原始文本

One of the most common challenges for many small business owners is keeping their cash flow on an even keel. 事实上，根据美国的一份报告.S. 银行的研究, 82% of business failures can be attributed to poor cash flow management. When a customer doesn’t pay on time or your sales projections end up being lower than anticipated, that can put a major pinch on your ability to cover day-to-day expenses.

Finding ways to navigate a temporary cash shortfall can help put your business back in the black as quickly as possible.

1. 推迟付款

当现金流紧缩时, one of the first defensive measures to consider is delaying some of your payments if you can. While you can’t put off paying your utility bills or rent payments, you may be able to negotiate an extension of the due date with some of your other vendors and suppliers. 如果你以前有按时付款的记录, they may be willing to cut you a break and let you hold off on paying for a few extra days or weeks until you have the cash.

2. 谈判新的付款条件

If your vendors are open to allowing you to delay payments in the short term, consider using that as an opening to renegotiate your existing payment structure for the long term. 例如, if you normally pay on a net-30 basis but you find yourself running into the same cash flow problems each month, extending payment out to 45 days instead may give you some much-needed wiggle room.

3. 暂停任何不必要的开支

说到预算, you should be taking a closer look at what you’re spending when you find yourself in a tight spot. 具体地说, you want to examine your expenses to see if there’s anything you can put on hold or cut out altogether. For instance, if sales are down, reducing your weekly or monthly inventory order could be an option. Dropping recurring subscription services may be another. The more you trim, the more money you’re putting back into your cash flow.

4. 考虑为客户提供付款折扣

发现自己缺钱会让人沮丧, especially when you have outstanding receivables that you’re waiting on. Sending out friendly reminders to late-paying customers may facilitate some cash coming your way, 但如果你时间紧迫的话, offering a discount could motivate them to pay faster. Just remember to weigh the cost of the discount against the benefits of having cash in hand sooner rather than later.

5. 看看你自己能不能搞到折扣

Giving a discount is one way to speed up cash flow but getting a discount can be just as valuable. Ask your vendors if there’s any possibility of receiving a discount on the services or supplies you’re purchasing. 即使只有5%, that could make a significant difference in how much cash you’re having to part with each month. It can also help to balance out any discounts you may be extending to your customers.

6. 重新审视你的定价结构

Raising prices is a necessary part of doing business, and it’s something to think about when you’re in a cash flow jam. 然而，你不希望任意提高价格. Look at how much you’re spending on supplies and inventory and compare that to what you’re charging. 你们提价有一段时间了吗? How do your prices measure up against what your competitors are charging? Raising prices can help to bring you out of a cash flow slump, however, you have to do it 在战略上. 否则，你最终可能会赶走客户.

7. 利用小企业融资

When you’re in a dry spell and you need working capital, 获得小额商业贷款, 信用卡或信用额度可能是一个解决方案. 一张小型商业信用卡, 例如, could be useful for covering your bills and everyday business spending. 信用额度或定期贷款, 另一方面, may be more appropriate if you need working capital to cover payroll.

If small business financing is something you’re interested in, it pays to compare what’s out there carefully before you commit. Some types of financing may be a better fit than others, 取决于你能借多少钱, 你要支付的利率和费用, 以及你需要什么来获得资格. Most importantly, consider how repaying a loan or line of credit will affect your future cash flow. 在紧要关头，融资可能会有所帮助, but it could hurt you in the long run if you’re having to dedicate a sizable amount of your revenue to repaying what you’ve borrowed.

专注于阻止未来的现金流混乱

一旦你克服了现金流危机, the next step is creating a plan for avoiding another one in the future. 进行常规的 现金流量分析 是一个好的起点吗. This is simply a breakdown of your cash inflows and outflows over a set period of time. Running this analysis on a weekly (or monthly) basis can make it easier to pinpoint the ebbs and flows in your cash flow. From there, you can work on addressing the issues that may have led to your initial cash crunch.