Usually, we at IOU Financial share financial checkup tips with our readers every half-year. In normal times, we would discuss the prudent steps you should consider to increase revenues and cut costs. Then, along came Covid-19. So, this installment is dedicated to ways for small businesses to survive the pandemic in the second half of […]
Mid-Year Financial Checkup: 11 Tips Read More
Small business owners trying to grow their businesses need sufficient capital (i.e., money) to pay for inventory, marketing, equipment, and other vendor-related items. But owners must also have enough capital to pay for operational expenses like rent, utilities, and labor. And let’s not forget about the owner’s salary or draw. After all, most owners rely
Finance 101 for Small Biz: Debt vs Equity Read More
You can’t put it off any longer. The time has arrived to prepare your 2020 budget that’s so necessary for important activities such as: Projecting cash flows Preparing for taxes Identifying borrowing needs Evaluating growth opportunities Assessing performance The stakes are high, because 50% of small businesses fail during their initial five years. You can
Are You Ready for Your 2020 Budget? Read More
Starting a business takes money, and that money typically comes from financing. But in order to get approved for a business loan, entrepreneurs need to meet certain lending criteria, including having decent credit. Lenders will not only look at your personal credit score but also your business credit, both of which play a role in
Business Credit Scores vs. Personal Credit Score Read More
Even experienced business owners can benefit from improving the way they manage their finances. This is especially true if your expertise in your product or service doesn’t extend to managing business finance. It would be a shame not to realize the full potential of your company, so we’ve assembled six practical tips to help you
6 Practical Tips to Manage Your Small Business Finances Read More
Budgeting is to business as oxygen is to life: Without it, you die. The reason budgeting is vital to the health of a small business is that it is your GPS device for telling you where you are supposed to go and where you are actually heading. You use the budget to track business expenses,
4 Things Small Businesses Must Include in Their Budgets Read More
Are you looking to secure a loan to grow your business? The numbers aren’t exactly encouraging when it comes to approval rates. Alternative lenders approve around 56 percent of small business loans, while traditional banks (who have less experience with non-collateralized loans) only approve around 27 percent. Despite these somewhat disheartening statistics, there are several
5 Keys to Qualifying for a Small Business Loan Read More
Whether you’ve been running your small business for years or are just opening up shop, efficient operations are the key to business success. When it comes to bookkeeping, it’s vital you run a smooth operation that gives you timely, reliable results. Bookkeeping tasks includes setting up accounts, entering transaction data, generating reports and preparing tax
Streamlining Your Bookkeeping Process: Tools for Small Business Read More
Running a small business is a costly undertaking in terms of time, effort and money. Unfortunately, too many businesses spend too much on their expenses. This eats into your working capital unnecessarily, possibly crimping your flexibility and your ability to take advantage of opportunities as they appear. Let’s look at some expenses for which many
Are You Overpaying Your Business Expenses? Read More
The federal government offers a number of grants to small businesses owned and managed by women. Most of these grants allow flexible use of the money as long as it doesn’t go toward startup expenses. The two major houses for information about federally sponsored grants are: Grants.gov: This is the main databases of federally sponsored
Women in Business: Grants for Female Entrepreneurs Read More