Tuesday 18 March 2014

Available Funding Options For New Business

For every prospective business it is extremely important to seek different sources of appropriate funding. When an entrepreneur is able to successfully raise the desired amount of capital, the new business will be able to thrive. It may take a considerable amount of time to break-even and earn revenue; therefore, having this type of financial security is beneficial for the entrepreneur and the viability of the new business. A new enterprise needs capital to finance its everyday business expenses. This can include property rent, employee salaries, marketing expenses, inventory, day-to-day operations, and maintenance.
Working capital
The capital used to finance such daily operational costs is referred to as the “working capital” of the company. An entrepreneur should meticulously calculate the working capital before requesting a hypothetical amount as well as have a clear understanding of all the differentfunding options available in the market. This will help him/her select the type of funding that is appropriate for his/her company. Loans can be arranged from personal resources such as friends, family, and business associates. Though pooling money from loved ones can be effective to some extent, it will not provide entrepreneurs with the entire amount they will need to sustain their new businesses. A capital loan may be easier to get, but it has its share of drawbacks as well.
Capital loans
A capital loan is a large amount of money that is provided by traditional lending institutions and banks. There are short-term and long-term loans available to finance the daily operating costs of a small business. One downside is that even though the lending institution may have an excessive amount of funding available, they may be apprehensive about lending a large sum of money to a new entrepreneur, especially if they do not have any business experience. A second problem is that the entrepreneur will be responsible for timely monthly payments. If the entrepreneur defaults on payments, s/he is putting the business relationship at risk. The availability of such loans depends entirely on the amount of funding needed and the entrepreneur’s convincing ability that the prospective business will be a success.
Trade creditors
Entrepreneurs who do not intend for their company to go public in the near future may find it very hard to obtain such a loan. They can find funding from trade creditors who will lend money on the condition that the borrower purchases bulk goods from them. But keep in mind that both trade creditors and banks rely heavily on the business credit score before lending any amount of money. A credit history is extremely important in determining one’s financial reliability of paying off owed debt. If a person’s credit history is poor, they will more than likely be denied by banks and trade creditors.
Equity capital
Venture capitalists and angel investors are also popular sources of small business funding. A brilliant management team and a rapid future growth plan are some of the prerequisites of obtaining equity capital from business investors. One downside is that entrepreneurs may have to give up a percentage of ownership of their company to accommodate the business investors’ demands. In addition, angel investors and venture capitalists may also require a board seat and regular involvement in company operations to ensure the protection of their investment. The process of obtaining angel investor capital or venture capitalist funding is an extremely competitive process since both types of business investors have strict guidelines as a requirement.
Business cash advance
For those who are not successful at obtaining a small business loan, a business cash advance may be one viable option to consider. In recent years, a business cash advance has become one of the most popular and sought after form of working capital funding. The borrowers do not have to worry about expensive repayment fees nor do they have to maintain an overall good credit score. The repayment is highly dependent on the volume of sales of the business; therefore, the borrower does not have to bear the burden of repaying the money on a monthly basis. The acceptance of credit cards as a mode of payment is a prerequisite for a cash advance, and repayments are made through future credit card sales of the business.
Conclusion
In summary, obtaining capital to finance the working capital needs of a small business is not really a difficult proposition. There is a lot of funding available on the market for the budding entrepreneur, including bank loans, equity capital, trade creditors, and business cash advance. Although they all carry benefits and disadvantages, the decisive factor is the ease of repayment, liability burden, and flexibility of terms.

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