I talk with small business owners who are struggling during this pandemic. One of the questions I ask is "Do you have enough in cash reserves to cover expenses for the next 30-90 days?" Why? These reserves are crucial to help you pay vendors and employees during a financial crisis. Here’s how to figure out how much cash reserves your business needs for the next three months.

In my work with small businesses I am familiar with how cash flow management can make-or-break a company. Simply stated, if you aren't properly managing the flow of your money, then you are setting your business up for failure. In this time of COVID-19, managing cash flow is more critical than ever. A new commitment to cash flow planning and management is needed.

What seems true, now, is that when the COVID-19 threats have subsided, the ways of life we knew and counted on before the pandemic will not be returning to us in precisely the same ways. We are at the beginning of a new era, and it can still be hard to imagine. In short, this departure from old ways of doing things is not "temporary."