Decode Cashflow Statements To Increase Your Company's Growth

The cash flow statement, also known as CFS in short form, is a financial statement that consists of all the moments of cash and cash equivalents that are in or out of any organisation. It is a statement that is necessary to know the condition of a cash position in the company or how well it generates cash to pay its debt.

There are three types of principal financial statements. However, the cash flow statement completes and maintains any company's balance sheet or income statement. So, people need to understand the cash flow statement completely so that they can use them as an advantage to grow their company.

How is the cash flow statement used?

A cash flow statement records a company's position and how well the company is doing. It contains every record related to money, from where it is coming or spending. It is also popularly known as the statement of cash flow. It can be one of the most necessary things for any company because, with the help of this statement, creditors determine how much money the company is saving for the funds.

Well, the CFS statement is beneficial not only for the company but also for people who are willing to invest in a company. It shows every statement whether the company is worth investing in. The investor always looks out for the statement to know about companies financial ground condition. This statement makes it more informative for investors.

Structure of cash flow statement

There are four primary components of cash flow statements, which are as follows.

1. Cash flow from operating activities
2. Cash flow from investing activities
3. Cash flow from financing activities
4. Generally accepted accounting principles also referred to as GAAP

A person needs to understand every statement individually so they can know about every aspect of the statement completely.

1. Cash from operating activities

The statement deals with sources of cash during the business activity or shows that the uses of cash come under three operating activities on CFS. First, it generally shows how much cash the company has generated from products and services.

Some of the most common operating activities include

• The receipt generated from the sale of services and goods
• Interest payments
• Income tax payments
• The payment that is provided to suppliers of goods or payment used in services during production
• The payment that is made to employees through their salary and wages
• Rental payments
• Any other type of expenses which needed cash

If you are a trading portfolio or an investment company, the receipts from the sale of loans, equity, or debt are also included because it is also considered a business activity. Any changes in cash, inventory, accounts receivable, depreciation, or account payable are generally shown in cash from the operation statement section.

2. Cash from investing activities

• It is already evident from the name that the statement, including investing activities from any source that uses the cash from the company’s investment, is reflected in this. Purchases or sales of an asset or even if you have made a loan to vendor or receiver from customers or any payable amount related to acquisitions and mergers or included in this category.
• In other words, every change in equipment, investment, or assets comes under investing statements.
• Every payment made from investing in anything usually comes under cash-out items. Cash is used to buy necessary equipment, short-term assets, buildings, security, or anything that comes under cash out the statement. However, whenever the company is going to divert all the assets, those transactions are often known as cash-in while calculating cash from investing in the company.

3. Cash from financing activities

• Cash from financing activity contains every single detail of the source of cash that comes into the company through various services such as banks or investors. They also include sources such as how cash is paid to the shareholders. Shareholder-paid cash includes payments of stock repurchases and repayment of a principal loan made by the company. Apart from this, dividends are also included.
• Whenever the company pays dividends, it is considered a cash-out, and when there are changes in cash from financing or considered a cash-in. Whenever a company issues bonds to the public, the company can easily receive financing cash.

How can you calculate the cash flow?

Two significant methods are used to calculate cash flow one is the direct method, and the other is the indirect method.

1. Direct cash flow method

• The direct method includes all the cash payments and receipts within the company. Additionally, the cash paid to the supplier is included, such as cash receipts from customers and cash paid out while distributing the salaries. Therefore, the direct flow cash method of cash flow statement is easier for a business who are potentially running on a small scale.
• You can easily calculate every unit starting from the beginning to the end. Everything from balances of various assets and liabilities to accounting and examining the net decrease or increase in the balance. All the details are available in an easier way a person can understand.
• Most companies use the basic accrual accounting method for their cash flow statement. It is done when an organization's revenue is recognized whenever it is earned instead of when it is received. It is necessary because it begins the disconnection between the actual cash flow and net income to know about the transaction in net income of the income statement involving actual cash. Several items must be reconsidered while performing the calculation of these operations.

2. Indirect cash flow method

• The indirect method is used by many prominent companies whose businesses run very large. The cash flow statement is calculated in the indirect method by adjusting net income by subtracting or adding different results from non-cash transactions. All the changes would be completely visible on the company's assets and liabilities on their balance sheet from one period to the next whenever performing non-cash items, and they show up in changes.
• An accountant must identify all the company's decreases and increases in assets and liability. Then, they ensure the sum of details that need to be added back, removing them from the net income figure if the company wants an accurate cash flow with inflow or outflow.
• If the accounts receivable decrease, the company has received a lot of cash from customers instead of getting payment from their credit accounts. If the amount by which accounts receivable decrease, then it is rightly added to net earnings.
• If the accounts receivable increase in the company indicates that these must be deducted from your net earnings as your amount in receivable or in revenue and are not paid by cash.

Top ways to improve cash flow

Having a business, one of the most necessary things for you is to increase profit each year. So, there are top-notch ways that improve your company's cash flow while your activities run efficiently.

1. Please, don't buy

• Whenever you lease equipment or supplies for your company, it is usually more expensive than buying things. But maintaining a cash stream for day-to-day operations is also necessary for every company. One of the top-notch advantages of leasing is that you play very small increments, which are crucial in improving your company's cash flow.
• Lease payments are also business expenses, so it can also be effective for you to return on your taxes.

2. Provide discounts for every payment

• Those who do not like to get incentives whenever you provide discounts to your customer will pay their bill ahead of time. It can be a win-win situation for both your customer and your company. In addition, getting cash earlier can help you increase your cash flow.

3. Conduct customer credit checks

• Suppose your customer is not willing to pay you in cash, then make sure that whenever they are paying you from their credit card, you should conduct a credit check, and this is necessary before they sign up. If your customer's credit score is very low, you will know that you will not receive your payment after a fixed time.
• Running a business and getting payment late can hugely impact your business. Setting up a higher interest rate would help you to overcome such problems.

4. Improve your inventory

• Make a list of items you have bought but have yet to get people's attention as your other item does. It would not be a good thing for your business. Instead of buying more items, you should eliminate items that have not been sold.
• You can apply many discounts to get rid of such things quickly, and people will love spending money on affordable things. It will also help you to increase your cash flow.

5. Payless to the suppliers

• Having a regular deal with suppliers creates a friendly environment with them. So, better friendly behavior with your supplier will allow you to get a chance of lending better terms with them. You can make an offer with them to provide them with early payment to get some discount for you.
• While running a business, you must master the art of negotiation because it is one of the essential parts.

Conclusion

The cash flow statement is one of the most valuable things for the company. It is the only thing that helps a businessman determine whether they are running their business on which scale. With the help of observing things, you can easily increase the cash flow while running a business.

Hope this article has helped you to understand how to use cashflow to increase your business’s growth. To learn more about finance you can refere to Physics Wallah website. They have provided a broad range of topics related to finance. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. How can a company use the cash flow to expand its operations?

Ans. Here are few Ways to increase cash flow for a company include:

• Not buying.
• Offering discounts for early payments.
• Improving inventory.
• Leasing.
• Conducting consumer credit checks.
• Using high-interest savings accounts

Q2. How does a cash flow statement help in business?

Ans. The cash flow statement is one of a company's most critical financial reports because it provides a detailed insight into how a company makes its cash and spends. By learning how to create and analyze cash flow statements, you can make better and more informed decisions regardless of your position.

Q3. What increases a company’s cash flow?

Ans. A strong cash flow is essential for a business. There are some great ways to increase your cash flow, including offering special early-stage discounts and leasing rather than buying assets. When making financial decisions, it’s important to know what your credit standing is. Conducting consumer credit checks will show you how much debt you have and its history.