{"id":140,"date":"2013-02-22T09:23:00","date_gmt":"2013-02-22T09:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.epicliving.com\/epic\/5-easy-ways-for-small-businesses-to-cut-costs\/"},"modified":"2013-02-22T09:23:00","modified_gmt":"2013-02-22T09:23:00","slug":"5-easy-ways-for-small-businesses-to-cut-costs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.epicliving.com\/epic\/5-easy-ways-for-small-businesses-to-cut-costs\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Easy Ways for Small Businesses to Cut Costs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every penny counts, so get lean and mean. <\/span><\/h2>\n

Every small business owner knows that costs are easier to
\ncontrol than revenue\u2014and that\u2019s especially important for startups, who can run
\nup quite a bill while they\u2019re waiting for things to take off. Here are a few
\nways you can boost profits and power through lean times, no matter what niche
\nyou serve.<\/p>\n

1. <\/strong>Think used<\/strong><\/p>\n

Depending on the type of business you operate, you might be
\nable to incorporate used items into your office or store to save money. Light
\nfixtures, furniture, art, desks, computers and more can all be had for
\nsignificantly less than retail if you do some Craigslist hunting. Don\u2019t be
\nafraid to repurpose industrial equipment that local companies might want to throw
\naway, as it comes cheap and you get that cool \u2018industrial\u2019 design<\/a>
\nto your business. Be sure to test used electronics before purchasing\u2014but a
\nlittle extra time can save you a lot of money, particularly in the beginning
\nwhen it matters most.<\/p>\n

2. <\/strong>Move to the
\ncloud<\/strong><\/p>\n

How much are you spending on printing out and distributing
\noffice memos? How often do you upgrade your version of Office or the Adobe
\nMaster Collection<\/a>? Google<\/a> offers great ways for companies to share ideas and
\ncreate documents for free with their Google Docs collection. Adobe and many of
\nsoftware distributors offer low cost cloud-based services that require a very
\nlow monthly fee which can save you from having to spend hundreds on upgrades
\nevery year. Cloud storage solutions are also becoming more affordable and
\nreliable; Google Drive, Drop Box and Microsoft<\/a> all have
\ngreat solutions which are all cheaper than buying multiple hard drives. <\/p>\n

3. Be <\/strong>energy efficient<\/strong><\/p>\n

You don\u2019t need to be moving into a new space to enjoy the
\nsavings from implementing energy efficient devices into your office. Start by
\nconsidering new lighting solutions like CFL\u2019s LED\u2019s or even energy efficient
\ntungsten bulbs. Unblock windows and utilize skylights if available. Not only do
\nwindows help save on lighting costs all that natural light can help make your
\nemployees happier. Instead of turning on the heater for the whole office,
\ninvest in some energy efficient electric heaters<\/a>
\nfor the areas where it gets coldest. Hook up all electronics to smart power
\nstrips that automatically shut off all power once the day is over and everyone
\nis gone.<\/p>\n

4. Shop around<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let your office supply vendors know that you will be
\nshopping around to find the best deals and prices on the products you use the
\nmost. Then do it. Online retailers like Amazon<\/a> and Wal-Mart
\noffer great prices on bulk items and often will ship free to your store or
\noffice. If you really like your vendors, offer them the option to price match or
\nto offer you other services to make up the difference in cost. Do this with
\nyour internet, cable\/satellite, and phone services yearly to ensure you\u2019re
\nreceiving the best rates available in your area.<\/p>\n

5. Rethink your location<\/strong><\/p>\n

Are you absolutely sure your location is best suited to your
\nneeds? Restaurants and some stores might be hard-pressed to move elsewhere, but
\nyou should still consider the cost benefits especially if you have a loyal
\nclientele willing to go to another location. While you\u2019re at it, you should
\nconsider allowing as many of your employees as possible to telecommute. By
\ndoing this and utilizing free Google services like Google Voice\/Talk, Docs and
\nDrive you can reduce the amount of space you need in an office, how much energy
\nyou have to pay for, and how much you have to spend on electronics.<\/p>\n

Aimee Watts is a staff
\nwriter for <\/em>Mobile Moo<\/em><\/a>. She has spent
\nten years telecommuting full-time, and loves spreading tips and advice for
\nfellow work-at-home parents. She loves gadgets, new ideas, and skiing with her
\ntwo favorite people: her husband and teenage son. They live in Evergreen,
\nColorado<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n

\nRelated articles<\/legend>\n
\n
\"\"<\/a>The Value Proposition<\/a><\/div>\n
\"\"<\/a>Office Web Apps v. Google Docs: Which suite works best for you?<\/a><\/div>\n
\"\"<\/a>Cloud essentials: understanding the basics of cloud computing<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/fieldset>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every small business owner knows that costs are easier to control than revenue\u2014and that\u2019s especially important for startups, who can run up quite a bill while they\u2019re waiting for things to take off. Here are a few ways you can boost profits and power through lean times, no matter what niche you serve.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,5,6,170],"tags":[404,403,401,402,344,405,399,400,398],"class_list":["post-140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-business-commentary","category-entrepreneur-advice","category-learning","category-management","tag-adobe","tag-cloud-computing","tag-cost-cutting","tag-entrepreneur-advice-2","tag-google","tag-microsoft-365","tag-small-business","tag-small-business-cost-savings","tag-ways-to-cut-costs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.epicliving.com\/epic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.epicliving.com\/epic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.epicliving.com\/epic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.epicliving.com\/epic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.epicliving.com\/epic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=140"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.epicliving.com\/epic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.epicliving.com\/epic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.epicliving.com\/epic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.epicliving.com\/epic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}