A new coffee maker for the break room, new company car or educational courses seem like practical purchases for your business. But do you really need them? When you’re operating on a small budget, spending on things like these can be disastrous for your business. Let’s take a look at common spending mistakes entrepreneurs make that lead them to financial mishaps. If you’re facing economic difficulties, stay away from these business spending mistakes.
1. Buying To Impress
The thought of buying new electronics, furniture and marketing products to impress your clients and investors sounds appealing to many businessmen. But don’t just open your checkbook yet. Spending to impress is a bad idea because you’re not in business to impress other people. You’re in business to make a profit. Spending is an expense to your business. Instead of spending to impress, spend money to make more money. You don’t need the latest electronics or new furniture. If you need to buy new equipment, get the essentials and make money with that. When you are truly profitable, then you can move up in bling.
2. Spending on Untargeted Marketing
Spending a lot of money on general advertising is not efficient and effective. Untargeted marketing is expensive because it does not bring in the most number of potential clients. For example, spending money on a billboard might make it seem like you’re being visible. However, you are also visible to a lot of irrelevant people. Instead of spending on general untargeted marketing, focus on targeted marketing platforms like Google AdWords and Facebook because they can bring in clients who are more likely to buy your product or service. They are also more cost-effective compared to general advertising like newspapers and billboards.
3. Attending Expensive Conferences
Conferences can give you the opportunity not only to learn what’s new in the industry but also to network and hobnob with people who can be beneficial to your organization. However, it is easy to be overly enthusiastic and go overboard. The trick is not to attend every conference and seminar. It’s better to choose your events wisely by defining your networking purpose before attending an event. Instead of paying for expensive conferences, talk to industry leaders. Take them out to lunch or coffee and soak up what they have to say and learn as much as you can. This is a one-on-one opportunity you seldom get when you’re in a conference.
4. Spending on Cheap Products and Service
One of the best ways to increase profit margins and keeping costs low is by looking for the cheapest available materials or service. However, this plan can also backfire on you especially if the product or service is low quality. In fact, you can end up spending more. For example, you find 2 products that will speed up your manufacturing process greatly. Product A costs less than Product B so you are naturally tempted to buy Product A. However, you fail to recognize that Product B is a trusted brand, is made with high quality materials and comes with a warranty which means it can probably last longer. If you buy Product A, you might end up buying a new one after a couple of years and end up paying the same amount. In this case, Product A ended up costing you more money. When it comes to cheap, make sure that it is made with quality materials and not the cheapest price tag.
5. Not Keeping A Record Of Your Expenses
If you don’t keep track of how much you spend, you’re not controlling cash. Not keeping track of spending is one of the most common business mistakes novice entrepreneurs commit. It’s true that running a business takes a lot of time and many businessmen don’t have the time to record all their business expenses. But keeping track is important and should be something you do every day. If you can’t do it every single day, set aside a specific day of the week to track your expenses for that time period. When you control your cash flow you know where you are spending your money and can come up with ideas how to minimize expenses. Segregating expenses by department can make the chore easier for you.
