6 Simple Steps Towards Overhead Relief

Are your overheads getting the better of you and your business? If yes, this blog might prove useful to you. Just follow the steps below for overhead relief. I will be listing 6 effective ways by which you can reduce your overheads and improve your cash flow.

Firstly, you might be wondering what an overhead actually is. Put simply, an overhead cost is a running cost of your business, also known as an indirect cost.

These can include:

• Office rent
• Office utility bills
• Workplace repairs
• Insurance
• Office equipment and furniture
• Employee salaries
• Telephone bills

… the list can go on and on. See more on overhead relief below.

Here are some top tips on reducing these:

Review

Firstly, ensure that you are keeping on top these expenditures. Review them monthly and make sure that all costs are necessary. So, cancel that subscription you no longer use, and it may sound harsh, but sack that slacking employee! Eliminate what no longer brings value to your business or employees.

Shop around

Once you have differentiated between the essentials and non-essential business expenses, you can now start to seek out cheaper alternatives. Just because you have been a loyal customer to an overpriced printing and stationery supplier for years now, does not oblige you to passively stay and not check prices elsewhere. It may only be a small difference in price, but all these small costs accumulate, especially if this is stock that you frequently require, and purchase large quantities of throughout the year.

Negotiate where you can

Following on from my last point, it always feels good to get a bargain. Therefore, it is important to try and negotiate where it is reasonable to do so, especially if you are a returning customer who gives them a fair amount of business. As you have probably been told before, if you don’t ask, you don’t get.

Outsource

As an alternative to hiring new employees, you can look to hire an external company to do these jobs on a required basis. This is commonly done by businesses for jobs such as website development, HR, bookkeeping, and even marketing. Outsourcing allows companies to remain focus on the core of the business by having these important, however, time-consuming aspects of the business handled for them by specialists.

If possible, take advantage of remote working

The pandemic forced many office-based companies into a virtual realm by which many have chosen to remain. By embracing this innovative way of working, you can wipe out many of your overheads. Think about it, many of your overheads are connected to your physical office: rent, utilities, repairs. And undoubtedly, by shifting to working remotely, will scrap the need for an office as whole. Not to mention, you will also contribute towards the planet’s carbon reduction as you will be saving your employees their daily commute- which most likely entails the burning of fossil fuels. Additionally, if you are currently covering your employees’ travel expenses- you would be saving on that too.

Go paperless!

This is an easy way to save your costs as well as the planet. Here at VAT Loans we have been a paperless office for several years now. It has saved us a lot of space and money. We have done this by uploading all files and documents up onto a network drive. Think of all the storage in your office that is consumed by ever-growing piles of documents. This can now be freed and put to better use. Or potentially, this free space can now be sublet to get your cash flowing with more ease.

Contact Us

Are your overheads weighing you down? Did you know that business loans are an effective way to ease up your cash flow? Contact us today to find out more about your business loan options here at VAT Loans. We offer a variety of business loans. So, from corporation tax and working capital, to dilapidation and insurance loans, we’ve got you covered with your overhead relief. Give us a call on 01494 956 871. Or, drop us an email to [email protected].