Find ways to cut costs in your business

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June 27, 2009

By David Compton / guest columnist The Meridian Star Sat Jun 27, 2009, 11:18 PM CDT

Keeping costs under control is crucial in today’s challenging business environment. Without a doubt, one of the quickest ways for a business to cut costs is through staff reduction. But cutting jobs is not always the best cost-cutting strategy. Drastic job cuts can lead to a vicious cycle of reduced productivity, followed by even slower growth and decreased profitability. Replacing skilled workers when times improve may be difficult, leaving your company to struggle longer still.

Here are some alternative cost-control strategies that companies could consider.

Look at the cost of your office or plant. If the company owns expensive office space, consider moving to a less costly location that will not mean losing clients or business. If a move is out of the question, consider sharing office space with a compatible company. What you save in shared operating costs goes directly to the bottom line (after taxes, of course).

Consider sale-leaseback arrangements, which enable the company to generate funds for operations and transfer the burden of ownership to the buyer from whom you rent back the office space.

Review the cost of supplies and inventory. Analyze the cost of materials and supplies. Are you stocking too much material too far in advance? Can you arrange to have materials shipped directly to customers by your suppliers?

Periodically conduct a competitive review of suppliers, and select those who can deliver good quality and service at the lowest cost possible. Also, you may not have to pay full price; inquire about volume discounts.

Outsource some processes. Consider outsourcing certain activities that either consume a great deal of time and resources or are prone to errors. For example, you may be able to have payroll processing done by a certified public accountant at a fraction of the current cost to you.

David Compton is a Certified Public Accountant with offices in Meridian and Birmingham, Ala.

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