Being a small business owner means you get to call the shots.

With that power, you also are looked at as either a success or a failure.

If you make many or all the right calls, you have reason to celebrate. In the event you make your fair share of bad decisions, it could haunt you for some time to come.

So, how good of a job are you doing when it comes to making the right financial calls?

Don’t Be Foolish with Money

In your quest to be a good money manager, here are some ways to go about it:

1. Know if you need help – There may well come times when you need financial help in running your small business. That said do not wait too late to ask for it. Waiting too long could put you and your business in financial jeopardy. One option to consider when needing a lift would be researching small business loans. Such a loan could provide you with the capital needed to address one or more matters within your company. The best thing to do is go online and research some of the various small biz loan providers out there. See which one seems like the best answer to your financial help needs. Once you have been approved for such a loan, you can then direct the money where you feel best suited.

2. Reduce any credit card debt – It is not uncommon for some businesses to have company credit cards. These can be used towards buying various items for one’s company. That said you want to make sure you do not overdo it with the plastic. It can be rather easy to run-up a sizable bill before you know it. Your goal should be to try and use cash whenever possible. Also make it a goal of yours to pay down that balance as fast as you can. If you only pay the minimum on a monthly basis, you can end up with interest fees. Such fees add up over the months and become like throwing money out the window.

3. Find deals – Given you have to buy supplies for your small business, are you getting the best of deals each time out? Try and get such deals so that you are not overspending on the items you need. It may come down to reviewing any vendor agreements you may have in place. Even if you have great affection for one or more vendors, do not be afraid to go with someone else. That would be if it saves money and does not impact the quality.

4. Keep an eye on employee expenses – Last, if you have employees, it pays to keep an eye on their company expenses. For example, do you have employees that go out often to meet with customers? If so, are all those in-person meetings always needed? This is especially the case if the employee is charging you for mileage, meals and so on. It may be where more can be done over the phone, teleconferencing and so on to save some on expenses.

When you are looking at small business finances, how smart are you?