Tips for cutting costs in your small business

Every business owner knows that in order for their business to survive and thrive they need to keep costs as low as possible. This is especially true for small businesses that have limited resources. Small business owners must make cost control a priority if they hope to stay in operation for the long term. Every small business owner must take a close look at everything that is spent in their business and determine if it is adding to the overall profitability of the company. However, there is a note of caution-small business owners should cut costs with precision. If you cut too little you may find that your small business doesn't survive but if you cut too deeply you may not have the resources you need to stay in business.Here are some tips for cutting costs in your small business-

- Decide what is truly necessary-You should take the time to go over every cost in your small business and determine if it is truly necessary. Do not overlook even the smallest expenses as these can be as detrimental as larger ones. The bottom line is that anything that does not contribute value to what you do should be cut. You should not hesitate to reduce or eliminate anything that can be deemed as a luxury. If you feel overwhelmed by this task consider enlisting your employees to help you determine where cuts should be made.
- Look carefully at payroll-While you certainly don't want to have to layoff any employees you need to look carefully at your payroll. Many times small businesses find that they can run even more efficiently with fewer employees. You need to be determine if you can scale back on the amount of payroll you are putting out without having to layoff. However, you need to make sure that you are not overburdening your employees or jeopardizing the quality that you can offer your customers. If you begin to lose employees or customers from cutting to much staff this cost cutting measure will not be effective.
- Rethink travel-For many small businesses travel needs to be rethought. Today, technology has provided viable options to actually having to travel for business. You can use online video services to connect with your customers and other key contacts even if they are in a nearby city or halfway around the world. Keep in mind that for a fraction of the costs of flying or driving, staying in hotels and other travel expenses you can stay right where you are and work on projects, sales presentations, and make contact with your customers simply getting online. Another travel expense to consider carefully is vehicle expense. If you have any cars for your company you want to make sure that you are using the most cost effective vehicles possible.
- Don't get stuck in a rut-Many businesses do things a certain way just because that's the way they started out doing it. From shipping, purchasing office supplies and even insurance policies you should never assume that you are getting the best deal. Savvy small business owners make it a priority to always be looking at ways to improve the cost of doing business. While you may not be able to do away with using shipping or office supplies you can make sure that you are using the most cost effective ones that are available.
- Make your marketing more effective-Often times small business owners will turn to cutting marketing when they need to lower costs. This is rarely a good idea. In order to save money on marketing you need to make sure that every dollar that you are spending is as effective as possible. In addition, you should also consider the low cost and even free ways that you can market your small business.