OK, so you're in an extreme crisis and you've tried everything that you could possibly think of to get your business on the right track, but things just aren't working out as they should. You've probably even spent a good chunk of your money on other books, courses and programs, but they did little to help. Your business is on its last legs and about to crumble. It's high time that you take some “extreme measures” to set things right, right now! Don't worry; I'm here to help you. Let's begin.

Business is all about ROI (Return On Investment). Your job in business is to ensure that all outgoing expenses should be reduced or eliminated to the bare minimum, taking care that it does not affect the incoming flow (income). To do this, the first thing that you need to do is make a list of all the expenses that you have incurred in the past one year on a piece of paper. Write down the amounts next to them. Calculate the total. Then mark off all that were “Not Absolutely Essential” for your business. BE EXTREMELY BRUTAL IN THIS STEP! This isn't the time to be generous… your business is at stake and none of the providers of these products or services are going to help you if you file for bankruptcy. Stop all advertising expenses that are not bringing in profits. Stop monthly memberships which are not required.

Your next job is to stop paying more than you should for the “necessary” expenses. Enquire with a few competitors for each product and service, and find out the difference in cost and quality. If you get better offers (I am sure you will, for quite a few) check if your current suppliers are willing to bargain. You will be surprised at how much you save this way! Negotiate well and take a logical decision about who to continue with and who to drop. Do this with everything you can – your internet service providers, telephone and mobile service providers, your electricity providers (yes, this is possible in some countries), your web hosting providers, your loan providers, etc. Don't leave any stone unturned; even your rent could be negotiable.

Next, fire every single employee who is unproductive. Even if he has been with you from the beginning, there's no point keeping him if he is not ready to attend to his duty sincerely. Don't try to be emotional or good at heart and just let him go.

Next consider lease verses ownership for every asset that you have. Does it make sense in owning a property or machinery where the lease is very high? Maybe you could get a loan. Does it make sense in selling off some assets and acquiring them through lease / rent? Maybe the capital would be useful in paying off debts or investing in income generating investments. Consider all options and arrive at logical conclusions.

Next, make a list of all your assets and evaluate if you're making optimum use of them. When I say assets, I mean “all type of assets”. This could mean physical goods, products and services, manpower, intellectual property, and even your brain. Do you have extra space in your office that could be rented out? (You can even consider selling your property and buying a smaller one to save money, or relocating to an area where the property rates are lower). Can you use your employees with less work to take up some contract work from your contacts? If yes, remember to share your income to some extent with your employee. Do you / your employees have some skill sets which can be encashed on? Do you think you could consult some folks for some quick bucks? Cash on on your experience and knowledge.

Next, manage your time efficiently; it is a very important resource. Cut off time wasting activities like surfing on the internet, checking your emails too often, etc. Also, relieve your memory with a to-do list / task manager. My experience says that there is only one “real” time management secret in the world and that is, maintaining a to-do list. I've seen books on time management that run into hundreds of pages. They may be helpful, but rather than wasting your valuable time learning all this, I would suggest that you just make notes of every single task that you're supposed to do, every time that one crosses your mind. Your brain is like a computer. Every task that you remember takes up some of its resources. You may have the best “super computer” brain in the world, but why waste even tiny resources? It doesn't take time for these many tiny ones to cumulatively use up a huge portion of your resources. It's best to concentrate your resources on whatever is your current task at hand, at any given point of time. By not making notes, you also run the risk of forgetting an important task or idea, consequences of which can be drastic. So don't trust your memory, however sharp it may be. I also encourage you to have everyone at your office maintain a To Do List. How many times have you heard one of your employees tell you “I ‘m sorry I forgot to do it”? Make this rule compulsory and see how the productivity skyrockets!

So far, you have read only about survival tips. While these are great, they're not enough; you need to have good cash flow in your business. I suggest you visit http://www.bharatbhasha.com/author.php/Nirjara%20Rustom which lists all of my articles. Browse through them and check out the business and marketing related articles, you'll find some good info that will certainly be worth your time!