• Business Growth & Optimisation

6 Signs You’re Ready to Grow Your Business

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Thinking of scaling up? Give your business the best chance of success by timing it right.

You run a business. You’ve got customers, and your product or service keeps them coming back. At this stage of your business journey, your challenge shifts. Where once you were striving to make your business viable, you are now working towards making it profitable and sustainable. This next phase of growth is both exciting and risky, so it’s important not to rush into it. Read on to learn the six signs you’re ready to take the next step.

1. You have positive cash flow.

Cash flow is the make or break of any business. It’s what ultimately determines whether a business can grow sustainably, or whether it is destined to fail. Ensuring there is more money flowing in than is flowing out, is the number one most important thing you can do before deciding to expand your business. Healthy cash flow is intrinsic to growth for a number of reasons.

Expanding your business inherently involves risk – whether it’s through hiring more employees, investing in a large piece of equipment or machinery, or opening a new premises – having healthy cash flow will help mitigate this risk. It will give you a financial buffer that can help you absorb any setbacks or unexpected costs associated with your expansion plans. Similarly, having positive cash flow will give you the ability to take advantage of opportunities when they arise. If a lucrative client contacts you for an ongoing partnership or requests a significant quantity of your product, your ability to take on this new customer is entirely tied up in whether or not you can afford it.

Even though it might be tempting to take on larger clients or jobs, if you do not have the cash on hand to deliver the product or service, it could put your business in a perilous situation. Having positive cash flow is the key that unlocks future growth opportunities. Don’t try breaking down the door without the key.

2. You have a reliable team.

Your business is only as strong as the people in it. If you plan on expanding your operation, it's paramount that you have a trustworthy team who will support you in the process. Ask yourself: are they reliable? Are they passionate? Are they knowledgeable? Are they driven? If you have more than one employee, do they work well together?

Additionally, it’s important that you have a healthy work culture within your business. Ensure your employees feel supported and respected, talk to them about your expectations, their ambitions, and most importantly, ensure you are paying them correctly (if you’re not sure, read our guide to the minimum wage in 2024. Think about how the growth of your business might offer them opportunities to up-skill, gain responsibility or earn more. It’s essential you have buy-in from them before you start executing the growth plan.

However you intend to grow your business, there will likely be a heavier workload – whether it’s answering more customer queries, handling higher production volumes, or managing additional sales channels. A team that already has experience and knowledge will be much better equipped to absorb this increased load.

3. You have business savings.

Whether you plan on taking out a loan to finance the next stage of your growth, or whether you intend on funding it yourself, you’re going to need some savings to back you up. Adding funds to an interest-bearing savings account is a simple way to earn some passive income that can be invested back into your business. Additionally, having some business savings also improves your position to borrow. In ascertaining your credit rating, a lender might assess your cash flow and your cash on hand, so having a savings account can assist in providing this context.

Importantly, having a cash reserve will also act as a safety net in the event that your growth strategy doesn’t go quite according to plan. If COVID-19 taught us anything, it’s that you never know what’s around the corner. As you take on more risk in this next phase of growth, it’s important to have a cash buffer that your business can use through unforeseen expenses.

Earn 2% p.a.* with a Zeller Savings Account.

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* Terms apply.

4. You have a loyal customer base.

Before you go looking for more customers, you need to nurture those that you have. Remember, it’s much easier to re-engage an existing customer than it is to find and convert a new one. Your existing clientele is already convinced of the quality of your services or products, and you already know and understand their purchasing behaviours. As you execute your growth strategy, ensure your customer service is not compromised in any way, you cannot risk losing your loyal customers. They are, after all, the driver of your cash flow as well as your best sales representatives.

Before you roll out your growth strategy, seek your customers’ feedback. Positive testimonials will help give your business legitimacy and will help convert new leads as you expand your operations, while negative reviews can help you identify shortcomings that need to be ironed out before you expand.

5. You have an opportunity.

One of the biggest indicators that it’s time to scale your business is the presence of an opportunity. This may take the form of a partnership proposition, a new high-volume client, entry into a fresh market, or a gap in an existing market, for example. If you own a clothing store, you may decide to stock additional sizes. If you run a restaurant, you might explore the opportunity to rent a market stall outside of your local area and increase awareness of your brand. If you own a beauty salon, you might employ a technician who can offer an additional service.

Whatever shape or size your opportunity takes, it must align with your business goals, resources, and capacity for growth. When evaluating the opportunity, conduct thorough market research, analyse potential risks, and project the impact on your operations. The goal is to be able to effectively capitalise on the opportunity while maintaining business as usual for your existing clients or customers.

6. Your operations are efficient.

Before you expand, you need to know that your resources are being used efficiently. If your business is leaking money, it’s very important to find the cracks before you take on more work or more employees. When operations are optimised, unnecessary time and money are saved. Conversely, if your business expands before it has streamlined its processes, the growth can further exacerbate inefficiencies, leading to increased costs and reduced profitability.

The best way to assess efficiency in your business is to follow the money. Every expense needs to be traced. If you find you’re spending too much on staff, ask yourself what new processes you could put in place to help your employees do their work faster, and in turn, reduce your labour costs. Analysing sales data can help you recognise patterns that can inform when you need more or less staff on the floor. If you’re spending too much money on bank fees, it might be time to consider an alternative EFTPOS provider or whether surcharging is right for your business. If you can’t keep up with what your team is spending, an expense management system will help ensure budgets aren’t exceeded and that money isn’t being wasted on unnecessary purchases.

Zeller can help.

From accounting tools to POS software, and content management systems, there is plenty of technology available to automate or simplify processes and make your operations more efficient. Zeller is one such service that helps business owners manage their money. An alternative to your traditional business bank, Zeller helps you monitor every cent that flows in and out of your business – from accepting payments to storing funds and paying for expenses. Everything can be tracked in real-time via an online dashboard or Zeller’s mobile app – an important feature that will prove essential when tracking the success of your growth strategy.

Want to discuss your growth plans with one of our friendly sales team?

Contact Zeller Sales

Zeller Corporate Cards: A Winning Hand for Managing Business Expenses

The petty cash box is empty, you can’t find the business credit card, and you’re up to your knees in receipts. Thankfully there’s an easier way to manage team and project expenses. Meet Zeller Corporate Cards. If you’ve ever checked your bank balance at the end of the week, you know how quickly incidental expenses can add up. Now imagine a team of employees, each with their own needs: a round of coffees for clients, a flight for an upcoming conference, a grocery order for the office, a software subscription. The list goes on. If you’re not staying on top of these purchases, not only is it going to hurt your bottom line, but it’s also going to cause many a headache when it comes to your end-of-month finance reconciliation. Thankfully, there’s a simple way to track who’s spending what, and it doesn’t involve flashing corporate credit cards or leveraging sophisticated expense management software . Zeller Corporate Cards are designed to help businesses – and finance teams – stay in control of employee and project-related expenses, while also giving staff the freedom to make necessary purchases. Read on to discover how Zeller Corporate Cards will give you back money, time and peace of mind. Introducing corporate cards Not to be confused with corporate credit cards or corporate debit cards ( learn what these are here ), corporate cards are payment cards linked to a business’s transaction account, and are specifically designed for employees or teams to be able to pay for business expenses. A finance team or CFO can easily order multiple cards, assign them to employees, and individually adjust their spending limits. In addition, they typically have built-in expense management features like recurring budgets that reset periodically, set transaction limits, and tools to help cardholders track and manage their expenses. Zeller Corporate Cards can be created from Zeller Dashboard. Simply follow the prompts to create a new Corporate Card, assign the card to an employee, set the spend limits and choose your card colour. It’s as simple as that. Your card can then be added to your employee’s mobile wallet or a physical card can be ordered. What are the benefits of using Zeller Corporate Cards in your business? 1. Flexibility for staff With Zeller’s corporate card program, your staff are empowered to make purchases as they need them. Rather than having to ask your permission every time they need to process a payment, or paying with their own money and submitting an expense report for reimbursement, a corporate card will give them the freedom to pay for expenses, within the limits that you prescribe. 2. Reduced financial admin Without the burden of having to process employee reimbursements, administrative time is greatly reduced. With Zeller Corporate Cards, all your expenses are centralised into one dashboard, where finance teams can easily and efficiently track who has spent what. 3. Improved tracking Every corporate card is assigned to an individual employee, team, or project, meaning that it's easy to track and isolate expenditure into different areas of your business. Employees will know that their spend is being monitored, engendering a greater sense of responsibility and ownership over expense management — as everything will be traced back to them. What’s more, businesses can choose to make it mandatory for employees to provide certain information, such as the expense category (‘travel’ or ‘entertainment’, for example), the receipt, and a note (with additional information or reasons as to why the purchase was made). 4. Receipt reconciliation With Zeller Corporate Cards, employees can log in to their account on Zeller App or Zeller Dashboard, take a photo of multiple receipts, including tax invoices and transaction receipts, and upload them to a transaction processed with a Zeller Corporate Card. Not only does this do away with having to collect paper receipts, which can get lost or damaged, but it also saves a huge amount of time when it comes to reconciling receipts against their transactions. 5. Cash flow management Zeller Corporate Cards draw money directly from Zeller Transaction Account , which means that you can track your business cash flow in real time. Unlike a corporate credit card which draws on borrowed funds that you need to pay back later (with interest), corporate cards ensure you always know your business’s cash balance – with no hidden surprises at the end of the month. What’s more, you can see a visual representation of your cash flow from both Zeller Dashboard and Zeller App. 6. Budget control for projects Instead of assigning a card to an employee, Zeller Corporate Cards can also be assigned to individual projects. This allows all expenses for a specific project to be paid for on one card, ensuring that the budget is adhered to and that finance teams or managers can easily identify costs directly associated with that project. 7. Fraud protection By allocating corporate cards against individual employees, or by teams or projects, you are able to implement a greater level of fraud protection in your business. You’ll know exactly who is using each corporate card, what the card is being used for, and why — meaning any examples of expenses that fall outside of these guidelines can be identified immediately. 8. Mobile management With Zeller App, you can create and manage cards directly from your smartphone. If a team member needs to pay for a large expense above their usual transaction limit, you can quickly log in to the app and make the necessary changes within a few clicks. The same goes for issuing cards, if you’ve got a new employee or volunteer on the team, simply log in to Zeller App to add a new card, which – if you choose the virtual option – they can start using immediately. 9. Instant virtual card creation Zeller Corporate Cards can be created and added to a mobile wallet instantly. Your employees can start using their virtual card within minutes of you setting it up, meanwhile you can have a physical card sent out in the mail, if you wish. This convenient solution is not only fast to set up, but also ensures your employees will never lose their card. 10. Affordability In comparison to corporate credit card schemes which can cost upwards of $25 per card with establishment fees and late payment charges, or expense management software, which is likely to set you back hundreds of dollars a year, Zeller Corporate Cards are an affordable alternative. There are no monthly or annual subscription fees, and no transaction fees on domestic purchases either. The first 60 days are free, after which you will pay one low, flat cost of $9 per corporate card, per month. Whether you’re running a small business with just a few staff or a rapidly growing company: managing your expenses doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does have to be controlled. Reduce your administrative burden, empower your employees and know where your money is going, all with Zeller Corporate Cards.

5 Reasons a Savings Account Might Be Good for Your Business

Zeller already helped you grow your business, now we’re helping you grow your account balance. Whether you’re an established business owner or are just about to launch your new venture, there’s never a bad time to reassess how your business finances are organised. By now you will most likely have  opened a business transaction account but have you considered a business savings account? With a better interest rate than the big-4 banks, a Zeller Savings Account can help you grow your business savings faster. You'll earn an amazing 4% p.a. interest rate with a Zeller Savings Account . Whether you’re looking to upgrade your coffee machine, give your shop a new fit out, or purchase a new delivery vehicle, a savings account will help get you there. Read on to discover five ways a business savings account can help bolster your business. 1. It can serve as an emergency fund If COVID-19 taught us anything, it’s that you never know what’s around the corner. If you want your business to be able to better survive unexpected events, it’s very important that your business has a cash reserve. By adding funds regularly to a savings account that earns interest, you are building a buffer that your business can use through unforeseen expenses, such as an important piece of equipment breaking down, a legal battle, a sudden increase in operational costs or an economic downturn, for example. 2. It can help manage poor cash flow According to The Invoice Market’s research , cash flow is the number one issue affecting small to medium businesses across Australia, with more than a third of them having to dip into their own personal savings to keep their business afloat. By moving funds into a savings account, you can contribute to building your businesses' resilience. Late payments, rising overheads, overstocked inventory or seasonal fluctuations are all common causes of poor cash flow; having some extra funds to see you through these leaner times will help give your business more stability. 3. It can help you avoid tax stress As a business owner, it is your responsibility to manage your tax obligations. If you do not have an organised approach to earmarking tax funds and declaring your turnover, you may end up with an unforecasted tax bill that could cripple your business. One great way of managing funds for not yet paid tax obligations is to put them into an interest-earning account before you need to pay the tax office. Not only will you have set aside cash to meet your tax obligations, but you will also have earned interest on it. 4. It can improve your position to borrow Even if you’re not currently planning on taking out a business loan, it might be something you choose to do in the future – so it’s important to consider your credit rating. When a lender is assessing whether or not to lend you money, they look at how much risk they are taking on. This ‘risk’ is what is known as your credit rating. In ascertaining your credit rating, they might assess your cash flow and your cash on hand. A savings account can therefore assist in providing this context to a lender. 5. It can help finance future investments Interest rates on savings accounts may not be very high, but they still offer a way to earn some passive income on idle funds. The extra cash that you earn from interest can be invested back into your business: whether you use it for purchasing new equipment, upgrading your technology, or helping to fund an advertising campaign, over time, these purchases can make a considerable difference to your business. While the day-to-day running of your business can be all consuming, making a contribution each week to a savings account can set you up for future expansion by earning you money in the background. How does a Zeller Savings Account compare to the big-4 banks? *Interest rates current at 15 August 2025. Terms apply . Don’t let your business savings sit in a big-4 bank account. With Zeller’s competitive interest business savings account , not only will you earn a better return on your savings without a minimum balance requirement, but you will also benefit from a whole ecosystem of financial services and business products. From securely holding your money to accepting payments, managing expenses and tracking your cash flow, Zeller’s suite of financial tools lets you tailor your solution to your business needs. With everything consolidated into one reliable platform, you can accept, settle, spend, and track your funds faster, leaving you more time to run your business. Disclaimer: The information provided on this site is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered as advice that takes into account your business needs and objectives. If you are unsure, seek the advice of a qualified accountant or financial service advisor before deciding whether a savings account is right for your business.

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