Cash flow tracking solutions can be the difference between success and failure. Above all, happiness is a positive cash flow. By understanding exactly how much cash is in your business, you can track your business’s financial health. Similarly, sales and expenses, as well as capital investments, impact your bank balance. In other words, the route you take to assess company cash flow is likely to differ based on several factors.  For instance, the size of your business, industry, workforce size, and growth potential affect cashflow. In addition, innovative solutions to track company cash flow may help you manage this aspect of your business. Keith Tully, a partner at Real Business Rescue, talks about why keeping a close eye on company cash flow can prevent dangerous trading behavior.

There are numerous cloud accounting and bookkeeping software providers for small and medium enterprises, limited companies, and flexible workers. Depending on the platform that you choose to use, there are additional features that can help simplify the accounting journey, such as:

Cash Flow in Cloud Accounting: Mainstream cloud bookkeeping and accounting software products like QuickBooks Online, Sage 50cloud Accounting, Xero, and Zoho Books have cash flow reports. Tracking significant aspects of the business is built into these products, including invoicing, bank transactions, and credit cards.

Cash Flow products that extend accounting: Included cash flow reports in accounting products are simple. Therefore, sometimes you need or want more capabilities. For instance, cash flow products include CashFlowTool (Finagraph), Fathom, Futrli, Jirav, LivePlan (Palo Alto), and Spotlight Reporting.

Expenses Log: Track your allowable expenses on the go. By logging receipts and invoices digitally, you can save yourself valuable hours, reduce administrative paperwork, and speed up the process for your accountant.

Stopwatch: Many cloud accounting platforms offer a stopwatch or time tracking facility.  Therefore, you can time the number of hours worked and convert this into an invoice detailing billable hours, suitable for contractors, freelancers, and self-employed professionals.

Mileage tracking: Many cloud accounting platforms offer a mileage tracking facility. Therefore, you can track the miles driven and convert this into a billable transaction for invoices or expense reporting.

Credit Control: As part of your software subscription, you may be able to access credit control facilities to track upcoming payments, automate reminders, and flag outstanding invoices. By actively keeping tabs on the cash moving in and out of your business, you can protect company cash flow and encourage on-time payments.
By engineering technology into the accounting and bookkeeping journey, you can operate efficiently and reduce inaccuracies. Such software can allow you to store your financial data digitally and securely.  After that, transferring the data directly to your accountant or bookkeeper is easier.

Before cloud bookkeeping and accounting software, storing financial records in spreadsheets was a convenient and accessible way to keep track of company finances. Many business owners still do this. By regularly updating cash flow on excel spreadsheets, company directors could better budget company finances.

Accounting professionals typically produced master spreadsheets with integrated formulas. These spreadsheets helped to efficiently calculate whether the business was running up losses or generating profits, considering accruals and amounts owed. During an age where industry-standard accounting software was scarce and hard to come by, spreadsheets represented an efficient operating means.

Suppose your business is showing signs of poor cash flow.  It is, therefore, unable to fulfill financial commitments, such as paying staff wages and replenishing stock. In that case, you may need to conduct a cash flow test for insolvency. This test functions as a financial health check on the business and can help indicate if your business is contingently insolvent. In addition to a cash flow test, you should seek specialist advice from a practitioner with insolvency experience. Rescuing a company is part art and part science.

Tracking company cash flow can help paint an accurate image of how your business is faring at any given time. By incorporating tools to understand company cash flow better, you can act pre-emptively. If your business is due to run out of cash and requires a cash injection, it is better to know as far in advance as possible. On the other hand, if your business exceeds expectations and is beating records, tracking such progress can help fuel company growth.

This short article was trying to expose you to cash flow tracking solutions. There are many more products to consider than those we have covered. We expect accounting professionals to assist their organizations and clients with cash flow issues. In conclusion, we know that both techniques and products can help maintain a positive cash flow. And isn’t that happiness?

Understand the latest in cash flow technologies in our CPD courses on accounting and customer support systems in small business accounting with add-ons or mid-market accounting, which includes cash flow systems.

It is a rare company owner that has no concerns about money. Above all, management of cash flow is vital. Starting a business means you are responsible for your company’s success. After that, you are the person who ensures your employees can afford to put food on the table. In addition, you must prepare for the unexpected.

With money being of such vital importance, you must control the finances of your business. Cash flow management is how you do this. We have highlighted three ways you can manage cash flow.

Cash flow management is perhaps the most critical aspect of business finances. In other words, it is all about ensuring your incoming cash and outgoing expenses are balanced. Similarly, your goal is to make sure your company is not spending more money than the business is making.

Get this wrong, and your business will not survive, no matter how good its products or services are. Claiming business survivability is not scaremongering. As this article explains, poor cash flow management is why 82% of small businesses fail within their first five years.

In addition, there are some other reasons companies fail before their sixth birthday:

• 79%: not having enough money to start with
  
• 77%: poor pricing (covers products but can also relate to salaries)
• 73%: over-optimism when it comes to sales targets

As these numbers show, cash flow management is a matter of life or death for small businesses. The basic principle is making sure you have enough available cash to keep your company afloat. It would be best if you built a cash reserve. How much? Some experts recommend having three months of expenses. Others recommend six months. I would suggest speaking to your CPA or financial adviser to determine the correct amount for your business. The following two sections of the article explain how you can have cash in the long and short term.

Nearly eight out of 10 startups fail because they do not have sufficient capital from the outset. There are many reasons for this, but there is no doubt a key reason is those founders do not want to start in debt. Similarly, they probably did not have cash sitting idle in their personal bank accounts.

This blog post states that 73% (just 9% lower than the number that fails within five years) of small businesses prefer to forgo growth than commit to borrowing. In addition, there is guidance like Profit First from Mike Michalowicz suggesting ways to manage your business while minimizing borrowing.

Let us make one thing clear: companies need to grow if they are going to survive. Growth is never more critical than at the early stages. Loans can help your business to grow because they free up capital to invest in tangible assets. Tangible assets mean getting an office if needed, purchasing office equipment, or securing vital machinery.

There are two primary types of business loans your company can get:

• Government grants: the U.S. and Canadian governments have a range of finance programs for new businesses, with the interest rates often lower than private banks.
• Bank loans: private financial institutions have a broad selection of loans available for startups, with the borrowing amount generally higher than state-run schemes.

Obtaining loans can be a sensible way of using cash flow management to grow your business at a vital stage in its existence, done sensibly. Therefore, review if a loan can take your company to the next level. After that, make a business case for getting a government grant or bank loan.

You have been on a cash flow journey in this article already. We highlighted that cash flow is the biggest reason companies do not last more than half a decade.  After that, we showed a correlation between cash flow and the number of businesses that do not borrow.

Similarly, we now expand your cash flow tools further. It would help if you used sensible lending to advance your company while it finds its feet. In other words, we highlight how to use the short-term borrowing of business cards to manage your cash flow.

Business cards give your startup immediate access to cash to purchase necessary items. Business cards can cover an enormous range of things. For example, you might use one to buy fuel to drive to a networking conference, pay for the hotel while you are there, and cover dinner with a prospective client. Incurring expenses in front of revenue is a norm for many startups, especially we are trying to secure new (perhaps their first) clients to grow the company.

There are three main types of business cards:

• Credit cards: this review highlights APR, annual fees, and introduces the key things you should look for when deciding which card to get.
• Fuel cards: this guide explains that supermarket fuel cards can be a good way for small businesses to cover their travel expenses. Grocery reward cards often provide everyday discounts for fuel and provide discounts if your business requires grocery supplies. This article rates the best fuel cards for business, as does this one. One supplier, Wex, provides more information on fleet cards.
• Trade cards: this page covers the benefits construction companies can get from using a trade card to pay for their expenses.

Using business cards can be a rational method of managing cash flow to cover the day-to-day costs of running a company. Tracking expenses may be more manageable when you employ a buy now and pay at a more convenient date approach. However, this only works if you treat charges and payments with respect and diligence. You must pay for things you need and use the future income that you know is guaranteed on a timely (monthly?) basis. Therefore, assess if a business card can help you manage your costs.  Select the one(s) that best suit your needs. In conclusion, the management of cash flow is vital.

Security is the reason for using cash flow management, with business loans and business cards potentially a good way of achieving it.

We are not suggesting that you load your company up with debt. However, to get the cash you need, it can help to borrow sensibly, particularly when customer receipts trail the services delivered. Cash flow is vital at all times, good or bad. Instead of turning your nose up at loans or credit cards and seeing your business fail due to insufficient capital, think about how cash flow tools can provide room to focus on running the business rather than managing cash shortfalls.

Understand the latest in cash flow technologies in our CPD courses on accounting and customer support systems in small business accounting with add-ons or mid-market accounting, which includes cash flow systems.

Small business accounting has changed in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. That statement should come as no surprise to anyone reading this article. Surprising to many, though, is the sheer volume of changes we have seen over the past decade. Both at a macro-level and a detailed level, these changes provide new opportunities for small businesses to improve their accounting functions in many ways. Read on to learn about two of the primary drivers of the changing face and pace of small business accounting.

Almost certainly, the most noteworthy shift in small business accounting has been the migration to Cloud-based accounting options. Cloud-based solutions such as QuickBooks Online, Sage 50cloud, Sage Intacct, Xero, Wave, Zoho Books, along with others, offer many opportunities for small businesses to leverage the Cloud as a strategic asset. And small businesses are responding in large numbers. In fact, most accounting solution providers now indicate that sales of Cloud-based solutions outpace those of traditional, on-premises applications. So, how does the Cloud potentially improve accounting for small businesses? Let us consider at least four potential advantages associated with Cloud-based accounting for small businesses.

First, most developers are investing heavily in their Cloud-based accounting solutions relative to their on-premises deployments. In fact, in many cases, the Cloud-based options now have a more robust feature set than their desktop counterparts. Further, developers can roll-out enhancements and upgrades to the solution without small business team members needing to install any software because of the Cloud-based deployment.

Second, the very nature of Cloud-based solutions means that the Cloud is the network. With today’s decentralized workforce – including work-from-home environments – this factor means remote workers can easily access their accounting solution from practically any location, so long as there is an available Internet connection. Further, small businesses can typically provide their external accountants and others with log-in credentials. In turn, these trusted advisors can access the business’s books quickly and easily, without any troublesome exchanges of data files.

Third, Cloud-based solutions reduce a small business’s dependency on local hardware, such as desktop computers and servers. After all, these are cloud-based solutions; therefore, team members need access only to a device with a suitable web browser and an internet connection. Moreover, in the ever-changing world of mobile apps, most solution providers now offer robust mobile apps allowing team members to access critical data from their smartphones and tablets.

Fourth, in many cases, you can acquire these Cloud-based options for small businesses at price points that are less costly than traditional, on-premises implementations. This point is particularly true when you factor in savings associated with reduced dependency on local hardware. In combination with productivity increases resulting from deploying the Cloud-based solution, most small businesses adopting this strategy improve the return on investment associated with their accounting platform.

In addition to Cloud-based deployments, the second primary driver of small business accounting’s changing face and pace is the nearly limitless number of integration options now available. It has not been that long ago since “integration” meant importing data from or exporting data and reports to Excel. Today, those options still exist, but so many more are available to extend the small business solution’s functionality.

One of the earliest innovations attributed primarily to Cloud-based accounting solutions was bank feeds. With bank feeds, you can integrate your bank accounts to your accounting solution so that as transactions clear the bank account, they automatically download into the application. At that time, user-defined rules can automatically categorize the downloaded transactions to the appropriate account in the company’s chart of accounts. Further, for transactions already recorded in the accounting solution, the bank feed process can often match, effectively clearing them from the bank reconciliation. Small businesses that choose to use bank feeds benefit from time savings, improved consistency and accuracy in the accounting records, and nearly automatic bank reconciliations.

For example, consider the number of small businesses that sell through e-commerce platforms such as Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, and others. Virtually all the leading Cloud-based solutions integrate with these and many other e-commerce platforms. Among other items, these integrations typically allow you to download sales transactions from your e-commerce website into your accounting solution, eliminating the need to enter data manually.

Similarly, most leading Cloud-based accounting solutions can integrate with many of the top reporting and business intelligence platforms available today, including Power BI and Tableau. This type of integration facilitates real-time, interactive reporting of critical metrics without manually re-keying data into the reporting solution.

Other examples of tools that you can typically integrate with Cloud-based accounting solutions include:

• Bill payment applications,
• Customer Relationship Management tools,
• Data synchronization tools,
• Employee expense reporting solutions,
• Payroll and human resources solutions,
• Project management tools,
• Sales tax tools, and
• Time tracking and billing solutions.

As you can see, integration options abound for most of the Cloud-based accounting solutions available today. These third-party solutions facilitate customizing and extending your Cloud-based accounting solution’s utility to seamlessly become the “hub” of all business activities without requiring significant manual intervention. As more become aware of these integration options, expect to see small business managers move quickly to adopt them.

The face and pace of small business accounting have forever changed. With the popularity of Cloud-based platforms and improvements in “digital plumbing” that facilitate third-party integrations, today’s solutions offer compelling options for managing and growing a small business. Moreover, moderate price points, reduced hardware costs, and improved efficiency and productivity come together to yield a generally higher return on investment than traditional solutions. As you consider how to move forward with your accounting and business management platform, take advantage of the changing face and pace of small business solutions to reap the rewards for you and your team.

To learn more about small business accounting solutions, consider the following K2E Canada Inc. learning options:

A career setback may have you questioning your professional path, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have the right skills to succeed. Instead of focusing on the negatives, think about forging your own way. Launching a company likely rejuvenates your career because you’ll be pursuing your passion. Here’s why it’s a great idea to launch a startup – and advice on how you can go about it.

Starting your own business can afford your independence, confidence, and the opportunity to scale your wealth. Still, it’s challenging to build a company from the ground up. Consider the challenges of business ownership before getting started.

As Forbes notes, some of the top challenges entrepreneurs face revolve around getting their startups off the ground. Especially in the early stages of your journey, it’s an excellent idea to connect with other professionals. Working with a mentor like Nick from Origin Leadership can help you realize your goals and achieve success.

Leaving a comfortable job (and stagnant career path) can be scary but also freeing. As you start out on your entrepreneurial journey, consider these four tips for building a business model that works.

Many would-be business owners hit a wall when it comes to financing. If you don’t have spare cash lying around to invest in your company, consider small business funding options. From government loans – like SBA Express Bridge loans and traditional SBA options – to non-government funding sources, there’s no shortage of assistance out there.

Learning how to start a business after a career setback requires you to be strategic and open-minded. Despite your best intentions, your business is bound to encounter challenges. From products that don’t sell to a service model that always needs tweaks, adaptation is the entrepreneurial game’s name. As Startup Nation elaborates, some of the most successful entrepreneurs’ top traits include passion, tenacity, flexibility, and resilience. Keep this in mind when adapting to changes within your business model.

You may be looking toward business ownership as an alternative to a corporate career. But the truth is that like climbing the professional ladder, starting your own company is fraught with risk. Fundera reports that 20 percent of small businesses fail within their first year. Perseverance will be essential when building your brand – even if you encounter failure in your first attempt.

You might think of branding as something that worries only large companies. Iconic labeling and recognizable acronyms are only for big names, right? Wrong. Even smaller-scale organizations need a solid branding strategy. Developing your brand can help you attract your ideal customers, elevate your value, and build networking connections.

The perfect business venture is out there somewhere – but how do you find it? Prioritizing your passions is smart, but you’ll also need to consider what industries are the most lucrative. According to The Balance, some of the most profitable small business niches include technology, software, and food. But don’t underestimate the personal benefits of launching a company that rejuvenates your career.

Opening a restaurant or bar might seem risky these days. But if your model is innovative – or even portable (food trucks continue to be a hit) – your odds of success increase exponentially. Similarly, retail can be a boon for business – but moving online may also be smart.

Whether you decide to go freelance or hire staff, offering online services is an excellent way to weather economic changes. From writing or graphic design to accounting or bookkeeping, there are tons of services you can offer online to a wide range of clients. Further, additional opportunities could include an Online Shop as covered next.

ECommerce is another online business that involves physical products. You can choose a drop shipping model or maintain inventory in your home or storage space. Creating an eCommerce shop may be the most straightforward way to establish a solo business.

Launching a company that rejuvenates your career after a professional setback can feel impossible. But happily, branching out into entrepreneurship affords you endless opportunities. All it takes is a smart plan – and plenty of motivation – to get started.

Need help with software? Look at K2’s AccountingSoftwareWorld Website.

Business owners do not come from a financial background. Therefore, this makes it difficult for them to communicate with their financial advisors such as the CPA, banker, and CFO. However, left to their own devices, this often results in poor financial strategies or alarming trends that are not identified and corrected on a timely basis. How can we use Advisory Accounting for bridging the gap between the business client and the CPA?

In most circumstances, the CPA believes that if the business client does not raise any questions or issues when they receive their CPA-prepared financial statement, the client thinks that everything is OK. In other words, the business owner typically believes that everything is OK if the CPA does not raise any financial statement issues.

Bridging this communication gap is surprisingly easy. For instance, the CPA should provide interpretation along with the financial statement – not just what the numbers are, but what the numbers mean.

The difficulty is that the parties speak different languages. However, if the business owner doesn’t understand some of the terms that the CPA uses, they may not ask questions. Therefore, both parties are preserving the original communication gap.

Advisory Accounting uses a language common to both parties. For instance, the CPA uses terms that resonate with the business owner.  This mutual understanding creates a positive environment and brings tremendous value to your relationship – creating a client for life! Above all, Advisory Accounting is the best tool for bridging the gap between the business client and the CPA!

Emerging Trends
The growth in high-value client advisory services, ranging from wealth management, valuation, and succession planning, is an emerging high-value opportunity for CPA firms. In addition, those moving from Traditional Accounting (CPA-centered) to Advisory Accounting (client-centered) are the big winners in this trend. 

The Alarming Facts
There are approximately thirty million small businesses in the US. Unfortunately 600 thousand go out of business every year. In addition, over 80% of all small businesses that start fail. This alarming failure rate reflects both a significant problem and a profitable opportunity. As the most trusted business advisor, the CPA is perfectly positioned to provide timely advice to prevent these failures and ensure a growing and thriving client base. Above all, it is a win/win situation.

Traditional Accounting
The business client manages their company utilizing internally prepared financial statements. However, outside parties like a bank usually require a CPA-prepared financial statement at least once a year. The client asks for and receives this financial statement, and dutifully passes it along to the requesting party. The client still manages the company based upon internally prepared financial statements. In this scenario, the CPA has lost a valuable opportunity to provide a value-added service to the client in the form of much-needed financial education and advice.

Advisory Accounting takes Traditional Accounting one step further by adding the financial statement’s interpretation coupled with action steps and regular follow up during the year. The result is that there no longer exists a “groundhog’s day scenario.” You prevent situations where your clients do not address important issues, and their financial condition gradually deteriorates. In other words, the result is a happy and successful client for life.

Advisory Accounting changes the role of the CPA from a trusted financial reporter to a trusted financial advisor. It is a small change, but one that will significantly impact the client. Similarly, it prevents costly mistakes and maybe even outright failure. The challenge is how to explain business finance. Finance is a subject perceived to be complicated and mysterious. In addition, the client does not have a background or education in this area.

In the last few years, tools have been developed to assist the CPA in communicating basic financial principles to their clients. These include:

• The text 60 Minute CFO: Bridging the Gap Between the Business Owner, Banker, and CPA.

This five-star Amazon Bestseller explains business finance clearly and in simple terms that anyone can understand with a non-financial background. Reading just the first four chapters will explain everything the client needs to know about analyzing financial statements, and it will take less than 60 minutes. This understanding puts the CPA and the client finally on the same page.

• Advisory Accounting – Bridging The Gap Between The Business Owner And The CPA 12-hour CPE Course. This 12 Session series on Advisory Accounting covers all business finance areas, from financial statement analysis to capital budgeting and financial forecasting and concludes with two sessions on the key leadership principles that are essential for long-term success.

• Business Mastery This Excel-based workbook performs all the calculations of financial ratios and forecasting of financial statements, cash flow, and financial ratios.

• 60 Minute CFO Academy. An online financial course in the basics of finance, specially designed for the business owner client.

These tools and additional complementary software programs are available for review at www.60minutecfo.com

Moving to Advisory Accounting involves a few easy steps. They include:

• Begin this process with four or five carefully selected clients.
• Fill in the Business Mastery workbook for them with three years of financial data.
• Share the 60 Minute CFO text and Business Mastery workbook with your client.
• Make an appointment with your client to go over the financial results, including strengths and areas that might need improvement, and your initial financial forecast for the coming year.
• Refine your procedures as you learn what works best.
• Educate your staff on this process and implement Advisory Accounting firm-wide.
• Make sure that there is a Business Mastery and Client Advisory Meeting box to be checked with every compliance assignment.

Moving to Advisory Accounting starts your clients on a lifelong learning journey. They and your staff will always be able to learn something new. This is the joy of it! In conclusion remember that Advisory Accounting is the best tool for bridging the gap between the business client and the CPA.

For instance, hear the words of a satisfied client for life:
“I am so excited to feel, for the first time, that I can understand my financial data, and I appreciate how you break down concepts and use words that mere mortals can understand!” C. Leung, Business Owner.

Consider the K2 course Advisory Accounting – Bridging The Gap Between The Business Owner And The CPA 12-hour CPD Course. For a shorter CPE course, consider K2’s Profiting from Advisory Services. Learn more about tools to support your CPA firm at our CPA Firm Technology website. Consider my article published by the CPA Practice Advisor: Does Your Firm Have a Clear Vision on Advisory Services?