It’s highly unlikely that you’ll go throughout the week without hearing about your fellow entrepreneurs bark about cash flow problems. A few have big dreams, and the lack of capital is the only thing that’s slowing them down. While others prefer to expand slowly, but their cash flow barely covers their rising expenses. Still, the rest usually suffer from first year losses and they need the money to stabilize their efforts until profits pour in. Whatever your situation, we all have to have the same thing – cash in the bank.

Acquiring funding is pretty hard, whether you’re looking for investors, financing, or squeezing out a couple of bucks from your personal contacts. But there’s something that will keep your business afloat – happy customers.

Yep, it’s really that easy, with one thing to keep in mind – you have to work a smart business model that’ll eventually make your business profitable and, at the end of the year, successful.

Investors

The number one priority for investors is this – paying customers. Without the people you serve and the power to show how their involvement will increase the value of your business to your customers, most deals will fall apart before they’re even considered.

Paying customers

A few will trust you enough to pay in advance for your products and/or services. This is key if you want to optimize your pricing structure and monetary strategies to increase your cash flow. For example, letting your happiest customers pay in bulk to qualify for X% discount.

Banks love your numbers

Banks love to support companies with a solid history of paying customers –more the merrier. It doesn’t matter if its startup capital (ranging on the amount customers) or equipment, they won’t lend to a company without a track record of repeat business.

Bring in more business

The thing with new startups is this: Creating features to attract potential customers, and then use that money to add more features to bring in more customers. Most companies continue to operate like this for years, even decades.

Angel investors

Angel investors conduct an extensive background search that centers on customer satisfaction. They know that your business plan is all theory and your numbers are action that can be turn for the worst in a couple of months. They’ll probably ask for a list for all of your clients, and they’re going to call each one. Happy customers are gold when it comes to investors opening up their wallets along with a strong management team, working business model, and a reachable market.

Happy customers will increase your value

If you’re looking for more money from your customers, you’re in the right spot to look for more money because you’re past the buying phase and now focused on keeping your customers. Why is this important? Because your ability to have all sorts of funding options available increases your long-term value.

Why does it increase? Because you have the power to defeat risk. Having other people or another business pay with their cash for whatever you’re offering is a big break. You’re batteries are now recharged to outpace risk, and the value of your business increases as well. Actually, the happier your customers are, the better off you’ll be on paper. Repeat customers are gold in the world of business.

The people around you will see your progress

When you start to become more profitable, the people around you will feel better about loaning you money, and you’ll feel happy about taking it, knowing that you’re only holding onto it for a month or two.

If you still think you need more money, then scrutinize your current business model. It’s highly unlikely that companies go bankrupt because they have too much money coming in, their mistake is in managing or working their business plan and sticking to solid financial moves.