Discovering new ways to enhance cash flow and boost profits is crucial for any business. One effective strategy is transforming trash into cash, a concept that might seem simple but holds potential for significant financial gains.

The essence of this strategy is finding value in what is typically discarded, an approach that can be beneficial for various businesses, especially those with manufacturing processes that generate waste or excess materials.

The process involves identifying potential buyers for waste materials, which could be other companies that can repurpose or recycle these items. This not only creates an additional revenue stream but also reduces waste disposal costs. It’s a double win: earning from selling waste materials and saving on disposal expenses.

Implementing this strategy does require some effort. Businesses need to establish connections with potential buyers and understand their requirements. Sorting and storing waste materials according to these...

Are you seeking ways to elevate your business's financial standing? Today, we delve into the art of expanding your business credit. Our aim is to provide you with actionable strategies without delving into complex financial terminology. Let's jump in!

1. The Dynamics of Credit:

Understanding the dynamics of credit became crystal clear for me at a real estate seminar. While I was there in a support role, the speaker's enthusiasm about utilizing other people's money, including credit cards, was contagious. Despite the risks, credit cards can be a valuable tool, especially when you have cash in the bank. It allows you to float for 30 to 60 days, offering a helpful buffer for certain purchases.

2. Business Credit Essentials:

Whether you're tapping into personal or business credit, the first lesson is clear — ask for it. Our journey begins with your vendors. Even if you usually pay with a debit card, inquire about credit terms. Negotiate for 10 to 15 days if 30 seems daunting....

Your Bank Can Help!

If you haven’t really thought about banking, you may be underutilizing this incredible resource available to business owners. Let's explore some simple banking strategies to make your cash management smoother.

Prioritize Regular Bank Account Reconciliation.

A disciplined daily or weekly reconciliation is the key to maintaining financial stability. This involves meticulously tracking transactions and ensuring alignment with bank records. Regular checks help you catch mistakes quickly and rectify them promptly.

Choose Commercial Bank Accounts for Transparency.

Opting for commercial bank accounts can be particularly beneficial for businesses. The enhanced transparency offered by these accounts provides detailed insights into financial transactions and operations, a valuable asset for businesses closely monitoring their cash flow.

Prioritize Service Quality Over Bank Size.

The prevailing belief is that smaller, local banks are always superior. However,...

Boost Cash Flow with Prepayment Discounts

Are you a business owner struggling to maintain a healthy cash flow? If so, you're not alone. Many businesses face cash flow challenges, but there's a strategy that can help you tackle this issue effectively. It's called offering prepayment discounts, and in this article, we'll explore how this approach can benefit your business.

The Hailstorm Story

Let me start by sharing a personal story involving a hailstorm. One day, my house was bombarded by hailstones the size of golf balls, causing severe damage to my roof. Thankfully, my insurance company provided a compensation check for the repairs. With cash in hand, I had the freedom to choose the roofing company to fix my roof.

After some research, I found a highly recommended roofer with years of experience. We negotiated a reasonable price for the job, and I was thrilled. However, he made me an intriguing offer: if I paid him half of the amount in advance, he would give me a discount. This...

Today, we're diving into a topic that may not be on your radar just yet but is incredibly important for your financial future: insurance deductibles. We'll explore the concept, dissect why you should care, and discuss how you can make informed decisions about your insurance coverage. So, stick around as we unravel the art of adjusting insurance deductibles to your advantage.

What's an Insurance Deductible?

Before we dive into the nitty-gritty details, let's make sure we're all on the same page about what an insurance deductible actually is. Simply put, an insurance deductible is the amount of money you must pay out of your pocket when you make a claim before your insurance company steps in to cover the rest.

For example, imagine you're in a car accident resulting in $10,000 worth of damage, and your deductible is $500. Your insurance company will cut you a check for $9,500, leaving you to cover the initial $500. If your deductible were $1,000, you'd receive $9,000 instead. So, why...

On-site Consignment Inventory

On-site consignment inventory sits in your production line or on the shelf at the office. You don't pay for the stock until you use it to build your products or take it from the office storeroom. It lowers your cash investment in inventory because you don't pay for it until you use it.

To implement on-site consignment inventory, you will need a reliable supplier that:

• Trusts you enough to store their products at your facility.
• Will restock their inventory at your facility on a regular schedule.
• Will charge you only for products they replace when they refill their(your) stock each week (or day, etc.)
• Makes emergency deliveries when you have an unexpected spike in demand.
• Increases their inventory at your business as your business grows.

Getting started with this is as easy as calling my friend Rob and saying, "Hi, Rob! Would you have one of your sales guys stop in and set up an on-site consignment inventory for one of my clients?" 

Can On-site...

During a Cash is Clear Mastermind recently, I was asked, "How do you calculate the cash conversion cycle?" My response...

"I don't calculate the cash conversion cycle for clients!"

Why?

It's not a good use of time because a single number does not mean anything in a vacuum.

What do I focus on instead?

I focus on the component parts of the cash conversion cycle and if they are optimized.

"Optimized" means they are the right terms, conditions, and business strategies to optimize the business.

For example, the cash invested in inventory starts the cycle for a manufacturer.

The automatic response and conventional wisdom is, "Reduce your inventory!"

My recommendation: Analyze your inventory to understand where there are too much, too little, and "just right" amounts.

You might find that overall, you have too little of a lot of your inventory and need more.

You'll also find obsolete inventory, overstocked inventory, and products that should be end-of-lifed.

You can also analyze...

Contrary to popular belief, the steps you need to make real changes in a company's cash flow is not in their financial reports.

• The answers are not in the numbers in the Profit & Loss statement.
• How to permanently fix a company's low bank account is not on the Balance Sheet.
• The changes are not in the Statement of Cash Flow.

Each of those reports may give hints on where to start looking for opportunities. They may show you the symptoms the company is dealing with, but they won't show the underlying cause of the problems.

The real opportunities come from understanding the stories behind the numbers.

• How did the numbers get to where they are?
• Who made the decisions?
• Why were the decisions made?
• When did the problem start, when it got worse, and when did it reach a crisis?
• What is the real, underlying cause of the problem?

Here are some keys to finding the underlying cause of the problem:

• Remember that the numbers on the reports are just symptoms.
• The company's leaders will...

Can you imagine your banker handing you a $1,000,000 check just for changing the way you pay for purchases?  Here’s the real story of how one company did this.

My good friend “Divver” (yes, that’s what we call him) is an incredible banker who is always looking out for his clients. So he took the time and effort to convince a business owner to shift his purchasing habits. The bank had a new purchase card program that gave cash back.

The owner took some convincing to see the wisdom of taking the time and effort to make the shift. The percentage was not much, but Divver knew that it would add up because of the size of the company.

Implementation

For a full year, everything they could possibly put on the card they did:

• Recurring expenses
• Raw materials
• Travel
• Anything and everything they could

The Result?

After the first full year Divver delivered a check for $1,000,000.

• $1,000,000 of cash added to cash flow for the year
• $1,000,000 of bottom line profit
• ...

When was the last time you took a step back and asked yourself, “Is there a better way to really grow my practice?” "Is the path I'm on leading me in the direction I want to go long-term?"

There are dozens of “quick fix” tactics competing for your time and attention, but will any of them drive your practice to the next level? Will any of them provide the work/life satisfaction you're looking for? Probably not, and here’s why:

They don’t address the root cause of job dissatisfaction or anemic growth.

While you’re trying to figure out your best social media channel, how to get found on the Internet, or the best way to get a promotion, you should be looking at:

• Product or service changes to penetrate new markets and sell more to your current customers
• Strategic growth initiatives such as going up-market or down-market, geographic expansion
• Strategic demand-generation marketing initiatives such as public relations and branding - especially if...