Businesses believe in order to grow they need to bring in lots of money, which is obviously true. They’re just unsure about all the options open to them in order to achieve it. Imagine how much extra money you would be able to spend on marketing if you could knock a considerable chunk out of your office expenses. We’re going to look at some of the tricks available to you, and as soon as you implement them you’ll begin to see results straight away.
Buy Used Office Equipment
If you have a large amount of office space, you’ll probably spend a huge amount of money on office equipment to fill the place up. Buy used office equipment, which is just as good if you shop carefully, and you can save up to 60% on everything you purchase. Some equipment like large printers will come at a huge cost to your business, but there is always someone trying to sell them and if you get in there first you’ll grab a massive bargain.
Switch To VoIP Phones
It’s only going to be a matter of time before every business is using VoIP phones, so stay ahead of the curve by using them now. At the moment Skype might be the first company that pops into your head, but there are other dedicated companies helping businesses of all sizes reduce their telephone bills. You can even buy dedicated handsets instead of talking through a microphone, so your employees won’t know the difference anyway and it will take them a day to get used to the new setup.
Use Free Software When Possible
Depending on the type of business you run, you might be able to use open source software instead of paying a premium for dedicated software from a large company like Microsoft or Adobe. I know you now understand how powerful free software can be, so when you spend money on licenses for premium brands you’re only paying the extra money for the name, which is a complete waste when you don’t have cash to throw away.
Don’t Focus On Short-Term Costs
This is more to do with physical equipment, and printers are the perfect example to use. Laser printers cost a little extra when you purchase them, whereas you won’t pay as much for ink-jet printers. Don’t pat yourself on the back yet, because you’ll go through a lot more ink cartridges when you opt for the latter option even though you thought you were saving money when you first bought your printers. You should also check the remanufactured cartridges, they do not lack in quality but they cost less. Always look at long-term costs if you’re an established business.
Always Buy Office Supplies In Bulk
Although the amount of office supplies you can buy at once will depend on the storage space you have available, it would be wise to buy in bulk whenever possible even if you have to squeeze it in somewhere. When you don’t buy in bulk you’ll waste a great deal of money, and this will be quite evident over the long-term when you realise how much you go through. Again, it’s another case of trying to avoid short-term thinking if you have the extra money to invest in more supplies.
Taking Advantage Of Space
Do you conduct meetings in rooms somewhere in your office building? If you want to look towards the future it might be wise to keep only a few of those meeting rooms. The rest of your meetings can take place over the computer when everyone is sitting at their desk. Not only that the conference call will save you money because your employees will waste less time walking around, but you’ll also have extra space you can do something more productive with to bring in more money.
Stop Wasting Your Money
It’s easy to justify spending money on a skilled employee or injecting it into a successful marketing campaign, but it must hurt to know you’re flushing money down the toilet. Every business can cut costs so you’re certainly not alone, but if you want your business to keep growing you must try your hardest to trim costs wherever possible. If you look around the building I can guarantee you could come up with a list of at least a hundred ways to cut your office expenses, so why haven’t you been doing it?