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Budgeting tips for small business owners

For a small business owner, creating a budget takes a great amount of time and a lot of detailed planning. It can be complicated to forecast all the expenses your company will need or what bumps in the road the business may encounter. Perhaps you will be great a success, and the business grows larger than you ever expected. That may require the staff to expand, meaning changes to the budget that may not have been accounted for at the start of the year.

Before the time comes to develop a budget for your small business, review important tips for managing money wisely. Having a plan in place will help you handle anything positive or negative that happens to your company and its finances, and your business will be more prepared for the challenges ahead if your budget is put together properly.

Expect the unexpected
It sounds impossible, but you should have room in your budget for some things you don't see coming. Say you suddenly add a customer who wants to dramatically increase their delivery, or one of your top executives leaves for a different job. Having the financial flexibility in place to handle these changes will be important to your business' overall ability to thrive.

Weighing costs can help you prepare for these unknowns , the U.S. Small Business Association wrote. Look at your budget to determine how you can replace a client who has left, or find areas to invest if revenue suddenly rises. Every move will impact your company's cash flow, whether you plan for it or not. Knowing how much you are spending on every resource will help you be better prepared when unexpected events take place.

Account for your time
The saying "time is money" really applies to a small business. You will want to meet deadlines and cram in as much work as possible into a day, but it can be dangerous to over-extend yourself. Trying to be in too many places at once or ramp up production before your business is ready to handle it can result in a major problem

Business News Daily recommended setting internal deadlines prior to the external times you've agreed to with a client. That gives you room to spare to make sure everything is done right. If you tell the customer a project will be done by Wednesday, aim to have it done by Monday. Then you have some leeway if they have feedback or complaints, or even better, you impress the client by having the work done before they expected.

Within a budget, knowing how long work will take and being able to map out projects can help you forecast what resources will be needed. Having expenses ready will save you time and allow you to hit internal deadlines you've created.

Have goals in mind
Your business should always be striving for something, whether that is a certain amount of profit or a percentage of the market share. These goals should be reflected within the budget. While it can be risky to assume that everything will go perfectly and that those benchmarks will be reached, having a profit target gives your company something to aim for , All Business explained.

If you are unsure what realistic goals may be, or if you're having trouble creating a budget, speak with a small business financial representative. Vectra Bank offers guidance so you can be prepared for whatever the next steps your company will take may be.

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