As a business broker I am frequently discussing with clients and prospective buyers methods of small business financing. Once a buyer and seller agree on price and terms, it all boils down to due diligence and financing. A lot of factors can determine how lenders will view your deal. It will depend on the type of lender, type of business, and what kind of assets does the business own that can be used as collateral. Is there real estate involved in the transaction? A commercial banker or loan broker will show you what factors matter most and get your deal funded with their products. Cash and Equity Of course, if you're paying all cash, none of this is your concern, however 100% cash deals are not the norm. Every business is unique and different, but one thing is certain before you seriously consider pursuing a business for sale: You or one of your partners will need sufficient liquid capital or equity for anyone to finance your deal. Bank Financing The stories of a "no ...
I was having this conversation with a business coach colleague yesterday. She deals with a lot of business owners, especially those starting out and those experiencing rapid growth. She'd been doing some research and one article she read suggested that a major reason that businesses fail is because of a lack of capital. This got me thinking about how people fund their ventures and whether they need a lot of capital to start their own business. To be honest this really depends. If you are a product based business obviously you will need capital to invest in product but, if you were to start a service based business, you can often times get your business started with little or no investment plus time. You will need some capital though and there are some options available to you: Friends and Family- Many people look to family and friends to fund their business ventures, especially if the funding required is small. Family and friends will generally offer you generous repayment ter...
Business finance has never been in the news more than it is now and justifiably so. The lack of liquidity is having a stifling effect on businesses looking to restructure finances to provide liquidity in today's market, and it could have a knock on effect in many ways. An incredible £76bn of commercial property loans require refinancing before the end of 2010.(1) If they are unable to achieve this, businesses and property will come under a double dip pressure. There are concerns of banks having significant category hits. Not surprisingly they are now finding out that they did not know what they had invested into. This is causing them considerable uncertainty in terms of their own balance sheets and exactly what they are exposed to. Naturally they will be very concerned about what they will now invest into. I am not in the habit of catching falling knives, and this market is falling, and it's only with clarity of what is really out there that banks will feel the ground unde...