Business
Finance Options for Small Businesses in a Tight Credit Market
Today’s lending environment poses many challenges especially to owner. Just a few short years ago, many small business owners were flush with cash and revenues seemed to be steadily increasing. As a result of good cash flows, many business owners neglected their banking relationships and selected to self finance capital acquisitions in lieu of debt. Unfortunately, with the downturn in economic activity this decision has left many business owners asset rich and cash poor.
For those business owners that have weathered the storm, sales remain contracted and many companies are having to manage operations with substantial decreases in cash flow. For this reason, many business owners have sought out their primary bank for a working capital cash injection only to find that their primary banker is not lending. For those seeking to finance a specific project or piece of equipment, the answer is often the same; put simply, banks are not lending to anyone but the most credit worthy of customers and any company with a contraction in sales is considered high risk.
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After several turn downs from their local banks, business owners are left with few choices. Fortunately, a second tier of lenders exists to serve the needs of small and medium size businesses. These lenders are often private portfolios that cater to specific industries and specific types of lending products for businesses that greatly affect their. Furthermore, this second tier of lending solutions is constantly changing with new participants putting out their shingle and old participants shifting their product offerings to meet the demands of the current business borrower. Many of these 2nd tier lenders will say yes when the banks say no; however, finding and navigating the maze of 2nd tier lenders can be time consuming and unsuccessful without having some guidance and understanding of the process.
Some of the options available in today’s tight credit market include both short and medium term financing vehicles beginning with working capital facilities that pay out over 6-9-12 months or equipment leases structured over 36-60 month terms for new equipment purchases. Some providers will finance soft costs, many will not. Some providers will lend against average bank balances and/or credit card receivables and others will only lend against certain types of qualified receivables. Occasionally, a new product offering will emerge that is both competitively priced and structured for many businesses to qualify for. The challenge is knowing where to go with what type of request so as not to waste time and money fishing at the wrong pond.
For this reason, prudent business owners will often retain the services of a consultant or broker to help them obtain the financing they need to run their business. At Direct Business Lending, we work with hundreds of 2nd tier private lenders so you can focus on running your business while we secure the financing that your banks won’t do. Let’s face it, there simply is not enough time in the day for the typical business owner to do everything that needs to be done, let alone get a handle on the 2nd tier of lenders out there. At Direct Business Lending, we offer up solutions when the banks say no.
A Faster Way to Get Small Business Loans
It is not easy for small businesses to get small business loans. Banks and other lenders require them to go through strict and complicated financial procedures with stringent requirements for qualification. After everything, credit approval is not even guaranteed.
Even the financing for loans supported by the Small Business Administration (SBA) cannot meet the needs of the majority of small businesses. Although the amount of credit available for small businesses has reportedly been increased by 25% since March this year, it is not that easy to avail of the said small business loans.
Small businesses seeking small business loans should know how to prepare the right kind of business plans that banks are looking for. To justify the loan, they should be able to show the banks in detail how they intend to use the money in business and how viable their plan is. Experts say lenders have specific points which they scrutinize applications for and applicants should know these points and tailor their submitted business plans accordingly.
It is also said that loan applicants should first establish a strong relationship with the lending bank in order to increase the possibility of having a loan approved. Banks supposedly give more small business loans to businesses they have already known and trusted long term. Since small businesses are usually new businesses, this is quite difficult to do and it cannot be done in a hurry. How can a new small business with financial needs establish a good long term relationship with a bank in time to meet its current needs?
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Another requirement of lending institutions from small businesses applying for small business loans is a good credit history score. A small business should first be deemed credit worthy by the bank before it can even be considered for loan approval. Again, small businesses that are stll young are at an immediate disadvantage here. How can they establish credit worthiness in time?
The US Congress has also placed Congressional restrictions on eligibility for the Small Business Administration loans. Small businesses first have to prove that they are at least two years old and are both struggling and viable at the same time. They should present proof that they have had a positive cash flow in one of those previous two years in business. They should, however, be currently struggling with “immediate financial hardship” with a decrease in income that should not be less than 20 percent. At the same time, they should submit their projections for cash flow for the next two years, proving that they will be able to meet loan payments.
A faster way to get small business loans would be through credit card services.
Any small business should have credit card services. Credit card services enable a company to accept customer payments for goods and services via credit cards or debit cards, whether over the counter in brick and mortar settings, through the phone or online. Credit card services provide the hardware and software for this.
Being able to accept payments through credit cards or debit cards can greatly enhance a small business’ income earning potentials. In addition to that, credit card services can provide the equivalent of small business loans with no need for any collateral. The amount of the small business loans are computed based on the average monthly income of the small business from credit card payments. The small business loans are then amortized through automatic monthly deductions of a certain percentage from the small business’ future credit card revenue. This means small businesses can almost automatically qualify for small business loans through credit card services, and will surely be able to pay such small business loans. Is there a faster way than this?
