There’s nothing worse than the realization that your business is running out of money. It will have a knock-on effect on your bills, your marketing, and the salaries that you are expected to pay your employees.

Could this signal the end of your business? Not necessarily, but you will need to take action before the situation gets worse.

#1: Cut costs where you can

Firstly, cancel any expense that isn’t necessary. Such expenses can include monthly subscriptions, office lunches, and ticketed events that don’t require your attendance. Secondly, look at all of your other expenses and try to find ways to reduce them. You can do this by using some of these money-saving hacks, but look for other solutions online too.

#2: Raise funding

To get money quickly, you could turn to your investors or members of your friends and family. If they are willing to put money into your business, you might be able to turn things around.

You could also access the equity in your property with an urgent caveat loan, or you could look for other types of loans that can be accessed in a hurry. You need to be careful here, of course, as you will need to pay back that money eventually. Therefore, look for the fairest interest rates, and make a concerted effort to turn things around in your business to alleviate your debt situation.

#3: Change your payment schedules

If you suspect your financial situation might be temporary, you could take action before things get worse. This might mean altering the payment date for your utility bills, and you might ask your clients for an extension if you owe money to them.

If you have clients paying for your services, you could shorten the turnaround to ensure you get your payments faster. So, instead of the payment deadline being a month after work has been completed, for example, you could shorten it to a week. You might also ask for payment on delivery, or ask for partial payments during the course of the project being undertaken.

#4: Raise your prices

To remain competitive, you may have started charging your clients and customers less for the products and services that you offer. This can work out in your favor, especially when you get more people buying from you. But when business is slow, it can prove problematic, so, consider raising your rates. Make your price increases gradual so as not to scare away your buyers, and be sure not to overcharge, as your prices still need to remain reasonable.

#5: Look for cheap ways to market your business

Now isn’t the time to spend a fortune on marketing, unless you know of full-proof strategies that will quickly profit your business. Instead, use low-cost marketing ideas to get word of your business out there, as you might see a boost in your profit margin once more people start coming your way.

These are just some of the things you should try when your business starts to run out of money. It might be that drastic measures will need to be taken, such as letting go of some of your employees, and if worse comes to worse, you might need to let go of your business. Still, be optimistic, and do what you can to save your business before desperate measures are needed.