For a business to grow, there needs to be a surplus in profit, One way to achieve this is to have high sales figures, and truly, many business owners see this as the number option. After all, an increase in sales and high customer count all sound appealing on paper. However, increasing your sales is a difficult feat that is not entirely under a business owner’s control. There are many factors involved, and while it is the goal that needs to be attained, it’s best to look for other methods as well.
Business owners have their personal finances to think of, like their credit card debt, or USDA housing loan, or even a college fun. On top of that, they also have to look at their business’ financial situation. While this may look and sound overwhelming, managing both is not impossible. Especially in the case of businesses, there are many ways to cut expenses and save money to maximize returns. In this article, we will take a look at how businesses can save money while still maintaining efficient day-to-day operations.
1. Go Paperless
Nowadays, there isn’t much need for paper besides the mandatory receipt and other legal paperwork. There is very little point in buying reams and reams of paper, and while keeping some just in case you need one is great, many of the tasks commonly associated with paper can now be done digitally. Filling up forms, tracking inventory, keeping a log of attendance, all these things can be accomplished digitally, saving money on a monthly supply of paper and a filing cabinet. This makes your operation faster and more efficient as well.
2. Assign the Right People to the Right Task
Utilize your staff’s strength by assigning them to tasks appropriate to their skills. This might sound like a normal strategy, but because of that, it’s often overlooked. This allows you to prevent potentially costly mistakes, have a more efficient operation, and at the same time, validate an employee for a job well done.
3. Leverage DIY Online Marketing
With the prevalent use of the Internet, online marketing has become a serious factor in the advertising industry. Fortunately, online marketing is something that can be managed with little money involved as long it’s managed wisely. Utilizing social media to advertise your services allows you to focus your efforts on a target segment, resulting in better leads to customer ratio, and lets you handle your advertisement on your own terms.
4. Use Second-hand Equipment
Many offices are closing, and with it comes reselling of their inventory. Most of these machines or equipment for sale are wholly functional, especially since office supplies are often built with considerable quality. Purchasing second-hand furniture, such as desks and tables can go a long way to saving money. Be on the lookout for warehouse sales as they would often have the same variety in bulk, sold for cheap.
5. Take Advantage of Open-Source Software
Many modern companies rely on software to get most of their day-to-day business operations accomplished. These software systems are professional-grade products with monthly subscriptions that increase as the years go by. However, most professional software has a free and open-source equivalent that functions similarly, if not the same. Using this for your business can result in thousands of dollars saved in software expenses, not to mention these software tools having a rich resource of tutorials and development logs.
6. Track Your Expenses
Of course, your money-saving scheme needs to be monitored, as this will tell you whether you’re actually saving money or not. Tracking your expenses is necessary to make sure that you’re not overspending, and to see if you’re making any progress in saving money.
7. Flexi-time Saves Time and Money
A few years ago, most employers would never allow their employees to work on a flexible schedule. At least back then, schedules were consistent and stable. But the situation has changed, and employees cannot commit to a fixed schedule due to global events. Interestingly, this will benefit your business too, as shorter hours mean fewer expenses on salary- while making it even more efficient for your company as your employees would find the shorter work hours less taxing, thus increasing their productivity.
8. There is an App for Everything
You can save even further by being resourceful when it comes to tools in your arsenal. Make use of the wide variety of applications available on smartphones. From videoconferencing to file-sharing apps, from community communication to an inventory tracker- there is a lot of useful applications that can be used to help you in your business.
Thanks to the power of the Internet and cloud computing, you can even do complex tasks such as spreadsheets and managing your accounts through your phone or tablet, provided there is the internet.
