In the current pandemic situation, many businesses deemed non-essential have been forced to temporarily close for a lockdown period and it is clear that many SMEs will have serious cash flow problems when they resume trading.
Unfortunately, the cash flow problem won’t go away even though for the moment it is easy to ignore it by holing up at home.
While it is true to say that all businesses should have plans for dealing with emergencies and reserves for cash flow problems, it is unprecedented to have to deal with a period of no income and it is becoming clear that many SMEs – and larger businesses – do not have sufficient cash reserves to survive a lengthy lockdown.
Many are telling me that they paid their staff wages for the first month in anticipation of furlough support arriving in time to fund a second month but they are concerned about the Government’s promised CJRS (Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme) arriving in time to pay April wages. As for paying other liabilities such as rent, finance and fixed overheads many of these are being ignored since most SMEs rely on income to pay bills.
It is easy to be wise after the event but, as I have said in my blogs over many years, it is crucial for a business to pay attention to its cash flow and to build up reserves to cushion it from sudden shocks. And yes, as an aside, I do hate factoring and invoice discounting since these only help fund growth and no business can guarantee growth such that in a decline they often starve a business of cash.
While the current situation is unprecedented and it is no surprise that you as a SME owner may be very frightened, it is unlikely that you are in the best position to think clearly about the steps you need to take if cash is running out.
In March, the website Small Business said¨” many small businesses could be forced to make difficult decisions in the coming weeks. Depending on their financial position, some small businesses could start to experience cash flow difficulties very quickly …”
Among its tips for dealing with cash flow crises it advises that you should prepare a cash flow report before seeking financial help such as a time to pay arrangement.
It is helpful to get expert advice to deal with your situation and in particular helping produce the information needed to raise finance and for negotiating with finance companies, HMRC and other creditors.
Crisis management when a company is in financial difficulties is about quelling the understandable panic so that you can manage cash flow and take a long, hard look at the financial and operating options for survival and ensuring the business is viable. This is why objective expert help is so important.
As I said in my blog in February this year: “The most likely immediate priority in managing a liquidity crisis is reducing costs while maximising income.
“So, the first step in managing cash is to construct a 13-week cash flow forecast to help identify risks and actions that can be taken to reduce them. It should include income from sales and other receipts and outgoings, both to ongoing obligations such as rent wages and finance and to creditors.”
It is easy to say with hindsight that SMEs should have built up cash reserves when times were less challenging but you are where you are and calling on an expert to help you with cash flow management will give you a better insight into how you might be able to keep your business afloat.
You can find out more about the government financial help available in my free downloadable guide.
https://www.onlineturnaroundguru.com/support-for-smes-struggling-to-deal-with-coronavirus-pandemic
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