10 Tips for the self-employed when facing insolvency
As a self-employed person, you can quickly find yourself in a financial crisis. The reasons can be different: bad order situation, high costs or unexpected expenses. In such cases, insolvency may occur. But what can you do as a self-employed person to avoid insolvency or to cope with it in the best possible way?? Here are 10 tips from experts that can help.
First, self-employed people should always keep an eye on their expenses. Careful planning and control of costs is the basis for staying financially healthy. The following cost factors in particular should be considered: Advertising, salaries, office expenses, taxes. You should also always have a liquidity plan in order to have sufficient financial resources at all times.
Another important measure is to react to impending payment bottlenecks in good time. As soon as you notice that things are getting difficult financially, you should act quickly and not wait until it is too late. One option, for example, is short-term financing through factoring or crowdfunding.
Furthermore, self-employed people should regularly check their contracts and agreements and adjust them if necessary. Carefully review terms, especially for long-term contracts that involve high costs. The same applies to insurance policies: An adjustment of insurance contracts can be useful in certain cases.
Another tip is to seek professional help early on if insolvency is imminent. Insolvency advisors or specialist insolvency lawyers can help to avoid insolvency or manage it in the best possible way. Contacting potential investors or business partners can also be helpful in some cases.
However, self-employed people should also know when it is time to file for insolvency. Waiting too long can lead to significant damage. If you file for insolvency in good time, you have a better chance of becoming entrepreneurial again later on.
In addition to these concrete measures, it is also important to maintain a positive attitude. Despite insolvency, you should remain optimistic and recognize opportunities in the crisis. A network of contacts can also help you cope with insolvency and get back on track later on.
Overall, there are many ways to avoid impending insolvency as a self-employed person, or to manage it in the best way possible. It is important to plan carefully, respond in good time and get professional help when needed. With these tips, the self-employed can successfully master even difficult phases.
Tips for the self-employed: how to analyze your financial situation properly
If you, as a self-employed person, have run into financial difficulties and fear imminent insolvency, a quick and accurate analysis of your financial situation is essential. Here are 10 tips on how to put your finances to the test:
- Take inventory: Get an overview of all income, expenses, liabilities and assets.
- Check receivables: Check which invoices are still outstanding and whether customers have defaulted on payments.
- Reduce costs: Consider what expenses you can cut in the short term to create liquidity.
- Determine creditworthiness: Have your credit rating checked to get an overview of your creditworthiness.
- Plan debt settlement: examine what debts you have and develop a plan to pay them off.
- Update financial planning: Review your previous financial planning and adjust it if necessary.
- Conduct negotiations: Contact creditors and try to delay payment terms or arrange installment payments.
- Seek sources of funding: Consider where you can raise additional money in the short term, for example through a loan or a grant.
- Weigh possible insolvency: Check whether bankruptcy is unavoidable and whether a discharge of residual debt is an option.
- Seek expert advice – Seek advice from a bankruptcy consultant or tax advisor to avoid overlooking important steps.
As a self-employed person, you can often still avert impending insolvency with careful financial analysis and forward planning. Use the above tips as guidelines and, if necessary, seek expert advice to best manage your situation.
How you can reduce your liabilities as a self-employed person
The threat of insolvency is a frightening situation for the self-employed. It often seems as if there is no way out anymore. But there are ways and means to get out of this situation. An important option is to reduce your liabilities.
1. Review your cost structures and look for potential savings. Maybe there are ways to reduce your fixed costs.
2. Look for alternatives to expensive loans. Perhaps there is the possibility to apply for a grant or a more favorable loan.
3. Negotiate with suppliers and customers. There may be room to extend deadlines or defer payments.

- 4. Create transparency. Make sure you keep track of your payables at all times.
- 5. Prioritize payments. Focus on servicing the most important payables.
- 6. Avoid further debts. Refrain from luxury spending and try to reduce your expenses.
7. Explore the possibility of probate or settling with creditors out of court. It is always better to find a solution that is acceptable to all parties involved.
8. Look for new sources of income and opportunities to grow your business. Perhaps a new foothold can be created through expansion or a new target audience.
9. Consider whether a turnaround of your business is possible. Get expert advice on how to do this.
10. Learn from your mistakes and avoid similar situations in the future. Make sure you have the financial provision you need at all times and work to make your business profitable in the long term.
Overall, there are many options to reduce your liabilities as a self-employed person. Most importantly, act early and don’t be afraid to seek help from experts. Early and targeted action can often avert the threat of insolvency.
10 things self-employed people can do to increase their liquidity
When insolvency threatens, it is important to act quickly. Self-employed individuals should not stop making money, but take specific steps to increase their liquidity. Here are 10 tips that can help:
- Cash: Review your business cash on a regular basis and make savings if necessary.
- Accounts receivable management: review your accounts receivable and make sure receivables are collected quickly.
- Supplier management: negotiate with your suppliers to agree longer payment terms.
- Cost savings: Review all of your expenses and make savings if necessary.
- Develop new markets: look for new markets and expand your product range or services.
- Marketing and advertising: invest in marketing and advertising to attract new customers.
- More flexible payment terms: Allow your customers to agree to more flexible payment terms to boost sales.
- Strategic partnerships: look for strategic partnerships to expand your network.
- Personnel management: Review your company’s personnel structure and optimize the workforce if necessary.
- Financing options: Explore different financing options to increase your liquidity.
By taking these steps, you can get your business back on track and potentially avoid the threat of insolvency.
10 tips for successfully dealing with the threat of insolvency as a self-employed person
1. Act early: If you notice that things are getting tight financially, don’t hesitate and act immediately. Analyze your financial situation and look for solutions to increase your income and reduce expenses.
2. Minimize costs: Review your fixed costs and consider where you can make savings. Negotiate with your suppliers and see if you can find cheaper alternatives.
3. Inform employees: If you employ staff, you should inform your employees at an early stage. Explain your situation and look for solutions together.
4. Seek support: Take advantage of the assistance offered by the public sector, for example through consulting services or funding programs. Also contact your bank or tax advisor and seek support.
5. Communicate openly: Talk openly with your creditors and look for solutions. Transparent communication can build trust and lead to an improved negotiation situation.
6. Review receivables: Review outstanding receivables and actively address delinquent payments. Set clear deadlines and consider consequences for non-payment.
7. Ensure liquidity: Make sure your liquidity is guaranteed. Look into the possibility of using short-term loans or factoring.
8. Create a plan: Create a plan to get your finances back on track. Define clear goals and measures and pursue them consistently.
9. Leverage strengths: Use your strengths and look for new business opportunities. Consider how you can adapt your business model to attract new customers.
10. Self-reflection: reflect on your work as a self-employed person. Review what mistakes you have made and what you would do differently in the future.
How the self-employed protect their personal situation in the event of impending insolvency
Self-employed people often feel that insolvency would hit them particularly hard. Because unlike salaried employees, they usually have no statutory coverage. But there are also ways for the self-employed to protect their personal situation.

One option is to take out private health insurance. This not only offers better benefits than statutory insurance, but also provides protection in the event of insolvency. Because unlike statutory health insurance, private insurance cannot simply be cancelled.

A private pension plan can also help ensure that the self-employed are not completely without provision in the event of insolvency. However, you should make sure that you don’t put all of your assets into a pension plan, but that you still have financial resources available for your current living expenses.
- Professional liability insurance can also help minimize personal liability in the event of insolvency. Because self-employed people often have to be liable for damages they have caused.
- Furthermore, self-employed people should always keep an eye on their expenses and not overextend themselves. A neatly kept budget book can help with this.
- It may also be a good idea to get some advice early on. A tax advisor or lawyer can help analyze the situation and minimize potential risks.
If you take all these tips into account, you can significantly protect your personal situation in case of impending insolvency. However, it is also important to remember that insolvency can never be completely ruled out, and in the worst case scenario you could face a total loss. But if you take precautions early, you can at least mitigate the consequences.