Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Cash Flow: Sometimes It Takes an Expert to Advise on It

Cash flow woes can be a major problem for a business as any Rochester accounting firm will note. Without a decent level of cash flow, a business will end up suffering from quite a bit up upheaval. Working with CFO outsourcing services may be able to curtail problems associated with cash flow woes. This is a must because a business does need to have enough cash coming in so as to effectively remain in operation and not suffer from resulting financial limitations. There could also be issues with Rochester taxes that might arise when not enough cash flow is generated to cover them.

Understanding why cash flow is so important begins with defining what exactly cash flow is. First, it is critical to point out that cash flow is NOT the same thing as profits. There may be profits found in monthly cash flow, but the cash flow itself is not solely profitable. Similarly, a business doing $35,000 a month in cash flow could be operating at a major loss. A Rochester CPA could point out numerous examples such as these.

How is this so? Basically, cash flow can be defined as the amount of money that comes into the business through revenues. A commercial gym, for example, may gain its cash flow through memberships combined with the sale of food and beverages along with merchandise. When all of the revenue is added up, the end result would be the figure for cash flow. Cash flow can be broken down into daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual amounts. Upon doing so, steps must be taken to determine whether or not the cash flow is contributing to profits or losses. A good Rochester accountant will tell you where you stand in this regard.

Obviously, the goal of the examination of the cash flow would be to maximize profits while also trying to cut down on any losses. This might all seem very basic, but there are complexities involved with the process. Many business owners can be good with the product or service they offer, but when it comes to actually managing their finances, they can only do so when they make enough profits to cover their expenses. And even this can actually be done from the wrong perspective.

What that means is the cash flow might be low due to not properly managing the expenses of the business. Money could end up being wasted because it is being overspent on areas that could easily be cut. Outsourcing CFO services could lead to recognizing what areas could benefit from budget reductions. It could also contribute to better tax planning.

And then there may be more complicated steps to take such as increasing funding to a particular area so that it might contribute to boosting revenues and cash flows as a result. An experienced eye may be able to locate such things, make suggestions, and then follow through on any affirmative decisions made from those running the company. Often, management will be quick to agree to what the CFO or a Rochester consulting firm is is suggesting. All they needed was the proper insights to be pointed out to them to make the necessary changes.


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