Guide
Set up a simple vendor tracking system
One place to see every supplier, contract terms, and contact, instead of scattered emails.
Create a simple spreadsheet with core columns
Vendor name, contact person, contact info, payment terms, contract renewal date, and notes. Nothing fancy, a shared Google Sheet is enough for most small businesses.
Add renewal and contract dates immediately
The moment you sign anything with a term or renewal date, log it. Missed renewal deadlines are how businesses accidentally auto-renew unfavourable contracts for another year.
Set a calendar reminder 30 days before any renewal
This gives you time to renegotiate, shop around, or cancel deliberately instead of discovering the auto-renewal after it's already happened.
Review the whole list once a quarter
Are you still using every vendor on the list? Are terms still competitive? A quarterly review catches waste that's easy to miss month to month.
That’s the whole thing.
Keep going
What to read next
- 01
Vendors & Suppliers
Vet a new supplier before you commit
A short checklist that catches most bad supplier relationships before you've signed anything.
- 02
Vendors & Suppliers
Negotiate payment terms that protect your cash flow
Small changes to when you pay can make a big difference to how much cash you have on hand.
- 03
Vendors & Suppliers
Handle a vendor who keeps missing deadlines
A calm, structured way to address a recurring problem before it becomes your problem too.