All Entrepreneurs and individuals who have been running a small business know that it is a consuming affair. Sometimes they are so engrossed with a bigger vision that they fail to check their mistakes that they have committed in the course of time. Especially, when it comes to their financial options, most of the entrepreneurs fail to break their financial options. So here are some points that you should check to avoid financing mistake that can occur in the course of business.
Poor research or not conducting proper research
Most of the small business owners seek for startup loans to finance their business ideas. But while doing so, it has been seen that some of them do not conduct a research on all the loan options. Today, there are thousands of loan programs that are available in the market. To a person who is searching for a loan, procuring quick cash could be very luring and may cloud his ability to refine the options available to him. Regardless how tempting the option is you should avoid not looking into the detailed picture of the option. You should choose an option that offers you good interest rates and longer amortization periods. Sometimes you may not be qualified for loans owing to poor financials or limited collateral, then you must seek for options within the best lending space for you. Poor research might cost you huge money in the long run. Sometimes easy money can cost you to pay back more over the time. So, it is very important to spend some time in researching the options upfront. Moreover, some loan officers will use all their skills to make you take a decision that is not required at all. For instance, they might lure you to take a debt too early or you might tend to overlook the consequences for the long run. So it is always better to know the market and doing a research on alternative loan options would not harm you in either case.
Looking for too much money than actually required
It is very simple; only borrow the amount that you actually need. The business owners who focus more on future rather than focusing on their present needs are unable to calculate the amount of money they would really need to run the business. A business owner should not visualize a loan as a permanent solution. The amount of money you borrow should help you to carry your business to the next stage, not for the next 20 years. Borrowing huge amount of money may financially drain your business in the long run. Depending on the amount of money you borrow, a business loan might affect your business positively or negatively.
Choosing your partner
A business partnership is a very important relationship like other personal relationships. So it demands certain commitments to be fulfilled from both sides. A healthy business partnership demands open communication, sharing financial obligations and as well as responsibilities. Lack of any of these demands might likely negatively affect the relation between the partners. So before choosing a partner, you should know that the partner is right for you and your business. How do you know that a particular partner is good for you and your business? To check this you must look into his experience in the industry, you must know how his personal life is, you must look into his past employment and the level of commitment he can offer to pursue the goals of the company. If you feel that a partner would not meet the criteria you require, it is better to break the ties earlier before you are legally or financially bound. It applies the same when you look for investors or lenders. Not all the investors will be fit for your company, so you should know how their involvement would help your company.
Lack of emergency cash bundle
No one can guarantee the arrival of hard times in any business. So when your business is doing well and you have good cash flow, build an emergency cash reserve for future. Most of the business owners tend to neglect the need of cash reserve which might lead to no cash flow during the hard times. Lack of cash reserve would force you to borrow more loans during a crisis. In order to earn a larger chunk of profit, many businesses fall prey to unnecessary purchases and stocking of goods without building a cash reserve. One of the major goals of business should be staying out of debt and running a business smoothly, even during a crisis. So it is very critical for every business to create a cash reserve for future use. Cash reserve will help you stay away from debt during a crisis.
Disorganized financials
When it comes to financing, unorganized and outdated financials are major hurdles both for the lender and the borrower. Lack of current and accessible financials can disrupt your chances of receiving finance for your business. Outdated business financials may lead to faulty balance sheets or missing tax reports. So make sure that your financials are current and review them weekly. So whenever time demands you should have all your financials at handy.
Mixing Personal expense with business expense
It is one of the worst financing mistakes that the small business commit that can hamper their bookkeeping. Most of the small business owners tend to overlook the details and end up mixing personal and business expenses which can give them a hard time during the tax season. A good amount of time and money could be wasted later on when you try to separate your expenses. Moreover, when you mix up both personal and business expenses it will be tough for you track down the details of each account. So it is suggested that you manage separate accounts for both the expenses and avoid mixing them.
So, these are some important financing mistakes that every business owner must avoid. Overlooking such mistakes may hamper the business in the long run.
I am an IT analyst and CPA at Hitech-Cloud Hosting Solutions which is a leading Cloud Computing and Application Hosting company. I have been conducting research on various accounting and tax applications. I compile my findings in the company year book called “Glimpse of your financial framework”. I love to read on topics especially related to small business, start ups and technology. I have also written and published many articles on accounting software and their trends.