Credit control can be described as the process of ensuring customers pay their invoices on time, and the system in place to resolve the issue if they don’t. Cash flow has been covered in another chapter of this book. Credit control is a vital part of controlling that cash flow.

Nearly everyone who has their business up and running will want to make sure they’re claiming expenses to reduce their tax bill. However, there are a number of rules that need to be followed.

Before we look at “how?”, let’s start with “why?”. Should costs be a priority, or is the most important thing increasing the sales line?

Over recent years the commercial finance brokerage market has seen the rise of the ‘on-line’ brokerage models. These are aimed at providing ‘all market coverage’ and focusing on ‘speed of delivery’ to service the ‘need’ they believe SME businesses have.

In its simplest terms, a break even point is reached when your total revenue matches your business costs and your business is not making either a profit or a loss. Anything generated above this point is a profit.