Posts Tagged ‘Capital Loans’

PostHeaderIcon Working Capital Management Basics For Small Business Owners



Because of the recent ineffectiveness that prevails with commercial banking, working capital financing can no longer be taken for granted by any business owner. Some common advice for many complicated problems is often a variation of “it is time to get back to the basics”, and working capital loans represent an ongoing illustration of this wisdom for small businesses. Working capital management is the science and art of short term business cash management, and improvements in this area should always be welcomed by commercial borrowers.

Ensuring adequate business cash flow has become a higher priority for most businesses because of declining sales occurring simultaneously with decreased bank financing availability. In one common occurrence, borrowers are likely to attempt to juggle the timing of expenses whenever possible in an effort to match receipt of business income. Business owners will realistically be forced to “get back to working capital financing basics” because this is not an ideal solution under any circumstances.

A primary alternative for any business to explore in their efforts to deal with a mismatch of income and costs is business expense reduction. Credit card processing is a significant cost to evaluate. This is frequently an expense area that is overlooked because the credit card processing provider was chosen for convenience or perhaps because they were recommended by a banking or other professional relationship. Analyzing alternative providers in conjunction with obtaining a business cash advance is one of the most practical methods for reducing this cost. By combining efforts to obtain additional working capital (via merchant financing) with a change of processing services, a dual cash flow benefit can be achieved by receiving commercial financing while simultaneously reducing a major cost. For anyone who might say that this is easier said than done, please understand that this whole process should be undertaken with the ongoing assistance of a business financing expert who routinely accomplishes these transactions.

Looking at whether it is feasible to reduce overall bank financing is another potential cost reduction. For almost every conceivable commercial finance service, many banks are increasing their fees. To avoid some of the bank fees altogether, businesses should increasingly try to reduce their business debt levels. When this is not practical, the possibility of firing the current bank and replacing them with a new bank (and more appropriate fees) will need to be emphasized.

In reviewing working capital basics, small business owners will quickly realize that the most effective commercial funding sources have changed during the past two years. The more active role that banks have traditionally played in providing both working capital loans as well other forms of commercial loans has been quietly stopped (or significantly reduced). Commercial borrowers might need to be alerted that there are both “new basics” and “old basics” for most working capital management situations, and this is the rationale for making the last observation. The entire process of reviewing “working capital basics” will help businesses realize how other business financing options are likely to be more effective in resolving their predicament than the traditional bank solution of taking on more business debt to resolve the described problems.

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PostHeaderIcon Small Business Finance Success Improves With Realistic Options



The goal of being realistic when seeking new commercial loans and working capital financing will help commercial borrowers avoid a number of commercial finance problems. With proper preparation business owners should be in a better position to obtain new financing despite the difficult challenges impacting most working capital loans and small business financing. Nevertheless it should be anticipated that terms of financing will be different from prior commercial financing. Because of recent commercial lending difficulties, business owners actively assessing the most effective options for their small business finance decisions are likely to find the smoothest path to business loan success.

In view of volatile conditions which have recently impacted credit markets, this will not be a simple task. A very common example of the problem is illustrated by how much misinformation and confusion there has been about business financing and working capital availability. Getting more accurate information about what is realistically possible can be one of the most difficult challenges for commercial borrowers.

When seeking to identify realistic choices in a confusing working capital management climate, a number of harsh realities must be confronted by all small business owners. For most current commercial financing decisions by business owners, there are several major factors to anticipate. In the first example, additional small business loan collateral is being requested by most commercial lenders. Second, many regional and local banks have discontinued lending for business financing and working capital. In a third example, businesses which are not currently profitable or not current in their debt payments will have extensive difficulties. Fourth, business construction funding currently is very limited in most areas. In a fifth example, lenders are eliminating unsecured business lines of credit for most small business owners.

Despite the new business financing limitations just noted, there are practical working capital options for small business owners to consider. An increasingly effective commercial financing option in the midst of an uncertain economy is a merchant cash advance program based on credit card processing activity. Even though this commercial funding option has been available for a few years, it has not been used by most small businesses. For most businesses which accept credit cards, merchant cash advances should be evaluated as an important tool for improving business cash flow. Small business owners wanting to pursue this financing option should consult a business financing expert who is knowledgeable about this working capital management approach as well as other small business loans.

Even though working capital loans are not as widely available as they were just a few months ago, this kind of small business financing is still in fact obtainable. Since some of the largest providers have stopped making these business loans, the main change for business borrowers is the likelihood that they will be dealing with a different commercial lender. Small business owners will benefit from finding an experienced and candid business financing expert to assist in evaluating realistic options because the most effective working capital financing providers are not aggressively marketing this capability.

As stressed above, when making commercial financing decisions it is becoming increasingly important for business owners to first determine their effective business finance funding options. Because of recent volatility in financial markets, this task is likely to be much more difficult than most commercial borrowers realize. It is advisable to explore commercial finance options that might be necessary if economic conditions change even further even for business owners who are satisfied with their current working capital financing arrangements. The use of Plan B contingency financing is an important tool to assist commercial borrowers in this process.