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I realize that as a small business owner you may not have the funds or the capacity to hire a CFO. Most likely, you’re the CFO. If that’s the case, then you must make a concerted effort to oversee all things financial, especially cash flow in and out of your company. However, unless you have bookkeeping experience or a degree in business, finance, or accounting, directing your financial department can be daunting. Therefore, if at all possible, I recommend hiring a CFO or placing someone within your financial division in charge of Accounts Payable (AP) – the money you owe vendors for products and services. You need someone who knows which Accounts Payable processes are necessary and someone who can implement those processes.

In my last article, I talked about how much cash you should keep in your personal and business checking and savings accounts. Now, I want to talk to you about how to get paid. More specifically, you need to get paid in a timely manner in order to build up your cash reserves. The CFO or department head in charge of your treasury oversees your cash flow, which includes your accounts receivable. This AR division of your company is directly responsible for collecting customer payments. Thus, it’s directly responsible for the health and well-being of the cash flow into your business. To keep that cash flow coming in, I have 19 tips for improving accounts receivable collections.

In my most recent Value Growth article, I mentioned that a CFO, or the person who leads your finance department, should oversee four divisions of your business – treasury, tax, accounting, and finance. Subsequently, those in the treasury division of your business handle cash flow, investments, accounts receivable (income), and accounts payable (expenses). Since cash flow is the bread and butter of your business, I want to discuss that. Specifically, I want to talk about how much cash you should stash in your business and personal accounts.