Understanding Profit v Cash

Article Header - Profit vs Cash
There’s a massive difference between profit and cash. Let’s explore the differences to make a better plan to increase both.

Never take your eyes off the cashflow because it’s the lifeblood of the business.

Sales

Profit increases when you increase sales; cash increases when you collect the money from customers. To increase both your profit and cash from sales:

  • Delight your customers
  • Generate more leads and referrals
  • Convert a higher number of quotes or proposals
  • Increase transaction frequency
  • Increase transaction value

Invoicing

Profit increases when you send an invoice to a customer; cash increases when you collect the invoiced amount. To increase both your profit and cash:

  • Set clear Terms of Trade
  • Offer a small discount for early payment
  • Agree the price in advance
  • Stick to your payment terms
  • Don’t do work for people who have overdue payments

Margins

Increasing your margins will increase your profit; collecting the increased margin will increase your cash. To increase both your profit and cash:

  • Increase your prices
  • Invoice faster
  • Negotiate better payment terms with suppliers
  • Reduce errors and rework
  • Train and empower your team
  • Increase your efficiency

Financing

Reduce your finance costs to increase your profit; borrow money for assets to increase your cash. To increase your profit and cash through financing:

  • Spread the costs of assets over 3-5 years instead of buying them outright (e.g. vehicles)
  • Borrow from a bank instead of a finance company
  • Secure the asset purchases over ‘bricks and mortar’ (if possible)

Overheads

Reducing your overheads will increase both your profit and cash. To reduce your overheads:
  • Negotiate with suppliers
  • Measure your return on your spend (e.g. advertising, accounting fees, etc.)
  • Review your subscriptions
  • Go paperless

This is not an exhaustive list of ways to increase your profit and cash. We can help you identify specific areas of improvement in your business to increase both profit and cash.

Find out how we can help you with your cashflow

More insider tips

Stay up to date and in the know

Saige Financial Planning Pty Ltd and its advisers are Authorised Representatives of BD Financial Advisory Pty Ltd AFSL 502401 ABN 34 621 612 548. Please read our Financial Services Guide and consider our privacy policy. Any information on this website is general advice only and does not take into account any person’s objectives, financial situation or needs. Please consider your own circumstances and consider whether the advice is right for you before making a decision. Always obtain a Product Disclosure Document (if applicable) to understand the full implications and risks relating to the product and consider the Statement before making any decision about whether to acquire the financial product.

Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.

Thank you for subscribing!

To confirm your email address, we have sent an email to you. You need to click the link in the email so we can complete your subscription.