For entrepreneurs of all experience levels, crafting an effective budget can be a challenge, especially for individuals who do not have a background in finance. However, a strong budget can be influential in the long-term success of your business. Taking the time to create a budget you can clearly abide by is crucial for business owners.

Keep Business Expenses and Personal Expenses Separate

In the early days of a business, the lines between business and personal life can seem a bit blurred. At this point in the journey, as well as all later points, it is important that entrepreneurs separate their expenses. Not only is this for your benefit and sanity, but it is also essential from a business standpoint as keeping these expenses separate will help give you a more accurate look at how much it costs to operate your business as well as how much profit it brings in.

Preserve Receipts

When it comes to business expenses, you should be careful to keep records of what money is spent, what it is used for, and when it was spent. Novice entrepreneurs may consider only tracking larger costs, but over time, small expenses add up, making it important to keep all receipts for your business expenses.

Account for Fixed and Variable Expenses

Operating a business costs money; this is fact, plain and simple. However, how much it costs to run a business may vary from month to month. Fixed expenses could include rent and employee salaries, while variable expenses might account for the cost of supplies and other resources. Because it is difficult to predict exactly how much you will need to spend in a given month, it is recommended that you are careful to document your monthly expenses to the best of your ability before making a budget. Additionally, you should always leave some room for flexibility.

Round Up

When crafting a budget, you should always round up your expenses. It is better to overestimate how much you will spend than to do the alternative. While rounding up will inevitably leave you with a high estimate for your budgetary needs, chances are, you will not actually need to spend that much, leaving you with some extra funds that can be used for other projects.

Originally published: http://stevenlewisweiner.com/creating-a-budget-for-your-business/