Running a business is one of the most difficult things a person can do. It’s actually exceedingly difficult. According to statistics, about 70 percent of businesses close within their first ten years. One of the reasons why this happens is they never managed to get out of the red. With that in mind, below are five tips you can use to make your business’s budget more effective.

Take Advantage of Spreadsheet Software

Budgeting for a business is indeed one of the more technical aspects of being an entrepreneur. However, you don’t have to be a math whiz to budget effectively. One tool that can help make this job easier is spreadsheet software such as Microsoft Excel and Apple Numbers. You can use this software to perform calculations and create a spreadsheet that can tell you exactly what percentage of your revenue will have to be allocated for supplies, labor, rent, electricity and other costs.

Avoid Product Waste

Product waste is a huge expense for many businesses. Every product that is created but not actually exchanged for money or later returned is a loss. If there is too much product waste, it can take a huge bite out of your budget and put your company into the red. To stop this from happening, implement strong quality control measures such as heavy duty plastic storage containers to make sure every product produced is as flawless as possible.

Track All Inventory

If the numbers on your books don’t appear to make sense, you could be the victim of theft from employees or others. Theft by employees costs companies $50 billion each year. Use inventory control software to keep exact tabs on your inventory at all times so you can better detect things like theft.

Slash Overhead Expense

Something that can squeeze your company dry is too much overhead expense. Overhead expenses are costs that must be incurred but are not directly related to your product or service. This includes things like accounting expenses, legal fees, utilities, rent, depreciation and more. If you can lower overhead expense, you can certainly widen your profit margins.

Don’t Underestimate Expenses

In regards to budgeting, it’s always a better idea to overestimate expenses as opposed to underestimating them. This way, you’re far less likely to come up short and go over-budget.

Being a business owner can be tough. One of the difficult aspects of entrepreneurship is developing a budget that works for your company. Make sure to put a lot of time, effort and thought into how you budget for your company. It can make the difference between creating a profit and going out of business entirely.