Take a Hard Look at Your Expenses to Increase Cash Flow

Take a Hard Look at Your Expenses to Increase Cash Flow

Accountant · 100% Remote · Member since 2019 · 495 posts · 216 votes

For some, the easiest way to do this is to go through the past 3 months of bank and credit card statements and mark each expense with a letter or highlight them. I got this method from the Profit First system. (They may do it slightly differently but it's the same concept.)

Distinguish between..
---Profitable: the expense generates more revenue for your business than what it cost
---Necessary: the expense is necessary for your business to run but doesn't directly generate more revenue than what it cost
---Unnecessary: the expense does not generate more revenue for your business than what it cost and isn't necessary to run your business

Whatever turns up unnecessary, get rid of that expense as quickly as possible!

Finally, take a look at the necessary and profitable expenses and brainstorm how to lower those expenses while still getting the same or a better result from them.

Has anyone done this? I can say I have done this and it is POWERFUL.

Hope this helps!

__________________________

Real Estate Investor | USMC Veteran

1Reply
18 views

Most Popular Reply

Greg ScottPro Member
Rental Property Investor · SE Michigan · Member since 2014 · 4k+ posts · 6k+ votes
4y

This is a good prioritization scheme.  Hopefully people use it properly.

Where I tend to see investors fail is when they cut costs in the "Necessary" and "Profitable" category.  Here are just three examples:

  - The roof is old and leaky but they continue to patch instead of replace.  Soon the property is moldy and the ceilings look bad.

  - Don't replace an AC unit that is on its last legs. They typically fail in August at the worst time and you will pay a fortune for an emergency replacement.

  - My property looks "good enough" and makes it hard for them to attract the best tenants.

Cutting into the "Necessary" and "Profitable" areas is what creates slum lords.

See this reply in the discussion

5 Replies

Jump to latestLatest
  • Greg ScottPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · SE Michigan · Member since 2014 · 4k+ posts · 6k+ votes
    4y

    This is a good prioritization scheme.  Hopefully people use it properly.

    Where I tend to see investors fail is when they cut costs in the "Necessary" and "Profitable" category.  Here are just three examples:

      - The roof is old and leaky but they continue to patch instead of replace.  Soon the property is moldy and the ceilings look bad.

      - Don't replace an AC unit that is on its last legs. They typically fail in August at the worst time and you will pay a fortune for an emergency replacement.

      - My property looks "good enough" and makes it hard for them to attract the best tenants.

    Cutting into the "Necessary" and "Profitable" areas is what creates slum lords.

  • Don KonipolBusiness Member
    Investor · The Woodlands TX / Avon, CT · Member since 2009 · 6k+ posts · 10k+ votes
    4y
    Quote from @Greg Scott:

    This is a good prioritization scheme.  Hopefully people use it properly.

    Where I tend to see investors fail is when they cut costs in the "Necessary" and "Profitable" category.  Here are just three examples:

      - The roof is old and leaky but they continue to patch instead of replace.  Soon the property is moldy and the ceilings look bad.

      - Don't replace an AC unit that is on its last legs. They typically fail in August at the worst time and you will pay a fortune for an emergency replacement.

      - My property looks "good enough" and makes it hard for them to attract the best tenants.

    Cutting into the "Necessary" and "Profitable" areas is what creates slum lords.

    Got to agree with you Greg.  We live in a world where we want easy rules and instantaneous answers.  While on the surface the profit first system is good, the devil is in the details.  It still takes knowledge and experience to correctly determine exactly what is a “necessary” expense and what is frivolous.  
    I’ve been guilty of cutting marketing and advertising expenses resulting in short term profit increases and lowering long term growth prospects.  Many of these “Soft” expenses don’t generate immediate return.  For example, in order to be able to handle increased revenue volume, at some point capacity must be increased.  And usually at the point of increase you’ve decreased profits until revenue increases enough to marginally cover the increased cost.  To be able to make a correct decision regarding the costs of increasing capacity, the decision maker needs experience both in the particular business as well as in business in general, knowledge in risk analysis and production, etc.  
    The problem I find with most “here’s the simple answer” type programs is not that the “simple answer” is necessarily wrong; it that the “simple answer” is not simple.  Very akin to the “anyone can do it” approach to selling real estate seminars.  
    Private Mortgage Financing Partners, LLC
  • Accountant · 100% Remote · Member since 2019 · 495 posts · 216 votes
    4y

    @Greg Scott, I love that! Keeping the CapEx up for properties is absolutely essential. On the other hand, I will say I enjoy acquiring properties from slum lords because there's so much opportunity.

    @Don Konipol, I like your perspective. Investors/business owners should definitely seek guidance in the financial arena. Especially, those who are playing a larger game or wanting to sustainably grow.

    Thank you guys for sharing!

  • Real Estate Consultant · Seattle, WA · Member since 2022 · 1k+ posts · 784 votes
    4y

    Under Necessary: the expense is necessary for your business to run but doesn't directly generate more revenue than what it cost

    That $8 at Starbucks every morning is not just necessary, it is mandatory otherwise the business would not run or maybe not even exist

  • Accountant · 100% Remote · Member since 2019 · 495 posts · 216 votes
    4y

    @Sergey A. Petrov, we have to have our brain juice!

Join the conversationCreate a free account to reply, vote on answers and follow this thread.