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Showing posts with label Small Business Funding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Small Business Funding. Show all posts

Sunday, May 25, 2008

The Best Path To Small Business Funding

From time to time, many businesses need to be able to find small business funding. It could be that things have been going well with your company and you are looking at financing an expansion project to take advantage of the potential for growth in your business, or it could be that your finances have taken a turn for the worse. Sometimes through no fault of ownership or management, the economy slows down, and sales begin to drop. When that happens your businesses cash reserves can become depleted, and your cash flow dries up. Without adequate cash flow, your business will die. When that happens, you need to be able to find a good source of small business funding to keep things moving in the right direction.

If your business is already established with a solid history of profitability and good credit, finding small business funding should not be too difficult, especially if the business has a relationship with a local bank. Depending on the amount that you want to borrow, it is typically just a matter of talking with your local banker to get the paperwork started. For smaller funding need of less than $100,000, many financial institutions do not require business plans, or any detailed reports of how the financing will be used. For larger amounts of money, the amount of supporting documentation that is required by the lender will increase. The amount of documentation required and the amount of money that will require additional documentation will depend on the lender. While there are many similarities between banks, the specifics will vary from bank to bank.

If your business has not been around very long, or if there have been financial and credit problems in the past, you may need to seek out one of the many lenders that specialize in unsecured loans in order to find the small business funding that you require. There are financial companies that focus on lending to businesses that may have been turned down by traditional lenders. These forms of financing are usually structured a little differently than conventional business loans, and the rates of interest will be higher, but the requirements to qualify for the financing are much lower.

Most small business funding comes in two forms. The first form is a traditional loan, where the money is transferred to the businesses account in a lump sum. Once the money is transferred, interest begins accruing until the entire loan is repaid. Thi9s form of funding is typically for businesses that have a one time need, and they require the all of money at that time.

The second form of funding is a line of credit. This is great for small businesses that have ongoing need for smaller amounts of financing. With a line of credit an account is set up, similar to a checking account, with a certain amount of money available through that account. As money is needed, it can be withdrawn from that account. Interest is only charged on the amount that has been withdrawn. If more money is needed, the business simply withdraws more from the account.

Finding appropriate financing is an important aspect of many businesses. For some, the ability to find the right small business funding is the difference between success and failure.

About the Author

David Castro often writes articles about Small Business Funding and Small Business Loans for Merchant Resources International - To Learn more Visit Us at http://www.cashprior.com.

Article Source: Content for Reprint

Saturday, January 05, 2008

All About Small Business Funding

Many of you have dream big, and want to turn them into reality. Quite a few of you don’t possess the knowledge about funding process that can help you do exactly that.

What follows is some of must knows of funding for small business.

Business Loan—Which One? Normally business loans take following forms:

Long Term loans are the most common loans. They can be used as working capital funding source. You'll repay them monthly over a term agreed with the financial institution.

Short term loans are to be repaid in one year or less in a lump sum at the end of the term, instead of monthly.

Loan against equipments is easier to get than other types of funding. The equipments bought through the funds are the direct collateral for the loan. In this case you don't stake your entire business or your personal property, only the equipment you bought.

Credit lines are generally used for working capital funding. Instead of granting the full amount of loan, the financial institution loans you a certain amount per year.

In lending parlance getting credit card advances does not mean withdrawal of cash through credit card. Instead, it's a proper loan based on your past history and your expected future revenue generating prospects. If your business has at least a three-year history of accepting credit cards, you can go for it.

Funding—Where From?

Your bankers should be your first stop in applying for a commercial borrowing. You and they have a history of working together. Familiarity goes a long way in pre-clearance of doubts and insecurities. Also banks offer slightly better rates for commercial loans than others.

But banks are more circumspect, and adherer of rules and guidelines regarding the borrower.

There are many other types of business lenders. The main differentiating factor is the type of loans they offer: secured or unsecured loans.

Banks usually offer unsecured ones, while independent financial organizations favor secured loans more.

These independent financial organizations are prepared to take more risks on startups and smaller businesses than banks. Often they specialize in particular industries, types of loans, or business sizes.

Essentials of loan applications

It is the first and perhaps the most important part of borrowing process. Applying for a commercial credit requires a lot of preparation. Following are some key documents you are required to prepare:

• Financial statements: balance sheet, profit and loss statement, and tax returns of the company
• Personal financial statements and tax returns for last three years
• Cash flow estimates on the monthly basis
• Comprehensive business plan
• Precise loan utilization detailing
• Profiles of decision making people i.e. top management

The thoroughness and accuracy of these documents are absolute musts for successful borrowing, so it pays to prepare them carefully. Have your financial documents reviewed by a qualified accountant before presenting them.

These are some of the must knows of small business funding. Rest of the facts will be appearing in my next article ‘Rest of small business funding know-how’.

Some of you must have known all or some of the facts in these articles. They can benefit from my other articles: ‘Tips to apply successfully for funding’; ‘Valuation processes’.


About the Author: Antony eldwin is CPA and runs a firm specializing in counseling for business finance. He is also attached to several financial institutions as consultant. He is a well respected professional in Small Business Funding. His articles in various forums have been well received. For more information please visit: www.merchantcashdirect.com