Personal Finance Tips

Congratulate yourself. You started your business from nothing. You kept it afloat through that rough first year, and you have positive cash flow in your second year. Now it’s time for growth and expansion, and you need a bank loan for that. Getting that first loan can be tough, and though you know that going to be tough, you know you can do it.

Here are some tips to get you started.

Identify the right bank. Do you want a bank that can offer a business loan backed by the Small Business Administration? Do you care about the geographic location, or are you comfortable dealing online? Ask a friend or another business owner for suggestions on where to get a business loan. If you contact a bank that isn’t right for you, ask for a recommendation of another, more appropriate bank. Once you find the right bank, get the name of the person who will review your loan application and set an appointment. Ask for a list of all the documents required for the business loan you need. Generally, you’ll be asked to provide a cover letter, loan application, business and personal tax returns and financial statements, an updated business plan and projections. Bring brochures, newspaper articles or press releases-anything that speaks favorably of you and your business. Prepare to answer in detail questions about what collateral you have; when you’ll have the loan paid off; and exactly how you’ll spend the money. The idea is to present the company-and yourself-as rock solid and low risk, but don’t stretch the truth; the risk of getting caught is too great. Let the lender know you’ve identified potential business “challenges” and have B-plans prepared.

The first business loan is the hardest to obtain, and requires a lot of forethought. Make sure your personal and business credit reports are spotless before you apply. Dress like a banker. Be confident. If you can start a business, you can obtain the money you need to succeed.

Ever heard the saying, “It takes Money to make Money”? The principle of borrowing money from banks and other credit agencies to make money has been a relatively basic assumption since early trade days. Existing business owners may want to expand their business, buy more inventory, or even hire more employees. New business owners need start-up capital to get all the balls rolling. Many times businesses take out loans, just because they can. It helps build good credit standing. When discussing the purposes of a business loan, one must look at the various types of loans available. Many times, the reasons your business may need a loan don’t fall under reasons the bank feels you need a loan. Here are a few examples of types of loans available and the functions these loans are used for:

o Short-term loans are usually used for short-term working capital for a business temporarily in need of cash. These loans may be based upon seasonal fluctuations, and other short-term problems that a business may encounter. Usually, these loans are paid within 1 year.

o Intermediate loans are often used for businesses that are starting up. These loans may be used to build inventory, buy equipment, or increase working capital. Working capital is money needed for business purposes such as paying employees, maintaining good over-head, and other business needs.

o Long-term loans can be given to business owners that are well established and wish to increase their fixed assets, for related business acquisitions, and for expansion. Long-term loans may be given to start-up businesses, as well. Usually for purchases of land or buildings, construction efforts, and long-term working capital, these loans have terms that run 3-5 years.

o Government small business loans are available through financial institutions, as well. The government guarantees these loans if certain criteria are met regarding the business and the business owner. These types of loans can be used for various reasons: the purchase of land or buildings, new construction or expansion, to acquire equipment, machinery, furniture, fixtures, supplies and materials, and to refinance existing business debts that have higher rates and unreasonable terms. These loans can be used for both short term and long term working capital as well.

Most commercial banks, credit unions, and even investors expect business owners to have a well-thought out plan regarding their business. These business plans should incorporate the usage of loans in a very decisive manner.

Based on bank lending practices, one might be misled to believe that people with a bad credit history are not capable of running successful businesses, unlikely to repay business loans, and overall, risky borrowers. But the truth of the matter is; having bad credit does not make a person incapable of running a profiting business.

There are many reasons why a person might have a low credit score that may have no relation to their money management skills. These include having obscene amounts of student loans to repay after graduating before getting a job that can support those payments, and getting caught in the lure of credit cards as a young adult and having to pay for it later. But in the end, these mistakes can serve as a learning experience, teaching a person to make wiser financial decisions in the future and making them better equipped to handle financial problems that are presented within their business.

The question remains: Is there hope for business owners who have poor personal credit histories? Is there a way to get a bad credit business loan?

The answer is yes. Through a business cash advance, a business owner can get a loan for his/her business even if he/she has bad credit. This is because business cash advance lenders take the strain of repayment off of the borrower, making the business responsible for repaying a loan.

How does this work? A business cash advance is a purchase of a business’ future credit card sales. Business cash advance companies provide an up-front cash payment in exchange for a small percentage of the credit card sales that a business makes until the loan is completely paid off. Therefore, having bad credit is not a disqualifying factor when it comes to receiving a business cash advance.

The repayment of a business cash advance also has no affect on a borrower’s credit score. So the borrower does not have to worry about worsening his/her credit score when receiving a business cash advance.

Many Americans do not have the 700 point credit score that is usually required to receive a business loan, but that does not mean that their dreams of running a successful business should be shattered. Fortunately, the availability of business cash advances gives business owners with bad credit another option, making it possible for them to finance the development of their businesses.

Business loans, similarly to personal loans, have been increasingly difficult to get lately. Despite the difficulties, unsecured loans for business remain to be very attractive as they offer great advantages that personal loans do not. The reason for most rejections is the approach taken by a business owner. Proper understanding of how business lending works, including the criteria banks and other lenders use, may help greatly in making successful business loan applications.

The most important factor that is considered by lenders is corporate credit. Like individuals, companies have their own credit reports and credit scores. It is obvious that banks are more eager to finance businesses that have an established credit history than the ones that have poor history or no corporate credit at all. Unlike personal credit profile, corporate credit needs more work to be established.

Build Your Corporate Profile First

The first fundamental step is to build a corporate credit profile with three major business credit reporting agencies: Dunn and Bradstreet, Experian, and Equifax. Once a basic profile is established with all three, it is time to start applying for loans and lines of credit. Getting a line of credit from a vendor or obtaining a loan from a bank does not guarantee it being reported on your corporate profile. With thousands of lenders in the marketplace today, there are very few that would report your information to business credit bureaus. Therefore, it is important to borrow from lenders who do, ensuring positive credit reporting on your corporate profile. A profound research is required in order to find lenders who would extend credit to you, since you have no history yet, and who would report your timely payments to credit bureaus, building your corporate credit history.

Start Small

Most make a mistake of applying for loans that only well-established businesses with proven payment track are able to get. Alike to personal credit reporting, credit inquiries count against you, so it is important to apply with lenders that feature high approval rates. Once you have opened a small account or two that have been reported to corporate credit bureaus, it is time to do the next step – getting a corporate credit card. It does not matter whether you get a Visa, MasterCard, or a store credit card – your goal is to ensure that your corporate credit profile can boast a revolving account listed that is paid on time.

Be Patient

Once your corporate credit profile is established and you have a number of vendor accounts as well as an unsecured credit line listed, it is time to let your business get prepared for more serious financing. There should be a timely history of several payments on each of your accounts reported to business credit reporting agencies, before you may move on to the next level. Many business owners make a mistake of being impatient, trying to apply for large unsecured loans and lines of credit without letting their credit history properly age. Therefore, be patient.

Apply At the Right Time and Enjoy Corporate Credit Privileges

After 6 months of making timely payments on all your accounts, check your credit profiles and scores. If your Paydex score is over 70, it may be the right time to apply for a larger loan. Most corporate loans are granted based on credit history of your business and its ability to repay, regardless of your personal credit. This provides for a great opportunity to have access to cost-effective financing without putting your personal credit at risk.

A business loan is a loan taking out to help finance a companies needs. For a person who is trying to secure a loan for a start up company the process can seem daunting. Lenders know starting a business is a risk. It can be tough to start one and keep it going within those first few years. Should it fail the lender is at risk for not getting their money. It is up to the business owner to prove that their business is worth investing in.

When starting a business the owner has many hurdles to overcome. They have to prepare themselves for the process of securing financing. By being prepared they will ultimately help the lender have more confidence in offering them a loan and they will find that preparing for the loan process also will help their business out because they are going to be looking into every aspect of their future business.

Part of preparing to approach lenders for a business loan is getting together a business plan. A business plan is going to be the main selling point. The business plan should cover all aspects of the business. It is not something that can be simply put together. Developing a business plan takes time and effort.

A business plan needs to have sections that will explain and offer supporting evidence as to the financial future of the business. The business plan will outline the goals of the business. Include projected sales figures. It should also include expense figures. Putting together the business plan will require a lot of research into the local market and into the businesses target market.

The idea of the business plan is to show that the business can and will succeed based upon the research the business owner has done. By providing researched evidence, the business owner is proving to the lender that their business is going to survive and that they are well prepared to make sure it is successful. A good business plan can be the key to getting a business loan.

Besides a business plan it also helps if the owner has something to offer up as collateral. This can be property or money. The owner should be willing to make some sacrifice. This shows the lender that they are truly confident in their business venture. When a borrower secures a loan, the lender knows that they are serious. It takes away some of the risk and hesitation a lender may have in loaning money to a business.

A commercial loan is something that is often essential to staring a business or keeping one going. Lenders are often apprehensive about commercial loans, but with a professional attitude and a well prepared business plan, a companies owner should be able to convince a lender that they are worthy of their trust. Once the owner secures their first loan and honours the terms of the loan they should find getting commercial finance in the future is not as difficult.