Cashflow is the lifeblood of every business. Even profitable companies can run into trouble if money isn’t coming in fast enough to cover day-to-day expenses. Delayed payments from clients, unexpected costs or overstocked inventory can all put pressure on your cash position and that stress can keep even the most experienced business owners up at night. The good news? With some proactive planning and smart strategies, you can take control of your cashflow and protect your business. Here are five practical tips to help you do just that. 1. Give your accounts receivable a boost Invoice your client as soon as the job is completed, or consider invoicing in instalments once key milestones are reached. Also, make sure you have strict payment terms in place. 2. Negotiate longer payment terms Talk to your suppliers to negotiate 30 or 60-day payment terms. This delays payment for your most common overheads, helping you spread the cost over a longer period. 3. Always have a cash reserve in place Putting surplus profits into a cash reserve gives you a buffer to draw on when cashflow is challenging. This can be a great way to get through quiet periods or cover unexpected costs. 4. Make the most of your cashflow forecasting tools Use the cashflow tools in your accounting software or forecasting app to create a rolling cashflow forecast. This helps you spot the potential cash shortfalls and budget accordingly. 5. Keep a close eye on inventory levels Review your inventory levels and warehouse stock to make sure capital is not tied up in slow-moving stock. Think about a leaner approach that reduces your costs. More helpful advice on managing your cashflow: If your current cashflow position is worrying you, come and talk to our team. We’ll give you tailored advice on how to boost your cash inflows and reduce your cash outflows. Call us today on 04 970 1182.

At the start of the year, it’s a good idea to review your repeating bills in Xero to ensure they’re still accurate and up to date. Repeating bills are often created once and then left running in the background. Over time, amounts may change, services may no longer be required, or accounts may need updating. If they aren't reviewed, outdated repeating bills can lead to incorrect expenses and inaccurate reporting early in the year. Taking a few minutes now to check your repeating bills helps keep your financial information accurate and reduces the need for corrections later. For those who need a reminder, you can find your repeating bills under Purchases > Bills > Repeating and update or stop any that are no longer needed.

View our February 2026 General Ledger: - 5 Tips for Controlling Your Cashflow - Important Notices - Minimum Wage to Rise From April 1 ($23.95 per hour) - Xero Tip of the Month: Review Your Repeating Bills - Tax Question of the Month: Early Year-End Preparation: What's the Benefit? - IRD Upcoming Tax Payment Dates https://public2.bomamarketing.com/email/ZL66

The beginning of a new year is like hitting the reset button, right? If you're a business owner, this is the perfect time to take a step back and think about where you're at and what you want to achieve in the upcoming year. Setting goals is like the secret sauce for personal and professional growth. Whether you're dreaming big or just plotting out some day-to-day projects, like getting paid faster or tightening up your expenses, it's all important. Maybe you're even thinking about automating some processes or venturing into new markets. Whatever your game plan, the new year is your canvas. Having a clear vision and tangible goals is the key to making those big dreams a reality. So, let's dive into some tips to kickstart your goal-setting journey: Review the year that's been: Take the time to review the year and acknowledge all that has happened, good, bad or indifferent. Examining the year with an objective perspective can provide valuable insights to prepare for the next business year. Planning and goal setting will help provide a focus for your business efforts. Envision your future: Picture where you want to be in the next five or ten years. How can your business help you achieve those life goals? Having a clear endpoint makes it a whole lot easier to set goals that align with your vision. Set measurable goals: Wishy-washy goals are like trying to catch a cloud. Instead, aim for goals you can measure. Think about the key metrics in your business, like a 3% increase in net profit each year, a 2% cut in expenses, or grabbing two new customers monthly. Specific targets make tracking progress a breeze. Develop a plan for each goal: Once you've got your goals lined up, create a game plan. This could be a simple list or a brainstorming session with your team. Having a clear plan keeps you focused and ready to roll. Monitor your progress regularly: Keep tabs on how you're doing. Set reminders or sync up with your invoicing cycle. Regular check-ins help you spot areas for improvement and keep those fresh ideas flowing. Celebrate your achievements: Don't forget to celebrate those wins along the way. Treat yourself or your team to something special. It could be a morning tea, a day out of the office, or even planning an end-of-year bash. Find something that brings you joy without breaking the bank. We can help: Not sure where to start? We’re here to help! We can assist you in planning and tracking the key steps that will keep your business moving forward. At All Accounted For we pride ourselves in offering our clients a progressive approach in all aspects of their business. Whether it's working through a financial model, providing support to execute your plans, or helping to identify your advantages - together, we can help you make headway to reach your business goals. When you conduct a past-year review with one of our experienced advisors, we will: Run through your current business plan Provide feedback on where you are heading and talk through the opportunities you might not see in your own business Provide valuable insights for this year's goal setting Implement a tailored business plan Keen to learn more? We offer many business advisory services including: Business Reporting: monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly Cash Flow Forecasting Budgeting Business Valuations Software Systems & Apps: setups and assistance If you’d like to chat about what you can do differently this year to enable your business to thrive, give Ben Duflou a call on 04-970-1182 to discuss how we can help.

Back in September, we announced that Xero was working on a refreshed navigation and homepage (formerly the Dashboard) to deliver a faster, cleaner, and more intuitive experience. With the navigation changes now live, Xero is moving to the next major update: the fully redesigned homepage. The new homepage is being introduced organisation by organisation over the coming months and will continue through to March 2026, so you may begin to see the updated layout appearing soon. Here’s what’s new in the homepage refresh: More meaningful insights: Xero has upgraded existing widgets and introduced new ones such as tasks, recently paid invoices, and net profit/loss - giving you important financial information at a glance. Customise your layout your way: You’ll be able to drag, drop, resize and reorder widgets so your homepage reflects what matters most to you. Your layout is unique to your login and won’t affect anyone else in your business. Time to adjust: If you’re not quite ready for the new look, you can temporarily switch back to the old dashboard for up to 24 hours before Xero automatically returns you to the new layout - giving everyone the chance to ease in. As always, if you have any questions or would like help navigating the changes, please don’t hesitate to call our team on 04 909 7729 . We’re here to support you. If you’d like to learn more about these upcoming changes, Xero has recently shared a helpful overview, which you can access by clicking HERE .

View our January 2026 General Ledger: - Welcome 2026 - Important Notices - Goal Setting for 2026: Planning for Success - Xero Tip of the Month: Xero’s New Homepage Refresh Coming Soon! - Tax Question of the Month: New Year Tax Health Check: The Fringe Benefit Tax on Holiday Perks - IRD Upcoming Tax Payment Dates https://public2.bomamarketing.com/email/e9Ej

Are your end-of-year preparations in order? With only 8 working days left until Christmas, time is running out! If you haven’t already, now’s the time to take a good look at your festive season cashflow and plan ahead. Juggling cash flow can be particularly tricky over the Christmas and New Year period, when many businesses close and consumers head away on holiday. With a little forward planning, you can make sure you’ve got your ducks in a row to keep your business running smoothly. As a reminder, we’ve included our short to-do list we shared in our November General Ledger newsletter: Create a staff roster to manage staff leave over the holiday season, making a note of when each staff member will be working and when they are taking a break so you've got enough hands on deck over the holiday period. Pay any outstanding invoices or upcoming invoices. Plan for your upcoming tax payment obligations. Schedule your staff pay runs if you aren't able to do it on the day. Send out your invoices early - this will allow you and your client to have your accounts sorted before you close. Review your work in progress (WIP) - plan to complete jobs or services that can be invoiced and paid (remember if you don’t invoice and get paid before the break, you may not see the money for another month). Stock-take - Do you need to order in goods now to be able to complete work in progress? Check that there is stock on hand available. Plan your 2026 goals: Your review of 2025 goals will give you a good insight into your next steps heading into 2026, so now is the time to write them down. We’re here to help If you’re struggling with your finances and need assistance to tie up any loose ends and answer any queries you may have, All Accounted For can help. We have a talented, highly knowledgeable team of professionals ready to assist you. Get in touch with our team today on 04-970-1182 so we can make your holidays as stress-free as possible.

Xero has just launched a powerful new feature called JAX (Just Ask Xero), an AI-powered assistant designed to make navigating and using Xero even easier. Whether you’re trying to find a specific report, understand a transaction, or get help with settings, simply type your question into the JAX assistant. It will provide quick, relevant answers or guide you directly to the section you need, saving you time and reducing the need to search through help articles. What can you ask JAX? Here are just a few examples:  “How do I reconcile a bank transaction?” “Where can I find my aged receivables report?” “How do I add a new user to my Xero account?” JAX is currently being rolled out across Xero, so if you don’t see it yet, it’s on the way. Look for the JAX icon or search bar in your Xero dashboard and give it a try - it’s a smart, fast way to get the most out of Xero with no digging required.