3 Ways to Save Money in Your Business


Saving money in business is one of the main goals of any business owner. It makes no difference how long you have been established for or how much money you are making each year if you can save money you should do so. Yet it can seem like an impossible task when you consider everything that a business has to pay for, especially if you are employing people as well. Many businesses over-spend or find that their profits just aren’t high enough to do what they want to do. Here are some useful ways you can save money in your business and make a start on boosting your profits too. 

Buy Used 

Although when you start to think of the equipment you might need, or you want to replace older equipment to be more productive, you will automatically think of buying something new, this might be out of your price range. Even if you can afford it, is buying brand new really something you need to do? 

Often, buying used equipment can be a much better idea. You will need to do plenty of research to ensure the piece of equipment or vehicle you are buying used works in the way it is meant to, but this extra time will be worth it if you find something perfect that is a lot cheaper than it would be if you bought it new. Plus, almost everything can be found in a used and refurbished state from xerox docucolor 550 printers to laptops to trucks to office furniture. 

Outsource What You Can 

The idea of outsourcing might sound like it’s going to cost a lot of money, and you will indeed need to spend to outsource to a professional company. However, there are several reasons why this cost should be seen not only as an investment but as a way of actually saving money. 

When you outsource, you can:

  • Give yourself more time to work on the business (and make more money)
  • Work on the elements you are best at (and boost your business)
  • Gain customer loyalty (which is essential to good business)
  • Become efficient at what you provide (meaning people will use you again and tell their friends and family about you)

All of this means more money for your business, even if you are paying for outsourcing. 

Work from Home 

Apart from staffing costs, which you may or may not need to pay depending on the size and setup of your business, the most significant expense you will be looking at is your office costs. If you can forego that and work from home instead, you will be able to save your business a lot of money. If you do have the staff, they can be home-based too (again, depending on what it is you do) and you still won’t have to spend so much money on premises. 

There are additional benefits to working from home that you might not have considered, but that make the idea an even better one. Workers are often more productive when they are at home since they feel more comfortable and relaxed, for example. They also feel happier in their work if they are given the option to work at home. 

How to make your skills more in demand while you are on quarantine


Make the Most of Quarantine by Developing In-Demand Skills

Being under self-quarantine can often make you stuck and restless at home. If you were not already used to working off-site, you may be asking: What’s next?

So during this difficult time, why not acquire in-demand skills to stay ahead and earn income. It could even land a tech job that pays a six-figure salary. Tech companies are currently hiring remote workers able to handle tasks and receive direction through applications online, and this could be your new income source.

In this article, we share tips to boost your career so you can stay productive while under quarantine.

Learn an in-demand skill

When you think about learning a new skill, you need to invest time in learning a subject that guarantees job opportunities. Identify future proof skills, jot them down, and narrow down your choices.

Technology evolves and you need to stay ahead. Do your research based on facts and data to find subjects compatible with your interests. LinkedIn recently conducted a new study to identify the most in-demand skills. The results are based on successfully hired users. These are some of the most in-demand skills identified in the study.

Cloud Computing

Cloud storage is convenient for many companies because of the security, productivity, and money-saving power the technology offers. Through cloud computing, companies no longer rely on the physical storage of documents. Now, cloud computing is a skill that refers to managing remote servers. The demand for this skill is so high that $200,000 per year is the medium salary.

Artificial Intelligence

Many tasks today are automated and the engine that drives them, artificial intelligence, has become necessary. According to Gartner’s customer service statistics, AI will be the primary source of customer service. Chatbots will be responsible for most customer service tasks. If you want to learn all the necessary skills for AI programming you should start with machine learning. AI engineers have an estimated salary of $130,000 per year.

UX Design

UX refers to user experience, and designers are in charge of creating a seamless experience for users. User experience is more related to functional design. Some of the tasks involved in UX are visual design and usability testing. How appealing is UX’s design salary? A UX designer can earn up to $110,000 per year. While under quarantine, you can learn this skill at schools with a remote modality such as Thinkful or Kenzie Academy

Improve Your Existing Skills

One of the best things you can do for yourself while under quarantine is learning new skills. Depending on the area you live in, you can do this by starting projects and taking courses. If you are already a UX designer, there’s nothing more impressive to employers than seeing a functional app. Invest your time in creating a responsive and aesthetically appealing user interface.

Cloud computing is a very modern skill, so it is always changing and evolving. Stay up-to-date with the current trends and attend online courses, which usually stay up with trends. If you are an AI engineer, learn a new coding method. Since artificial intelligence is a complex field, you should aim to practice new ways to solve problems. So you could spend this time in quarantine to learn new AI techniques.

 

Top 6 Excuses by Clients for Late Invoice Payment and How to Deal With Them


late-invoice-payment-excuses

According to a comprehensive study by MarketFinance, formerly known as MarketInvoice, around 60 percent of all invoices are paid late. The report goes on to reveal that the average invoice is paid six days late and that one-fifth of all invoices are paid more than two weeks late.

This is, especially devastating for a small business owner, who depends on constant cash flow to run the operations smoothly and pay employees and vendors on time. It is hence, prudent to know the top excuses given by clients for non-payment of the invoice and also how to deal with late payment —your businesses’ survival depends on it.

1) “Our check is in the mail.”
Since there is no way for you to verify if the client has posted the check, they might blame the postal system and tell you that the check has not been delivered to you due to the inefficiency of the postal department. This might just be an excuse to buy some time. So, if the payment is delayed for long, it would make sense to take a firmer stand and demand they cancel the previous check, pay you via certified mail, and give you the tracking id.

2) “We have not gotten your bill.”
When you hear this excuse, first of all, recheck the address you sent the invoice to. If that is accurate, send your invoice again through fax/certified mail with the requirement of getting the client’s signature on delivery.

3) “We did not receive the product.”
If your product is a digital file/document, you can quickly send it again. But if it is a physical product, you need to track the shipment and delivery process and get the client’s signature upon receipt.

4) “The person who takes care of this is unavailable.”
This can be heard from the clients especially around holidays. During other days, they might respond with the classic “he/she is sick” excuse. If they are set to return in a couple of days, it is reasonable to wait and reach them to take care of the payment later. However, if the client is unsure of the time, ensure that you find out the contact details of a substitute and urge them to process your payment. You should stress the importance of your account and the fact that payment is long overdue.

5) “We are yet to receive payment from a bigger client.”
One way to deal with this excuse is by having your client pay you in installments. If you realize your client has cash flow issues, you can ask them to make payments ahead of time or at least put up a deposit during future dealings.

6) “The system is down.”
Shifting the blame to technology is a common way to delay payments. Be upfront with your clients, and ask them when they expect it to be resolved. Request them to send a check if they respond by saying that they are not sure when the system will be up again.

Bottom-line

Small businesses can avoid most of these excuses through the use of top-notch invoicing software, such as the one provided by Cloud Books. The client cannot claim that the payment check is “in the mail” or “we have not received a bill” or “the system is down.” Cloud-based invoicing software can keep track of all the transactions and the details are stored in the cloud. The information can be accessed at any time from any device.

For a small business, on-time payments from clients are mission-critical. Hence, learning to deal with late payment excuses efficiently can go a long way in ensuring your success. Crucially, it fosters an atmosphere of mutual respect and sets up the precedent for better future dealings.

Also Read: How to avoid unpaid invoices and the best ways to deal with clients who pay you late