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	<title>The FD Group - Part Time FD Service For Growing Service Businesses</title>
	
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		<title>Part Time FD Tip: Why Banks Don’t Want To Lend…</title>
		<link>http://thefdgroup.co.uk/part-time-fd-tip-why-banks-dont-want-to-lend/</link>
		<comments>http://thefdgroup.co.uk/part-time-fd-tip-why-banks-dont-want-to-lend/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 07 May 2012 07:27:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Cash Injection Tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Part Time FD London]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thefdgroup.co.uk/?p=601</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There’s been a lot of criticism of the banks in recent years over their resistance to lending to business owners. Many owner/managers can’t understand why banks won’t give them overdrafts or loans to support and grow their businesses. Well the answer lies around the bank’s position on risk, the security available, the financial commitment and [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a class="post_image_link" href="http://thefdgroup.co.uk/part-time-fd-tip-why-banks-dont-want-to-lend/" title="Permanent link to Part Time FD Tip: Why Banks Don’t Want To Lend&#8230;"><img class="post_image alignleft remove_bottom_margin frame" src="http://thefdgroup.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/banker.jpg" width="445" height="355" alt="Post image for Part Time FD Tip: Why Banks Don’t Want To Lend&#8230;" /></a>
</p><p><strong>There’s been a lot of criticism of the banks in recent years over their resistance to lending to business owners.</strong> Many owner/managers can’t understand why banks won’t give them overdrafts or loans to support and grow their businesses.</p>
<p>Well the answer lies around the bank’s position on risk, the security available, the financial commitment and ability of management and, to a lesser extent, the economic cycle generally.</p>
<h2>Banks Are Not Investors!</h2>
<p>The first thing you need to know is that a Bank is not an investor i.e. risk lender. What this means is that banks won’t advance money to you and me, or a business, unless there is a high degree of certainty that the money will be repaid. To provide this certainty, they will almost always want security. So what is this?</p>
<p>Think about what happens when you want to borrow money to buy your home. A bank or a building society will normally offer a loan, as long as three key conditions are met:</p>
<ol>
<li>The loan is restricted to a specified percentage of the value of the house</li>
<li>The house is pledged to the lender until such time as the loan is fully repaid</li>
<li>You must show the ability to make repayments against the loan.</li>
</ol>
<p>In this example, the security is the pledging of the house. If you default on the loan repayments then the lender has priority before any other person to take possession of the property and sell it to repay the debt. Any surplus money would then be returned to you.</p>
<p>Bank lending to businesses is no different. The same key conditions apply. The difference is that most businesses don’t own the property they occupy. So security has to be found elsewhere.</p>
<p>In years gone by, many businesses were funded through banks overdraft facilities. As security the banks registered a debenture over the company’s assets giving them “a fixed and floating charge” over the company’s assets.</p>
<p>A fixed charge means that a lender has priority rights over a specific asset, like the property example above. With a floating charge, the lender ranks after certain preferential creditors; therefore it doesn’t give the same protection to the lender in the event the latter has to recover its borrowing.</p>
<h2>Things Have Changed&#8230;</h2>
<p>Property apart, the main asset in a company is usually the amounts due by its customers, known as trade debtors, book debts or accounts receivable. Up until a few years ago, a bank was able to secure its lending with a first fixed charge over book debts.  With a high proportion of debtors usually recoverable in the event of a customer entering insolvency, banks were often prepared to lend by way of overdraft.</p>
<p>Due to various legal judgements, this is no longer the case. Only if book debts are paid into a separate account over which the lender has control, as opposed to mixed with other monies in an overdrawn account, will a lender have first call on book debt recoveries in an insolvency.</p>
<p>This has resulted in a huge increase in business for companies such as Factors and Invoice Discounters who specialise in lending against book debts. On the other side, lending by banks on overdraft has greatly contracted.</p>
<p>Overdrafts and loans are of course still available, but security is sought outside the business. This is normally by way of personal guarantees from the business owners frequently supported by charges over their homes. If you as a business owner are not prepared to give this security, it is unlikely you will get the cash. If you do not have the confidence to back your business by putting your money/assets on the line and where your mouth is, why should the lender?</p>
<p>That said, a bank has a responsibility to ensure that you do not enter into such commitments recklessly and that you take professional advice. Although the security lies outside the business, it is the business that is expected make repayment. The bank will therefore carefully consider the prospects for the business, review any business plan and make an assessment of the capability, experience and past record of management.</p>
<p>In periods of economic downturn, the risk of default on borrowing is greater as businesses start to suffer lower profitability. The value of security often drops, the ability to repay reduces and risk increases. Although the business may have a need for additional borrowing, for all the reasons above the banks’ attitude to lending will harden.</p>
<p>It is easy to blame the banks for the problems they have caused within the economy, but it would be equally wrong for them to support businesses which are failing. In keeping with Charles Darwin’s theory “Survival of the fittest”, recession provides the stage to get rid of the weakest and poor performers whilst providing opportunities for the best.</p>
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		<title>Part Time FD Tip: Spring Cleaning Your Small Business Financials</title>
		<link>http://thefdgroup.co.uk/spring-cleaning-your-small-business-financials/</link>
		<comments>http://thefdgroup.co.uk/spring-cleaning-your-small-business-financials/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 02 Apr 2012 14:30:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Cash Injection Tips]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thefdgroup.co.uk/?p=585</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Spring is here! New grass is coming in. Perennials are starting to bloom. You might even be motivated to do a bit of cleaning (or pay someone else to do it). You’re probably getting outside more, perhaps starting practice on your softball team, prepping your garden, or using the extra daylight for evening walks. Springtime [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a class="post_image_link" href="http://thefdgroup.co.uk/spring-cleaning-your-small-business-financials/" title="Permanent link to Part Time FD Tip: Spring Cleaning Your Small Business Financials"><img class="post_image alignleft remove_bottom_margin frame" src="http://thefdgroup.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/springclean.jpg" width="545" height="364" alt="Post image for Part Time FD Tip: Spring Cleaning Your Small Business Financials" /></a>
</p><p><strong>Spring is here! New grass is coming in. Perennials are starting to bloom. You might even be motivated to do a bit of cleaning (or pay someone else to do it).</strong></p>
<p>You’re probably getting outside more, perhaps starting practice on your softball team, prepping your garden, or using the extra daylight for evening walks. Springtime inspires a universal sense of starting new activities and taking a fresh look at the world. Why not include your business in that fresh look?</p>
<p>Spring cleaning your finances can boost your small business profits. It will be quick, easy, and unlike cleaning, I promise it won’t make you sneeze.</p>
<p><strong>First Step to Spring Cleaning: Lose Expenses That Don’t Deliver Value</strong></p>
<p>When was the last time you evaluated the return on your subscription to “The Widget Makers Magazine?” Do you just pay the bill out of habit? Perhaps you even have the subscription set to auto pay.</p>
<p>It’s easy to fall into a routine, doing things because you’ve always done them. While it delivered value in the beginning, the tool or resource may no longer meet your need. The business world is always changing and evolving, you need to be sure you change with it.</p>
<p>Here’s a quick and easy way to spring clean your expenses:</p>
<ul>
<li>Print out a list of your expenses from your accounting or bookkeeping system</li>
<li>As you read each line answer the following questions yes or no. If the answer is yes to any of the questions, cross out that line.</li>
<ul>
<li>Did this expense produce any new leads, customers or revenue in the past three months?</li>
<li>Is this expense necessary to keep my business running? This may include items such as your office rent, business filings, or attorney fees.</li>
<li>Is this expense necessary to service my clients?</li>
</ul>
<li>Take a hard look at the expenses that are left on your list. Is it something new that is still being tested? Imagine having to defend the expense to a stranger (or me if that helps.)</li>
<li>Eliminate the expenses that aren’t still being evaluated or you can’t objectively defend.</li>
</ul>
<p>Doesn’t that feel good? You’ve cleaned up your expenses, saved some money, and reinforced the right places to be investing your hard earned cash.</p>
<p><strong>Second Step: Lose Activities That Don’t Deliver Value</strong></p>
<p>Time is money. Time is actually your most precious asset. It can’t be saved up, rolled over or even purchased from someone else. Every person gets 24 hours in a day and seven days in a week.</p>
<p>Getting rid of activities that don’t produce results is just as important as getting rid of underperforming expenses. The review process is very similar.</p>
<p>Start by writing a list of all your common activities, there are no write or wrong answers, just brainstorm. You can do it in word, on a piece of paper, a white board or even borrow your pre-schooler’s crayons. Just get a list put together.</p>
<p>Once you’ve got all your activities down on paper it’s time to do a review. Ask yourself the following questions. If the answer is yes cross out that activity:</p>
<ul>
<li>Did this activity produce any new leads, customers or revenue in the past three months?</li>
<li>Is this activity necessary to keep my business running? Paying taxes doesn’t generate revenue but it does keep you out of jail. That makes it a necessary activity.</li>
<li>Is this activity a necessary part of servicing my customers?</li>
</ul>
<p>Just like you did with the expenses above, take a hard look at the activities left on your list. Is it something new that is still being tested? Imagine having to defend the activity to an investor or colleague. Eliminate the activities that aren’t still being evaluated or you can’t objectively defend.</p>
<p>Doesn’t that feel good? You’ve cleaned up your expenses, saved some money, streamlined your activities, opened up time on your schedule and reinforced the right places to be investing your assets.</p>
<p><strong>Final Thoughts on Cleaning Up Your Small Business Finances</strong></p>
<p>Do you have a spring cleaning ritual for your business? What does it involve? After doing these exercises, what have you discovered or changed in your company?</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>To read the original article click here&#8230; <a href="http://smallbiztrends.com/">http://smallbiztrends.com</a></p>
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		<title>Part Time FD Tip: There Are Only Two Ways To Increase Your Profit…</title>
		<link>http://thefdgroup.co.uk/part-time-fd-tip-there-are-only-two-ways-to-increase-your-profit/</link>
		<comments>http://thefdgroup.co.uk/part-time-fd-tip-there-are-only-two-ways-to-increase-your-profit/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 21 Mar 2012 20:47:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Cash Injection Tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Part Time FD London]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Most people would agree with me that the main purpose of owning a business is to make money… Yes there may be people fulfilling an ambition, creating something, looking for power etc, but the best measurement of achievement of even these goals is the level of profit the business is making and ultimately how much [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a class="post_image_link" href="http://thefdgroup.co.uk/part-time-fd-tip-there-are-only-two-ways-to-increase-your-profit/" title="Permanent link to Part Time FD Tip: There Are Only Two Ways To Increase Your Profit&#8230;"><img class="post_image alignleft remove_bottom_margin frame" src="http://thefdgroup.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/profit-2ways-e1332362763262.jpg" width="300" height="160" alt="Post image for Part Time FD Tip: There Are Only Two Ways To Increase Your Profit&#8230;" /></a>
</p><p><strong>Most people would agree with me that the main purpose of owning a business is to make money… </strong></p>
<p><strong></strong>Yes there may be people fulfilling an ambition, creating something, looking for power etc, but the best measurement of achievement of even these goals is the level of profit the business is making and ultimately how much cash is generated and banked.</p>
<p>There are only two ways to increase profit. The first is to reduce costs, the second to grow sales. Sounds simple doesn’t it?</p>
<p>The quickest way to increase profit is to cut out costs. However this carries with it two very important limitations:</p>
<ol>
<li>The upside increased profit potential is restricted to the total value of the costs</li>
<li>Removal of costs beyond a certain point will damage your business.</li>
</ol>
<p>Clearly you can’t remove all costs or the business would stop very quickly. But there may be opportunities to cut out extravagances such as a corporate box at a favoured football club, high performance cars or excessive entertaining. It may be possible to source purchases elsewhere or to renegotiate contracts.  What inefficiencies exist in the organisation currently? Can wastage be reduced? Is outsourcing an option? Are employee numbers too high?</p>
<p>There may be other areas of saving. However starving a business in essential business development areas for a prolonged length of time will affect trading adversely. Ongoing investment in areas such as training, sales and marketing, employee welfare, and new technology is essential for a business succeed longer term.</p>
<p>So while cost reduction of cost is normally the best short term fix for profitability and cash flow issues, sales growth offers the greater profit potential for wealth creation. And there are only three ways you need to know to increase sales:</p>
<ol>
<li>Increase your customer base, the number of people who buy from the business</li>
<li>Increase the average order value, the amount on average a customer spends with you each time he places an order</li>
<li>Increase the frequency of purchase, the number of times the customer comes back to place orders with you.</li>
</ol>
<p>Every strategy you can think of for increasing sales can be categorised under one of the above three headings. The easiest category to influence is Average Order Value. Could you put up your prices 1% without affecting customer buying patterns? If 1%, why not 5%?</p>
<p>Usually the most difficult category to increase is the number of customers, getting a stranger to buy. But if you’re not very good in generating leads at present, or you struggle to convert the leads that you do have, this is where rewards can be highest.</p>
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		<title>Part Time FD Help: If A Lack of Focus Is Holding You Back Here’s A Way To Solve The Problem…</title>
		<link>http://thefdgroup.co.uk/part-time-fd-help-if-a-lack-of-focus-holding-you-back-heres-a-way-to-solve-the-problem/</link>
		<comments>http://thefdgroup.co.uk/part-time-fd-help-if-a-lack-of-focus-holding-you-back-heres-a-way-to-solve-the-problem/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 10 Nov 2011 13:47:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Cash Injection Tips]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thefdgroup.co.uk/?p=547</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Do you come up with loads of business ideas but struggle to put these into practice? Are you always busy progressing initiatives but have difficulty reaching the point where these start to generate revenue? Are you trying hard, but find yourself in the same place you started several months down the line? Do you suffer [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a class="post_image_link" href="http://thefdgroup.co.uk/part-time-fd-help-if-a-lack-of-focus-holding-you-back-heres-a-way-to-solve-the-problem/" title="Permanent link to Part Time FD Help: If A Lack of Focus Is Holding You Back Here’s A Way To Solve The Problem…"><img class="post_image alignleft remove_bottom_margin frame" src="http://thefdgroup.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/part-time-fd-lack-of-focus.jpg" width="300" height="321" alt="Post image for Part Time FD Help: If A Lack of Focus Is Holding You Back Here’s A Way To Solve The Problem…" /></a>
</p><p><strong>Do you come up with loads of business ideas but struggle to put these into practice?</strong></p>
<p>Are you always busy progressing initiatives but have difficulty reaching the point where these start to generate revenue?</p>
<p>Are you trying hard, but find yourself in the same place you started several months down the line?</p>
<p>Do you suffer from task paralysis, the point where you have so much to do that it’s a problem getting things done?</p>
<p>If any of the above strike a chord with you, you’re certainly not alone. Many of us are guilty of regularly falling into this trap. But sometimes it’s not easy to see the wood from the trees. You know you’re not where you want to be &#8230;.  but you’re not really sure why it’s not happening for you, or indeed what to do about it.</p>
<p>It’s easily done. I’ve been there myself!</p>
<p>Some months back, I came across a great way of understanding this situation, and why it stops you getting on in business. I’d like to share this with you.</p>
<p>First, you need to think of your business development as a journey. The starting point is A, the final destination B. In order to complete your business journey, you need to travel the road from A to B.</p>
<p>Now imagine, as on most roads, particularly after a harsh winter, there are a number of potholes. Some of these potholes are bigger than others. In this case, they make the road impassable to traffic. The starting position looks like this.</p>
<p><a href="http://thefdgroup.co.uk/part-time-fd-help-if-a-lack-of-focus-holding-you-back-heres-a-way-to-solve-the-problem/part-time-fd-pot-holes1/" rel="attachment wp-att-548"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-548" src="http://thefdgroup.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/part-time-fd-pot-holes1-300x104.jpg" alt="part time fd pot holes1" width="300" height="104" /></a></p>
<p>In order to reach your destination, you need to fill in each pothole along the way with boulders. You can see that on this journey that there are three potholes. But you can’t get past pothole 2 until pothole 1 is filled in, nor pothole 3 until pothole 2 is full.</p>
<p>In the above example, it takes four boulders or actions to fill in pothole 1 to allow you to advance to pothole 2. The problem lies in the way most people go about this.</p>
<p>If we work on all the potholes at the same time and put two boulders in each hole, the position becomes as follows:</p>
<p><a href="http://thefdgroup.co.uk/part-time-fd-help-if-a-lack-of-focus-holding-you-back-heres-a-way-to-solve-the-problem/part-time-fd-pot-holes2/" rel="attachment wp-att-549"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-549" title="part time fd pot holes2" src="http://thefdgroup.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/part-time-fd-pot-holes2-300x104.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="104" /></a></p>
<p>Working on each of the three potholes simultaneously leaves us in a position where we remain stuck at pothole 1. Although pothole 2 is full, it does not matter. We are still basically near where we started. How much better it would have been had we worked on pot hole 1 first, then pothole 2 &#8230;..</p>
<p><a href="http://thefdgroup.co.uk/part-time-fd-help-if-a-lack-of-focus-holding-you-back-heres-a-way-to-solve-the-problem/part-time-fd-pot-holes3/" rel="attachment wp-att-550"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-550" title="part time fd pot holes3" src="http://thefdgroup.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/part-time-fd-pot-holes3-300x104.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="104" /></a></p>
<p>Another way to think about filling in a pothole, or the actions necessary to complete a task, is this. Until all the actions are completed, and the last boulder is at the surface of the road, there is no visibility to what you’re doing to the outside world. If you’re trying to generate different revenue streams, no income will result until the product or service is ready to promote and buy.</p>
<p>There’s another problem. Do you regularly get distracted by the next new thing which could benefit your business?  Termed “Shiny Object Syndrome”, this is another common factor which often distracts attention away, with the result that you drop the task you’re holding or doing.</p>
<p>Continuing with the pothole analogy, what’s happening here is that you’re creating new potholes for yourself without first filling in the old ones. This is making the journey both longer and more difficult, especially when the natural tendency of many business owners is to try and fill in all the potholes themselves without seeking specialist outside help.</p>
<p>All in all, you’re finding that the list of jobs to be done grows ever longer. You’re spending more and more time (and money) in your business without the rewards, and to the detriment of other areas of your life. And still, from a business perspective, you remain largely in the same place you started.</p>
<p>This is what stops most business owners from being successful. Knowing this means you can change your behaviours.</p>
<p>So begin to move past your personal potholes to reach your chosen destination!</p>
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		<title>Part Time FD Advice: Business Budgeting For Beginners</title>
		<link>http://thefdgroup.co.uk/part-time-fd-advice-business-budgeting-for-beginners/</link>
		<comments>http://thefdgroup.co.uk/part-time-fd-advice-business-budgeting-for-beginners/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 20 Oct 2011 13:59:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Cash Injection Tips]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Business Budgeting For Beginners I was reading a short article in a magazine today focused on a high profile businessman. One point that really caught my eye was when the business owner stated that his company’s turnover would be between £10m and £20m this year. For a growing company, or in an uncertain economy, some [...]]]></description>
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</p><p><strong>Business Budgeting For Beginners</strong></p>
<p>I was reading a short article in a magazine today focused on a high profile businessman. One point that really caught my eye was when the business owner stated that his company’s turnover would be between £10m and £20m this year.</p>
<p>For a growing company, or in an uncertain economy, some degree of variance is to be expected. But I’d be concerned if the sales performance of my company could vary to that extreme.</p>
<p>Whatever the realities, budgeting is a key tool that every business owner should be using to grow their business. Not bothering to budget is a big mistake that too many make.</p>
<p>The benefits of a trading budget or forecast are twofold.</p>
<ol>
<li>It sets an expectation or target to aim for and actions to focus on. Also what resources – people, premises, customers, supplies, funding – are required to make the forecast a reality.</li>
<li>It provides a benchmark against which to monitor progress.</li>
</ol>
<p>If all is going to plan, then great. If not, benchmarking actual performance against budget lets you quickly identify where the main variances lie, and react accordingly.</p>
<p>A simple budget boils down to only three elements: Sales turnover, Direct costs, Overheads. The budgeting process for each is set out below.</p>
<p><strong>Budgeting Sales Turnover</strong></p>
<p>Many small business owners think working out the top line sales figure is so difficult they don’t even attempt to put together a budget. “Our business is too unpredictable” is something I often hear. But this is not a valid excuse.</p>
<p>Working out a simple sales forecast is about making an informed judgement as to what sales next year will be like compared to sales in prior years. The best approach to this is as follows:</p>
<ol>
<li> Start with considering what has changed compared to last year</li>
<li>Ask relevant people, key employees and customers for their input and thoughts</li>
<li>At its simplest, take sales for the current financial year and add/subtract a percentage</li>
<li>For more detail, budget sales for individual business lines, locations, customers</li>
<li>If you’re selling time, take the number of people x % utilisation x days worked</li>
<li>If you have several service lines or products with different profit margins, budget each separately. This is essential if the mix of what you sell is changing</li>
<li>Factor in seasonality. Look at month by month sales trends for last three years and calculate what % each month’s sales contributed to the annual total. Apply that % to the annual sales figure you want to achieve to get the month by month sales budget for each month.</li>
<li>The more detail you have, the better you can assess actual performance, especially if some areas of the business are growing faster than others.</li>
</ol>
<p>If you have a business with “lumpy sales”, ie relatively few sales of large value, it may be difficult to predict exactly when the sales will fall. The above advice still applies. Although you will smooth out the likely peaks and troughs, the budgeting process will help you manage your business better.</p>
<p><strong>Budgeting Direct Costs</strong></p>
<p>Direct costs are the costs that vary directly with sales volumes. Some general guidelines here:</p>
<ol>
<li>The past is normally the best guide to the future, all other factors being equal</li>
<li>Calculate each direct cost as a percentage of the sales revenue total</li>
<li>If the gross profit % is different, break direct costs down for individual service lines/products</li>
<li>Factor in known or likely changes that might affect the gross profit %</li>
</ol>
<p><strong>Budgeting overheads</strong></p>
<p>Overheads should be the most accurate figure in any budget as the majority of the next year’s costs will be similar to those in the current year. Factor in any important changes, such as rising headcount or moving premises and work out the financial effect.</p>
<p><strong>You will always be wrong!</strong></p>
<p>The one thing you know about any budget is that it will be wrong ….. but hopefully not too wrong. But that’s not a reason not to put one together. If you know what you’re aiming at, the greater the chance that your plan will succeed. You will have thought about what you need to do to create that success.</p>
<p><strong>Don’t forget the cash</strong></p>
<p>Finally, remember that you cannot put together a profit and loss budget or forecast without giving consideration to the cash implications. Budgeting is not a stand-alone process.</p>
<p>Do you need a capital injection? Is more working capital finance required? Can you manage the business better to generate cash quicker? These are the questions you should be asking and answering to ensure cash is available before you actually need it.</p>
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		<title>Part Time Finance Director London Advice: Rising Prices Cut The Margin For Error In Your Business!</title>
		<link>http://thefdgroup.co.uk/part-time-finance-director-london-advice-rising-prices-cut-the-margin-for-error-in-your-business/</link>
		<comments>http://thefdgroup.co.uk/part-time-finance-director-london-advice-rising-prices-cut-the-margin-for-error-in-your-business/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 16 Sep 2011 10:37:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Cash Injection Tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Part Time FD London]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thefdgroup.co.uk/?p=519</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Business is currently a struggle for many business owners. First there was the impact of the economic recession. Now we all face rising costs as energy and commodity prices bite resulting in higher prices from suppliers. So how should we pass those price rises on to our customers? If we do nothing, price rises will [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a class="post_image_link" href="http://thefdgroup.co.uk/part-time-finance-director-london-advice-rising-prices-cut-the-margin-for-error-in-your-business/" title="Permanent link to Part Time Finance Director London Advice: Rising Prices Cut The Margin For Error In Your Business!"><img class="post_image alignleft remove_bottom_margin frame" src="http://thefdgroup.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/part_time_fd-risingprices.gif" width="500" height="383" alt="Post image for Part Time Finance Director London Advice: Rising Prices Cut The Margin For Error In Your Business!" /></a>
</p><p>Business is currently a struggle for many business owners. First there was the impact of the economic recession. Now we all face rising costs as energy and commodity prices bite resulting in higher prices from suppliers.</p>
<p><strong>So how should we pass those price rises on to our customers?</strong></p>
<p>If we do nothing, price rises will cut into profit. This is dangerous since falling profit means that a business needs to generate higher sales volumes to cover its fixed costs, and less cash.</p>
<p>This is best shown by an example.</p>
<p>Let’s assume you have a business with sales of £1 million, a gross profit percentage (gross margin) of 40%, and overheads of £400,000. The business is trading at break-even, making neither profit nor loss.</p>
<p>If supplier costs rise by 5%, from £600,000 to £630,000, all else being equal the gross margin will fall from 40% to 37%. The business starts to make a loss of £30,000 per annum.</p>
<p>Assuming you can’t change to a lower cost supplier and you don’t want to absorb the extra cost which (in the example) would result in a net loss, the reaction of many business owners is to merely pass the value of the price rise on to the customer.</p>
<p>With costs increased by £30,000, the simple solution is to increase sales to £1,030,000, putting up prices by 3%. This will restore profitability to what it was at the start.</p>
<p><strong>But this is the margin trap or error!</strong></p>
<p>You see, although profitability has been restored, the original gross profit margin of 40% has not. You are now making gross profit of £400,000 on £1,030,000 of sales, but at a lower margin of 38.8%.</p>
<p>Declining margins are one of the key indicators in failing businesses. <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">It’s therefore  vital that when suppliers increase their prices to you, you try to pass on the same percentage price increase to your customers to retain your starting profit margin</span></strong>.</p>
<p>So in the example given above, if your costs are now £630,000, you should increase your turnover by £50,000, through a 5% price increases to customers, in order to maintain the margin at 40%.</p>
<p>It may seem strange that you’re now making £20,000 extra net profit (£1,050,000 &#8211; £630,000 &#8211; £400,000). But if you don’t pass on price rises <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">AND</span></strong> keep your up profit margin, it’s likely to be extremely damaging to your business over time.</p>
<p>For more <a href="http://thefdgroup.co.uk/category/part-time-fd-london/"target="_self"title="" >Part Time FD London</a> posts click the link&#8230;</p>
<p>Until next time &#8230;&#8230;</p>
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		<title>Part Time FD Tips: Are You Taking Snapshots Instead Of Seeing The BIG Picture?</title>
		<link>http://thefdgroup.co.uk/part-time-fd-tips-are-you-taking-snapshots-instead-of-seeing-the-big-picture/</link>
		<comments>http://thefdgroup.co.uk/part-time-fd-tips-are-you-taking-snapshots-instead-of-seeing-the-big-picture/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:14:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Cash Injection Tips]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thefdgroup.co.uk/?p=381</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[One thing that regularly amazes me is when cash flow problems catch a business owner completely unawares. They don’t see the storms brewing on the horizon. One day it’s cash sunshine, the next the business is fighting for survival. The sad thing is that this is normally not a one-off. Often this ‘blip’ happens month [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a class="post_image_link" href="http://thefdgroup.co.uk/part-time-fd-tips-are-you-taking-snapshots-instead-of-seeing-the-big-picture/" title="Permanent link to Part Time FD Tips: Are You Taking Snapshots Instead Of Seeing The BIG Picture?"><img class="post_image alignleft remove_bottom_margin frame" src="http://thefdgroup.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/bigPicture.jpg" width="300" height="300" alt="Part Time FD Strategy" /></a>
</p><p>One thing that regularly amazes me is when cash flow problems catch a business owner completely unawares. They don’t see the storms brewing on the horizon.</p>
<p>One day it’s cash sunshine, the next the business is fighting for survival.</p>
<p>The sad thing is that this is normally not a one-off. Often this ‘blip’ happens month after month. Lurching from cash crisis to cash crisis is hugely demanding on a business owner’s time. It distracts focus from those areas of the business where the owner provides most contribution.</p>
<p>So what’s the real issue here?</p>
<p>The answer often is that the business owner’s focus is elsewhere.</p>
<p>Every business has what I call the <strong><a href="http://thefdgroup.co.uk/pages/get-a-cash-injection-from-a-part-time-fd/" target="_blank">cash stress points</a></strong>. These happen when large payments need to go out of the bank. The monthly payroll, VAT payments to HMRC, and the quarterly rent due to the landlord are prime examples. A monthly direct debit to a large supplier is another.</p>
<p>But there’s nothing surprising here. All these payments are entirely predictable. Why then, for many businesses do they cause the huge difficulties which can result in our <strong><a href="http://thefdgroup.co.uk/" target="_blank">Part Time Fd</a>s</strong> being called in to help?</p>
<p>What often happens is that business owners look on their cash position as a snapshot. They come up with an instant picture. At its most basic, it’s how much is in the bank that day when they log on.</p>
<p>If all’s well at the bank, then they get on with the “more important” stuff, finding customers, satisfying orders etc. But that’s the problem with cash. If you don’t keep on top of it, it comes back to bite you when you least expect it.</p>
<p>The thing is, cash flow should be managed like you’re shooting a movie, rather than taking a quick holiday snap shot!</p>
<p>The business owner as the film director (or in the alternative a <strong><a href="http://thefdgroup.co.uk/" target="_blank">finance director</a></strong>) needs to see &#8216;The BIG Picture&#8217; and be in full control of the production. There’s a detailed script – dictating your cash position at all times.</p>
<p>What this means is that you can see what’s currently happening in your business cash story. More importantly you know what’s about to happen. You can then spot any future cash problems well in advance and take action early to head these off.</p>
<p>So go on…. Think of yourself as the movie director managing “The Cash Story” rather than a one-off snapshot artist!</p>
<p>Until next time.…</p>
<p>Trevor</p>
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		<title>Part Time FD Advice: Do You Understand The Cash Flow ‘Value Measure’?</title>
		<link>http://thefdgroup.co.uk/part-time-fd-advice-do-you-understand-the-cash-flow-%e2%80%98value-measure%e2%80%99/</link>
		<comments>http://thefdgroup.co.uk/part-time-fd-advice-do-you-understand-the-cash-flow-%e2%80%98value-measure%e2%80%99/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 13 Jun 2011 14:53:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Cash Injection Tips]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thefdgroup.co.uk/?p=366</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Cash flow is a key measure of the value that you and your business deliver to other people&#8217;s lives. If you&#8217;re not making enough money, or if your company is not producing enough profit or generating sufficient cash, then it&#8217;s possible that you and your company are not delivering sufficient value. Think about it for [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a class="post_image_link" href="http://thefdgroup.co.uk/part-time-fd-advice-do-you-understand-the-cash-flow-%e2%80%98value-measure%e2%80%99/" title="Permanent link to Part Time FD Advice: Do You Understand The Cash Flow ‘Value Measure’?"><img class="post_image alignleft remove_bottom_margin frame" src="http://thefdgroup.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Value-Added.gif" width="362" height="380" alt="Value" /></a>
</p><p>Cash flow is a key measure of the value that you and your business deliver to other people&#8217;s lives.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;re not making enough money, or if your company is not producing enough profit or generating sufficient cash, then it&#8217;s possible that you and your company are not delivering sufficient value.</p>
<p>Think about it for a minute. What is it that the most consistently profitable, cash rich and successful companies have in common (other than a competent <a title="Part Time FD" href="http://thefdgroup.co.uk" target="_blank">finance director</a>!)? The answer is they give massive value which means that existing customers come back to buy from them again and again.</p>
<p>New customers are regularly attracted as these companies provide the goods and services that people want. Think Apple and the Apple Mac, the iPod and iTunes, the iPhone and most recently the iPad.</p>
<p>The only way to keep customers long term is to consistently deliver massive value.</p>
<p>But if your company is not generating the cash your efforts deserve, it doesn&#8217;t always mean that you, or the product or service you provide is not hugely valuable. It may be you&#8217;re not leveraging this value to the widest audience. Perhaps you&#8217;re not getting your message out.</p>
<p>If potential customers either don&#8217;t know of you, or don&#8217;t understand what you do and how you can help them achieve their goals, be these personal satisfaction or <a title="Cash Flow Blueprint" href="http://thefdgroup.co.uk/pages/part-time-fd-cash-flow-blueprint/" target="_blank">financial success</a>, then you will not be making the money or profit that you should be.</p>
<p>Put another way &#8211; you will get everything in life and all the cash you want, if you help enough people to get what they want!</p>
<p>So think about what you or your company are doing now. Be honest with yourself. Are you being the best you can be in terms of what you give your customers? If not, what more could you do?</p>
<p>What are the most successful companies doing that you&#8217;re not?</p>
<p>If you have a bunch of satisfied customers who love what you do, but you&#8217;re still not making money, then the chances are you are not spreading your message widely enough. There are more customers out there who want what you&#8217;ve got, but they don&#8217;t know you exist.</p>
<p>Alternatively, have you undervalued your product or service and set your prices too low? Are you charging a &#8220;me too&#8221; price for something that is greatly superior to anything offered by your competitors?</p>
<p>The more you come up with good answers to the above questions, the more cash will flow in the right direction for  you.</p>
<p>Speak soon&#8230;</p>
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		<title>Part Time FD London – Question: Are You Acting Like A Bank To Your Customers and Clients?</title>
		<link>http://thefdgroup.co.uk/part-time-fd-london-question-are-you-acting-like-a-bank-to-your-customers-and-clients/</link>
		<comments>http://thefdgroup.co.uk/part-time-fd-london-question-are-you-acting-like-a-bank-to-your-customers-and-clients/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 03 Jun 2011 06:38:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Cash Injection Tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Part Time FD London]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thefdgroup.co.uk/?p=335</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Are you one of the many business owners that support the cash flow of your customers by offering free banking facilities?  For example, you&#8217;re great at making the sale, but useless at collecting the cash?! Well you&#8217;re not alone. This is a major problem that affects nearly all the businesses that I and my fellow [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a class="post_image_link" href="http://thefdgroup.co.uk/part-time-fd-london-question-are-you-acting-like-a-bank-to-your-customers-and-clients/" title="Permanent link to Part Time FD London – Question: Are You Acting Like A Bank To Your Customers and Clients?"><img class="post_image alignleft remove_bottom_margin frame" src="http://thefdgroup.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/piggybank250.jpg" width="250" height="245" alt="Post image for Part Time FD London – Question: Are You Acting Like A Bank To Your Customers and Clients?" /></a>
</p><p>Are you one of the many business owners that support the cash flow of your customers by offering free banking facilities?  For example, you&#8217;re great at making the sale, but useless at collecting the cash?!</p>
<p>Well you&#8217;re not alone. This is a major problem that affects nearly all the businesses that I and my fellow <strong><a href="http://thefdgroup.co.uk" target="_blank">Part Time FD</a>&#8216;</strong>s work with.</p>
<p>Why would you want to leave cash that is rightfully yours in somebody else’s bank account? Obviously you don’t. It doesn’t make sense for 3 main reasons:</p>
<ol>
<li>It reduces the cash sitting in your business</li>
<li>It reduces the chances of your bank lending you money when they see you can’t collect the money you’re owed</li>
<li>It greatly increases the risk of loss to you were your customer to fail</li>
</ol>
<p>So here’s how you can get around this problem…</p>
<p>It may seem strange, but the best time to ensure that collection of your debtors is not a problem is before you even make the sale. Let me explain what I mean.</p>
<p>Many business owners have the limiting belief that unless they give a customer a credit facility, normally 30 days, that customer won’t buy from them. Speak with any salesman and he’ll insist that the new customer just about to place a sizeable order won’t go ahead unless you allow him credit.</p>
<p>It’s all too easy to be suckered into thinking that there is only one way of doing business. Everyone who runs a business gives credit to customers, don’t they?</p>
<p>Well the simple answer is no, they don’t.</p>
<p>Think about your own business. I’m sure you have suppliers who insist on payment up front before delivery of their service or product. Yet you still buy from them. Why?</p>
<p>Here’s the reason. They (1) asked for the money up front, (2) they had a good reason, and (3) they were strong enough to maintain that stance and not to back down.</p>
<p>Perhaps they told you at the very start that this was a condition of doing business with them. More than this, the lack of a credit facility was not sufficient cause to stop you placing that order. How so?</p>
<p>Was it because they were the sole supplier of what you wanted? Was demand for their product or service very high? Did they have the lowest price or give a discount?</p>
<p>Was their product/service quality the best? Could they meet a tight deadline? Was there a money back guarantee?</p>
<p>Or were you just so excited you couldn’t stop yourself?</p>
<p>Whatever the circumstances, the giving and receiving of credit were not essential to their sale and your purchase. You were happy to enter the relationship paying cash up front.</p>
<p>So how might you apply this in your business? What’s stopping you asking for payment up front, or at the very least immediately following delivery of your service?</p>
<p>Many accountancy practices now ask for payment by monthly standing order. This helps spread evenly over 12 months the lump sum cost of preparing accounts and tax computation. But it also means that your money is in their bank even before most of the work is started.</p>
<p>Training and seminar companies often take payment at time of booking courses. It’s a precondition of attending the course, and certainly expected when booking online. Sometimes an early bird special price is promoted to stimulate bookings even earlier.</p>
<p>The key thing to remember when asking for payment up front is this. <strong>Always have a reason why you’re not giving credit and communicate it.</strong> As long as it’s a valid reason, many potential customers will accept this and forgo receiving credit.</p>
<p>And you know the great thing about going down this route with a customer from day 1? You set a precedent. It’s likely that every order that customer places into the future will be paid for on the same upfront basis.</p>
<p>That’s not to say you can’t make exceptions for your best customers and do them a favour from time to time. But what about the prospect who states point blank that they won’t ever do business with you except on credit terms?</p>
<p>Is that really the sort of customer you want? They obviously don’t value your service enough. And if you are successful in business, you’ve got to be adding value.</p>
<p>So stop bank rolling your customers. Get more cash in your business sooner. It will save you more than just the wasted hours chasing the money at later date.</p>
<p>Speak soon</p>
<p>Trevor Wilson</p>
<p>PS Here&#8217;s another <a href="http://thefdgroup.co.uk/part-time-fd-london-your-bank-balance-is-a-traitor/" target="_blank"><strong><a href="http://thefdgroup.co.uk/category/part-time-fd-london/"target="_self"title="" >Part Time FD London</a></strong></a> post&#8230;</p>
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		<title>Part Time FD Article: 10 Things you Need To Know About Cash…</title>
		<link>http://thefdgroup.co.uk/part-time-fd-article-10-things-you-need-to-know-about-cash%e2%80%a6/</link>
		<comments>http://thefdgroup.co.uk/part-time-fd-article-10-things-you-need-to-know-about-cash%e2%80%a6/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Mar 2011 06:48:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Cash Injection Tips]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Michael Gerber, author of &#8220;The E-Myth: Why Most Small Businesses Don&#8217;t Work and What To Do About It&#8221;, says that 40% of businesses fail in their first year. 80% fail within their first five years. THEY RAN OUT OF CASH. Don&#8217;t let this happen to you. Here are 10 Rules to help you take control [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p>Michael Gerber, author of &#8220;The E-Myth: Why Most Small Businesses Don&#8217;t Work and What To Do About It&#8221;, says that 40% of businesses fail in their first year. 80% fail within their first five years.</p>
<p><strong>THEY RAN OUT OF CASH.</strong></p>
<p>Don&#8217;t let this happen to you.</p>
<p>Here are 10 Rules to help you take control of your cash flow (if you don&#8217;t have a <a title="Part Time FD Service" href="http://thefdgroup.co.uk/">Part Time FD</a>) so you can create the business you have always dreamed of.</p>
<p><strong>1. Never Run Out of Cash</strong></p>
<p>Running out of cash is the definition of failure in business. Make the commitment to do what it takes so it does not happen to you.</p>
<p><strong>2. Cash Is King</strong></p>
<p>It&#8217;s important to recognize that cash is what keeps your business alive. Manage it with the care and attention it deserves. It&#8217;s very unforgiving if you don&#8217;t.</p>
<p>Remember, Cash Is King, because No Cash = No Business.</p>
<p><strong>3. Know the Cash Balance Right Now</strong></p>
<p>What is your cash balance right now? It&#8217;s absolutely critical that you know exactly what your cash balance is.</p>
<p>Even the most intelligent and experienced person will fail if they are making business decisions using inaccurate or incomplete cash balances. That&#8217;s the reason why business failures are not limited to amateurs or people new to the business world.</p>
<p><strong>4. Do Today&#8217;s Work Today</strong></p>
<p>The key to keeping an accurate cash balance in your accounting system is to do today&#8217;s work today. When you do this, you will have the numbers you need &#8211; when you need them.</p>
<p><strong>5. Either You Do the Work or Have Someone Else Do It</strong></p>
<p>Here is a simple rule to follow to make sure you have an accurate cash balance on your books. You do the work or have someone else do it.</p>
<p>Those are the only two choices you have. The work must be done. It&#8217;s like mowing the lawn. You can&#8217;t just ignore it. Someone has to do it. That means either you do it or you have someone else do it.</p>
<p><strong>6. Don&#8217;t Manage From the Bank Balance</strong></p>
<p>The bank balance and the cash balance are two different animals. Rarely will the two ever be the same. Don&#8217;t make the mistake of confusing them.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s futile (and frustrating) to attempt to manage your cash flow using the bank balance. It&#8217;s a prescription for failure. You reconcile your bank balance. You don&#8217;t manage from it.</p>
<p><strong>7. Know What You Expect the Cash Balance to be Six Months From Now</strong></p>
<p>What do you expect your cash balance to be six months from now? This one question will transform the way you manage your business.</p>
<p>This question really gets to the heart of whether you are managing your business or whether your business is managing you.</p>
<p><strong>8. Cash Flow Problems Don&#8217;t &#8220;Just Happen&#8221;</strong></p>
<p>You would be shocked and amazed at the number of businesses that fail because the owner did not see a cash flow problem in time to do something about it.</p>
<p>The key is to always be able to answer the question &#8211; what do I expect my cash balance to be six months from now?</p>
<p><strong>9. You Absolutely, Positively Must Have Cash Flow Projections</strong></p>
<p>Cash flow projections are the key to making wise and profitable business decisions. They give you the answer to the all-important question from Rule # 7.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s impossible to run your business properly without them.</p>
<p><strong>10. Eliminate Your Cash Flow Worries So You Are Free to Do<br />
What You Do Best &#8211; Take Care of Customers and Make More Money</strong></p>
<p>Use these 10 Rules to free yourself from cash flow worries. That way you can focus all your time and talents where you can make the most difference in your business.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;d like to get more help then download the &#8220;<a title="Part Time FD Service" href="http://thefdgroup.co.uk/pages/part-time-fd-cash-flow-blueprint/">Cash blueprint</a>&#8221; that experienced <a title="Part Time FD Service" href="http://thefdgroup.co.uk/">Part Time FD&#8217;s</a> use to generate cash for service business owners.</p>
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