Budgets and cash-flow

2 April 2023 · Filed in Contractor

I am developing a new programme to guide IT professionals leaping into Contracting.

Cash-flow

As a UK contractor, you know that cash-flow is the lifeblood of your household and your business. Without a steady stream of cash coming in, it’s impossible to pay your bills, meet your obligations, and invest in the future.

That’s why it’s so important to have a strong cash-flow management system in place. A good cash-flow management system will help you to:

• Predict your cash-flow needs. This will help you to avoid surprises and to make sure that you always have enough cash on hand to meet your obligations.

• Monitor your cash-flow. This will help you to identify any potential problems early on and to take corrective action.

• Improve your cash-flow. This will help you to reduce your costs and to increase your profits.

There are a number of different ways to improve your cash-flow management.

Budget

One way is to create a budget. A budget is a plan for how you will spend your money. It can help you to track your income and expenses, to identify areas where you can cut back, and to make sure that you are always using your money wisely.

Plan Payments

Another way to improve your cash-flow management is to plan your payments. This will help you to avoid late payments and to reduce your costs. You can automate your payments by setting up direct debits or by using a payment processor.

Negotiation

Finally, you can improve your cash-flow management by negotiating better terms with your customers and suppliers. Hotels, travel and other expenses can be improved by getting discounts on your purchases.

What can you do?

By taking these steps, you can improve your cash-flow management and make your business more profitable.

Not only does your business benefit from having good cash-flow and a budget, your household does too.

• Set realistic budgets. Don’t try to budget for everything at once. Start by budgeting for your most important expenses, such as your rent or mortgage, and your utilities. Once you have a handle on your most important expenses, you can start to budget for other things, such as your side project, pension, and your travel.

• Track your expenses. The only way to know where your money is going is to track your expenses. Keep a record of all your income and expenses, and use this information to create your budget.

• Be prepared for unexpected expenses. Even the best-planned budgets can be thrown off by unexpected expenses. That’s why it’s important to have a cushion of cash set aside in case of an emergency.

• Get help from a professional. If you’re struggling to manage your cash-flow, you can always get help from a professional.

How can I help?

We cover all these in the course in two live sessions. We also provide support and materials to ensure your cash-flow is easy to do, with reminders, worksheets and professional assistance.

We can help you to create a budget, track your expenses, and improve your cash-flow management.

By following these tips, you can create a budget that works for you and that helps you to improve your cash-flow. This will help you to grow your business and to achieve your financial goals.

Come ask me and the community questions. You can find me on Slack and LinkedIn.

If you found this useful, subscribe to updates and look out for my YouTube channel content.

Previous Post: Reporting and Compliance Next Post: Contracts and Flexibility

Tags: cash-flow · cashflow · contractor