How to Boost Profits By Cutting Costs Now
Editor’s Note: This post is sponsored by Staples. All the comments and opinions are my own.
If you’ve been running your small business for almost any length of time, you’ve seen some pretty dramatic ups and downs in the economy.
Frankly, I don’t care if you and your team are the best salespeople in the country, there are times when sales slow down. In other words, you can’t always control the top line as much as you would like to.
A very wise and experienced entrepreneur once told me that while you can’t always control sales, you should (expletive deleted)-well be able to control expenses. And if you do the math by controlling costs you can still exert a good amount of control over the bottom line, even during a period of time when you can’t dictate the top line.
Let me add one more element to this picture. There are certain overhead expenses that are necessary in virtually any small business and that means that if we apply the principle I just outlined – controlling expenses – to this universal category of expenses, virtually any small business owner in any industry sector can make a positive impact on his or her bottom line.
(By the way, as I’m writing this, the stock market took a major plunge and the pundits are chalking this up to some economic news that casts a pretty big shadow over the prospects of 2016. This year may be an especially important time to control costs with small business money saving tips and it’s always far wiser to start earlier rather than later.)
These are some of the reasons why I appreciate Staples’ “Less List.” If you’ve been following business news in recent months, you know that Staples is making a major effort to help small business owners. Not only are they doing this with policies like their 110 percent price-match guarantee, they are posting valuable small business information and working with noted experts who are sharing their expertise and small business money saving tips and management advice.
If you check out the Less List, you’ll find a solid assortment of the kind of products that small businesses run on. In fact, the list offers 28 items that are absolutely essential to running a successful small business. These are priced to really help small business owners hold down their overhead costs. Here are just a few current examples:
- 100 Assorted Manila File Folders for $6. (Even as we move to a “paperless” office, we consume a lot of these each year!)
- Bonded Leather High-Back Manager’s Chair for $99. (Treat yourself or some members of your team to comfort in 2016.)
- 12-packs of Legal Pads for $6. (I’ve been addicted to these forever and I think it’s funny how smart phone note apps often mimic the look of a yellow legal pad. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!)
If you want to check the quality of these items you can always head to your local Staples and do some browsing. I think you’ll find that their Staples brand products always come in below what you’ve budgeted and surpass your expectations in terms of quality. Once you’ve established the items you’ll regularly need, then you can order online and get next day delivery if it’s more convenient for you.
Tax time is right around the corner so you’ll be getting a complete picture of your 2015 bottom line. You’ll see how saving money on expenses and overhead can substantially increase profits and this should be a major motivation to seriously follow through on small business money saving tips like these.
And as I said above, don’t wait until the middle of the year to implement your cost-cutting strategy. Start now.