Say Goodbye to Bad Small-business Habits

by | Sep 27, 2017

Trust and Commitment in a Remote Team 

A couple of months ago, I made my first overseas trek since 2017 – not for vacation – but to meet with the rest of the Fritz Financial Solutions team of accountants in the Philippines. It was important to me to show these women the time and attention needed to...

Understanding Financial Accountability  

"I'm not here to give you the good news."  I say that phrase to clients much more often than you might think. Because I ultimately want to celebrate their business's success with them, I’m there to tell them the actual state of their company's finances and guide...

Client Spotlight: Andrea Freidman 

As a business owner, one of the most significant challenges to overcome is work-life balance. This dilemma has only been exacerbated over the last several years and forced many "traditional" industries, such as the legal profession, to change their ways. Long before...

MEET THE TEAM: Joy mercado, Staff Accountant 

Joy Mercado joined Fritz Financial Solutions just over six months ago after completing an accelerator program with TOA Global, our offshore recruiting partner specializing in the accounting industry. Joy has quickly become an invaluable team member doing highly...

Client Spotlight: Isaac Crawford  

Isaac Crawford is a ray of sunshine who went after his dreams and came out on top when he started his own hair salon. He has been in the hair industry for almost 15 years and has serviced hundreds of clients in Chicago. An inspiration to entrepreneurs, we are excited...

MEET THE TEAM: Milen Gomez, Staff ACCOUNTANT

6 months ago, we added a new staff accountant to our team: Milen Gomez. Our newest staff accountant is the best we could ask for with her incredible attention to detail and efficient mindset. She has been an essential part of our continued growth by always putting her...

Everyone is guilty of bad habits. The trouble is, if professionals don’t get theirs in check and improve their financial management practices, they could do serious damage to their company.

Throughout my years of helping small businesses better manage their money, I’ve noticed successful outfits share a few common good behaviors. Incorporate these six good habits and you could realize serious positive impacts to your bottom line.

1: Reconcile Your Accounts
How can you fund your business if you don’t have a handle on where your money is coming from, and going to? Still, too many companies don’t connect their bank balance to bills, invoices, credit statements and other numbers, leaving a big question mark hanging over the operation.

2: Pay Bills on Time
Writing checks (or sending e-payments) can sting, especially when feeling a cash crunch. Still, paying your creditors on time avoids the much-worse pain of poor credit, interest and late fees, and ruined vendor relationships.

3: Follow Up with Accounts
Too many businesses let receivables hang for too long—three months, six months, even a year. Sometimes they—whoops!—forget to send an invoice at all. Maintaining control of invoicing and receivables is probably the most vital component of managing your cash flow.

4: Submit Payroll and Sales Taxes on Time
These aren’t just bills—these are monies withheld on behalf of employees and customers. Failing to submit deposits, sales tax and quarterly payroll tax returns in a timely manner can yield serious consequences, not to mention sock you with steep penalties and interest.

5: Open Your Mail
Who mails things anymore? Government agencies, and people paying you money or asking for funds. Open that small pile of envelopes every day and manage their contents; you’ll be less likely to get buried under an avalanche of paper (and you’ll avoid missing payments or checks from clients).

6: Keep Personal and Business Expenses Separate
Small businesses can find their business dealings butting in on their personal life—the same with the expenses associated with the two. Running personal transactions through your company (say, to reduce their tax liability) can be tempting, but it’s unwise for a number of reasons, and it can lead to big headaches if an IRS auditor comes calling, and other problems.

Building these six habits might seem like a lot of work, but it’s worth it—and not as hard as you think. If you’re just too busy to take on these seemingly menial tasks while you’re focusing on bigger things in your business, it’s well worth it to hire someone and delegate these responsibilities. In my next few blogs, I’ll go into detail on each of these beneficial behaviors and help you incorporate them into your day-to-day dealings.

What other financial challenges are weighing on you? Reach out to me at Daliah@MySmallBusinessPro.com and I’ll be happy to work with you to reach a solution.

Trust and Commitment in a Remote Team 

A couple of months ago, I made my first overseas trek since 2017 – not for vacation – but to meet with the rest of the Fritz Financial Solutions team of accountants in the Philippines. It was important to me to show these women the time and attention needed to...

Understanding Financial Accountability  

"I'm not here to give you the good news."  I say that phrase to clients much more often than you might think. Because I ultimately want to celebrate their business's success with them, I’m there to tell them the actual state of their company's finances and guide...

Client Spotlight: Andrea Freidman 

As a business owner, one of the most significant challenges to overcome is work-life balance. This dilemma has only been exacerbated over the last several years and forced many "traditional" industries, such as the legal profession, to change their ways. Long before...

MEET THE TEAM: Joy mercado, Staff Accountant 

Joy Mercado joined Fritz Financial Solutions just over six months ago after completing an accelerator program with TOA Global, our offshore recruiting partner specializing in the accounting industry. Joy has quickly become an invaluable team member doing highly...

Client Spotlight: Isaac Crawford  

Isaac Crawford is a ray of sunshine who went after his dreams and came out on top when he started his own hair salon. He has been in the hair industry for almost 15 years and has serviced hundreds of clients in Chicago. An inspiration to entrepreneurs, we are excited...

MEET THE TEAM: Milen Gomez, Staff ACCOUNTANT

6 months ago, we added a new staff accountant to our team: Milen Gomez. Our newest staff accountant is the best we could ask for with her incredible attention to detail and efficient mindset. She has been an essential part of our continued growth by always putting her...

What solution can Fritz Financial find for you?

Schedule a meeting with Daliah Fritz