Ready for What’s Next: How Smart Cash Management Sets the Stage for Growth

Right now, a lot of middle market and commercial clients are watching and waiting. Big decisions are on hold while leaders watch interest rates, pricing pressures and demand shifts. But this slowdown is actually the perfect time to clean up the details—and that starts with how you manage cash.

Smart cash management isn’t just bookkeeping. It’s all things money movement: how you get paid, how you pay others and where your money sits in between. Done right, it can make your operations more efficient, protect your margins and prepare you for your next move.

Use This Time to Tighten the Details
With revenues under pressure and costs rising, it’s a good time to step back and ask: Is my cash set up in the best way to support my business?

For many companies, the answer isn’t clear. They’ve been protecting cash, and that’s great, but they haven’t looked closely at where it’s stored or how efficiently it’s flowing. That can be an expensive oversight.

Now’s the time to:

• Revisit account structures. Do you have too many? Too few? Are balances aligned with your cash needs?
• Review processing terms and international transactions, especially with tariffs changing. What are you paying in fees or losing in delays?
• Evaluate where you might earn interest from excess funds, or at least make sure they’re working for you, not just sitting idle.

Look at the Pieces You're Not Thinking About
Often, the less thought of parts of cash management are the ones that move the needle most. Purchasing cards, merchant services, processing terms and payment options are usually “set it and forget it” items. But those are exactly where you might be losing efficiency or money.

Ask yourself:

• Are we passing along merchant fees when appropriate?
• Do we offer purchasing card payment options that speed up receivables and improve cash flow?
• Have we reviewed terminal costs or merchant service agreements in the past year?
• Have we considered alternative or additional ways to collect payments?

If the answer is no, you may be missing easy wins.

Structure Your Cash with Purpose
A strong cash setup includes clear separation between operating accounts, reserves and strategic funds. That lets you move quickly and make decisions with confidence.

For example, many businesses still wait on paper checks. If you're check-heavy, consider faster, more modern ways to get paid. Or if your structure hasn’t changed in three years, it’s probably time to revisit how funds are organized and where improvements could be made.

A banking expert can help you assess these pieces holistically, not just product-by-product, but by looking at your full cash ecosystem.

Coordinate with Credit and Treasury Tools
Cash doesn’t operate in a vacuum. It works alongside your credit and treasury tools to support a bigger strategy.

If you’re sitting on excess cash and carrying debt, a credit line sweep could help reduce interest by automatically paying down the line each night. On the flip side, if you’re concerned about tariffs or slowing demand, keeping more cash accessible—and earning—might be your best move.

It all depends on your goals and how your financial advisor helps you find the balance between interest earned, interest paid and long-term flexibility.

Have the Conversation and Make It Count
Talking with your financial advisor shouldn’t be about pushing products and selling new services. It’s about having the right conversation, one that gets into the weeds and understands your business deeply.

That starts with asking:

• What’s concerning you right now?
• What financial levers haven’t you looked at lately?
• Where are you feeling friction or inefficiency in how money moves in and out?

Your financial advisor should be ready, too. They need to know your account structure before they walk in the room and start by getting a clear understanding your goals. If they’re not, it may be time to find a different kind of partner.

 

 

Jenn Thaxton is a treasury management manager based at Pinnacle’s Sugarloaf office in Atlanta. She can be reached by phone at 470.936.7632 and email at Jenn.Thaxton@pnfp.com.

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