Ways to handle business finances when they become overwhelming

Every business owner faces the hassle of managing the books, and the stress can be overwhelming when you have so many other responsibilities. But there are some ways to reduce the burden of handling your business’s finances. Here are expert-vetted best practices from seasoned business owners on how to manage your company’s finances.

1. Get your budget organized

A primary reason business owners feel so overwhelmed by dealing with their finances is they don’t have a manageable budget. You need to be able to track your expenses to build a budget that works. Reevaluate your expenses — what fixed costs can you eliminate? Which variable costs are too much?

​Track your business expenses for a month to discern where you are spending your money and how much you’re spending to identify areas where you could cut back. Stay up to date with your business’s expenses by scheduling a periodic review, and stay current with your cash flow by staying on top of your invoices and receivables. 

2. Let technology work for you

Investing in good cloud-based accounting software will not only help you keep your books organized but will also provide insights into how you’re spending your money and where you can make some cuts. You may also wish to purchase a scanner to store business documentation digitally and keep it organized. Or take advantage of available tech to manage your finances while going paperless. 

When promoting your business, digital marketing, such as online search ads, social media marketing and email marketing, allows you to set goals and utilize analytics tools to track your return on investment.

3. Get some help

If you want to truly make managing your finances less of a headache, outsource your accounting and bookkeeping functions. Doing so is a completely justifiable expense, especially if you don’t have the skills to handle it all yourself and are muddling through it anyway to keep costs down. An outsourced accountant can tell you exactly what you need to do to get your finances in order.

You can also hire an in-house accountant or bookkeeper, but this requires the responsibility of finding and hiring a qualified individual. Meanwhile, you will also need to cover their salary and benefits.

Additionally, you could consider outsourcing HR services and/or marketing. An outsourced CFO can also help you keep track of your progress toward your business goals and address your current financial challenges.

4. Determine financial priorities

Set a monthly spending plan to guide your financial decisions so you spend money on what’s important to you. Determine your financial priorities, e.g., to pay off your business credit cards or other expenses to run your company. Setting clear priorities helps you make better decisions and get your finances back on track.  

5. Devise a financial plan

The solution to financial problems is often to reduce expenses, increase income, or both. Consider taking a loan, talking with a credit counselor, following a debt management program, or some other viable option to manage cash flow. Write down your goals and assess where you are now relative to each goal as part of building your business’s financial plan.

Once you start following your plan and make some progress, you may come up with some new insights. Use them to adjust or improve your plan so you accomplish your goals more quickly.

6. Delegate effectively

Identify the financial tasks that are taking most of your time and find a scalable solution. This requires that you first decide whether each task is worth your time or whether your business would be better-served by having someone to do it for less. If the task is not worth the value of your billable time, then delegate it. If you can take all the small tasks off your plate and delegate them to experts, you can focus on what is important.

7. Manage deadlines

Track your every deadline for account payables and receivables, and set automated reminders to inform you when one is approaching. 

Takeaway:

Business success invariably includes stress, and a big part of this is the ongoing responsibility of managing finances. By setting priorities, identifying ways to achieve your financial goals and persevering with your financial plan, you can mitigate the pressure.