnerships to expand your market reach. Final Thoughts Improving profitability requires a balanced and strategic approach. By dedicating 50% of your time to revenue growth, 35% to direct cost management, and 15% to overhead reduction, you'll position your business for sustained profitability. Remember, cutting costs has a limit, but revenue growth is where true scalability and success lie. Make this time allocation a regular part of your business planning, and you'll see steady improvements over time.