Many times small businesses want to expand their businesses and are not sure when the best time to do that might be. The key of course is cash flow. Will your current and brand new accounts afford you the cash flow to expand? Let us run thru a scenario with you and just so you know this is good advice, I own the Truck Wash Guys and have been doing this a while. Each time a franchisee wished to expand and ask for advice, I would look at their situation and determine if it was a wise idea. Sometimes it was, but often it was not. So let us look a hypothetical scenario for a moment:
Well let's consider. You have two new fleet accounts, one with twenty buses at let's say $10.00 each from a summer day camp for kids. The other is a rent-a-car company that pays once a month. This is your 50 percent increase in sales. Now, let us add in a graffiti removal contract. The graffiti contract starts in two months. Sales are up and everything looks great?except:
The day camp ends after summer (two months left)
The rent-a-car company pays monthly so you will bill them at the end of the month and then they will wait thirty days to pay you plus mail time
The graffiti contract is the same payment schedule and cities are notorious on slow payment
Graffiti can be cleaned at night
Rent-a-cars can be cleaned by starting one and one-half hours earlier on Mondays and thirty minutes earlier other days
Summer camp buses can be cleaned whenever You are not sure yet how often the day camp pays
Still think you want to expand?
NO WAY!
Remember: You can run your pressure washing rig twenty-four hours a day without owning two rigs. You will have a major cash flow problem if you buy another unit because of the billing cycle on big accounts. Your new truck would not be ready for thirty days plus five days to get financing. By that time the summer camp is almost over. Wow. All the indicators point to a second pressure washing rig and new truck or do they?
Sometimes you need to actually open the hood and take a look. Consider putting on your devil's advocate thinking cap and make yourself a mechanic. Ask yourself for help. Let yourself look under the hood. Throw away the ego. Sure it would be nice to own another pressure washing rig and you would be a big business man. But realistically speaking it would all be for show and you would actually be making less money. You can justify the expansion to the leasing company or a bank and get the money all right because sales are up. But that doesn't make it a savvy move. Sometimes race car drivers draft behind the lead car to cut down on drag from the wind. By conserving resources (fuel) they better their chances for winning the race later. In business, the person who gets to keep the most money wins, not the one who has the biggest empire. Think about it before spending the money on expansion.
"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.worldthinktank.net/wttbbs
car service from Midway Burlington .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareGet maximum results with minimum effort. Sounds great doesn't it?... Read More
When is advice free and when should you charge for... Read More
If you're looking for start-up capital for your business, but... Read More
CARD SHARK7 Card Tricks That Improve Your Personal Networking PowerThe... Read More
Why does a good business relationship rely on having some... Read More
As you may already know, asphalt paved parking lots do... Read More
More sales and more profit. Isn't that what you want... Read More
Do you spend every waking minute in your business? Do... Read More
Q. I am a former pastor who left the ministry... Read More
If you've been thinking about starting a business, but are... Read More
Starting and growing a small business can be a daunting... Read More
How much is your time really worth? Is it worth... Read More
Owning a business is a challenging endeavor. If you're like... Read More
Should your business have a toll free number for customers... Read More
As a practise gets larger & larger the associated problems... Read More
Here are some sound debt collection techniques that can be... Read More
It seems so long ago that I started my first... Read More
Debt collection letters--an overview"Debt collection letter" in the singular may... Read More
You may find this Newsletter a little long winded but... Read More
How is your pipeline structured?I assume most of you have... Read More
Many government department heads are on the take. Oh they'll... Read More
And is having a logo really that important?My answer to... Read More
Are you a home or small business owner and you're... Read More
Someone new to business ownership recently told me, "Before I... Read More
Do you promote yourself as offering prompt, reliable and quality... Read More
Granger limo Chicago ..Are the promoters and consultants destroying the market for Reverse... Read More
There are many potential niches for pressure washing companies that... Read More
The following are six essential skills to business success. You... Read More
Most small business owners are faced with so many responsibilities... Read More
Car wash businesses are unique to other businesses. In fact... Read More
By outsourcing to skilled professionals you'll be able to grow... Read More
Sacred cows take a long time to die. We get... Read More
We were more than excited. Our women's doubles tennis team... Read More
Business checks are available in many styles and varieties. They... Read More
Office support services can range from basic data entry to... Read More
Back when I owned an inventory-based business, one of my... Read More
Whether you are an Entrepreneur or Business Professional there are... Read More
Hogwash!That's what I say to people who tell me that... Read More
The FTC Franchise Rule maybe changed, as the Federal trade... Read More
Essentially there are 5 tremendously powerful methods to make money... Read More
When should you leverage the relationship?Leveraging sometimes brings a negative... Read More
If you own a small business, then you know the... Read More
You have spent considerable time pulling your business plan together,... Read More
You've probably heard the statistic that 95% of small businesses... Read More
It appears the mini-blimp indoor theme and concept is making... Read More
With the massive explosion of start-ups and home businesses developing,... Read More
Do you own a franchised business? Over 400,000 franchised businesses... Read More
Q: I really want to start my own business, but... Read More
One thing I have noticed in my travels to different... Read More
Announcements can be handed out as a business cardAnnouncements can... Read More
Small Business |