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The third cause of poor cashflow – Your stock turn

Carrying stock for too long means full shelves but an empty bank account. Similarly, if you’re a service provider and are taking a long time to bill for your services, then you’re carrying too much stock in the form of work in progress. Consider that work in progress a form of virtual stock.

You can calculate your ‘stock turn’ by taking your cost of sales from your annual financial statements and dividing it by your average inventory (or work in process). Most clients need some help from us to work this out, so don’t worry if you don’t understand straight away; we’ll show you. Expected stock turn rates vary from industry to industry, so it’s important you don’t compare your stock turn to other types of businesses.

The key is to convert stock to cash faster. Ask yourself these questions, just for starters:

  1. Do you have a stocking strategy? Do you determine safety stock, desired stock levels, and re-order points for each stock category?
  2. What software do you use to measure how much stock you have on hand at any given point in time?
  3. What clear policies do you have to ensure you have no slow moving stock items?
  4. How much is stock shrinkage (theft, damage) costing your business?
  5. Do you have a formal stock ordering system so that stock levels don’t blow out?

These are just some of the ways to improve your stock turn. If you think your stock levels might be stifling cashflow in your business, make a time to see us.

At our Cashflow & Profit Improvement Meeting, we’ll use our calculator to show you how much cash you can unlock in your business by reducing stock turn with a simple action plan.




The second cause of poor cashflow – Your accounts payable process

The second cause of poor cashflow relates to when and how money is spent in your business, and includes your Terms of Trade with suppliers.

Do you have spending budgets in place?

It’s best practice to prepare an overall business budget every year, usually before the beginning of the new financial year. It’s also best practice to make sure that team members with the authority to order products and services are doing so within the parameters of an agreed budget, and that controls are in place to ensure that department spending budgets are not exceeded.

Now is a good time to review (and document) your Accounts Payable process, from ordering right through to making payment.

When was the last time you reviewed your suppliers’ Terms of Trade and prices?

Terms such as payment expectations, discounts for early payment, late payment implications, insurance, and warranties are all worth a closer look. What controls are in place to ensure supplier payments are made on time and discounts for prompt payment are maximised? If you’re not paying suppliers on time, you need to look at freeing up cash in other areas to ensure you’re meeting your payment terms.

Have you recently evaluated the pricing of your current suppliers and compared this with competitors’ prices? Your evaluation should include delivery charges, payment terms, and discounts.

There are many more strategies you can employ to minimise the risk of fraud and human error, maximise prompt payment discounts, and build strong relationships with your suppliers.

Talk to us about your accounts payable processes. At a Cashflow & Profit Improvement Meeting, we can show you how to improve your accounts payable processes to manage your cash outflows more effectively.




The first cause of poor cashflow – Your cash lockup

There’s a massive difference between profit and cashflow. Profit increases when you create an invoice for work you’ve done or goods you’ve sold; cash increases when you bank the money.

Your lockup equals the cash that isn’t in your bank account because it’s either in work in progress (you’ve done some work but you haven’t yet billed for it) or you have billed your customer but are waiting to be paid.

There are two key processes that need to be improved to reduce the cash that’s stuck in your lockup. Within each of these two processes, there are countless strategies that can be put in place to put more cash in your bank account.

Billing

The earlier you invoice a customer, the faster you’ll get paid. How quickly after delivery of a product or service do you bill? Do you carry significant work in progress because your service spans several weeks or even months? If so, should you consider progress billing on a regular basis?

Collections

You’ve done the work, you’ve billed your customer, now it’s time to get paid.

Do your customers sign off clear Terms of Trade before they do business with you for the first time and are there clear expectations as to when an account is due for payment? Is that 14 days after invoice? 7 days? Shorten up that timeframe and your cash lockup will go down significantly.

How easy do you make it for customers to pay? Your invoices and statements should contain a link to pay immediately online or at least state your bank account details and due date.

Do you provide multiple payment methods to customers? For example, direct debit and credit, credit card, Eftpos, debtor finance (where appropriate). Do you offer a small discount for prompt payment? Customers love discounts.

These are just some of the process changes you can consider to reduce cash lockup. There are dozens more. Talk to us about our Cashflow & Profit Improvement Meeting. We’ll show you what’s possible – in cold hard cash of course!




Cashflow freedom – The 7 causes of poor cashflow

Cash is the lifeblood of any business. Even profitable businesses can and do fail because of poor cashflow.

What’s important is that you understand your key cashflow drivers. Improving cashflow is often all about changing your processes. Processes such as how you order stock and pay for it, how you bill for your services, and how you make sure you get paid by your customers.

Treating the symptoms of poor cashflow without fixing the underlying causes is time-consuming and frustrating.

Inadequate cashflow is a symptom of management problems in a business, NOT the cause. In order to fix these underlying causes, you need to be willing to make the necessary changes. You’ll build a much better and valuable business, as well as improving your cashflow.

While there are many causes of poor cashflow, most of these relate to one or more of the following seven categories.

1. Your cash lockup.

By lockup, we mean the cash that isn’t in your bank account because it’s work in progress (work you have done but not yet billed for) or you’ve billed your customer but are waiting for payment.

2. Your accounts payable process.

If you don’t have spending budgets in place and aren’t taking advantage of the best possible supplier terms, your cashflow will be impacted.

3. Your stock turn.

If stock is moving too slowly, it will take longer to turn the stock you have already paid for into cash.

4. The wrong debt or capital structure.

For example, if your loans are being repaid over too short a term, this will place a big strain on cash reserves.

5. Gross profit margins are too low.

Your gross profit margin is what’s left from sales value after variable costs are deducted. If it’s too low, it won’t be enough to cover fixed expenses and your drawings from the business.

6. Overheads are too high.

Every business should do a thorough review of its overheads each year.

7. Sales levels are too low.

If sales levels don’t support cash demands on the business, then sadly, the business is not currently viable.

If you need help streamlining your processes and increasing your cashflow, we can help you identify the best areas to focus on during a Cashflow & Profit Improvement Meeting.

“If I had to run a company on three measures, those measures would be customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, and cashflow.” – Jack Welch




Should I focus on profits or cashflow?

Turning a profit is at the heart of running any successful company. But should profits be the only financial focus if you’re looking to create a stable, long-term business?

Cashflow is the beating heart of your business. Without an even and predictable flow of cash into the company, you can’t cover your overheads, you can’t pay your employees and you can’t run your day-to-day operations – let alone think about expanding and growing the business.

So, what’s needed is a healthy cashflow position AND a good focus on driving profits.

Keeping on top of the financial management of your business can be hard work, especially if you’re new to accounting and the technical terms that are used to talk about money.

But if you’re going to be in control of your financial destiny, it’s important to get your head around the important process of cashflow management. This is especially true in the current business landscape, where sales revenue may be less buoyant, cash can be tight and the market is going through a challenging time.

Let’s look at some of the key things to understand about your finances:

  • Profit is a by-product of a successful business – as the owner, you want to make profits, but profitability isn’t the only goal. A business can easily be profitable, but also be highly unstable in the longer term. What you want is stability and consistent revenues.
  • Cashflow is the blood that keeps your business alive – good revenues (income) serve to bring cash into the business. Without cash to cover your operating expenses, you have no means to keep the lights on in the business. So cash really is king!
  • Know your cost base and overheads – the flipside of your cashflow position is your costs. In an ideal world, you want more cash inflows than cash outflows, so it’s important to know your expenses and costs and to manage them carefully.
  • Be proactive about spend management and easing expenditure – if you can take action that reduces your spending, that is hugely positive for your cashflow position. Choose cheaper suppliers, negotiate better deals and bring that cost base down.
  • Drive more revenue, through increased sales and marketing activity – if you can increase your revenues, you also boost your cashflow. So it’s important to be proactive about running targeted sales and marketing campaigns to increase your sales.
  • Keep the cash flowing and the profits take care of themselves – if you achieve the ideal cashflow position, the company sits on solid financial foundations, the cash is there for investment and the business can grow. It’s that simple.

Talk to us about improving your cashflow management

Whether you’re new to running a business, or a seasoned owner who needs some financial support, we can give you the cashflow advice you need.

We’ll review your finances, delve down into your cashflow and will come up with key ways for you to increase your cash income and reduce your cash expenses. It only takes a few small changes to achieve a far better cashflow position for your business – helping you maintain positive cashflow AND generate meaningful profits.

Get in touch to talk through your cashflow concerns.




Super Guarantee Rate Rises in July to 11%

In July 2023, the superannuation guarantee statutory rate will rise to 11%. Annually, the rate is increasing by 0.5% until July 2025 when it will reach the legislated 12%.

Prepare Now for the July Rate Rise

  • Review your current superannuation costs for all employees, both hourly and salaried.
  • Review any salary packaging arrangements. Is the agreement inclusive of superannuation or is super paid on top of the agreed salary?
  • For salary packages inclusive of super, you will need to check the contract’s wording to make sure you apply the changes correctly. This change may also impact annualised salary arrangements.
  • Calculate your revised payroll costs from July, showing the current wages and superannuation expense compared to the new rate from July. Highlight the increased amount per month or quarter, so you know precisely what the impact will be.
  • Discuss the super rate increase with your employees now. Let them know that there will be an increase of 0.5% each year from now until July 2025 when the statutory rate will reach 12% and remain there.
  • Remember – short payment or late payment of super can incur hefty penalties – plan now for higher payroll expenses from July, so you don’t get caught short.

If you’d like help reviewing payroll costs and employee agreements, talk to us now, and we’ll make sure you have accurate reports to make planning for the rate rise easy.

Getting organised now means that you’ll be well prepared for your business’s increased costs when the first payment is due later this year.




What is Personal Services Income?

Personal services income (PSI) is income received as payment for individual personal efforts and skills. It applies to many contractors who provide services as their means of earning an income. PSI rules can apply to individual sole traders and other types of business entities, but not employees. If PSI rules apply, the entity is called a personal services entity (PSE).

The PSI rules ensure the income is attributed to the individual who performed the services and not apportioned across other entities.

There are several tests to work out if your income is PSI or if you are instead conducting a personal services business (PSB), which means the PSI rules don’t apply. If a personal services entity qualifies as a PSB, the ordinary tax rules apply for that financial year.

At least one of these four tests must be satisfied for an entity to be classified as a PSB.

  • Results test: the individual must be paid to produce a result, is required to supply their own equipment and tools to produce that result and is liable for the cost of rectifying defects in the work.
  • Unrelated clients test: the sole trader or entity must be engaged by unrelated clients, and services must be advertised to the public.
  • Employment test: in general, a sole trader or other entity must engage one or more entities to perform at least 20% of the sole trader’s principal work. Entities other than individuals must not be associated with the sole trader.
  • Business premises test: the entity must maintain and use business premises to conduct personal services. The business premises must be exclusively used by the PSE and physically separate from private premises and customers.

If more than 80% of income in a financial year is derived from one customer, the PSE must satisfy the results test to be classified as a PSB.

If none of the four tests are met, the income is classified as personal services income, and the PSI taxation rules apply. PSI rules restrict the type of allowable tax deductions made in relation to personal services income-earning activities.

If you’d like to know more about PSI, talk to us to see if the services you provide meet the tests for conducting a personal services business. We’ll make sure you are claiming the maximum allowable deductions and being taxed correctly.




Are You Suffering from Business Burnout?

The last two years have been demanding and exhausting for many business owners. Are you one of them?

The challenges have been relentless, and we know many small business owners have had to navigate unprecedented demands because of the pandemic and related government regulations.

Burnout results from long-term stress and can manifest in emotional and physical exhaustion, which may affect your enthusiasm for running the business you once loved.

So, What Can You Do About it?

We understand that as a business owner, you have many responsibilities, and often you do everything on your own. So we know how hard it can sometimes be to keep on top of all your legal obligations.

The most important step is to acknowledge you feel burned out and need a break.

Take a break as soon as you can. Plan ahead for time away from the business. However, while getting some rest in the short-term will help, long-term stress will take commitment to recover from.

Strategies to Help Recover from Burnout

What can you do differently to avoid prolonging or retriggering the burnout?

  • Delegate – Look at the low-value tasks you spend time on and pay someone to do them for you. This will free up time and energy.
  • Re-energise – If you’re struggling with a lack of enthusiasm or purpose, talk to colleagues or a business coach for support. If possible, connect with people in the same industry so you can share among others who may be facing similar challenges.
  • Stand back – Take an objective look at how much you are working and how effective you are. For example, is it time to streamline your work activities and put boundaries around working hours?
  • Reassess your goals – Do you have clear business goals for the short-term and long-term? Either set some realistic goals or revise them if they are too difficult right now.
  • Commit to some regular self-care actions – Think about what you love doing outside your business that is nourishing. Regular exercise? Time in nature? Going on a retreat? Learning something for fun? Improving your diet? Get an app on your phone that reminds you to take mini breaks throughout each day. Whether that is movement, mindfulness or music, use technology to help.
  • Celebrate milestones and achievements – When overwhelmed with stress or exhaustion, it’s easy to forget the positives. Remind yourself of just how much you have done in the last year!

Need Some Support?

You’ll be better able to face challenges, run your business well and assist others if you are looking after yourself well.

We’d love to help support you back to passionate engagement with your business. If you’re feeling burned out and need help in managing systems, technology, payroll or other financial and administrative management, talk to us today, and we’ll back your recovery.




How to get the best from AI content writing tools like Chat GPT

The chances are that you’ve heard ChatGPT being mentioned heavily in your social feeds and in business articles in recent months. But what exactly is ChatGPT? In essence, it’s an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that promises to automate a lot of tasks, including write your content for you.

But do these AI content-writing tools live up to the hype? And what’s the best way to balance using a solution like ChatGPT with the core skills of good human-powered writing?

What does ChatGPT do?

ChatGPT is an AI chatbot model from OpenAI that can produce complex, well-written responses to any prompt you give it. It uses a huge database of sources to provide you with complete blog posts, articles, email – in fact, it will write whatever you ask it to.

Is AI content writing the answer to your business prayers?

If you believe what technologists and business leaders are saying, these AI tools have the potential to replace a lot of the human work involved in writing. This could mean writing your blog posts, sales emails, or even looking after your internal comms. (There will be a lot of other functions the tools will be applied to, but we are focussing on writing here)

But does a solution like ChatGPT live up to this promise? Yes and no. Here are a couple of things that you’ll want to bear in mind when you use these tools.

  1. Creating content that stands out

ChatGPT can certainly provide you with business content – but it can be quite generic and bland. This generic nature of AI content may be a problem. You want your brand content to stand out and be unique – but this is more difficult when using the same AI tools as every other small business. As Tom Fishburne puts it, the issue is that ‘much of what is created is already a sea of sameness, written more to appease Google’s search algorithms than actual people.’

A human, like you and me, has opinions, personality and can deliver unique insights. AI cannot do this. It’s limited to the source data and models it’s been provided with. So, if you want your business content to stand out, you need an experienced human writer who writes for humans not just the bots.

Content writing is as much about having good ideas as it is about writing well. So, what you input as your prompt to the AI is just as important as the text that the software spits out.

  1. Content accuracy

When Chat GPT’s rival, Bard was first launched it wrongly attributed the discovery of an exoplanet to a telescope that didn’t exist at the time of the discovery. The problem is that the internet has become increasingly cluttered with fake news, spam links and content that’s designed purely for SEO. So it’s no wonder that the AI will sometimes provide you with content that is inaccurate.

As a business owner you’ll want to make sure that a human is involved – to create a unique and original brief and then to review the output for accuracy and relevance for your brand and your audience.

What’s the best balance between AI and human writing?

AI tools are useful. But, at present, you still need a human in the equation. Someone to come up with the ideas, write intelligent prompts for the AI and edit the output so it sounds more human and personalised.

Working with both AI tools AND a content professional is the best way to ensure you’re getting the eye-catching content you deserve.




Your Q4 2023 Deadlines for the Diary

Soon enough, we’ll be into the last quarter of the financial year, often a busier time for small businesses.

We’ve highlighted some upcoming business lodgment due dates to help you get organised for the next few months.

Lodgement TypePeriod End DateLodgement and Payment Due DateNotes
Activity Statement monthlyEnd of Month21st of the following month
Superannuation Guarantee Contributions31/03/202328/04/2023Check the cut-off date of your super clearing house - they may require payment a few days earlier.
March Activity Statement31/03/202328/04/2023
26/05/2023
- For business lodging directly with the ATO
- For agents lodging electronically
Fringe Benefits Tax Return31/03/202325/06/2023When lodging via an agent
Get your FBT records together before the end of March, logbooks, diaries, employee declarations etc
Stocktake30/06/2023-If you must prepare a stocktake for your tax return, plan ahead so you have time and staff available for the task.

Talk to Us About Lodgment Planning

If we’re already lodging on your behalf, lodgment extensions automatically apply. You may have earlier deadlines if you’re lodging activity statements and other forms directly with the ATO. If you need more time to lodge and pay, let us know, and we can help you meet your obligations or arrange a lodgment extension if required.

It’s good practice to plan for your lodgment dates, so you’re always on top of your cash flow planning for ATO liabilities.

Start getting organised now!