If you've ever looked at ways to cut down on business expenses, you probably realized that it's harder than it seems. However, there are solid ways business owners can save money without too much additional stress. In fact, some money-saving moves may actually help increase profits and improve efficiency. In an uncertain economy, cost-cutting can be a good strategy.
To address your cash flow issues and avoid business disruption, it’s important to take a hard look at your finances. Here are some top tips to help business owners in any stage of growth stretch cash so they can have adequate working capital available for business operations.
10 Strategies for reducing small business costs
Managing a small business is a demanding job, particularly when it comes to monitoring expenses and cash flow. The best way to manage expenses in many cases is cutting costs to improve profitability and to free working capital. The following 10 steps may help you get costs down while improving your overall operation.
1. Review all expenses, big and small
Perform an overall analysis to understand all of your small business expenses. If a cost isn’t providing a return on investment, cut back to the bare minimum or completely eliminate that expense. Do you eat out frequently or travel? Explore ways to reduce those costs as well. You might be surprised how much you can cut back without affecting day-to-day operations or the ability to meet long-term goals.
When you set up an organized system, it may become easier to identify costs to cut or eliminate. Tracking expenses also helps build financial reports, measure business growth, and simplify tax time.
2. Shop around for utilities
Whether it’s your energy bills, water supply, trash pickup, electricity, or internet costs, shopping around for utilities may you help save in the long run. Reliable Wi-Fi can cost anywhere from $20 per month to $340 per month, depending on what your business needs are.
It makes sense to shop around, compare prices, and take advantage of special deals for businesses.
3. Reduce energy usage
Your first step should be an energy audit to determine the energy efficiency of your space. With this information, you may identify and correct any issues to cut electricity costs. Your state or local government energy or weatherization office may help you identify a local company or organization that performs audits. Ways to cut energy costs include:
- Purchase energy-efficient office equipment
- Reduce peak demand
- Program your thermostats
- Turn off lights when not in use
- Use energy-efficient light bulbs
- Take advantage of natural sunlight
According to Cnet®, utility companies are increasingly offering time-of-use plans, which charge more for electricity during peak hours but offer cheaper service during off-peak times.
4. Assess insurance policy costs
Running an operation in a location - an office building, storefront, or manufacturing facility - comes with significant insurance costs. But carrying the proper insurance policies may help protect your business and even your personal assets.
Umbrella policies are relatively inexpensive so they are worth the investment if you have significant assets you're looking to protect from costly liability claims.
Note that even home-based operations need insurance coverage, so check with a business insurance specialist to make sure that this is taken care of.
5. Embrace remote/flexible working
Renting a space or paying a mortgage and associated taxes is a huge cost for business owners. If you pivoted to remote operations during the pandemic, determine if you can ditch the office altogether.
If 100% remote isn’t an option, you can downsize your office space by not having all your employees in at the same time.
6. Pay down debt
A 0% credit card balance transfer may help save you a significant amount of money. For example, if you had a $5,000 balance on a card with a 17% APR and transferred the balance to a credit card with 0% intro APR for 15 months, you would save $862 in interest alone.
Keep in mind that special offer cards have a limited time – usually less than a year – where you can benefit from 0% interest.
7. Consolidate debt
A fast and easy option that may lower expensive interest payments is to consolidate debts. Proceeds from an SBA loan can help you consolidate or even pay off expensive debt.
At SmartBiz Bank®, debt refinance is one of the leading use proceeds from an SBA loan because long terms (10 years) may help lower your monthly payments dramatically. Read what you need to know about SBA loans here.
8. Use an SBA loan to buy equipment
Does your small business need new computers, desks, machinery, or a vehicle? You’ll want to make the most cost effective purchasing decisions. Unfortunately, many options to fund an equipment purchase - like a line of credit or a business credit card - can be expensive with high rates and short terms.
One option to consider is using an SBA loan for equipment purchases. SBA loans allow you to pay off your equipment over a 10 year term. Visit our SBA loan calculator to help you determine what may work for your small business.
9. Avoid bank fees
Banking fees often eat away hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars from your bottom line each year. Do everything possible to avoid fees from ATM use, bounced checks, or debit card costs.
If you can cut substantial costs by switching to another bank, then it may be just what you need to do to save money this year.
10. Review credit card processing fees
The fees may not seem like a lot by themselves, but small percentages processors take for every transaction can quickly add up. Combine transaction fees with assessment fees, authorization costs, and monthly fees, and your monthly credit card processing bill can impact your bottom line. These days, credit card processing fees are often negotiable.
FAQs
1. What can I use for a small business budget template?
Popular accounting software suites like QuickBooks® and FreshBooks® usually have built-in templates. If you haven't advanced as far as using those accounting tools, Microsoft Excel® and Google Sheets® can serve the same role with a little work. You can search the web and find small business budget templates for both programs. The SCORE website offers templates for cash flow, balance statements, and profit and loss statements. Likewise, you can find a budget detail worksheet on the SBA website.
When looking at potential budget templates, you want to be sure they track the key metrics for any small business. These include income, expenses, and cash flow.
2. What is the average budget for a small business?
The average small business spends $40,000 in its first year of operation. Of course, the range of possible budgets will vary considerably. A single-founder online startup might spend $100, largely because the company's main inputs are sweat equity. Conversely, someone purchasing a building for a brick-and-mortar restaurant may easily spend $750,000 for real estate, equipment, staff, and utilities.
Many small business owners invest their own money into startup costs. Consider applying for an SBA loan to expand your funding. Here is our rundown of the eligibility requirements for an SBA loan.
3. How to budget for a small business?
To develop a budget, you need to establish the up-front costs, such as real estate and equipment. Also, you need to determine the ongoing fixed costs, like labor, rent, utilities, insurance, inventory, and marketing. A small business should also have three to six months of funding beyond these costs to cover emergency operating expenses during the startup phase. Review your budget quarterly and adjust as your financial situation evolves.
4. How to save money in your business?
Conduct an expense audit, and look for quick wins. Negotiate with suppliers or even look for new ones. Reduce your energy costs with efficiency improvements. Eliminate underutilized systems and subscriptions. You should also look at consolidating your business debt with an SBA loan. This often helps small businesses reduce their financing costs with lower interest rates and fewer payments to track.
5. What are the most important things to do to help my small business save money?
The biggest item is to make sure you're tracking and categorizing all expenses every quarter. Where possible, negotiate better deals with vendors and service providers. Reduce non-essential spending, especially if it comes from parts of your business that aren't cash-flow positive. Flexible work arrangements may also allow you to reduce salary and facility costs. Strategic financing, particularly in the form of SBA loans, might lower payments too.
