I had this barber friend in a neighboring hood I lived a few years ago who is a very good barber and has his own barbershop. He does home service from time to time too. He’s really good so he has a lot of customers but at the end of the month he always struggles to pay the rent of his shop. I spent most of my free time with him at his shop so I know the number of customers that walk in for a haircut daily and I know what his rates are, so by calculations, he should be making enough money even after rent and other expenses required to run the shop. So one day when he complains about rent I asked him how much he makes in a week and he couldn't tell me an estimated number.
Long story short, I educated him on how to keep financial records and record every single penny that comes in and goes out of his business. I also made him understand how this can help him cut losses and make more profit.
The point of this whole story is that I have encountered a lot of people who have small businesses and don't even bother about keeping records in their businesses and this single reason could be a hindrance to growing your business.
No matter the kind of business you do, you should be able to know if you are making a profit or running at a loss. After analyzing a distant relative business I found out that she was taking money from another business to sustain another business. In the long run, both businesses will go under. Not only does a good financial record help minimize losses but it also helps lessen the burden of your taxes.
You don't have to be a big corporation before you keep a record of your daily financial transactions. And no, it doesn't have to be a perfect or standard financial record or statement. It could be done in any way you and the next person will understand. It should just include all the money coming into your business and all the money going out of the business in whatever form. At the end of the day, you should be able to know how much you made in total, how much you have at hand at the moment, how much went to your bank account, how much is in the hands of debtors, how much you owe for bills and to your customers or any other person or entity.
An accurate financial record helps you;
Know the progress of your business: It's through the financial record that you know if your little business is safe or about to go under. If your business is safe your records will also let you know how safe you are. When your records have enlightened you on the future of your business then you can now make a decision based on what the financial records show.
Identify income sources and reduce unnecessary expenses: When you look at your financial records at the end of the month and you see the business not heading in the desired direction, then you do something about it, You can either start cutting down expenses that are not necessary or identify the part of your business that generate the most income and put more focus on it.
Allows you to attain complete regulatory compliance: I stated earlier that an accurate financial record helps with your taxes. Of course, you have to pay taxes, but you can't do that accurately if you don't keep an accurate financial record and that might put you and your business in trouble with the regulatory bodies in the future. Not only does our financial record help figure out your taxes but it also supports the items written on your tax returns.
There are many more benefits of keeping financial records and I know it's not the most exciting part of your business but it is essential to your business. It doesn't matter how small your business is, be it, laundry, hair salon, boutique, online store, etc, always keep financial records.
I have always wanted to organize something like a free seminar and educate the owners of small businesses in my community about this but I'm a very introverted and shy person so I don't know how to go about it, please I will appreciate ideas.
Some of this sounds fairly obvious, the main one being keeping track of your finances - you must be on top of your incomings and outgoings if you want to identify whether your business is successful. It's key to also look at all the secondary expenses that you may overlook, like driving to and from the work premises can add up to a lot of money over time, so you better be paying yourself a salary that can cover that too. Not to mention, most people will have to submit financial records in the form of tax returns, both personal and for a business they run, so it's better to keep a running tally instead of letting it pile up into a huge job performed once a year.