Completing your Easy - Cash-Flow form
Below you will find help on each section of your Easy Cash-Flow .
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Below you will find help on each section of your Easy Cash-Flow .
Business Rent/Mortgage
What you will pay each month for the premises in which you conduct your business. An office, a factory for manufacturing your products, a warehouse to store your products are all premises that you most likely will be paying for either either as rent payments or repayments for a mortgage you have taken out on the premises.
Record the amount you pay each month.
Rates
Business rate charges maybe included in your overall rent charges, but if not and you pay rates then provide the monthly cost to your business (If you pay quarterly or maybe 10 / 12 months just work out the yearly total and divide by 12 to provide a monthly figure for your cash-flow.
Bills/Utilities
Add up each of the separate bills/utility costs you have for your business per month, below are some of the most common costs so, add together your monthly Electricity bill, Telephone calls bill etc to have one monthly total for bills / utilities and add this to the form.
Common Business Bills:
Professional Advice Fees
This could be accountancy fees, solicitor fees, advertising agency fees, developer fees, training fees, trade bodies , IT services etc.
If your business pays for professional services regularly (not one offs) then include this monthly expense in your list of business expenses.
Insurances
Add the cost of any insurances you need for your business, if you employ staff then by law you need employers liability insurance, but you may also need professional indemnity insurance, Public & product liability insurance and even Building & Contents insurance. Total the costs of these and divide by 12 to give a monthly figure to include in your cash flow.
Licensing & Authorisations
Depending on the type of buisness you have you may need certain licenses, certifications, authorisations from government bodies or key organisations to trade, if this is the case any such costs add them together and work out the monthly cost and add to your cash flow form.
Staff & Employment Costs
Add the monthly cost for payment to staff or contractors that you use to run your business, include full and part-time. (calculate based on not just your current needs but the future needs of your business for the next 12 months to meet your projected sales for the year.
Costs should include National Insurance (+ 12.5% for those employed under PAYE) Payments, Pension contributions & VAT if using contractors that will be invoicing you for their services.
Typically small businesses spend 5% of their sales revenue on Technology & Equipment hire
Add together all those costs that you can group under technology as a rough guide most small businesses are spending 5% of their revenues on this expense. Some examples are listed below:
Equipment & Leasing
This should include any hire or leasing of equipment that you need for your business, this could include items such as:
So, anything you are paying as an ongoing payment for.
Typically small businesses spend 5% of their sales revenue on Sales & Marketing
Marketing & Advertising
Consider what marketing methods you will use so potential customers are aware of your great product or service. Some common marketing channels are:
As a general rule of thumb based on the latest research and expert opinion small businesses spend something close to 5% of their sales revenue on marketing and promotion of their business.
Stock & Materials
If you are in manufacturing then you will appreciate that you need to buy in materials to produce the products you sell, if you are a retailer then you need to buy in stock to complete your orders.
Under ‘Stock & Materials calculate to meet your projected sales how much you need to spend on stock or materials to achieve your sales.
Delivery Costs/ Packaging
This cost relates to getting your products to customers (transport/delivery costs/ storage -export taxes etc or if you are providing a service to clients, travel expenses for workers/staff, cost of the delivery of equipment need to provide the service.
Postage, printing, stationery, supplies
Day to day supplies and things you buy regularly such as stationery, postage, printing ink & toner, pens, labels, storage folders etc all those things you use day to day in running your business.
