Dive Savusavu Business

If you find that you are having difficult when looking for a business loan then there are a number of different potential funding avenues that you may want to investigate. In fact, you may want to investigate these alternative financing methods even prior to beginning the business loan application process.

In regards to obtaining debt financing, the alternative to this in general is that you could seek to raise capital from angel investors or a venture capital firm. These companies specialize in making equity investments into companies that have substantial growth potential. However, unlike a business loan, an equity investor will require that you sell shares of your business to the individual or investment firm. Additionally, many professional investors will want a substantial say in regards to the direction of the company, and they will want to sit on the board of directors.

Another alternative to a traditional business loan is a business line of credit, which much like a business loan, can be secured by real property that you already own. If you do not require one lump sum of capital in order to launch of expand your operations then it may be in your best interest to secure a line of credit that you can drawn down as needed. Much like a business loan, a formal business plan, personal financial statements, credit checks, and collateral checks will be required to secure this type of financing.

If you are already in business, you can also obtain a cash advance on your accounts receivables or credit card receivables based on your monthly volume. However, these business loans usually carry very high interest rates as they are secured ultimately by your customers’ ongoing ability to you. This is often referred to as factoring, and this method of obtaining a business loan or line of credit is really only appropriate if you operate a capital intensive business.

You’ve decided it’s time to step up and into your own small home based business – but you want to make sure you get it right so you don’t suffer financially, right? It’s common knowledge that many small business start-ups fail quite quickly, and home based businesses are no exception. There are many reasons why home based businesses fail. Here are just two things that can contribute to the failure of a home based business:

Inability to attract clients – particularly corporate ones – due to a perception of the business as a small home based operation;
Poor customer service including a failure to respond to prospective clients in a timely and professional manner, leading to a loss of business;

If you’ve done your market research and you’re confident you have sufficient funds to survive the early growth stages of your business you’re well on the way to success. The next step is to ensure that your business appears professional and that you’re able to attract good clients and communicate with them in a professional manner. A Manhattan virtual office from VH International Business Solutions can help you with that – and from as little as $25 a month!

With a Manhattan virtual office you can:

Have a physical Manhattan office address for your business. The address can be used on your business cards and clients can send mail to you at the address. Any walk in clients will be able to leave a message for you at our staffed reception area.
Have a Manhattan telephone number. Calls to your Manhattan virtual office number can be forwarded to you or to a message bank. Alternatively, you can arrange to have a live operator answer all your calls during business hours and take messages personally.
Arrange meetings or presentations at your Manhattan location – VH International Business Solutions has meeting rooms and offices available for short term hire at inexpensive rates. That means that when you need to be “at the office” physically, you can be.

You might be years away from being able to afford office rental in Manhattan – and perhaps you don’t aspire to that at all – but a Manhattan virtual office can give you many of the benefits of a great office address without the expense, or the need to travel to the office!

The primary difference between a Business LOC and a business loan is that with a credit line you can draw down the principal as needed rather than taking on a debt obligation as one lump sum. You only pay interest on the portion of the credit line that you have drawn down. Additionally, with a Business LOC you are able to repay the principal of the credit facility and reuse it again at a later time. A business line of credit works very similar to that of a credit card with the exception that it is to be used for business purposes rather than personal purchases.

Additionally, Business LOC facilities typically do not have a plastic card associated with their usage. In most situations, the borrower (you) are given a series of checks as if the credit line were a checking out with a finite balance. Each time that you need to drawn down the Business LOC you can write a check to a supplier, vendor, or to yourself (to be deposited into your operating account). This allows you tremendous flexibility when using a Business LOC.

In the case of a business loan, you are granted the full amount of the applied for credit once approved. In this case, you are required to pay interest on the full borrowed amount even if you are still waiting to use some of the debt proceeds. This is the benefit to a business line of credit versus a business loan. However, much like business loans, Business LOC can be applied for in a similar manner. The SBA has a number of programs that allow small business borrowers to acquire business lines of credit as if they were business loans.

If you do not intend to use all of the capital you require for one major purchase then using a Business LOC may be in your best interest. As we advise everyone, you should always speak to a qualified business accountant (who has a CPA designation) to determine which credit facility is most appropriate for you.

If you are finding it difficult to obtain a business loc or other type of revolving credit facility then you may want to solicit potential angel investors, friends, family, or other private investors for capital. As has been the common theme throughout this website, the current economic climate has made it more difficult to obtain business loc as banks and finance companies have pulled back on their lending activities. If you find yourself in this situation, then you may want to turn to private investors (often called “angel investors”).

Angel investors and private investors can provide your business with a capital infusion. Unlike business lines of credit, these investors typically provide the capital in one lump sum in exchange for a percentage of your business. This is the draw back from raising capital from a private investor. You will have to provide some level of oversight, a percentage of your business, and a certain amount of control to your company to a third party. This third party may have drastically different ideas about the direction of the business. As such, if you decided to raise capital through private investment rather than a business LOC then you should hire an excellent attorney to make sure that you are not giving up a significant amount of your business in exchange for the requisite capital required.

One of the positive aspects to raising capital in this manner rather than obtaining a business LOC is that you will not be held personally liable for the capital should the business not succeed. This is, of course, assuming that the private investor is providing you with an equity investment rather than a private loan. Additionally, this investment will not appear on your credit report. In the future, should the business grow, you can then apply for business credit lines when it is more appropriate or when the economy has improved.

Not every business requires the usage of a <a rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(‘/outgoing/article_exit_link’);” href=”http://www.businesloc.com”> business line of credit</a>. Some businesses produce more than enough cash flow to sustain the operations on an ongoing basis without needing to take on the liabilities associated with a credit facility. These businesses are most suited to take out a business LOC during times of expansion rather than financing the day to day operations of the business. For other businesses (such as large scale distribution firms, manufacturing companies, and other capital intensive businesses), a business loc may be the only way to conduct business. Below is an overview of the types of businesses that are most suited to use a credit facility:

Most Suited

Manufacturing Companies
Retail Businesses that carry extensive inventory
Wholesale Distributors with substantial inventory
Service firms that carry substantial amounts of accounts receivables
Medical Product Distributors
Pharmacies and Pharmaceutical Companies

Partially Suited

Firms that are undergoing a significant expansion over a set period of time
Companies that have irregular cash flows but regularly fixed cost expenses
Professional Service firms that receive government payments
Law Firms
Medical Practices and Allied Health Professional Practices

Ultimately, it is up to you to determine whether or not your business truly does need a business LOC. As always, you should speak to your accountant to determine your cash flow needs and whether the acquisition of a revolving credit facility is in your best interest. If you have additional questions whether or not your business is suitable for a business line of credit then you may also want to a specialty business advisor that has an extensive understanding of business credt.

When applying for a credit facility, you will most likely be required to have a well written business plan to showcase what you intend to do with the business loc. This may not be the case if you are using a home equity line of credit secured by your personal residence. If you are seeking to obtain a standard business line of credit then you will most certainly be required to have a business plan. BusinessLOC.com has a sample business plan outline that you can use to develop a plan that showcases how you intend to use the debt proceeds.

The key to a good business plan is to have a 25 to 45 page summary of your business, how you intend to use the capital sought, a description of the product/service you a selling, and a three year financial model that showcases you previous and anticipated profit and loss statements, cash flow analysis, balance sheet, and breakeven analysis. Again, these tools have been included for free by BusinessLOC.com.

If you are having significant trouble with writing your business plan then you may want to consider hiring a professional firm to assist you in this process. Often, business planning firms have extensive relationships with banks, finance companies, and private lenders that will be interested in your business project or established company. These firms may or may not take a success fee if they are able to secure a business loc for you. Prior to working with a business planning firm, you should check the credentials of the individual producing your business plan, make sure that they are registered with the Better Business Bureau, and that they have an established track record of obtaining credit facilities through their produced business plans.

Outside of obtaining the necessary financing that you need in order to launch or support your business operations, your business LOC also assists in establishing a credit profile for your corporation. As your business expands, you may need to acquire additional credit facilities or loans in the future. Much like a personal credit report, your corporation also develops a credit report. However, the credit reports related to business operations are typically provided by a company called Dunn and Bradstreet. By establishing a credit profile for your business, you will be able to expand your credit acquisition capacity over time. The mechanics of a business credit report versus that of a personal credit report are almost identical.

By establishing a business LOC, you also assist with developing an ongoing relationship with your banking or financial institution. Again, it is important to remember that banks want you business. Banks want to lend to you. Banks also want you to hold your deposits. By selecting a bank that can provide you with all of the necessary tools that you need to conduct business, you will become a valued customer. This is especially true if you conduct ongoing borrowing activities with the bank as this is their most profitable revenue center. Outside of fees, banks typically do not generate substantial income from managing money market accounts or checking accounts.

Additionally, with the strong demand among banks for new clients, many small business lines of credit (especially ones that come with a plastic card) offer significant rewards including free airline miles, cash back incentive programs, and other perks that you can use in conjunction with your business activities.

Despite the difficulties with obtaining credit in today’s economy, obtaining even a small line of credit may be in your business’ best interest. As you show your bank that you can effectively use a smaller line of credit – they will be more than happy to expand the underlying principal amount of the credit facility in the future.

Although not the most common method of acquiring startup capital, using a business LOC as financing to launch your business venture is not uncommon. As we have discussed in previous articles, there are a number of different method of financing your new business venture including using your own capital, raising money from private investors, or taking out a lump sum business loan.

However, using a business line of credit gives you more control over your business development. If you intend to build your business over a period of time then it may be to your advantage to use a business LOC versus as business loan. This allows you to only draw down the funds as needed, and you will only be required to pay interest on the portion of principal that you have drawn down. Although many new entrepreneurs seek to acquire all of the funds that they need via a traditional business loan, the flexibility of a business line of credit is often overlooked. When developing your business plan, you should entertain the concept of using a term based credit line rather than a business loan. Again, your accountant or financial advisor can assist you in making the proper determination of whether or not using a line of credit is more appropriate than a standard lump sum based credit facility.

One of the draw backs to using a business LOC as startup capital is the ever changing lending environment. Often, business lines of credit contain covenants that state that a bank can terminate the loan if certain business criteria are not met. These criteria can include depreciation of collateral, not producing enough positive cash flow, and changes in the credit quality of the borrower. However, with the recent passing of the credit reform act in 2010, regulations have begun to favor the small business borrower.