4 Reasons Why Your Business Should Have a Business Bank Account

1. Your business has too many transactions

All entrepreneurs want to start their business at the lowest cost. Because of this reason, most make the mistake of not setting up a business bank account, not realising that it is more beneficial for them in the long-term.

Once your business grows, it’s only natural that the volume of your banking transactions will grow along with it, which can complicate your personal statements if you choose to mix your business and personal transactions.

If your business income and expenses are getting further complicated and extensive, it can be a serious concern to your bank (and your mental state) come tax season. The last thing you want is to spend long hours untangling your personal and business finances, rather than focusing on growing and running your business.

To avoid this and the possibility of inaccurate bookkeeping, ensure a clear delineation between personal and business expenses, and of course, set up a separate business account. Not only will you have a clean record to give your accountant, but you can save yourself a major headache.

Pro tip: Keep all your invoices and receipts to match your checkbook.

2. First impression matters, and the image of your business matters

Just like how you would dress up for an interview for the job of your dreams, it’s crucial that you maintain a clean, polished image of your business for the sake of its longevity and future.

No matter how small or big your business is, writing checks out of a personal account is not only bad for your image, it might make others take you less seriously. It could also hurt your business’ reputation and credibility because your tactics might appear sketchy. A big no no.

Yet, if you have a business account, your business name will appear on checks and other payment methods, giving clients and customers more confidence and trust in you because they know that your business is legitimate.

Remember: Since you have not yet established your business, preserving and enhancing your business’ image is key to your success. Convey strength and confidence with customers and clients through transparent and trustworthy bookkeeping. 

3. Your business is starting to accept credit card payments

This is the most common and biggest reason why entrepreneurs open a bank account for their business. It is an understood fact that you can’t accept credit cards through a personal bank account, so the only way to facilitate this need is through a commercial account.

Sure, some macro businesses or small town enterprises may not consider this as an option because they still rely heavily on cash, but if your business operates in the digital sphere or wants to venture into digital payments then this is a pretty straightforward reason.

To a degree, using credit card payments in your business reflects your ability to adapt to the norms of the day—since the world now trades with credit cards, you’ll have to begin accepting it as a way to expand your business.

Besides, a business current account makes the process of accepting cards way easier and seamless, and who doesn’t want convenience in their lives?

4. Your business might get a loan or a business credit card

One of the biggest challenges that many small businesses face is obtaining the capital necessary to fund their initial growth. In a perfect world, all entrepreneurs would have enough money to grow their own business; but the reality is, most must either bootstrap, crowdfund, sign up for business credit cards or even get a loan.

Though it isn’t ideal to borrow money to grow your business—most of the time, it is an effective way to channel more funds to your business. The funds can go towards things like working capital, equipment and machinery, supplies, inventory, furniture and more.

If you are surveying business credit cards or loans, you may want to consider the CIMB Platinum BusinessCard. Not only will the card help your business cash flow management, but it could also establish your credit history, and offer overall convenience. But the best part is it eases the process of applying for a loan. After all, in some cases, a business credit card comes bundled with a loan, and having that credit history gives your business some brownie points when applying for a business loan.

CIMB Business Account/-i key features

• Get your account number within the same day once you complete your application at your preferred CIMB branch.
• It’s a convenient and secure way of performing online account inquiries, banking transactions, fund transfers, bill payments – all through its dedicated platform BizChannel@CIMB.
• Manage and track your transactions easily with their complimentary monthly statements.

This article is brought to you by CIMB as part of our ongoing efforts to raise the level of financial literacy among Malaysians. Financial knowledge and understanding are key to making well-informed and meaningful financial decisions towards positively improving welfare and well-being of communities. This is one of our many efforts to achieve CIMB’s purpose of advancing customers and society.

This article was first published on CompareHero.my