In too
many cases, business financials are so confusing that no one can understand
them or analyze them. And it’s not
uncommon that the year-end statements don’t match up with the internal profit
and loss statements. These can become
major problems when the business owner tries to obtain financing or sell his or
her company.
Far too
often business owners take a hands off approach to their financial
statements. Despite the request of their
Accountant they dismiss the idea of reviewing those results with their advisor
and, more importantly don’t ask how to improve the results.
Those
owners who take an active role with their business financials, often:
Find ways to save money.
Ever go to the grocery store and quickly pick up a few things, get to
the register and wonder how you just spent $100 or $200. Then consider those times you carefully
looked at what was on sale, compared no name brands, or carried coupons. It seems ridiculous but you find you spend
25% less and end up with the same amount of goods. The same principle needs to be applied to
your expenses. Business owners who regularly review expense accounts quickly
discover there are areas they are carelessly spending.
See threats and weaknesses sooner.
Picture how productive you would be if you could do just a little more
strategic thinking, speak directly to a few more key customers or develop future
marketing initiatives. Business owners who use their financial statements as a
tool are better able to identify threats and weaknesses. They are not bandaging symptoms but rather correcting
the causes.
Improve the marketability of their
business. If sellers don’t understand their financials
how can they expect buyers to get them? Since
finding a willing buyer will require the business financials to be analyzed in
detail, the fewer obstacles placed in front of buyers the better. The more difficult it is to determine a
business opportunities financial picture, the more often buyers will continue
their search and never give your business a fair shake.
It is
absolutely critical that a business has a set of financial statements and
internal bookkeeping that are easy to understand and make sense to anyone who
has to review them.
Do you have a small business question
you would like answered about this article or others?
Bill Sivell is a salesperson with VR
Windsor Inc. [www.vrwindsor.com]
519-903-7807, which sells businesses to buyers across Canada and around the
world. His 14-year career includes diverse senior management positions in
marketing, advertising, sales management and operations management. His blog
appears every Tuesday.