Guide to Cash Management

Many small businesses haven't thought much past the day when their books sneak into the black. Yet every business, even those still struggling with negative cash flow, should plan cash management techniques for managing excess cash.

In this article, you will discover

1. Cash management strategies to get your business out of the red
   
2. How to determine if you have cash available for saving or investing
3. Cash management solutions for investing your business's cash

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Maximize cash flow and get your business profitable

Before you can institute your cash management techniques, your business should have cash to manage. Articles on cash management provide cash management solutions that can help stabilize your company.

I recommend: L. Gary Boomer's article has 10 management strategies that improve cash flow management in any business. Better Cash Flow Management is also covered in great detail on Work.com. A very detailed article on business cash flow management was written by Boston Private Bank and Trust.

Monitor your business cash flow

Accounting software can help you watch your cash flow. You can set up bills and payments via this software, and predict whether you have cash that has no where to flow to.

I recommend: QuickBooks is the most popular, and often best-rated accounting software for small businesses. Simply Accounting, Peachtree Complete Accounting Software, Sage BusinessVision Accounting Software, and Microsoft Office Accounting Professional are other brands of highly-rated accounting software.

Hire professionals to analyze your business's cash management

If you suspect your business has cash ready for investment, ask a professional to confirm this. Professionals can help by brainstorming bills you may have forgotten about or by determining how much of your cash flow should go into a savings plan, instead of an investment.

I recommend: finding a Certified Cash Flow Consultant (CCFC) to help you determine if your business has money available for investing and how much is available. You can find search for a CCFC by state through AmericanCashFlow.com. You can browse cash management articles written by CCFCs on TheSideRoad.com or the American Cash Flow Journal.

Learn about your investment options

Once you decide you have cash to invest, start looking into your investment options and build your cash management strategy.

I recommend: starting at the bank where you have your business checking and credit accounts. They may offer average or better rates on Sweep Accounts or Certificates of Deposit (CDs). If you want to shop around, large investment firms, such as Charles Schwab and Merrill Lynch often offer good rates on money market accounts and mutual funds.

Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• Always allocate cash is a way to improve your business's stability. Pay off debts before investing. In most cases, the interest on a company credit card is much larger than the interest gained on any investment.
• Be wary of risky investments. Never make an investment decision that has a good chance of reducing your business's cash cushion.

The official source of Cash Management is the Cash Management page at Business.com