Founder finance: 4 ideas to keep your incomings and outgoings on track

Timing is so critical when you’re building and growing a company, but the calendar isn’t the only thing you’re racing. Cash flow – what’s coming in, what’s going out and when – dictates how fast you can move. The good news? You have options.

With a few practical changes to how you pay and track spending, you can give yourself some much-needed breathing room without hitting pause on your growth ambitions.

1. Split big purchases into monthly instalments

Big expenses can put pressure on working capital, especially when expenses seem to come out of nowhere. Replacing outdated tech, spending on ad bursts, renewing software licenses, paying higher supplier costs, buying a new coffee machine for the office – the expense list can feel never-ending.

One way that a business can smooth out the spikes is by spreading repayments on eligible card purchases over time. For example, American Express offers a range of flexible payment solutions like Plan It® Instalments or Flexible Payment Option.

Plan It Instalments is an American Express Business Credit Card feature that lets you pay off transactions or a portion of your balance in equal monthly payments¹. There’s no interest but a fixed monthly fee applies.

Flexible Payment Option (FPO) helps you free up cash flow by paying off your charge card balance over time (up to your FPO Limit)². So rather than paying the full closing balance every statement period, you can carry a portion of your balance from month to month.

Think of it like an instant line of credit to help you manage your cash flow. T&Cs and interest charges apply.

The Flexible Payment Option is built-in and ready to use for American Express Business Charge Card Members.

2. Hire smarter (and cheaper) before you hire bigger

Recruitment can be a silent runway burner. Recent research on Australian small and medium businesses found that hiring is getting pricier – driven not just by labour shortages but also a minimum-wage hike and a bump to the super guarantee.

So, treat it like a product problem: test, measure, refine. Start with referral flywheels (bonus programs beat cold ads for both quality and speed), trial AI-assisted screening to pick out qualified candidates faster (Employment Hero’s SmartMatch AI recruitment tool is one option), and be selective about paid listings that don’t convert. Any savings you make can then go straight back into growth.

Tactically, think about picking up talent on contracts when you don’t yet need a full-time head. It keeps fixed costs low and buys you some time to hire right – not fast.

3. Work your supplier terms like a pro

Timing your outgoings matters just as much as revenue. Matching your payment cycles with collections gives you extra days of working capital without renegotiating every invoice.

Founders can also use credit cards to consolidate supplier spend for more visibility, as well as to centralise recurring SaaS, freight and inventory payments.

That way, you can choose the best time in your billing cycle to pay and free up cash flow.

4. See (and stop) leaks with real-time expense tracking

You can’t defend a runway you can’t see. Put every dollar under surveillance – that means categorising spend by team and function, and closing the loop weekly, not just at the end of the month.

It’s also wise to integrate your accounting platform (think Xero or MYOB) with your card and bank feeds so that all transactions are able to reconcile quickly. Then make sure your employee cards have sensible limits for travel, fuel and opportunities to cut down on petty-cash drift and sluggish reimbursement.

Next steps

From flexible payment solutions like Plan It Instalments and Flexible Payment Option, through to working with suppliers and tightening the loop with real-time visibility of expenses, there are many things you can do to feel more in control of your business finances.

None of this replaces disciplined budgeting or good pricing. But together, these ideas can give you more practical control over timing, which is usually the difference between seizing an opportunity and pushing it to next quarter.

Find out more about American Express flexible payment solutions to help you take the next step.

This article is brought to you by Startup Daily in partnership with American Express.

¹Plan It® Instalments

• You can create an Instalment Plan as long as your account is in good standing. We may prevent you from creating any new Instalment Plans or cancel any of your existing Instalment Plan(s) at any time if your Card Account is overdue, or if you do not comply with your Card Conditions.
• The minimum Plan amount is AUD$100. We may also limit the amount that can be transferred to an Instalment Plan.
• You will be charged a Monthly Plan Fee for each Instalment Plan created. This fee will be charged each month your Instalment Plan is active and will be disclosed to you at the time of creating your Instalment Plan.
• Each Instalment Plan will begin from the date it is successfully created, as communicated to you in your Online Account.
• Payment of your first Monthly Instalment will be due in your next payment cycle.
• You may request to cancel your Instalment Plan(s) at any time through your Online Account or the Amex App. Any billed Monthly Plan Fees will remain payable, but no further Monthly Plan Fees will be billed after cancellation is effective. As cancellation can take 24-48 hours to process (“Processing Time”), you may be charged a further monthly plan fee after requesting cancellation if the Processing Time occurs on your payment date.
• View the full Plan It® Instalment Terms and Conditions here.

² Flexible Payment Option
With Flexible Payment Option, you will be charged interest if you do not pay your Closing Balance in full by the due date each month. Please refer to your monthly statements for the current interest rate. Please refer to the full Flexible Payment Option Terms and Conditions