There is nothing more liberating and satisfying than establishing your own business. However, it is also a demanding job that will take your time, effort, and money. You will have to do a lot of things you didn’t do before. This will include hiring personnel, looking for funds, paying many expenses, and so on. But no matter what you go through, Sohil Merchant assures you that it would be worth it in the end. Sohil Merchant is a smart entrepreneur who started his business at a young age. He loves to play sports, do business, and spend time with his family. So to help entrepreneurs save money, here are some finance tips to look out for.
Explore Bootstrap Opportunities
Bootstrapping is a golden opportunity aspiring entrepreneurs must explore. Entrepreneurs should endeavor to bootstrap as long as they can.
What is Bootstrapping?
Bootstrapping is the process where an entrepreneur funds his business using his income or money. Or the entrepreneur can get funds from family and friends. In a nutshell, a bootstrapped entrepreneur does not look for loans or third-party investments. As a young entrepreneur with a young business, it is advisable to bootstrap your business till it grows. Then you can explore other finance options later on when your business grows or performs well.
Benefits of Bootstrapping
- Bootstrapping has many benefits. One of them is to prevent the entrepreneur from racking up debts. As a result, the entrepreneur will be safe from interest on loans or external funds.
- Furthermore, third-party investments like venture capitalist finance can turn into a stressful situation for the entrepreneur. This is because capitalists may have extremely high expectations and put more pressure on the entrepreneur.
- In addition, bootstrapping gives an entrepreneur freedom and flexibility over his business.
Know the Government’s Policy
There are different government policies for entrepreneurs, especially when it comes to tax liabilities. That is, entrepreneurs are taxed differently from non-entrepreneurs. It is important to know your tax responsibilities and requirements as an entrepreneur and comply with them. Failure to do so on time may prove disastrous to your business reputation.
Why it is Essential to Know the Government’s Policies
If you register your business as an S-corporation or LLC, know that some factors will affect your tax burden. This also includes the state where you registered your business in your country. To know what the government policy is in your state, hire a professional to help you out. Always ensure you pay your business tax on time to prevent any future problems.
Make a Budget
Having a budget in place will go a long way in managing your expenses. Every entrepreneur needs to know how to make a reasonable business budget and make it a priority. When you make a budget, you will know what your revenue, loss or profit, and expenses will be. What’s more, you can identify areas where you are spending unnecessarily and find solutions to reduce the expenses.
Moreover, a budget marks the start of your future business projections. It will also show you how your company will grow and in which direction. Furthermore, it is good to make a budget for each team or department in your company. This includes any work or activities the team will undertake so that you can plan for any emergency.
Monitor Your Cash Flow
Cash flow is an important aspect of entrepreneurship, so an entrepreneur must know how to monitor it. Otherwise, the business may run at a loss. Besides, if your business lacks liquidity or has an unstable cash flow, it will interfere with business operations. Therefore, cash flow is vital to the future of your business. Where you get the cash flow from and how you got it will determine your business health and direction. As a result, an entrepreneur needs to recognize ways he can improve the cash flow of the business. And where possible, an entrepreneur can accelerate his company’s growth by redirecting positive cash flow back into the business.
Start Saving Early
Starting a business is an uncertain task that requires money. It is accompanied by failures and successes, something every entrepreneur goes through. “Hence, it is important for an entrepreneur to tread carefully when it comes to finances”, cautioned Sohil Merchant. As an entrepreneur, make it your utmost priority to save money as much as possible.
Benefits of Saving Money
Saving money will be useful to you when you have a business and personal emergencies. A decent saving will go a long way in solving some of your financial problems. Additionally, when you have savings, you can better focus your attention on your business. You will also be able to maintain your personal affairs at the same time.
Conclusion
Sohil Merchant emphasizes the role bootstrapping and savings play in the growth and development of a company. Having both at hand will reduce the need to seek out external funding for the business. That means the entrepreneur will be free of loan repayment or interest worries and do focus more on the business. However, if all else fails when it comes to funding, then explore other funding opportunities that suit your business needs.
