Do you remember your mother used to save some money for any emergency? She did it very well. Such habit of mothers is also applicable to businesses.
The year 2020 has taught us the importance of
emergency funds for our business. If you opt for a professional bookkeeper service, they always advise you to keep aside some business emergency
funds.
All small businesses must have availability
of emergency funds. Such funds can assist you to bridge the gap between temporarily
ceasing operations of a business and moving out of the business altogether.
When you are not able to offer goods and
services for sale, such emergency funds can help you to pay the bills during
such times.
As you can see there are abundant benefits
and no drawback of having an emergency fund, so get started today!
Emergency Funds can be divided into two
categories:
a)
Long-term
emergency funds
In this category, you save for large-scale
emergencies such as major disasters or a sudden medical emergency. This fund
must be invested in instruments that allow you to earn a slightly higher rate
of interest but it may take a couple of days to get liquidated.
b) Short-term emergency funds
This is the fund to which you rush in case of
emergencies. These funds provide little interest but allow immediate
accessibility, which in case of extreme situations may suffice till you gain an
access to long-term emergency funds.
Benefits
to building a business emergency fund
You cannot predict an emergency, pandemic,
or natural disaster. But you can plan for it. Setting up an emergency fund
provides a lot of benefits:
1.
SECURITY
If you have availability of emergency
funds, you’ll have fewer sleepless nights. Bear in mind that emergencies come
in all shapes and sizes and it could be anything from illness to the pandemic.
The initial response to these will vary; the aspect that won’t vary is the fact
that you have availability of funds that gives you an extra bit of security
just when you need it.
2.
YOU
CAN STILL PAY BILLS
When you have an emergency to deal with,
your life will still move smoothly. It means you still need to purchase food,
pay your rent and mortgage, electricity bill, internet service, etc.
You are required to maintain the accounting
software subscription and membership in professional organizations. The
emergency fund allows doing all while continuing the operation of the business
functions. With emergency funds, you can pay your bills on time and avoid late
payments.
3. No effect on Savings
During a time of emergency, the small
business owners can deplete the personal funds to keep their businesses
solvent. By having an availability of emergency funds, you can avoid depleting
your savings.
How to build up a business emergency Fund
The hardest part of building up the
business emergency funds is to analyze from where those funds are coming. If
you are a sole proprietor of a small business operator, this could be difficult
for you. But in most cases, you may find some ways to cut expenses
and then put such savings into the emergency fund.
1.
Regulate
the amount required
Imagine, if you weren’t able to operate
within a month, how much capital would be required to keep it going?
You must commence with focusing on that
goal in mind and start saving. Don’t stop saving, if you have reached that goal
quickly. Emergencies and disasters are always unpredictable and don’t think
that you have saved enough.
2.
Decide
where to keep those emergency funds
If you already have a business bank
account, you may use the same bank credit union to open a separate account for
your emergency fund.
The initial account could be savings or
checking account; however as your fund grows; you could like to put some funds into
the money market account. You may also choose another type of account that can
give a larger return than a standard savings account. Ensure that you retain
sufficient funds in your standard account to quickly access them in case of any
disaster.
3.
Begin
with depositing funds
Set a schedule for funds depositing and
maintain such a schedule. It could be weekly, biweekly, or monthly. Choose the
schedule that is efficient for your business and start with depositing.
Such steps to build business emergency funds are recommended by small business bookkeeping experts.
No
Good Reason to avoid emergency funds
Just like an emergency fund for your usage, a
business emergency fund is for a similar purpose. Having emergency cash on hand
is crucial if your business is your sole income stream. Bookkeepers of Melbourne are enough practical so they always advise
their clients to keep some money separate as an emergency fund for small
businesses.
It’s great if you already have an emergency
fund for your business. However, if you don’t, it is time to start doing so.
Call Reliable Bookkeeping Service for any query.
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