Many small businesses are falling apart and are looking for ways to keep it running. Some have considered applying for grants but it is just not reachable for the present economic times. But some banks and other institutions are considering small businesses for loans. There are items a business owner must know before applying for the loan and how to apply.
Before Hand
The owner should like up a business plan and have all financial statements readily available. A normal business plan includes the exact purpose, what is to come revenue and expense wise, and how the business will prosper with the use of the loan. All personal financial records need to be gathered. Even though personal credit and finances are separated from the business the lender needs to be ensured that have people with a good financial status to make payments. The purpose of the loan needs to be clear. A financial institution is not going to give out a loan for nothing. They need to know exactly what the loan will be used for. For most small business loans collateral is a must. Assets such as equipment or land are often used for collateral. The financial institution needs to be sure that if a loan is not paid there will be back to pay it off. Lastly, before applying for a loan the owner should be well aware of the costs and payment plan. The payment needs to fit the budget of the business or it will fall apart.
Instructions
Numerous business owners do not have a clue on how to apply for a small business loan but want to make sure it is done properly. Having the paperwork, such as financial statements, the cover letter with the purpose of the loan, accurate and organized is the first step. Reviewing and prioritizing the stacks of paperwork will show that the business owner is well organized and the financial institution will spend less time shuffling papers. The owner should not meet with only one financial institution. Financial institutions all have different loan rates and upfront costs. Researching several institutions is highly recommended. Once all the paperwork is together and several financial institutions have been selected, filling out the loan application completely should be priority. They do not want to see incomplete work and will just toss aside the application not even considering the business for a loan. Alongside the application, a cover sheet should be attached with all the company’s vital information.
Posts Tagged ‘ Small Businesses ’
Up until recently getting any type of a business loan as a new business was virtually impossible. Banks just considered a new business to be a bad risk. It is amazing to see that 80% of American businesses are small businesses.
So, what are your options? Is there such a thing as a loan for these businesses? What alternatives do you have? You may be applying for a loan because business is slow and bills are creeping up or because you have an emergency order you need to fill. You might have an emergency of some kind. Because of the need for cash for businesses, a few lenders have turned up, that specialize in this area.
These are financial institutions that make cash available to businesses, no matter what their credit situation is. These financial institutions have created a billion dollar a year industry from making small loans to businesses. There are a few requirements to qualify for one of these loans and your personal financial situation does not really disqualify you from being able to get one of these business loans.
Some of these loans are based on the amount of credit card sales you have had in the past. This far outweighs your credit history. The financial institution loans you a certain amount of money based on the number of credit card transactions you take in monthly. When you apply for this type of loan, the authorization process usually takes about a week.
Once you have been authorized and you receive the money then the monthly payments are taken from the credit card processor along with the monthly interest fees. Another great benefit to these business loans is that there are no other fees taken or late charges taken since the payment is always made on time when it is taken from your monthly credit card sales.
When applying for one of the bad credit business loans just be sure to read all of the terms of the loan and choose the loan that gives you the lowest interest, because that interest will also come from your credit card revenue.
Business credit cards have become popular as a source of financing for small businesses. The banks that issue business credit cards and many industry observers have identified small business credit cards as a potential area for significant growth. The personal credit card market is saturated, and the corporate business credit card market, is relatively small.
The small business credit card market presents financial institutions with a really good business opportunity. Those banks that do offer small business credit cards noted that business owners are spending more and more every month and that they carry higher annual balances than the average personal credit card holder. This holds the promise of higher fees and interest revenue.
Generally, the business credit card carries credit limits that are double the amount of the average personal credit card. But where the personal credit card is almost pushed to the maximum on its credit limit, the business credit card’s outstanding balance is normally only about 75% of the credit limit. In spite of this, the risks on small business remain high. This is the reason why most business credit card issuers are very careful when processing and approving start-up businesses’ applications for business credit cards.
In one bank that issues business credit cards, about four fifths of their business credit card holders have been in business for at least three years. Although this particular bank places a strong focus on developing their small business customer base, they have come to realize that there are higher risks associated with extending credit to small businesses. If you think about it, when in a bind, it would only be natural for people to default on payments towards their business credit cards before they default on personal credit cards. No one would want to impact their personal credit rating, although they might be willing to suffer some negative points on their business credit.
For this reason, most business credit card issuers will require that the business and the owner of the business accept joint liability for debt repayment on the business’ credit cards. Although there may be some initial grumbling about the personal liability involved, most business owners end up agreeing to this term, because the resultant access to cash and the ability to separate personal and business finances, are of great value to them. Business owners also understand that securing a business credit card early on in the life of the business, helps it to build its credit track record; and that the sooner a track record is established, the sooner the business will be able to carry the business credit card’s liabilities on its own.
Small business credit cards are convenient for travel and entertainment expenses. That is to be expected. But besides these, small business owners use their business credit cards to stock supplies, to supplement their inventory of products, and to cover other daily expenses.
For a time, the interest rates on small business credit cards were much higher than personal cards, as banks relied on traditional risk calculation methods and the absence of competitive pressure. That is not the case anymore. Business credit cards offering zero percent interest rates and reward rich incentives are advertised widely. According to issuers, the uptake is high. After all, business owners mind their costs, and low interest rates and affordable fees will always be key selling points.
Insurance is a necessity in any business. Businesses cover themselves against losses such as fire, theft and unexpected natural disasters. It is with the bookkeeping or accounting that owners get it wrong.
On successful insurance claims, a payment is normally made to the insured. My experience has led me to believe that small businesses have no clue, as to how, to account for insurance settlements. Most businesses reflect the payment as income.
Not only would this be deceptive but also violates International Accounting Standards. Since the transaction has everything to do with assets and nothing to do with income, it should be adjusted against assets. Erroneous accounting for assets might prejudice the business further in future, if similar insurance claims are made.
Insurance companies settle claims on assets, on its book value and not its costs. (And yet the asset was insured on its cost at date of purchase). Whereas this principle might vary from country to country, book value is widely accepted as the norm. Since most small businesses fail to maintain proper fixed assets registers, insurance companies perform “desk top valuations”, or make an “estimate”, on the book value, mostly much lower than its “real” book value. Without proper records, the claimant cannot debunk the assessor’s final conclusions.
Before I loose you in a sea of confusion, let me elaborate. If an asset is on your books at least, without the asset register, but you have no purchase date, and this asset is lost due to theft, no accurate wear and tear can be furnished. Furthermore, if a claim is settled, and reflects as “income”, what happens to the asset that was stolen, but still reflects on your books?
Many reading this article could not care a hoot about the number crunching involved, but please stay with me for a minute. You might not care, but an investor, a bank and yes, the insurance company might pick this up on your financial statements when they demand your reports.
The method used to account for insurance claims is the “disposal method”. Any asset subject to an insurance claim should be transferred to a “Disposal Account”. Depreciation on the asset for the relevant period is calculated, and credited to the disposal account with the insurance settlement. The cost, less depreciation equals book value. Any settlement amounts over or under book value, will result in a loss or profit on disposal.
An insurance claim, wrongly entered as “income”, can be adjusted by transferring the amount to the disposal account. After effecting these entries, the disposal account should balance to zero. Your new records would reveal, the loss or profit on claim (income statement), settlement in bank account, fixed assets less the stolen/lost asset, and a lower depreciation estimate for the year.
I acknowledge that this is your accountant’s job, you however have a duty to provide accurate records. But how many businesses continue to pay, the same insurance premiums on the assets, since purchase date, when they, entitled to a lower premium, due to a lower asset value.(prior to any asset losses).
Also, a precarious asset situation in your books, might lead to problems in your tax affairs.
No business can afford a visit from the IRS. Did you know that tax authorities always commence auditing, your assets, before they move on to your income?
Startup business loans are a great way to launch a successful business. Unfortunately they are sometimes the hardest to get from lending institutions. Startup business loans are one of the few areas that even the Small Business Administration do not offer to assist in and this becomes a major impediment to banks and credit unions making this type of loan available.
The Small Business Administration is an agency of the federal government with a specific mandate to assist small business in America. It provides much of the funding for business loans made by banks in the form of guarantees for these loans. If a borrowing business defaults on a business loan or goes bankrupt the Small Business Administration will step in to cover the bank’s costs.
But when it comes to startup business loans, the agency tells banks and small businesses that they are on their own. That of course does nothing to reassure the banks who are nervous enough about lending fledging businesses any of their hoarded gold and it supports the banks’ own inclination to not provide startup business loans. In order to get approval for startup business loans the banks will normally require a personal guarantee from the business owner or a pledge of a collateral asset to secure the loan.
Meeting those conditions will only get a business to first base with the banks in terms of startup business loans. After this initial review the banks will closely examine the business plan of the prospective business borrower and want to be convinced that the business has an excellent chance to succeed before provide funding in the form of startup business loans. In addition they will likely review the personal credit history and records of the business owner to ensure that their credit history does not show any potential danger signs.
The best way is get startup business loans is probably not through banks or credit unions at all. It is much easier to borrow money from friends or family if they have the financial capacity to assist. Another avenue for startup business loans is to bring in partners or investors who believe that the business makes sense and want to share in the revenues that will be created. A third place to look for startup business loans is in the local business community.
There are often successful business people who want to assist new businesses to get started and they may be a source for startup business loans or they may be able to provide references or referrals to people who can. There’s no harm or loss of face in asking for help from these people. Even the most successful amongst them has probably been turned down for startup business loans in the past and many of them are willing to give a little back to help the newcomer on the block get started in the business world.