Every year, as we turn the calendar from one from one year to the next, many of us contemplate self-imposed resolutions as a means of improvement. We interpret the dawn of a new year as if it were a clean slate; as we compartmentalize years into chapters, January first provides us with a blank page.
Interestingly enough, most of us start our new chapter in a very similar manner; we resolve to exercise more, to eat less, or perhaps we are going to rid of a bad habit. As business owners, I think we can take our resolutions a step further. Of course, everyone wants to make more money than they did in the previous year, but how?
Similar to your health and wellness resolutions, you need a plan. You need to identify aspects of your business that could improve and then determine how to do so. Proclaiming that your new year’s resolution is to lose weight is merely noise unless you identify specifically what changes need to be made. Think of your business in the same regard; if you want to improve your bottom line in 2018, spend some time studying your income statement, balance sheet and statement of cash flows. Calculate your receivables turnover ratio to see how efficiently you are collecting cash, calculate your inventory turnover to learn how long items are sitting on your shelves, take a good look at your expenditures – is your money being spent wisely?
It is the details such as these that together in a conglomerate make up the composition of a company’s prosperity. Businesses can often times find themselves consumed by their top line. The rationalization that increased revenues correlate to increased profits might be true, but then again, it might not. While increases in revenue are obviously important, the money is in the margins.
Consider this: would you rather have $1 million in sales with $900k of correlated expenses? or $500k in sales with $200k of related expenses? The latter might sound less exciting, but you will have another $200k to show for it.
Closing the books at year end provides us with a unique opportunity to reflect on our company’s health. It can be difficult to step back and make an in-depth analysis during the hustle and bustle that occurs throughout the year. As you open a new ledger, I encourage you to invest some time in really looking at the numbers. After you join a gym and reluctantly commit to a new diet, consider how you might clean up your company’s balance sheet or realize better margins on your income statement. As with our personal lives, there is likely something that our businesses can improve on. It might take reflection and even analysis, but positive changes are going to pay off – literally.
Wishing you and your business a prosperous and healthy 2018.
John Massey is a Senior Accountant at One River CPAs. He helps individuals and businesses with tax planning preparation and works on compiled and reviewed financial statements for businesses. He can be reached at jmassey@onerivercpas.com or 873-1603.
