Tough decisions Monday
Category business budgets cashflow economics luxuries
Bookmark :
One of the great things when your company is doing well is the opportunity to expand your options, to explore new possibilities, to take flyers on things. The flip side of that is what you have to do when things tighten up. Those flyers get shot down, those new possibilities get limited, those options become fewer. Such was the case yesterday. If there's anything I should have learned in 10 years of this business, it's that January and February are always our hardest months. Why?
Bookmark :
One of the great things when your company is doing well is the opportunity to expand your options, to explore new possibilities, to take flyers on things. The flip side of that is what you have to do when things tighten up. Those flyers get shot down, those new possibilities get limited, those options become fewer. Such was the case yesterday. If there's anything I should have learned in 10 years of this business, it's that January and February are always our hardest months. Why?
We have a triple whammy in the Dec/Jan
timeframe.
1. Our year-end is Dec 31 and since we run on a cash basis for taxes, there's always pressure to end the year without a lot of excess cash on the books.
2. Due to holidays, incoming revenue from consulting always slow down.
3. Lotusphere and all its attendant time suck and expenses.
So that leads to tough decisions as short term cashflow issues start to drive more immediate business decisions. While it all sounds so dramatic, it's really just the nature of small business and happens all the time. However, it certainly is more dramatic if your services to WorkFlow are the ones that had to get cut or trimmed yesterday. I really don't enjoy it when I have to go into that mode and take those kinds of actions.
1. Our year-end is Dec 31 and since we run on a cash basis for taxes, there's always pressure to end the year without a lot of excess cash on the books.
2. Due to holidays, incoming revenue from consulting always slow down.
3. Lotusphere and all its attendant time suck and expenses.
So that leads to tough decisions as short term cashflow issues start to drive more immediate business decisions. While it all sounds so dramatic, it's really just the nature of small business and happens all the time. However, it certainly is more dramatic if your services to WorkFlow are the ones that had to get cut or trimmed yesterday. I really don't enjoy it when I have to go into that mode and take those kinds of actions.
