Getting a small business loan is relatively straightforward. Like any other loan- car, home, etc., it comes down ability to repay, ability to collateralize, and creditworthiness. Unfortunately, for business owners showing ability to repay it is not easy as showing current check stubs. Nor is collateralizing as easy as a car or home loan which self-collateralizes. But just as there is mechanisms in place to make car and homes loans, there is a system for business loans.
The first order of business is to make sure the home front is in place. That is the personal credit of the principal owners of the business is good. Then the credit of the business needs to be in good standing also. Many times credit applications for businesses want up to ten credit references. The next thing is to make sure the financials are looking good. The balance sheet, the profit and loss statement, and the cash flow statement should all be in order.
The financials lead to the next step and that is developing a business plan. A business plan lays out for lenders how a business intends to use the funds it receives and how it plans to increase sales to repay the money. Though there is a narrative section, what is most important is the projected financials. That means that a business should present two forms of financials. A lender will receive from a business past performance financials and projected financials based upon the capital it receives.
These steps will show ability to pay and creditworthiness, but it will not present how the business will intend to collateralize the loan. The business will have to present that option. Businesses could use real estate, vehicles, inventory, equipment, accounts receivable, or even personal assets of the owners should the business decide. Except for real estate most other options are considered lesser but it does make the lender feel more comfortable that the business has something to lose.
Should a business not be able to show an ability to pay, have creditworthiness, or have collateral getting financing could be difficult. That is one reason it is always good to secure financing or a line of credit when times are good for a business. Seemingly, when a business needs it most it may not be there. The old adage is true, banks only want to lend money to people who do not need it.
There are options for businesses that may have difficulty getting financing but the price is often high. Sometimes an investor can help but will want part ownership. Factoring is another option, which is some who prepays on accounts receivable. Downside to factoring is the rates are very high, one could receive only 70-80% of the value of their accounts receivable. Finally, there is community based lending but this is often done as microloans. Microloans can be defined as loans under $35,000 dollars. This may not be enough for many existing businesses to truly expand. Still, it nice to know that there may be other forms of capital a business can acquire.
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The most common type of lender is the commercial bank, credit union, savings and loan companies, or investment companies. These lenders offer business loans, however, often times these loans must be secured. This could mean offering up your personal assets as collateral. Although, the business is yours to do with what you want, these loans are very risky to any un-established business. And that’s assuming you qualify. Unsecured loans, usually less than $100,000, are available to business owners based upon his or her personal credit history. Commercial banks may also request that a business have a co-signer or guarantor. This may mean finding a financial partner or checking into the various types of small business loans available through the federal government. Women and minorities have an even wider selection of entities willing to loan them business capital. Organizations such as the Women’s Business Ownership, Women Entrepreneurship in the 21st Century, and several others cater to lending money to women that wish to start-up a business, still others actually guarantee them business loans. Minority business loan programs are also available. Many businesses and government agencies or organizations allocate special funds to lend to minority business owners. The MBDA or Minority Business Development Agency is a federally funded agency that specializes in fostering minority-owned businesses. This agency can help minorities with personalized assistance and financial planning to secure adequate financing for business ventures.
One type of investor that can loan a business money is called an “Angel Investor.” These are professional investors who invest solely in companies. Angel investors are an excellent source of early stage financing. Often times, angel investors will finance a business loan that may appear a risk to commercial banks, or may appear too small to venture capitalists. One downfall to angel investors, they are often highly involved in the business itself. Many business owners do not want someone else running the show, so to speak, and opt to stay away from angel investors for business loans.
Venture Capitalists are in the business of loaning money to businesses that offer strict investment criteria and specialize in very specific high-growth industries. In return for capital, venture capitalists will acquire stock in the company. Venture capitalists generally look for businesses that can show profit within three to five years, and then they move on. However, during those three to five years, venture capitalists play a very active role in shaping the business. This often leads to a lack of control by the business owner.
Both angel investors and venture capitalists can be found by asking your business lawyer or accountant. Or you can conduct your own search via the Internet.
Many individuals turn to family and friends to acquire a business loan. Others may seek financial assistance through business partners or potential customers. No matter whom you ask to lend you the money you need for your business, having a good business plan or blueprint is the key. No investor, large or small, wants to invest in a business that doesn’t have a good foundation, and that always starts with an excellent blueprint.
A great benefit to unsecured business loans as opposed to normal bank loans is that there is no collateral required to back them up. These unsecured business loans can be written on the grounds of the credit worthiness of the small business owner, and are regularly referred to as signature loans. Nevertheless, unless you are on great terms with a private lender, or your business has an impeccable credit score, it is very improbable that you will be a legitimate candidate for a very high loan amount – that is if you can manage to get one at all.
If your business’s credit worthiness is not well established, but you yourself do have impeccable credit worthiness, it is likely that you may be able to attain unsecured business loans with a personal contract. Nevertheless, this exposes your personal assets, as you become the person of last resort if your daily business operations cannot stay on track the loan obligations.
On the other hand, it is way simpler to attain funds from Credit Card Factoring (a.k.a. business cash advance), which does not depend on your credit score because it is not a loan. Credit scoring does not typically play a very large part in the approval cycle for a business cash advance, because it is repaid from the credit card receipts generated on a daily basis by the business.
The business cash advance actually originates from the discounted purchase of a part of your future credit card receipts by the lending company, so it does not force you to make fixed monthly payments like a normal bank loan does. You should stay away from doing a contract with any business cash advance lending company that requires you to put up collateral or give a personal guarantee – this is simply not needed for this type of transaction.
The approval percentage for a business cash advance is much higher than that of unsecured business loans, and it is possible that you will be able to get a larger amount of funds by this method, as well.
All businesses will, at one point, need financial help in some way or another. Small business loans are a great way to maintain your business in a healthy financial position, but acquiring one can be a very complicated task, since the requirements for it are very extensive. Some of its most basic requirements are: Having a perfect credit score and having personal assets to use as collateral, that alone already makes it a hard to secure financial resource.
So, what’s left for the business owners with a poor credit history? The answer for that question is: look to an unsecured business cash advance. These types of cash advances are a great alternative to the traditional small business loans, some of the features that easily stand out are the fact that these types of advances don’t require any personal collateral as guarantee nor it requires that the merchant holds a perfect credit score and history. Of course there are some requirements, and the most basic ones are:
1) The merchant has to process credit cards as a form of payment and it has to have a monthly processing volume of at least $2500.
2) The merchant cannot have an open bankruptcy.
3) The merchant can’t have any tax lien (unless under a payments plan)
4) The merchant has to have at least 1 year remaining in its business location lease.
5) It has access to at least the past 4 months of credit card statements.
6) The business is 1 year old at least.
If compared with a small business loan, the application and funding process is very simple and fast. Merchants can apply online or over the phone. The application is a simple 2 pages form, and the documentation needed is very small. The approval process usually takes place in as fast as 24 hours, and after the merchant has been approved, the lender wires the funds in as little as 7 days.
In contrary to a business cash advance, being funded by a bank is a very complicated funding method. You, the merchant will need to provide the lender with all the pertinent documents showing that you can qualify for their loans, some of the requirements for secured loans are:
1) The merchant has to have a perfect credit score and history. Often times a FICO score of 750 or more is required.
2) The merchant needs to provide the lender with personal assets to be used as collateral.
Besides having those requirements, the approval process for a bank loan can take up to 2 months and the actual funding can take up to 4 to 6 months.
Cash advances don’t have fixed monthly payments, nor they have interest rates, instead the lender will charge a onetime fee, that will be repaid on an open term of 6 to 9 months as a small daily percentage from credit card transactions, a cash advance goes with the flow of your business, as you only payback when you sell in credit card transactions, you will never pay a late payment fee.
Are you a business owner? Or perhaps you have a business idea and want to open the door for your own business? In line with economy changes, starting a small business can be a great thing to do. It will give you ability to control over your life, your finances, and your welfare. Here are some tips to help you get a government small business loans.
Firstly, you need to know what you’ll get yourself into if you get a business loans. This means that you will go into debt for your business to start, but this is normal. But you must know that most businesses fail in this stage. So it is important that you protect your personal assets and your family. It will remain separate and all debts of the business will not be attached to you, as individual, it just business, not personal loans.
One more thing, when it comes to government small business loans you should go to your small business associations to see what was offered. You will need to have decent credit, and the better is a larger loan gained. They would also like to see the business and financial plan for your business. This will be required regardless of whether you are starting a business or an existing one.