As a business, you may feel like you are spending more and more money as expenses increase. The truth is that everything is on the up, from insurance expenses to product costs.
Unfortunately, this has forced many businesses, who were already on the brink after the disruption caused by the pandemic, into closure. The problem is that just one increase in one area, sparks increase in every connected area.
As the economic system faces a future of instability, what can you do to save money as a business and keep expenses as low as possible and survive as a business in this hostile environment?
We will consider a few rising expenses to watch out for and what you can do to mitigate the effects as much as possible. Of course, many issues are out of your control but there are things you can do save money as a business which is what we will investigate now.
Problem 1: Rising Energy Costs
One of the big aspects of the current economic crisis is that of rising energy costs. Many businesses have seen unprecedented increases in their energy bills, to the point that carrying on a business is simply not financially viable. While the root cause of this crisis, the unrest in Europe, is out of your hands, is there anything you can do to combat the rising energy costs as a business?
To see any difference, there may be considerable changes that you need to make. The ways to save energy costs boil down to two key principles: make better use of the energy you have and look for more sustainable ways to generate it yourself.
It may be wise to have an energy usage assessment completed by an expert, who can tell you the areas of your business that using the most energy so that you know where to focus your efforts and where changes will have the biggest impact.
Choose energy-efficient appliances, encourage all members of staff to be energy-conscious in their habits, consider the ways you could generate your own energy, and implement utility bill management to further reduce costs.
Commonly, business can implement a solar power system to generate electricity from the sun’s rays. This could cover some, or even all, a business’s energy usage. If you end up creating more energy than you need, this can be sold on to energy providers or stored for times when needed. With the modern technologies and appliances today, it’s easier than ever for businesses to make their own energy.
Problem 2: Rising Carrier Surcharges
Carrier surcharges are the additional expenses added to base shipping rates that cover the costs caused by fluctuations in fuel prices, packaging, and other things. It’s quite an extensive subject, so you can read more about this in order to see why carrier surcharges are on the up.
Basically, shipping is getting more expensive. In many cases, shipping carriers will increase their surcharge rates every year which is in addition to increase you will see in base shipping rates. Therefore, it’s important that you take these various increases into account so that you can take control of your expenses, acting to minimise the charges or even prevent them completely.
There are a number of technological tools out there to help you with this. These software platforms can give you insight into how increases in rates will affect your business. It can help you to calculate the surcharges you can expect, and also helps you to optimise costs. Many of these systems use artificial intelligence to make forecasting predictions.
With this kind of information, you can make good decisions about the shipping arrangements of your business. This system will be an expense in itself, but it will be an investment to protect your business from rising carrier surcharges.
Problem 3: Rising Costs of Products
Rising costs may be causing you some anxiety as a business, and it makes sense that one way to handle this is to increase your selling prices. While you may be reluctant to do so, there are ways to do it that will help it be a success. It’s important that you get to know you costs and understand exactly how much they gone up.
By starting with this crucial analysis, you can decide whether you need to put prices up or can save money in other areas to compensate. Furthermore, get to know your competitors and see how they are dealing with the rising costs. If other businesses are putting their prices up, it won’t be a shock to your customers that yours are going up too.
When it comes to your customers, it may be a good idea to make targeted decisions based on which customers are going to be less sensitive to a price increase. If you do need to put the prices up, it’s easier to start with new customers and use that as a way to work up to other customers.
When it’s time to increase the prices for existing customers, be open and honest in your communication with them, don’t just send an invoice with the new price without any warning or explanation. Customers will be much more likely to accept the changes and less likely to jump ship and find one of your competitors when they have been told about the increase in advance.
If you can, add extra value to your products so that they price increase is a little more appealing.
It Is Possible for Your Business to Stay Afloat in these Turbulent Times
There are sharp increases in all areas that businesses of all kinds are having to deal with. Inflation has hit an all-time high, bills are on the up, businesses are dropping like flies, and the outlook can feel bleak at best.
However, there is help at hand. By following good guidance and accepting the help of technological solutions, you will be able to weather the storms of the current economy and come out even stronger than ever. It may require investments in some areas and compromises in others, but it’s not impossible for business to survive and thrive and to save money as business.
