Business expansion is inevitable, especially if your business is doing great. When expanding to another city, however, you will have to take the cost of rent, brand new kitchen equipment, as well as permits and licenses into account. For a struggling venture, expanding should not be your top priority. If you want to expand your business, ensure you have a steady cash flow. Business expansion puts an unbearable burden on your finances; which can translate to bigger problems like late payments, missing payroll, or lower creditworthiness. Ensure that your profits are trend-proof. Record-setting monthly or yearly sales, while motivating, don’t justify an expansion. Payment delays are the worst enemy of a healthy cash flow. You will want to be firm and upfront about payment terms. Opening a new office, expanding a product line, or branching into a new market will put bigger demands on your leadership. Make sure your process documentation contains all of the important details.

The thought of growing and expanding an online business can make an entrepreneur’s heart skip a beat. If outstanding receivables are piling up and working capital is running low, you need to get your cash flow at a healthy level first. And only then should you consider business expansion. An excellent way to ensure your main operations don’t suffer as a result of the expansion is to document and polish your business processes. Business expansion requires gathering information from your existing clients for research purposes. Consider leasing. Although it will end up costing more than buying, paying in small increments helps you maintain a healthy level of cash for daily operations. Not to mention you can write off the monthly fee. Analyze and compare yearly operating expenses side by side. The detailed comparison of years of data will show you the biggest changes over time. Track customer interactions using your CRM system.