Many people believe that profit equals success in business, but in fact, it’s good cash flow management that will keep your business running effectively in the long term. Maintaining enough cash flow will allow you to have enough working capital to operate through the quiet times and will influence your future spending decisions and the direction of the business. Despite this fact many business owners do not monitor the cash flow of their business closely enough to weather the tough times and plan effectively. The first thing any business owner should do is create a cash flow forecast. This will

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Despite the popularity of social media channels many businesses remain without a social media presence. For some this may be a purposeful decision and for others it may be a lost opportunity. Social media channels provide a unique and often low-cost way to connect with existing customers and reach out to new customer networks. It isn’t just about a constant stream of sales and special giveaways but an opportunity to communicate your expertise and interact with your clients in a meaningful way.  Here are our top 5 social media tips to help your small business successfully engage on social media.

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Working from home has become the unexpected norm for many around the world since the outbreak of COVID-19. According to a United States study, Owl Labs 2019 State of Remote Work report, remote workers are not only happier at work, but they’re 13% more likely to stay at their current job for the next 5 years than their onsite counterparts. However, this report does not take into account the circumstances surrounding a global COVID-19 pandemic. So, when you’re being forced to work remotely how can you make things work.  The team at Paynow for Stripe have assembled some of our top tips for successfully

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The recent worldwide COVID-19 pandemic is changing the world in more ways than we could have ever imagined. One of the early trends emerging from the situation is a reduction in physical cash being used to make purchases and an increase in global mobile payments.  The World Health Organisation (WHO) advises that COVID-19 can be spread through small droplets from the nose and mouth that can land on objects and are passed on when another person touches these objects then touches their own face. As a result of this information many businesses are moving all transactions to contactless mobile payments so that

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A new year, and in fact a new decade in this case, brings about a great opportunity to start fresh in your business. Updating your business plan allows you to refocus on your direction and priorities in the post-Christmas period. This will allow you to start the year with momentum and clarity on what it is you will achieve. Use any new insights to form your revised business plan. Here are a couple of areas of your business plan to review and update: The numbers Review the sales results for the last 12 months and compare these to the forecast

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As the holiday season fast approaches people start planning purchases and preparations for celebrations with family and friends. This time of year presents a great opportunity for businesses to increase sales, attract new customers and increase market brand awareness. Facebook reports that 1 in 5 people start planning their holiday season purchases as early as October 31. So as a business owner you should be planning now in order to maximise sales opportunities during this time.  Here are some things to consider: Content calendar: There are a number of significant dates during November & December that may present sales opportunities

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With Christmas fast approaching have you got your marketing plan ready? Every decent marketing consultant will tell you to plan early to gain maximum traction and leverage over the Christmas holiday season. This is one of the biggest shopping periods every year that just cannot be missed. In 2018 shoppers in the United States spent over $1 trillion on Christmas gifts. Shoppers in the United Kingdom topped 2 billion pounds in the same period.  At PayNow we have assembled our top tips for your Christmas marketing this season.  OPENING HOURS Update all of your Christmas opening hours on all marketing touch points to keep

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It is no surprise that the speed, ease and convenience of card payments is overtaking the traditional cash payment method in many parts of the world. A 2017 survey conducted by The Reserve Bank of Australia showed that for the first time credit and debit cards — especially of the “tap and go” variety — had overtaken cash payments in Australia. Many other countries are mirroring this trend. Sweden is by far the country with the biggest uptake of cashless payment technology with only 15% of payments involving cash in 2018.  Let’s take a look at some of the reasons

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With so many apps in the market place it’s hard to know which ones will actually help you run your business better. The PayNow team have assembled this list of apps that we believe can assist your business to run effectively and save you some time. This is by no means an exhaustive list but will hopefully provide some options to trial and see if they work for you.  Payments – PayNow We wouldn’t want to start without mentioning our very own PayNow app. This app allows you to charge a customer’s credit card quickly and easily using your mobile

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At some point in your life you would have had the advice – Keep it Simple. However it is not always easy to take this advice on board, especially when it comes down to business. It is human nature to complicate things. We think it highlights our intelligence and abilities to others if we can come up with new original ideas. Sometimes even the best decision makers will over look the simple or obvious solutions because they are instead trying to apply their fantastic problem solving skills and entrepreneurial thinking to every situation. By keeping your business simple, everyone understands

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