Anyone who has spent some time researching what it takes to own a small business has been amazed at how quickly the expenses add up. Costs that are relatively minimal for an individual – postage, for example – can quickly climb into the hundreds of dollars when you’re purchasing for a business. Luckily, many vendors offer small business deals that can shave a percentage off your operating costs each month, freeing up money to invest in other areas of your business.
Surprising Small Business Costs
There are certainly many startup costs to a small business – premises, staff, advertising, equipment, and insurance all take a big bite out of your initial investment capital. Daily operating costs can eat into your budget too. Some of the smaller costs are often overlooked when budgeting but can add up over time.
Some of the surprising costs of small businesses include:
- Technology
- Antivirus/Malware Protection
- Social Media Management Services
- Heating and Cooling Costs (especially in extreme climates)
- Food/Drink (business events or customer hospitality)
- Car Rentals, Hotels, & Other Travel Expenses
- Printing
Why to Take Advantage of Small Business Deals
Some small business owners are reluctant to take advantage of small-business deals. Since other business expenses, like payroll and advertising, take up such a large share of the business’s monthly budget, many managers focus exclusively on reducing costs on those large line items. They view finding deals on necessaries like internet access, toilet paper, or mailing costs as nickel and diming costs that won’t make a large difference.
In fact, optimizing your spending on the multitude of daily costs can add up over the long run. For example, printer ink costs vary widely, but small businesses can spend around $164 per month for 1,000 pages of printing. Over a year, that adds up to $1,968 for a relatively modest number of copies.
By using a small business offer that takes 10% off the cost of your ink, you could save almost $200 a year on ink, and then reinvest that money into another part of your business. Most small business offers do not take an excessive amount of time to set up – the days of negotiating prices with vendors are largely over. Simply taking advantage of a partner offer can set you up with automatic savings that last for the duration of your relationship with the vendor.
Where to Find Small Business Deals
As a small business owner, it can often seem like there aren’t enough hours in the day to address everything your business needs to keep running smoothly. Researching the best deals on pencils or printer ink is the last thing many of us want to be doing.
You can take advantage of small business deal roundup site that centralize all the relevant information in one spot. At Reliant, we have compiled an exhaustive list of partner offers called the Reliant Business Network to help you quickly locate deals that are relevant to your business.
Summary
Savvy business owners know how to keep their operating costs from running away with them. Many vendors now offer incentives to small business owners that allow you to try out their service for free or to receive a monthly discount. Taking advantage of these offers is a great way to take care of the long-term health of your business and ensure you are not overpaying for basic needs.
