All Posts by Renae Pitargue

Using data analytics to give your business a competitive advantage

Data analytics is rapidly changing the way businesses are operated. By making use of your financial and non-financial data, you can quickly start to gain a deeper insight into your operations, performance and financial management.

Data-driven decisions are quickly becoming the norm, for even the smallest business. Data analytics allows helps you spot the patterns, understand the data trends, and preview the upcoming threats and opportunities for improvement.

Taking a deep dive into your data

Data analytics has become a crucial tool for small business owners that want to stay competitive and grow their operations in the most informed way possible.

By collecting, analysing and making sense of data, you can gain valuable insights into your performance. This means you can quickly identify the areas that need improvement and the opportunities in the market – while making data-driven decisions about your future

Deliver the best insights from your data

Calculate which data and metrics are most important to the business

What are the key numbers and drivers of success for your particular business? By analysing your data, you can determine which data and metrics are most important to your business and track these numbers in your cloud accounting platform, like Xero, or forecasting app, like Futrli.

Track KPIs in your software stack

Your cloud-accounting platform can provide a dashboard that shows all your performance indicators (KPIs) key in one place.

To add to this, you can also integrate with industry specific or tailored reporting apps to create detailed management information and reports. Talk to us about integrating the appropriate apps for your business to help you dive into your data.

Tracking and reporting on these key numbers helps you analyse your data, create detailed breakdowns of your business information and monitor your sales, business and financial performance in real-time.

Look for the patterns and opportunities in the data 

What you’re looking for in your data is the trends, patterns and insights that will help you become a better business.

Pull out the trends in your customers’ behaviour, spot opportunities for growth and optimise your operations, to help push the company towards success.

Non-financial data about customer behaviour and experiences can also be invaluable. When you know your customers expectations and spending habits, that gives you the foundations to tailor your products and services to their needs. It also helps drive sales, revenues and get a better return on investment (ROI) from your operations.

Use AI to analyse your data

With the help of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning applications, you add the ability to sift, filter and compare your data in superhuman ways.

AI can process and analyse data at a speed and volume that would be impossible for a human being. Software can measure progress towards goals or detect variances in budget numbers, flagging up these insights as notifications in your dashboards and management information.

Keep yourself ahead of the competition

With the right smart data-analysis tools at your fingertips, you’ll make informed decisions that help you stay ahead of your competitors and new entrants.

These apps and tools help you identify new market segments, spot opportunities for growth and optimise your operations to stay competitive in the market. In the fast-moving digital age, keeping on top of your data is the fastest way to give your business a much-needed edge.

Talk to us about integrating data analytics apps in your business

Data analytics is an essential tool if you want to stay competitive and grow your operations.

We’ll help you integrate the appropriate apps to track the right data, produce the most insightful management information and deliver the insights for your business.

Whether your goal is improved business outcomes, cost savings, increased revenue or improved customer satisfaction, we’ll help you delve through the data and make informed decisions that will drive the future of your business.

Is your 2024 planning leading you down the right path?

We’ve highlighted 5 important elements that your 2024 strategy needs to focus on.

As a business owner, CEO or managing director, it’s important to look forwards. Your job is to guide the course of the company and to provide the roadmap for a successful year.

But navigating the hurdles and driving the business to success is never easy – especially when you’re confronted with a market and economy that’s still in a state of recovery.

A business plan that’s tailored to your key 2024 challenges

So, what are the current and potential risks that you should be planning for in 2024? And how can you use innovation, leadership and forward-planning to sidestep these bumps in the road?

Key items to consider in your 2024 strategy include:

The impact of a global economic crisis

The business world has bounced back from the pandemic, but there’s no escaping the fact that we’re still facing a global economic crisis that looks to continue into 2024.

This means markets are slow, prices are high and keeping the lights on in the business is a challenge. This is the reality and it needs to be reflected in your goals, targets and long-term plan for the year ahead.

Finding new ways to overcome the supply chain crisis

While there are signs that global supply chain issues are recovering, finding the products and raw materials that you need can still be difficult.

Ocean freight is still slow and the logistics of getting goods from A to B is a risk that should be built into your planning. Where possible, it’s sensible to source local suppliers. This helps cut down on logistics times, reduces costs and makes your supply chain strategy more sustainable.

It’s also worth shopping around for the best deals, so you can source goods at the lowest possible prices.

Locating the right people during the ongoing talent shortage

Your people are a vital part of your growth strategy. So, when there’s a shortage of talent that can really hold back your plans.

To fill those roles and keep the company running smoothly, it’s a good idea to broaden your net. Think about promoting existing talent from within the business, or putting word out through your network that you need experienced new hires.

Using contractors or freelance workers can also be a good short or medium-term solution if you can’t locate the right permanent employees.

Embracing the very best in new technology

Business software solutions have jumped forward in leaps and bounds in recent times. Working the latest cloud apps, automation tools and AI solutions into your strategy can quickly give your business a competitive advantage. 

If there are manual tasks in the business that can be automated and tracked via software, get them automated ASAP.

Smart use of automation can speed up your productivity, boost efficiency and free up time for you and your team to focus on higher-value tasks – like business development, sales and customer service.

Talk to us about integrating apps into your business.

Learning to pivot when new opportunities arise (or threats appear)

Building agility into your strategy and 2024 planning is a must.

We live in unpredictable times where new opportunities can appear overnight, and unforeseen threats can rear their head without warning. Your business needs to be able to pivot, refocus and quickly adapt to these changes.

Planning out multiple ‘what-if scenarios’ can help you try out scenarios and pull together multiple strategies.

Talk to us about a review of your 2024 planning

Keeping your business plans up to date and refreshed is a big part of keeping your company ahead of the competition. We’ll help you review your 2024 plan and find the areas where you need to tweak, upgrade and refocus your strategy and targets.

Applying for a business loan

Applying for a business loan can be a daunting task, especially with all the paperwork and number-crunching involved. However, it's important not to take lending lightly, regardless of how easy it may seem to take on debt.

At First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray, we understand the challenges that business owners face when seeking financial assistance. So today we're sharing some valuable insights and tips to keep in mind throughout the business loan application process.

Present a clear business case

While banks are experts in money, they’re not necessarily knowledgeable about your area of business.

It's crucial to present a clear story that connects the dots for them. Show the bank how the loan will unlock business growth, ultimately ensuring that they will be repaid. By presenting a compelling business case, you can make the bank's job easier and increase your chances of securing the loan.

Essential documentation

To support your loan application, you will need to gather certain documents that demonstrate the financial health and viability of your business. Make sure you have the following:

Income statements and balance sheets 

Provide financial statements from the past two years to showcase your business's financial performance.

Up-to-date financial statements

Keep your financial statements current and accurate. These documents reflect the financial position of your business and help lenders assess its stability.

Business plans or project plans

Outline the direction your business is taking, including your growth strategy, market analysis, and future plans. This will demonstrate to the bank that you have a clear vision for your business's success.

Tax returns 

Provide recent tax returns to verify the accuracy of your income statements. This helps the bank evaluate your income stability and repayment capacity.

Bank account statements

Include bank account statements to validate your business's financial transactions and cash flow.

Leveraging accounting software

Using cloud-based accounting software, like Xero, can significantly simplify the loan application process. These platforms generate comprehensive reports and financial data on demand, providing essential information to support your loan application.

With features such as income and expense reports, growth trends, and forecasts, you can present a well-rounded picture of your business's financial performance and potential.

Talk to us when applying for a business loan

Navigating the complexities of the business loan application process can be overwhelming. At First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray and Busy01 Consulting, we are here to support you every step of the way.

From organising your financial documents to analysing your business's financial health, we can help position your business for success. 

Secure Your Business Loan with Confidence

Applying for a business loan requires careful preparation and attention to detail. By presenting a clear business case and providing comprehensive financial documentation, you increase your chances of securing the loan you need to take your business to the next level.

At First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray, we understand the unique challenges faced by business owners, and are here to assist you throughout the loan application process.

Contact us today to get the support you need and put your business in a better position for success.

5 ways to ensure you get paid on time

Worrying whether customers will pay you on time is a continual concern for business owners.

Late payment can lead to cashflow issues, unpaid supplier bills and the need to dip into your own pocket to cover your operational expenses. If you can improve the speed and likelihood of customers paying on time, that's good news for your accounts receivable targets and the company's overall liquidity and cashflow position.

Speeding up payment times

A sale is not a sale until the customer has actually paid you. Whether you’re an online business taking payment through your website, or a B2B company that sends out monthly invoices, you need the comfort of knowing that payment will be fast, smooth and frictionless.

Here are 5 tips for making sure that customers pay you as seamlessly as possible:

For eCommerce businesses, offer payment gateways to simplify payment.

When a customer gets through to your checkout, it’s vital to make payment as easy as possible.

Some customers may prefer to pay on a card. But offering a choice of payment gateways gives the customer more options. Instead of forcing customers down one route include payment gateways like PayPal, Stripe, Apple Pay or Google Pay.

For companies using e-invoicing, put payment buttons on your electronic invoices

If you send out e-invoices to your customers, including payment buttons makes settling your bill as easy as clicking that button.

A payment button that’s linked directly to Paypal or Stripe removes several steps from the payment process. It’s straightforward and quick, getting you your cash without the hassle of BACs payments or transfers.

For businesses offering subscription services, automate those customer payments

When you’re offering a recurring, monthly service, you don’t want the hassle of sending out those invoices and getting involved in cash collection.

Think about automating the creation of recurring invoices in your accounting software, and get your customers to sign up to a Direct Debit platform, like GoCardless. Money is taken automatically on a pre-agreed date and the transaction matched in your accounts.

For retail companies, use card readers that sync with your accounting software

If you’re running a busy cafe or retail space, your customers just want to tap their card and go.

Integrating your card reader with your cloud accounting software removes all the tedious data entry and adding up of receipts. With a direct API between your POS card reader and your accounting platform, all the data is shared automatically.

For all B2B businesses, send your invoices out as early as possible

The sooner you issue an invoice, the sooner the due date will come around.

 If you’re working on a project basis, split the fee up into chunks and invoice out at key milestones throughout the project. It’s also a good idea to make your payment terms clear and enforceable on every invoice.

Payment within 14 to 30 days from the invoice date is a good standard to aim for (though 60 days, or even 90 days, is possible in some industries).

Fast payments improve your cashflow position and remove the need for time-consuming and stressful debtor chasing. By following these five tips, your customers have the smoothest route to paying you, and you get the cash that’s owed to your ASAP.

Talk to us about speeding up your payment times

We’ll help you review your payment process and cash collection to look for the main areas where you can make improvements. We can also integrate appropriate Apps for your business that can help you get paid on time.

Getting more from your procurement spending

Keeping the wheels of your business turning can be expensive. As part of your ongoing business cycle, you’ll need to buy the goods and services that keep you operational. This might be subscriptions to business software, raw materials for production or even accounting services.

But if you’re going to get the maximum value from this procurement process, it’s important to be fully in control of what you’re buying and how you manage these costs.

Managing your procurement in tough economic times

There’s no escaping the fact that cashflow is tight for many businesses at present. Globally, we’re experiencing a worldwide economic slowdown, alongside the pressures of a supply chain crisis that has pushed up prices and reduced margins.

Because of this, it’s important for you to keep a close eye on your procurement, so you can find the best prices, strike the best deals and keep your business in a positive cashflow position

If you’re using the most expensive logistics partner, or spending too much on raw materials, this can start to have a big impact on your profitability and your ability to grow.

5 key ways to enhance your procurement spending

Keeping your business in a positive cashflow position is all about ensuring your cash inflows (your income) outweigh your cash outflows (your costs).

When your procurement costs are high, it makes it a real challenge to maintain this positive cash position. The answer is to examine your spending and to proactively reduce your costs, improve your supplier terms and generate a tighter and more effective procurement process. If your procurement process helps you cut down on your spending, you’ll also improve the overall financial health of the whole business.

Here are 5 key ideas to help you get in control of your procurement:

1. Reduce your base cost per item

If you buy goods into the business, it’s important to think about your basic cost per unit. Your unit cost is difficult to control, but there are ways to reduce it. Try getting multiple quotes from a variety of suppliers so you can source a provider that offers the best mix of value, quality and reliability, at an economical price. Negotiation can also be an effective way to bring prices down.

2. Cut your logistics and delivery costs

Physical goods have to be transported to your premises and to your end customers. These logistics costs are an integral operational expense, but they can still be reduced as part of the procurement process. Search for carriers and logistics providers that offer the services you need and then see if they open to negotiation on prices. Ask if discounts are offered if you offer shorter payment terms or if you join a preferred customer program to help reduce prices.

3. Nurture the best supplier relationships

Nurturing good relationships with your suppliers sets the best possible foundations for your procurement management. Building that stability into your supply chain deepens trust and makes it easier to negotiate favourable terms. Put some effort into nurturing good relationships with your supplier and make sure you always pay on time. This helps to build a good reputation with your supplier, making your procurement process simpler and more cost-effective.

4. Reduce tax and duty costs

Whether you’re selling nationally or across borders, there are likely to territory-specific taxes and duties to pay when buying and transporting your goods. Working with a tax adviser who knows your industry and/or territories helps a great deal. They can check you’re paying the right taxes on your goods/services and that they’re correctly categorised for taxes like VAT or GST. Working with a customs broker also ensures you pay the correct duty on all your imports and exports.

5. Using tech to get in control of procurement

Business software is transforming the efficing of procurement. There are plenty of cloud-based procurement solutions available, giving you the benefits of 24/7 accessibility in the cloud and one point of truth for all your procurement data and reporting. This helps to streamline your internal processes, manage risk more effectively and keep a close watch on spending against budgets, cashflow and expected expenditure. By keeping yourself informed, you can manage your expenses by putting caps on spending, or switching to new suppliers that can offer you a better deal or cheaper prices.

Talk to us about your procurement management.

Taking the time to improve your procurement management is a no-brainer in the current climate. You’ll improve your cashflow, supplier relationships and your ability to ride out the slowdown.

Are you in control of your staff expenses?

When your managers and employees have their own budgets to utilise and spend, it's important to keep in control of these staff expenses.

It used to be standard practice to have a firm-wide company credit card that staff could use to make ad-hoc and recurring payments. But a company card can easily be misused and doesn't help you keep your spending in check.

Today's expense management systems, like Soldo, Pleo or Weel, all give you far greater control over your staff spending – with additional benefits that streamline your expenses process

The benefits of a cloud-based expenses management system

The evolution of cloud accounting and fintech software has led to a significant leap forward in the control your business can have over its staff expenses.

Expense management solutions are now fully digital platforms. Your team has flexible ways to pay for expenses and operational costs, with a greater level of control over how much is spent, who spends it and how these costs track against the company’s main cashflow position.

With a modern expense management app, you can:

Use virtual debit cards to pay for expenses 

Team members can be issued with virtual cards that are quick to set up, use and cancel, if necessary. Having multiple virtual cards helps you keep track of specific spending and allows employees to make payments directly from their phone or tablet.

Align each card number to a specific budget or cost centre

Each card number is linked to a defined budget, branch or cost centre. Instead of having one card that all staff spending is dumped onto, you have a defined card for each budget. This helps you track that person’s or department’s spending and produce drilled-down management information about their spending and outgoings.

Set card limits, so staff can't overspend

Each card can be given an agreed spending limit, to reign in overspending and casual use of the card without prior approval. Managers can approve spending prior to a payment being made, with full transparency over where the money is going and the agreed amount that can be spent.

Integrate your expenses system with your cloud accounting platform

If your accounting software has a suitable API, you can connect your expense platform to your digital accounts. This automates the whole process of recording, tracking and reconciling your outgoing transactions, saving you hours of data entry and admin time.

Get deep reporting on all expenditure

Tracking all your staff spending through the one platform means you have unprecedented access to data and reporting. This gives you the ability to track each department or branch and follow a clear breadcrumb trail for all outgoing costs and staff expenses.

Talk to us about getting in control of your staff expenses

Spiralling staff expenses can have a profoundly negative impact on your cashflow. But with a cloud-based expenses management system in place, you’re in full control of every transaction, every cost and the overriding impact on your cash position.

Talk to us about which expense management platform is right for your business, and the best way to integrate your chosen app with your main finance system.

3 cloud accounting tips to save your business time and money

Keeping on top of your accounts is a big part of running a successful and profitable business. But you don’t want to spend ALL your time dealing with bookkeeping and accounting tasks, especially when that time could be spent building customer relationships, or developing new products etc.

So, how do you keep your finances in check, while also spending less time on your accounts?

1. Bringing your accounting into the digital age

Switching to cloud accounting can be a revolutionary step for many business owners, especially when you look at the ways you can streamline and automate the basic accounting tasks.

By using accounting platforms like Xero, QuickBooks, MYOB or Sage, you get all the basics of small business financial management, but with the benefits of smart automation.

With most modern cloud accounting software, you can:

• Automate the scanning and digitisation of your expenses and receipts
• Automatically reconcile your bank transactions with your invoices and bills
• Connect your accounts to other time-saving apps for mileage claims or staff expenses.

2. Getting paid faster and with less admin

With a cloud accounting platform driving your business, you also make it easier to send out e-invoices and get paid faster and more effectively.

Improving your payment times and cash collection can make a huge difference to your cashflow position, and also sets the right expectations with your customers – making it clear that you require to be made on time.

Using the invoicing function in your business software, you can:

• Quickly send out electronic invoices as soon as a job is completed
• Set up automated invoices to be sent out at pre-agreed points in a project
• Include payment buttons on your invoice, so customers can pay via PayPal or card
• Remove the barriers to payment and speed up payment times.

3. Getting a better overview of your important numbers

Using cloud accounting isn’t just about automating the time-consuming financial admin tasks.

By recording and tracking all the financial and non-financial data flowing through your system, your accounting platform can actually provide you with a goldmine of useful real-time information.

With cloud accounting providing your reporting, you can:

• Access totally up-to-date real-time information, to improve your decision-making
• Track your performance against targets to see how well the business is performing
• Monitor spending and budgets to keep your cashflow under control
• Understand your return on investment when it comes to sales and marketing activity
• See how promotion has driven sales but reduced your profit, due to discounting.

Talk to us about setting up a more productive kind of accounting

If you want complete control of your finances and business decision-making, updating your accounting software and processes will be key to achieving that goal.

We can help you implement accounting software into your business, so you can maximise the benefits you get from automation and real-time data.

Get in touch to talk through updating your bookkeeping, payroll and more through cloud accounting.

Is your bookkeeping ready for a digital future?

Keeping up-to-date records of your business transactions isn't the most glamorous part of being an entrepreneur, that’s for sure. But, in reality, having accurate and up-to-date bookkeeping is actually one of the core ways to keep your finances (and your business) under control.

Digital bookkeeping is the future of your finance

The digital age has revolutionised the way many business owners carry out their bookkeeping. From digital accounting to real-time data, the modern bookkeeper is now equipped with the tools and resources to make the job easier, more efficient and (crucially) less time-consuming.

When your bookkeeping goes digital, that means:

Your data entry process gets automated

Receipts, invoices and other supporting documents can all be scanned using OCR software. This gives you a digital copy of the paperwork, but also digitises the data and pulls it into your online ledgers. There’s no need for tedious manual data entry, and you also reduce the chances of human error.

Your digital records are available 24/7 in the cloud

Instead of searching through messy hard drives or dusty filing cabinets, all your financial documentation is available at the press of a button. You can pull up the documents you need at any time of day, from any location with internet access. And everything is safely encrypted and backed up.

Your tax returns can be filed digitally

With all your bookkeeping data saved and accessed via your cloud bookkeeping/accounting software, your tax returns become a lot more straightforward. Whether it’s quarterly GST/VAT returns or annual corporation tax returns, you have all the data the tax office needs, ready to send in a digital format.

Your finance data goes real-time 

Scanning and digitising your receipts at the time you make the transaction doesn’t just keep your records up to date. It also gives you real-time data on all your income, expenditure and operational costs. Instead of working with management information that’s months out of date, you have informative real-time data on which to base all your big business decisions.

You’re 100% in control of your finances

By embracing the benefits of digital bookkeeping, you kick your finances into shape. You and your finance team have accurate real-time records of all income and outgoings, and can stay in complete control of the financial management of the business. Your accounts are in tip-top shape and you're ready to file your tax returns at every significant period throughout the year.

If you want to transform your bookkeeping, now’s the ideal time to go digital.

Talk to us about getting your bookkeeping ready for a digital future.

Once you see the efficiency, accuracy and long-term benefits of digital bookkeeping, you’ll understand why going digital is a no-brainer, whatever type of business you run.

Using your network to create business development opportunities

People buy from people. It’s an obvious observation beloved of salespeople, but it’s also why networking is such a powerful tool to create business development opportunities.

Networking helps build relationships with other professionals, share ideas and learn from each other. By connecting and partnering with the right people, you can create meaningful business relationships – relationships that may lead to new and innovative business opportunities.

Networking as your blueprint for success

Building a successful business network is essential. But how do you start developing these relationships with customers, suppliers and other business owners? And how does connecting with your peers help you broaden the scope of your opportunities?

Building up your network and connecting with people helps you:

Find potential customers and expand the reach of your brand

Attending trade conferences and industry workshops gets you in front of your target audience. It’s a chance to chat, find out customer pain points and understand your audience.

Meet new business partners

Networking at the right trade events also helps you meet other business owners in your sector, and in other complimentary industries. It’s an opportunity to forge new partnerships and create co-branded opportunities.

Get referrals from trusted members of your network

When you have trusted relationships in your network, these people are far more likely to recommend your business to their own network. Word-of-mouth promotion is the best kind, after all.

Locate the perfect mentor

We all have something to learn from more experienced members of our network. This is a golden opportunity to seek out a mentor who can give you advice, share their experience and improve your management skills.

By taking the time to nurture your network and build relationships with the right people, you can open up a world of possibilities for your business. As a business adviser working across multiple sectors, we can introduce you to new people, connections and opportunities.

If you’re looking for an introduction to a new network to create business opportunities, come and talk to us.