For many SMEs, recurring subscriptions are one of the sneakiest money leaks. They’re small, automatic, and easy to forget - until they quietly add up to thousands each year. Now’s the perfect time to do a quick subscription audit. Look out for: Duplicate subscriptions Outdated software plans Auto-renewals you didn’t notice Tools your team no longer needs These little costs can seriously stack up. A 15-minute check might save your business hundreds - even thousands - every year. If you’re getting value from every subscription, that’s great! But in our experience, most businesses are paying for more than they use. Not sure where to start? We’d be happy to help you review your expenses and sharpen your spending. Get in touch today - your bottom line will thank you!

If you want to stabilise your finances and grow the business, working to strict budgets becomes a necessity. Managing the cashflow twists and turns of a project can be hard work. But it’s easier to do when you have an agreed budget and can track your spending and performance. So, what’s the best way to stay in control of the budgets you’ve set? And how can you manage your cashflow position to make sure there’s always enough cash to fund the project? Understand the costs of each project Starting a project without fully understanding how much it will cost is a no-no. To keep on top of costs, overheads, staff expenses and general spending, you need at least a ballpark figure for this expenditure. In an ideal world, you’ll want to be as precise as possible with these costs. Run through the project from start to finish and highlight every point where there will be costs to incur. It might be the cost of your raw materials. It may be the cost of buying new equipment. It could be the payroll costs for the people actively working on the project. Break everything down and come up with a total expense for the project. This is your starting point. Set your budget and track it over time Once you know your baseline cost for the project, you and your team should decide on the amount of funds to allocate to the budget. Your baseline cost is a starting point, but don’t forget to include extra for specific contingencies. What if the project overruns? What if your raw material costs go sky high? What if you need more people to get the job over the line? Agree on a clear budget and set up your finance system to track spending against this budget. With a cloud accounting system at the heart of the business, it’s very easy to create a budget and then record and track your spending over time. Keep a close eye on budgets and project cashflow One of the big things to remember is that a budget is not a static thing. You’ll obviously aim to stick to your initial costs, but prices and availability will affect the total spend over time. Because of this, it’s vital to not just write the budget and then forget about it. Keep a close eye on your budget performance and the cashflow for each project. Being able to review this performance, in real time, should help you avoid overspending, or running out of cash for the project. And when the cash in the kitty is getting low, you can get proactive and look at ways to top up the budget, or rein in spending in other areas of the project. Take action to maintain your positive cashflow position Balancing the cashflow scales on a project isn’t easy. But when you spot that there’s a potential hole in the budget, the important thing is to do something about it, pronto! Running any project with your fingers crossed that ‘it will all work out in the end’ is a recipe for disaster. And with such detailed budget reports and cashflow forecasts available with today’s finance apps, there’s really no need to be disorganised about your spending. Think about: Setting up key metrics for each project, to measure spending, cashflow and progress Run worst-case and best-case cashflow scenarios, so you’re prepared for anything Regularly reviewing your spending and looking for areas to make savings Taking on finance facilities to plug any cashflow holes as they appear. If you’re thinking about scaling up your established startup, get in touch with our team today at 04 970 1182. We’ll help you build solid, workable budgets that can be easily tracked through your accounting system.

Speed Up Your Xero Invoicing with New Shortcuts! Xero has just launched a helpful guide featuring all the keyboard shortcuts for the new invoicing system. These shortcuts will help you navigate tasks more quickly and efficiently, giving you more time to focus on what matters most. Click the button below to download the guide. Saving it to your desktop will provide easy access to these time-saving shortcuts whenever you need them! Please note: some shortcuts are only available when an invoice is in a particular status, such as draft or approved.

View our August 2025 General Ledger: - Business Tips: Budgeting and Managing Cashflow - Important Notices - Xero Tip of the Month: New Invoicing Keyboard Shortcuts - Reminder: Xero Pricing Increase - 1 September 2025 - Track Your Carbon Footprint FREE for 12 Months with Sumday + Xero - Welcome to the Team: Swapnil Naik - Tax Question of the Month: Is the Payment of a Private Medical Bill for a Shareholder Employee Deductible? - IRD Upcoming Tax Payment Dates  https://public2.bomamarketing.com/email/BP6n

Thinking of restructuring your business? Choosing the right structure - sole trader, partnership, company or trust - can impact your tax, liability, and long-term goals. The team at Business.govt.nz has a helpful tool to guide your thinking: https://www.tools.business.govt.nz/choose-business.../ ? But every business is different. Once you've explored your options, we're here to provide tailored advice and help you make the best decision for your unique situation.

Want to take control of your business performance? We’re here to help you move from guesswork to clarity. Whether you're looking to grow, improve profitability, or simply get a better handle on your numbers - we’ve got your back. We’ll work with you to: Set clear strategic targets Track the numbers that matter Monitor the KPIs that drive real results Get regular insights and support along the way Our expert team will work closely with you to build a performance-focused plan tailored to your business goals. It’s not just about the numbers - it’s about using them to make smarter decisions. Ready to level up your business? Call us on 04 970 1182 to get started today!

Looking to reduce your carbon footprint but not sure where to begin? We’ve got good news. Thanks to Xero’s new partnership with Sumday, you can now access powerful carbon accounting tools - completely free for 12 months! Whether you're just beginning your sustainability journey or looking to enhance your current efforts, this is a great place to start. Sumday is a customisable carbon accounting platform that integrates with Xero, making it easy to track and report your emissions. With sustainability becoming an increasing priority for businesses, suppliers, and customers alike, this is a fantastic opportunity to kick-start your journey to net zero - without the stress or extra cost. All you need is an active Xero subscription. Simply connect to Sumday via the Xero App Store, and you’re good to go. This offer is available from 2 April 2025 to 1 April 2026. To learn more about this offer and to get started, visit: https://www.sumday.io/terms-and-conditions-xero

It’s great to be the boss - you can work any hours you like, right? Unfortunately, for many business owners, that means long hours, plenty of stress, and very few breaks and holidays. Gallup reported that 39% of the owners they surveyed worked over 60 hours a week. Owners often report they are unhappy with their work life balance, and after the challenges of the recent years you might find yourself thinking hard about your priorities. Running a business and having a life Can you run your business effectively and still have enough time left over to do the things you love? You’re the best judge of how much time your business needs, but don’t neglect your wellbeing. If you would like to take back some personal time, you could consider: Delegating – don’t try to do everything yourself. Saying no – not every project is worth taking on. Investing in systems – to reduce time on admin or paperwork. Taking all your leave – find ways to have breaks and holidays. Maximising technology - making sure your systems are all integrated, and using AI where appropriate. Working towards a balance If you really can’t work less right now, try to build your business with a better balance in mind for the future. It’s important that you can step back at some point to take a holiday, travel, or spend time with family. Being tied to your business for more than 60 hours each week isn’t a sustainable way to take care of your health and higher profits aren’t worth that sacrifice. Also, any business that doesn’t allow the owner to step away is very hard to sell and worth far less than one that can run independently! We'd love to help Whether you want to improve your work-life balance now, or build your business to achieve it in future, we have ideas. We’ve worked with plenty of clients who need to reclaim their time, and we know it can be done. Give us a call at 04 970 1182, drop us an email at admin@aafl.nz or come in for a chat - we’re here to help.