Working Capital Loan – Money Power to Propel your Business!

Posted on July 7th, 2010 in Capital finance | No Comments »

A business needs a constant supply of ready cash in order to keep on functioning. It also needs funds to grow and expand. A working capital loan is the ideal solution. Whether you are looking to purchase new equipment for your business, or planning to add to your inventory, or thinking of opening new branches at new locations or remodel the existing ones, or launching advertising and promotional programs for your business, or simply in need to pay off your debts immediately, working capital loan can take care of all your financial needs easily. If you are need of some quick financing for your business needs, consider working capital loan as an excellent option.

Working capital financing available to businesses comes in two flavors. Both have their merits. So the next time you think of getting working capital financing, get ready to choose from between a working capital loan and a business cash advance. Let’s take a closer look at each.

Getting working capital financing for your business has its share of woes and worries. Most often, people tend to confuse a working capital loan with a business cash advance. However, there are important differences between the two. To start with, business cash advance is usually easier to secure than a working capital loan. This is one of the reasons why many prefer a business cash advance over a working capital loan as a quick way of getting cash to support their businesses.

Most lenders and financial bodies will take into account the credit history of the borrower, available collaterals and various other factors before putting their approval on granting a working capital loan. On the other hand, getting qualified for a business cash advance is a much simpler process. There is less paperwork involved and the money reaches the applicant in less than 72 hours. Receiving money from a working capital loan usually takes about a week.

A business cash advance is not associated with a fixed schedule for repayment. The method of repayment is linked to credit card sales receipts and therefore, it is a much more natural process. As such, businesses usually do not feel acutely pressurized over repayment issues. This, unfortunately, is not the scenario with working capital loans which are based on a fixed repayment schedule that the borrower must stick to. Failing to do so would affect the borrower’s credit score adversely and there is a chance of losing the collateral also. The bottom-line is that no matter what the volume of business for a particular month is, the working capital loan has to be repaid according to the pre-determined fixed amount.

In spite of these difficulties, a working capital loan remains a great way to provide your business the cash it needs to keep growing till such a point where all operating expenses are covered by the revenue that the business generates. Most small businesses require one to stay afloat and make to the next level of self-sufficiency. However, it is important to bear in mind the importance of maintaining good business credit scores in order to qualify for a working capital loan. With good business credit scores, you can stay assured of getting the working capital loan that you seek quickly and effortlessly.

So where should you start when you need a working capital loan? Try the Internet. There’s no dearth of very competent and reputed lenders on the Net today. All it takes is just a few clicks of your mouse to zero in on the best terms and qualify for a working capital loan for your business needs.

Small Business Financing and Commercial Loans – What to Avoid

Posted on June 29th, 2010 in Capital finance | No Comments »

It is always advisable to have a detailed understanding of what can go wrong with commercial loans and working capital financing. The five factors described can have negative and long-lasting financial results for small business loans and commercial real estate loans. Business owners should be prepared for these real possibilities.

Most commercial borrowers do not want to experience a worst case for commercial real estate loans and small business loans. There are several elements that we believe will almost always produce this serious but avoidable result when they are all present simultaneously. Understanding each of the issues should enable borrowers to avoid a potentially devastating working capital financing outcome.

Here are the issues which we believe will usually result in a worst case scenario for commercial loans if all five are present: (1) Dealing with an inexperienced commercial finance advisor; (2) Using a lender which historically has an unacceptable track record for successfully completing commercial loans; (3) Obtaining business financing that includes a recall option for the lender; (4) Inappropriate and non-competitive business loan terms; and (5) Short-term financing in which a borrower is not also offered the opportunity to lengthen to a longer-term period.

Our primary advice is to totally avoid circumstances where all five factors exist at the same time. A secondary recommendation is to also seek alternative financing for commercial loans when either of the first two elements are present. There are likely to be many working capital management scenarios where it will be impractical to avoid all of the issues described in the preceding paragraph.

Business owners should make every possible effort to obtain commercial financing in which the worst case situation is not present. Business owners will subject themselves to inappropriate business financing terms for a very long time if they do not take appropriate action before they finalize commercial loans. There are two points which should be emphasized.

First, small business loans are more complex than most borrowers realize. There are a number of additional serious commercial funding obstacles beyond those noted in this brief article. Because of this, it is important for commercial borrowers not to narrowly focus on the factors included in the worst case scenario discussed here and simply avoid these specific issues.

A comprehensive approach to working capital management should incorporate a balanced analysis of both the worst case aspects and other critical business finance terms. The importance of this overall perspective is why we emphasized the critical nature of avoiding both inexperienced brokers and lenders.

Second, the worst case scenario for business loans described above is totally avoidable. But to avoid an obstacle, it is critical that you have a working understanding of what you are avoiding, what it looks like and any special techniques required to evade it. For example, if you are driving a car, it is common sense that you will not intentionally drive your vehicle over sharp pointed objects that are likely to puncture your tires.

With commercial loans and commercial real estate loans, the combination of the five factors noted previously in this article will typically produce an impact for small business funding that is equivalent to much worse than simply puncturing a tire. Unfortunately, without proper advice and knowledge, most business owners will not be prepared to recognize the appropriate warning signs for avoiding business financing hazards.

In this article we focused on problems with small business financing that will almost always have long-lasting and immediate negative results for business owners. Commercial borrowers should not overlook the multitude of other serious problems with commercial loans beyond those described. As with the circumstances noted above, most of the other potential difficulties with business loans can also be avoided.

Funding Alternatives to Venture Capital

Posted on January 13th, 2010 in Capital finance | No Comments »

For many years, companies have relied on venture capital financing to grow and expand their businesses. Recently, most venture funds have been reduced in scope and size to deal with the current economic environment. Unfortunately, this has had a substantial effect in the broader economy by limiting entrepreneurship and innovation – key component of economic success.

Without venture capital, many business owners try to finance their companies by looking for a business loan from a lending institution. However, business loans are only given to companies that have strong collateral and can show profitable operations. Companies will also need to provide financial statements that will be rigorously reviewed to ensure that they meet institutional criteria. Because of this, this type of business financing is out of the reach of many business owners, especially at this time.

There is are alternative ways to finance your company. They can help you expand your company organically without generating any new debt. And more importantly, without having to give any equity in the business to someone else. Remember that when you use venture funding, you are selling a piece of your company to someone else. They will want a say on how things are done. Many times this is good, since venture capitalists usually have seasoned executives that can help you. However, it will take some of your independence away.

There are two alternatives that can help you, depending on your situation and line of business. One if factoring financing. Factoring bridges the 30 to 60 day gap between invoicing a commercial customer and actually receiving a payment. This advance payment enhances your cash flow, providing you with funds to pay current expenses and grow the business. The other alternative is to use purchase order financing. PO Financing only helps product resellers who have a large order and don’t have the funds to buy the product from their supplier. In both factoring and purchase order financing, the transaction is settled once the customer pays the invoice. And as opposed to other types of financing, the most important collateral if your customers credit rating. Thus, you can leverage your clients credit rating to fund operation expenses and growth. This makes factoring and purchase order financing an ideal solution for many businesses.