Speculation has swirled around when the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) will initiate its first rate cut after hiking the cash rate to 4.35% to counter rampant inflation caused by the knock-on effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Small and medium business owners were relieved the RBA held the cash rate this month rather than raising it, as any changes to interest rates can have outsized effects on smaller enterprises unable to absorb short to medium-term financial shocks.
Moneytech CEO Nick McGrath points out that, so far, small and medium enterprise (SME) owners have proved very resilient.
“SMEs have been really copping it on all fronts but generally holding up well,” McGrath said.
“Over the past 12 months, they've had to deal with inflation and supply chain issues, while interest rate increases have impacted their business lending and home loans.”
Negotiating contracts
McGrath points out that cash flow tends to be the main issue for many of these SMEs, often caused by blown-out payment deadlines.
“Debtor payment periods are just one of these storms impacting business at the moment, with debtor payment days blowing out at the big and small ends of town,” he said.
“30 to 60-day invoice terms are dragging out to anywhere between 90 and 120 days. That's a lot of time for SMEs to wait to get their money after delivering goods or services.”
While getting debtors to pay on time is a difficult proposition, there are steps business owners can take at the other end of their supply chains.
McGrath suggests a well-negotiated debt facility can offer some breathing room in a short-term crisis. Not just for cash, but to offer a better position to negotiate with suppliers.
“SMEs are paying their own suppliers in 30-, 60- or 90-day terms, if you pay cash on delivery or a 14-day term, often a supplier will give business owners a discount of anywhere between three to five per cent of the cost of goods sold,” McGrath explained.
“The discount generally far outweighs the cost of finance, so make sure any capital from finance is put to good work.”