Cash includes petty cash, till box cash, cash in bank accounts, and the checks pending for deposit. For the small business owner, cash is critical to successful operation of the business. It is the blood in the business that allows it to breath and continue operations. It is important for the owner to understand cash management.
An essential task of bookkeeping is making sure the ledger accounts for cash reconcile to the bank. Your average person believes that this is a monthly task. Well in the private world, this may be true. But in small business, reconciling the bank account is a daily task.
Cash disbursements is the process of remitting payment to vendors, suppliers and third party contractual obligations. Better managed offices pay bills in regular cycles including weekly and monthly obligations. Preparation, reconciliation and actual check writing is commonly referred to as cash disbursements.
Petty cash is cash kept in the office in a lockbox or with staff for instant and emergency purposes. It is actual cash and not checks. There is a process to keep track of purchases paid with petty cash and to refill the depleted amounts of cash.
There is a notion in business that using cash to pay for materials or service is illegal. IT IS NOT ILLEGAL TO PAY FOR MATERIALS OR SERVICE WITH CASH. It is illegal to do this if you do not properly document the transaction. This is especially true in the construction industry.
Cash is the lifeblood of every business. Without cash a business operation can come to a standstill. Cash is one component of working capital, a term referring to current assets (Gross Working Capital) less payables and accrued expenses.
The bank reconciliation is a daily accounting function for every small business. In order to fully appreciate its value, the small business owner needs to understand the fundamentals of how bank reconciliations are performed. In addition, there are some higher level types of transactions that affect the cash position.
Every business owner needs to know the difference between insolvency and bankruptcy. Often these two terms are misunderstood and improperly used in conversation. You need to know their correct meaning because both are used in civil law and both have different issues to address during the process. In addition, understanding these two terms builds a better comprehensive understanding of financing your business.
The quick ratio is a formula used in business to identify the ability of a business to pay its current liabilities. It is also known as the ‘Acid Test’ formula (ratio). In the large markets this formula is one of the financial industry ratios used to value the stock of a corporation. In the arena of the small business, you should only use this ratio as a means to gauge ability to pay your bills right now.
In financing a small business, there are a multitude of tools available. One way to finance inventory is by using the 30 day pay program with your vendors. Another tool is seasonal payment program and a third tool is exercising a line of credit tied to receivables or sales history.
All businesses should have internal controls to deter fraud, detect theft, and preserve assets. Of all the assets, cash is the easiest to misappropriate. Effective internal controls for cash prevent the proverbial hand in the cookie jar.
