Business A to Z

Every trade has words it uses without explaining. In business the cost of not knowing one is real: some of them are ordinary jargon and some of them are a decision that can take a house.

Please note: This page explains what a term means. It is general information, not legal, financial, tax or investment advice, and it does not know anything about your business. Before you sign, file or commit to anything, check it with an accountant, a solicitor, or the official guidance we link to.

Studying business? We write GCSE revision songs, and there is one for business studies. Listen to the revision playlist.

14 terms filed under O, showing 11–14 (page 2 of 2).

O

Outsourcing

Paying somebody else to do part of your operation.

Overdraft and revolving credit

Borrowing on demand up to a limit. Flexible, repayable on demand, and increasingly hard to get.

Overheads

Also called Fixed costs, Operating expenses, Opex

The costs that turn up whether or not you sell anything this month.

Overtrading

Growing faster than your cash can support it. The reason successful businesses fail.

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