The Three Pillars of Successful Financial Management

30/01/2011

By Paul Sparkes, Product Director at IRIS Accounting & Business Solutions

Running a small business isn’t easy in the current economic climate. There is a lot of pressure for small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) to boost the economy and create jobs, but there isn’t much help and advice for them to do so. IRIS’ own survey among customers recently found that nine out of ten SMEs believe that the Government should do more to support business growth as confidence is falling.

At times like this, when banks are reluctant to lend and support schemes from the Government are yet to come to...

...fruition, businesses need to look at where they can make improvements within their own organisations by identifying problem areas and streamlining their operations.


Below are three key points to keep on your business check-list:

Making financial health a company-wide concern
Monitoring the financial health of a business has traditionally been a responsibility for the finance teams. However with a changing business environment, businesses need to make sure that everyone is involved and that necessary processes and policies are in place to nip any possible issues or debt in the bud before any serious damage can be done. Put your policies in writing and circulate them regularly to staff, making it clear what their role is in tightening the noose on bad business debt. As a starting point, selling to customers — even long-standing customers - without checking their account and credit status should be a strict taboo.

Scrutinise your client base
Review your client base to identify which customers are profitable and which are not. This could lead to some tough decisions; however, as difficult as it is, a business will never stay on top of its finances and thrive if you work with clients who drain your profit levels rather than adding... continued on page two >

 

 

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