One of the main maxims of any company (especially in SMEs) is to increase profits while reducing our costs. However, despite all our efforts, it may not be as easy for us to identify which areas we can act on. In MuyPymes we show you the five classics, but with a somewhat different approach.
The salary of our employees
Employee salaries are often one of the main items for any small business, especially since they can sometimes end up costing us more than they should. The answer that we have to give in this matter, however, does not pass by firing anyone (as some might think) but by carrying out a correct evaluation of our staff , among other things to optimize the result we obtain. For this we will consider the following issues:
- If our employees are in the right position (assessment of skills).
- Yes, it may be much cheaper for us to outsource certain departments (reorienting our workforce).
- If despite what we may think, our template is too short, and therefore, does not allow us to grow.
- If instead of letting our employees develop professionally and grow alongside the company, we have acquired the vice of micromanaging.
Rental of our office
When it comes to reducing costs, one of the first things we must ask ourselves is whether we really need to occupy all that space that makes up our office. Beyond paying the monthly rent, the larger our facilities, the more we will have to pay in concepts such as electricity, cleaning personnel, maintenance, etc.
In this sense, unless we are really occupying all the space, we may have to consider other cheaper options and it may even, taking into account the evaluation of the staff that we have done in the previous point, it will be much more profitable than part of our workers carry out their activity from the comfort of their homes.
Internet and telephone
How much do you spend every month on Internet and telephone (landlines, mobiles, 3G)? If you haven’t done a “market research” for more than six months, it may be time to re-evaluate the offers and alternatives available to you.
This research not only involves re-examining the different offers for SMEs and freelancers offered by the main operators, but also considering, on the one hand, whether it is worth investing in technologies such as VoIP, considering which mobile lines we really need and which others They are dispensable, in addition to understanding that cost savings are not only found in the price, but in those companies that can offer us a better support and maintenance service.
Our friend the bank
Do we know how much our financial institution is charging us monthly? Commissions, business cards, banking products, etc. our financial institution can become a drag on the economy of our SME.
At this point, we have two options that we can consider. The first, if we are strong enough, is to renegotiate the conditions that we have contracted with our bank, proposing the same ones that we can find in its competition. The second, as you can imagine, is none other than moving to another entity that, at least initially, is more advantageous for us.
Those little details
The small details, the small purchases, may seem insignificant by themselves, but when we take them together we can take more than one surprise.
Office supplies, sweets and breakfast for the employees, permissiveness when it comes to allowing anyone to print whatever they want … etc. They represent some of the areas that, although taken individually, seem insignificant, together they have a specific weight.
This does not mean that we have to put an end to all the extras and benefits that we offer to employees, but that we must study how we can make a more rational use of them .
