These financial steps are key to helping you launch a successful startup business. Together they help you build a financially viable business that becomes profitable in a rapid time frame. They also help you understand the startup capital (money) you need to get the business to become profitable.
First of these financial steps is finding the fixed cost to open your doors.
To start off, you need to register with the state and obtain city and county licenses. Then comes the costs for a business identification kit, building a web site, and onnection to the internet. Leasing a store front brings security deposit expenses, utilities and phone deposits, furniture and fixtures, and the list goes on.
Estimate your recurring monthly expenses with the next step.
Every month you’ll need to pay the storefront/office lease, maintenance, insurance, supplies, utilities and phones. Regardless of the revenue you bring in there will be certain expenses that must be paid.
Next, estimate the minimum monthly revenues to cover these expenses.
You need enough monthly cash flow to be able to pay your bills. You need to know where every single dollar is coming from and where every single dollar is going. You need to stay on top of your cash flow. Running out of money is not a viable option.
Track and monitor all spending.
Automate the tracking of your expenses with financial software. Later when you can afford one, hire staff to perform this function. This not only helps you manage cash flow but also helps when tax time rolls around.
Limit your fixed expenses and focus on customer growth.
In the beginning stages of a startup, another of these key financial steps is keeping expenses low. Use the majority of your capital for growth. Too many startups focus on the wrong things and forget that generating revenue is top priority. Growing your customer base is key to growing revenues. Try to figure out how to minimize the acquisition costs of new customers.
Establish financial reserves and keep your attention on the business.
Stay prepared for emergency situations. Keep personal and business reserves in an emergency savings account to be prepared for the unexpected. Time spent on things that are unrelated to the business is a complete waste of money.
Nail down financial objectives including an adequate salary.
Periodic revenue objectives allow you to stay on track and make the adjustments necessary for constant growth. Setting targets to hit along the way, gives you a lot of smaller milestones to constantly achieve. Knocking off these little targets gives you confidence to keep powering through on your entrepreneurial journey. The adequate salary allows you to live comfortably so you can focus on building your business.