Nearly Half Of All Invoices Owed To Small Businesses In 2021 Were Paid Late; 8 Percent Paid More Than A Month Overdue
Xero has released data that shows 45 percent of invoices issued by Kiwi small businesses in 2021 were paid late. The report, titled Crunch: Cash flow challenges facing small businesses, prepared by Accenture, has shown that more than 9 in 10 businesses experience at least
one month of negative cash flow each year, and up to 1 in 4 businesses are cash flow
negative more months than they are cash flow positive.
The crunch is even worse for small businesses, which experience negative cash flow for four months on average every year. For six months of the year, one in six small businesses had negative cash flow. Companies who are unable to get paid on time can face major financial struggles. In the face of rising expenses, interest rates, and reduced consumer spending, the situation is only likely to worsen in the near future.
Late payments lead to cash flow problems for many small businesses that don’t necessarily have cash reserves on hand. In this difficult trading period, Jim Churchman, Managing Director of Fund Flow, says businesses need a contingency plan for late payments. One way to increase short-term cash flow is to turn invoices into cash through cash flow funding. The process is quite simple. Once your account and credit limit for invoice financing is approved, the business submits invoices they want funding for.
When asked
how his product differs from traditional invoice factoring,
Churchman explains that “Factoring companies typically
take over all your debtors’ ledgers and can lock you into
long-term contracts, with monthly fees. FundFlow has no
long-term contracts or administration fees, and you only pay
for the service when you use it. It's perfect for businesses
that need a little extra cash flow help from time to time.
With FundFlow, you can nominate and sell individual invoices
to improve your cash flow”.The company takes a personal
approach to each client, and tailors a solution specific to
each client’s debtor finance
needs.