Avoiding cash flow crises is crucial for the success and sustainability of your construction business. Managing cash flow is vital for small business owners. Poor cash flow management can create significant challenges even if your business is profitable.

Cash is a fact; Profit is an opinion

A cash crisis can be emotionally devastating and even kill your business. If you've ever had to beg, borrow, and steal to cover tomorrow's payroll, you know what I mean.

Understanding cash flow

Cash flow refers to the money moving in and out of your business. Cash inflows come from sales, interest earned, and investments. Cash outflows cover rent, payroll, bills, and supplier payments. Positive cash flow means your inflows exceed outflows, while negative cash flow indicates more money going out than coming in.

Read More

Topics: QuickBooks Contractors Financial Reports, cash report, Cash Flow, Construction Bookkeeping And Accounting, Contractor Cash Flow Problems, Increase Cash Flow, Improve Construction Cash Flow

In the world of small businesses, positive cash flow is king. The driving force keeps your business engine running smoothly, covering all your liabilities. But what happens when outflow exceeds inflow? Cash flow problems ensue, threatening the survival and growth of your construction business.

These cash flow problems can originate from various sources, including macroeconomic issues like recessions, natural disasters, wars, and microeconomic problems like business decisions and performance. However, careful planning and smart accounting practices can cushion or even avoid these financial blows.

Managing cash flow is a vital part of running a successful construction business. Some contractors think managing cash flow means tracking how much money enters and leaves their business, but more goes into it. 

Read More

Topics: Cash Flow, Contractor Cash Flow Problems, Increase Cash Flow, Construction Forecast, Contractor Guidance, Improve Construction Cash Flow

Cash flow refers to the movement of money into and out of your business. It's based on the amount of money you bring in minus the amount you spend. A positive cash flow means bringing in more than you're spending. A negative cash flow means you aren't bringing in enough to cover your expenses.

 

Your construction company can run into problems by not charging enough for goods or services, having late-paying clients, growing too quickly, or simply spending too much money.

 

Solid cash flow management is vital to ensuring your contracting business survives, but not everyone understands what cash flow is or how to manage it. That's likely what makes it a leading cause of stress for small business owners. 

 

Read More

Topics: Construction Cash Flow, Cash Flow, Construction Bookkeeping And Accounting, Increase Cash Flow, Construction Systems And Processes, Contractor Guidance

Proper construction accounting is all about the details. The answers you need to operate and grow your company are in reports. Everything starts with cash because "cash is fact, profit is an opinion." All transactions in the bank account of your construction accounting system no matter if it is QuickBooks or Xero, must be assigned to the proper accounts:

• Income
• Job Deposits
• Payroll
• Taxes
• Cost of Goods Sold (Direct and Indirect Costs including Labor, Material, Other and Subcontractors)
• Other costs including permits, plans, bills from suppliers, and purchases on your personal credit cards
• Overhead

These tasks form the solid foundation of your small business. As a small business owner, you have more important things to do than to keep your own books. We take care of your books for you, so you can get back to the job of running your business and generating profits. 

 

Read More

Topics: Construction Cash Flow, Increase Profits, Increase Cash Flow, Contractor Sucess, Contractor Tips, Contractor Operating Tips

Construction companies need short-term liquid working capital such as cash, lines of credits, loans, owner financing, credit cards, supplier accounts, and other forms of money to conduct daily operations. Small construction companies with annual sales volume less than $10,000,000 and other requirements enjoy some benefits that are not always available to larger firms. Likewise, larger firms can leverage economies of scale.

The larger your construction business grows, the more likely you could end up operating as a bank without the hundreds of ways to generate revenues from fee income and interest calculation that banks use. The most popular method designed by investors and developers and shrewd business people who understand the concept of divide and conquer is for contractors to get little or no down payment for a construction project, do all the work, including change orders and then try to collect their money.

What often happens is that contractors hate paperwork preferring to keep everything in their head. Then when it comes the time to collect their money, they find themselves having to re-sell the job and talk their customer into parting with their money. It's been said: "The value of services rapidly diminish after the services have been performed," which is why highly profitable companies like McDonald's gets your money before they deliver your meal. Compare the success and profitability of a McDonald's franchise to most restaurants.

 

Read More

Topics: Construction Cash Flow, Increase Profits, Increase Cash Flow, Contractor Sucess, Contractor Tips, Contractor Operating Tips

The Four Most Important Words Your Construction Clients Say:

• "While it's open anyway...." (the walls, floors, ceiling)
• "Since we're this far..." (in the project, remodel, new house)
• "I have an idea..." (for more work to be done, change something)
• "Now my wife wants..." (more, more and more)

Highly profitable and very successful Contractors like you respond with...

Read More

Topics: Construction Profits, Construction Strategy, Increase Cash Flow

---

Contractors Who Are Hard-Ball Negotiators Can Skip This Article

Fair Minded Contractors Who Want Extreme Wealth Keep Reading!

Relationships can make you or break you; financially, professionally and personally. Stephen R. Covey has written and spoken extensively on this subject and most notably in his book The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People.

The idea is when you first meet someone you automatically credit that person with a small amount of emotional trust and they do the same for you. In due time you both make deposits and withdrawals into and out of each other's emotional bank account. The key is to make far and away many more deposits than withdrawals and keep the withdrawals to a minimum.

Read More

Topics: Increase Profits Now, Increase Cash Flow, Relationships

Three Simple Yet Powerful Action Steps You

Can Take To Amplify Success In Your

Construction Company

Read More

Topics: Increase Profits, Increase Cash Flow