Most SMEs have more financial firepower than they realise, sitting in unused credit, idle cash, and the numbers they can’t see clearly.
Releasing it doesn’t take more funding, just a smarter use of what’s already there, and the payoff is immediate.
And for many South African SMEs, making better use of cash is a real challenge. A 2025 survey found that 56% of SME owners were struggling to maintain healthy working capital.
The good news is as the Founder of Creative CFO, I’ve discovered three simple but powerful ways to get more out of what you already have.
1. Float: Don’t Let Big Purchases Drain Your Cash
Big purchases often create a timing problem: you pay for something today, but the value it creates comes back over months or even years. A new machine, a fit-out, a piece of equipment or a year of software can all earn their keep gradually, while the cash leaves your account in one hit. That means less money available for payroll, the next opportunity, or the unexpected expense that inevitably comes along.
Float lets you use the available credit you have on your credit card to make a purchase and pay it off over several months, with no interest and no new credit issued. It reserves the amount against your available balance, then releases it as you pay down each instalment. You’re not borrowing anything new. You’re just using credit you have already earned on your business credit card, on far better terms.
What that does in practice is fix the timing. Instead of one big hit upfront, the cost of the purchase. For asset purchases and big-ticket items, that’s a much better way to pay interest-free
2. Lazy Cash: Make Your Cash Work While It Waits
Keeping cash in the business is only half the story though. Most of that cash ends up sitting in a cheque account earning next to nothing, when a proper business savings account could be paying it real interest. That gap is money left on the table, every single day.
Lazy Cash closes this. At the end of each day it sweeps the excess out of your cheque account into a higher-interest savings account, keeping just enough behind for your day-to-day running. In the morning, and throughout the day, it tops the cheque account back up as you need it. You don’t lift a finger, and your cash is always where it needs to be.
The interest you pick up is the difference between a cheque account paying close to nothing and a savings account paying a proper rate, usually around 4 to 5% more on the balance that’s working.
3. Xero: Know What’s Happening Before You Make Your Next Move
The final recommendation on how to make more of the cash you already have in your business is to improve the financial visibility you have by using systems like Xero.
Xero is a cloud-based accounting software that can enable you to have a clear, up-to-date view of what’s coming in, what’s going out and what’s available.
That matters because cash management isn’t just about having more cash. It’s about knowing when you’ll need it. Good financial information means you can spot a tight month early, plan for a big expense, or see when you have room to invest.
The technology is useful. The real value is having the information early enough to make a better decision.
Why This Matters
Put the three together and you get something even more valuable than a healthier bank balance: more options!
More cash stays in the business, the cash you don’t need today earns its potential, and better visibility helps you make smarter decisions about what’s next. That’s what good cash management is really about: making the money you already have work harder for your business.