Business Financing Alternatives For Growing Companies
Lately, the news has not been very encouraging for business owners. The country is amidst the biggest credit crunch in its history and the federal government is making major policy changes to try and contain the problems. But credit crunch or no credit crunch, business owners still need working capital to fund the businesses.
One conventional approach is to apply for a business loan. For a long time, institutions had access to cheap money and could provide small business loans to companies without being too stringent. Unfortunately, nowadays getting a business loan is very hard. Banks require substantial collateral before providing business financing. This leaves few options for the owners of small, new or growing companies.
One alternative that has been gaining traction is factoring invoices. This is a financing option that is available to companies that sell goods to other companies and offer 30 to 60 day terms.
Most companies that engage in commercial sales face a common problem. They have to wait 30 to 60 days after invoicing to get paid. Although more established companies have enough working capital to cover this wait, growing companies usually do not. They can't afford to wait 60 days because they need the funds to pay employees and suppliers.
Going to a client and asking for a quick payment seldom helps. Good clients, like big corporations, have set schedules for payment. Waiting to get paid is part of the cost of doing business with them.
But what would happen if your clients started paying you immediately? Would your company be in a better position to leverage opportunities? Would it still have trouble making payments to suppliers and employees? Invoice factoring can help you accomplish this.
Invoice factoring is a business financing solution that provides you with an advance for your slow paying invoices. So, instead of waiting 40 days to get paid, the factoring company gives you an immediate working capital advance using the invoices as collateral. The key to this type of financing is your invoice. Factoring is an alternative for companies that invoice businesses that have good commercial credit records.
One of the biggest advantages of accounts receivable factoring is that it's very flexible. Most companies can get it, provided they are free from problems and have good invoices. And, as opposed to conventional financing, invoice factoring grows with your sales.