To speed up the debt repayment process, understand that the things listed below must be attended to by order of priority:

List down all debts, including their balances and interest rates

Make a list of all  debts with their balances and interest rates for a comprehensive grasp of your debt levels.

You can organise the list by formatting it via spreadsheet with columns assigned for names of  creditors, minimum payment amounts, repayment frequencies (weekly, monthly, quarterly), interest rates, and total debt. Column headings should look like this:

• Creditor minimum payment
• Repayment frequency
• Interest rate
• Total debt

Rank your debts

Prioritise debts upon the completion of the spreadsheet. Which debt(s) need to be repaid immediately? Most will use the logic of prioritising the largest to smallest amount owed, or by prioritising the highest to lowest interest rate.

However, make sure to consider other options with creditors, such as asking creditors for a payment holiday or to freeze interest payments, to determine a debt prioritisation plan.

Pay off debts in order of priority

Paying off one’s debts can start after deciding on a repayment plan which fits the business owner’s needs and satisfies the creditor’s requirements.  This can be done according to the established debt repayment prioritisation scheme.

Sell what can be sold

Business owners could sell unnecessary assets. Money from the sales can be used to pay debts.

Figure out what you need and what you don’t and list down the necessities over the course of a given week. Auxiliary equipment and tools can be purchased once the business regains its good credit standing again.

Strengthen your savings

After clearing debt, business owners can focus on strengthening savings. This means spending only on the necessities of the business while the remainder of the business income goes straight to a savings account.

How to pay your debt fast

Julianne Leybag

Last Updated: 19 April 2018 Published: 06 April 2018