I Made Money, But Where Did it Go?

Cash flow issues seem to be a concern for many small businesses. They often stem from a limited understanding of the components of cash flow itself. The basic definition of cash flow is “the flow of money into and out of the business.” This includes income generated from sales activity and expenses all of your operating costs.

Hopefully your accountant told you after tax season, “Congratulations, you made a profit last year.” Even so, you might look at your checkbook balance and see that it is nearly empty. I am sure you are asking yourself, “How can both be true?” First of all, there are some differences between cash flow and profit. For instance, a business may have money tied up in accounts receivable that shows up in revenue but not cash as they have yet to collect it.

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