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5 Techniques for Companies to Save Money

Especially in unpredictable times, every penny counts!

By Lewis RobinsonPublished 3 years ago 6 min read
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Budgeting is the most important thing to consider for most businesses. When you run a small business, success is often volatile, and even a small change in the world around you or the way you run your business can send your company into a downward spiral. That is why this field is so competitive. You cannot give your competitors an inch, or you will run out of business. Everyone is always looking for ways to save money here and there, so here are five techniques that you can use to save money for your company.

1. Save Energy

Historically, unclean energy has been the cheapest and easiest form of energy to use. Fossil fuels are readily available all around the world, and even though they are awful for the environment, they remain the most widely used energy source because of their convenience. However, as scientists continue to make new advancements, other, cleaner energy sources become increasingly viable. One of the frontrunners in the race to become the new preferred energy source is solar energy. If your business is looking to save money and reduce your environmental impact, there are a few reasons you should buy solar panels instead of anything else.

  • As of 2020, solar energy is the cheapest form of energy for companies to install and operate.
  • Many countries around the world offer benefits, such as tax breaks for companies that use solar energy.
  • Using solar energy exponentially diminishes the pollutants you are putting into the air.
  • Many types of clean energy, including solar, reduce water usage because of how much water it takes to use fossil fuels.
  • Even residential buildings can benefit from clean energy and get tax breaks.
  • Costs will only continue to fall as scientists make new advancements to make solar energy more accessible.

2. Alternative Advertising

Advertising using traditional methods is often cripplingly expensive. Print ads are cheaper, but they reach a significantly smaller audience, billboards have a similar issue, and television ads are often too expensive for a struggling business to justify the expense. There have always been free or inconsequentially cheap ways to advertise, usually using posters or word of mouth, but the internet has created even more spaces for cheap advertising. The most cost-effective method is by encouraging people to share your social media posts, but there are several paid ways to advertise that are cheaper than traditional advertising.

  • Starting a social media account is free, but some of them allow you to promote some posts over others for a small fee.
  • Social media influencers are people who have large social media followings, and many of them are willing to work with brands.
  • There are several different social media platforms depending on how you want to advertise. YouTube is specific to videos, Instagram favors pictures, and Twitter is for shorter posts.
  • Companies like Google and Facebook allow you to purchase cheap ad space on their websites.
  • The internet is a whole new frontier, so you might want to hire someone who has a better understanding of it.

3. Hire Outside

While it can be nice to have a variety of employees available at any time, it can also be expensive. For many companies, it is simply not worth it to drain resources for employees you only need a few times per year. This is when outsourcing becomes the preferred option. There are thousands of people who make a living as skilled, freelance workers who jump around between companies for as long as they are needed. You can outsource almost anything, so look around until you find exactly what you need.

  • Many companies hire full-time lawyers when they are not necessary unless you are dealing with a lawsuit or a contract.
  • Writing is one of the most common freelance jobs which you can take advantage of when writing articles for a website or whatever else you need.
  • While computer problems are common they are often not common enough to justify permanent information technology (IT) employees.
  • Very few companies hire full-time web designers unless their website gets updated constantly.
  • If you feel that you need a personal assistant, consider a virtual one that you can request depending on how often you need him or her.

4. Stop Unnecessary Meetings

One idea that has risen to prominence recently as the workplace has developed to fit modern sensibilities is that meetings are not nearly as necessary as people once thought they were. Do not make something a meeting if it could be just as easily written in an email. Many bosses are slightly out of touch with how their employees perceive meetings. It is usually clear that they do not like the meetings, but they sometimes misunderstand why. There are several studies that explain why meetings should only be reserved for the most important situations.

  • You are interrupting your employees' work, which could be actively losing you money.
  • Employees often stop paying attention during meetings without meaning to, so they rarely gain anything insightful.
  • Efficient communication, such as emails, are more convenient because they can be viewed at any time and do not interrupt.
  • People spend unnecessary time collecting their thoughts and preparing for the meeting instead of working.
  • Employees are going to keep working whether you constantly check on them or not. Many people work better when they are left to their own devices, and meetings simply do not help them in any way.

5. Cut Maintenance

If you manage an office, you know how expensive general maintenance workers can be. Often, the most prevalent of these expenses are cleaning crews and janitors, but there are other types of maintenance workers who companies hire more often than they need to. Cutting these maintenance costs can eventually lead to cutting other small, unnecessary costs as well as you and your employees realize what you need and what you do not need. These small expenses add up over time, and before you know it, you could have a few thousand extra dollars for your office that you might not have had otherwise.

  • Many companies have cleaning crews come in every day when once or twice a week would suffice.
  • Encourage your employees to clean their own messes and take out their own trash instead of paying janitors to do the work for them.
  • In general, encourage your employees to fix whatever they can instead of bringing in an electrician, or a plumber, or an IT person.
  • Take care of potential problems before they become too much for you to handle.
  • Educate your employees on how to use all of your equipment safely, no matter how self-explanatory it may seem.

Business owners and managers have a reputation for cutting corners so much that it ends up being detrimental to the employees. This is something that you should always try to avoid. You should never let your money-saving techniques lower the quality of life of your employees. However, that does not mean that you cannot change anything. If you cannot afford your regular business expenses, you have to make sacrifices sometimes. However, if you have the money, there is nothing wrong with increasing your expenses a little bit to make things a little easier on yourself and on your employees.

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