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As a small business owner, you often wear many hats when first launching your company, including that of chief financial officer. At the root of controlling your business’s finances, you need to understand how cash flows in and out daily, weekly and monthly.  While managing your business’s finances entails much more than understanding your cash flow, it’s a great place to start assessing your business’s financial standings. Read on to learn about cash flow, including the seven most common cash flow problems small businesses experience and how best to solve them. What is cash flow? Cash flow refers to the intake and output of money within a business. It encompasses all the revenues and expenses of a company at a given moment in time. Cash flow management is planning your inflows and outflows accordingly to ensure your business always has cash reserves. The best accounting software can help business owners keep track of their cash flow and other financial metrics. [Learn mor...

Cash flow is the movement of money in and out of your business and your business bank account. Think of cash flow like your car’s gas tank. You fill up the tank with gas, and it empties as you drive. The goal, however, is to have enough gas in your tank so that you never run on empty. In the same way, cash flow is the movement of cash in and out of your business account. Cash inflows are your sources of income. Cash outflows are your business expenses. Naturally, positive cash flow is better than negative cash flow. Why being cash flow positive is important to your business Positive cash flow should be the goal for all small business owners. You want to generate more money than you’re spending. That sounds simple, but plenty of profitable businesses run into cash flow problems. It can be challenging to balance regular business expenses—salaries, rent, technology updates, etc.—with things less under your control. Think sporadic revenue and periods of negative...