May 12 Seasons – Let’s just go for CASH this month!  How do we get our hands on cash immediately?  A few quick ideas: go to customers and ask for quicker payment for a few months; also go to suppliers and ask them to help with slightly delayed payments for a few months.  We did this at Snapper when our parent company (NYSE-listed) ran out of cash; we raised $14 million in two weeks just that way.

More cash ideas:  go to your bank and borrow down against your availability; check your inventory “earn-&-turn” and your receivables “DSO tracking on 12mma charts” for items and accounts that can yield immediate cash.  Try WalkingBear’s credit/collection techniques (see our blog below and search on Walking); try “Walking Your Four Corners (W4C)” to identify stuff you can liquidate or translate into cash.  Often, you’ll also see things that represent additional collateral to shore up your borrowings (into cash).

Click on the following link to see our Vistage article on niche improvements, some of which get cash:  http://www.ceotools.com/blog/2009/07/ten-ways-to-capture-niche-opportunities/ — all these ideas aim at helping your business.

Please remember our C-H-I-P-S acronym that works in every business we’ve ever walked through:  Cash Hides In Peculiar Spots!  I’m sure you’ll get some cash from your business by just walking your four corners.

Finally, just search on “Walking” in the seach box above for ideas from our favorite credit/collections guru (Abe WalkingBear Sanchez).