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Invoice factoring is a form of financing where a business will essentially “sell” an invoice to a financing company for a slightly discounted rate, usually between 75 and 90 percent of the overall value of the account. The financing company than assumes full responsibility for the collection of the accounts payable, while the selling company receives a cash payment for the sale of the account. For many businesses, this is an ideal short-term solution to several issues.

Account Collection.

In the event of a delinquent or soon to be delinquent account, most businesses are not equipped to handle account collection through in-house channels. This necessitates the use of agencies and services designed to assist in the collection process. In the case of small businesses or start-up businesses, the loss of liquidity and time costs associated with the use of these services can be devastating. Invoice factoring allows troublesome accounts to be handled quickly and efficiently.

Growth Support.

Many new businesses are constrained, at least during the early stages of development, by the availability of capital to fund new projects. Invoice factoring ensures that growth and development is limited only by the overall volume and relative size of the projects being completed. Essentially, invoice factoring allows new business to grow at a rate directly proportional to production levels.

Time Sensitivity.

Financial investments are often defined significantly by the time sensitive nature of the specific investment. Invoice factoring allows business to take advantage of sudden and potentially profitable investment opportunities as they present themselves, regardless of current levels of liquidity.

Financial Records.

Unlike alternative forms of financing, invoice financing does not take into account the credit history or current financial status of the borrowing institution or business. When determining the terms and conditions of a specific account the finance company evaluates the value of the invoice account itself. This allows companies that may not have an extensive credit history, or even some amount of negative factors on their credit account, to obtain lines of credit. Additionally, the accounts can be evaluated much more quickly than a company wide evaluation can be conducted, speeding-up the overall process.

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The economy today is not doing so well, but this doesn't mean that you cannot obtain financing for your business. Here are ten ways your company can obtain the capital it needs.

1. Ask Someone In Your Family

If you are starting your own company, you could always ask a friend or relative who might have some extra cash laying around.

2. Use Your Social Network

Have you ever heard of social lending? It is like asking a friend for a loan, but doing so online and with millions of friends to choose from.

3. Put Up Your Own Assets

A bank might not be willing to lend your business money unless it has a solid track record, but you can put your own personal credit on the line. A house or car as collateral helps greatly.

4. Look For Angel Investors

Angel investors are people who are looking to invest in companies with potential. This isn't a loan, but the investment is an equity one, so they will obtain some percentage of ownership.

5. Sell Stock

The sale of stock will raise capital quickly for your company. Remember that you will be accountable to your shareholders if you go this route. They have the right to expect a profit, so make sure you can deliver.

6. Take Pre-Orders

Allow customers to pre-order and ask that they pay in full. This will raise capital before having to buy or ship goods. Think of it as a short-term loan.

7. Get those A/R To Your Bank Account ASAP

If a customer was delivered goods, but has not yet paid up, ask that the customer do so. You can even offer incentives to get that cash in a little quicker.

8. Micro Loans

A Micro Loan is a small loan that carries a smaller interest rate. A credit card could be as much as 22 percent APR for a small 1,000 loan, but a Micro Loan averages around 8 percent interest.

9. Sell Or Rent Assets

Renting an unused room could be a great way to raise cash. Selling your old copy machine could also be a great way to get some extra money quickly.

10. Credit Cards

If no other loan option is available, a credit card is a last resort. Beware of high APR's, but it could be a bailout when you are in desperate need of capital.

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Washington is constantly urging banks to increase lending. In spite of this, credit remains tight. Small business loan originations continue to lag and credit card issuers have significantly reduced lines of credit and canceled thousands of accounts. The American taxpayers bailed out the banks hoping that they would make loans and stimulate the economy. But given the current state of the economic mess, lending is probably the last thing the banks should be doing. Since the current recession was caused by an overextension of credit, making additional loans available doesn’t make sense.

Every loan carries the risk that it will not be repaid. Before making a loan, a lender must first accurately price the risk. If this isn’t possible, the lender reduces risk by lowering the total number of loans that it originates or the dollar amount of the loans. It has yet to be determined how costly new initiatives, such as cap and trade legislation and the healthcare proposal, will be on business. The unknown cost of these and other current regulations are interfering with the accurate pricing of risk. Therefore, lenders are reducing their risk exposure by reducing the number of loans they make.

Another hurdle for lenders is the risk-adverse nature of bank regulators. Although presidents and Congress have urged banks to make more loans, bank examiners have required just the opposite. Bank executives across the country have demonstrated that bank examiners have become extremely cautious in determining the value of a bank’s assets, thereby requiring an increase in bank reserves. This results in a reduction of lending.

 In an effort to control the money supply, the Federal Reserve began paying interest on bank reserves it held on deposit. Reserve balances immediately went up, and they have been rising ever since. Banks can borrow at low rates and place those funds on deposit with the Fed receiving a risk-free, guaranteed rate of return. This effort by the Fed to control the money supply and encourage lending has actually backfired.

In today’s tough economic environment, this risk of default is greater than it has been in years. High unemployment and the reduced value of collateral, such as housing, has required banks to tighten their lending standards to comply with more stringent bank regulations. As lending criteria becomes tighter, fewer companies and individuals qualify for loans.

Current economic conditions and levels of government oversight don’t support additional bank lending.

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Companies that are planning to successfully navigate the new economy that is emerging will have to be proactive, creative and innovative with their business. This will make it easier to deal with the ups and downs of the market and meet customer needs while keeping profits high.

As the economy dips, consumers will be tightening their belts, spending less and looking for good deals. While many companies may strive forward with traditional business models you will have to take the higher road. Start by looking at your current product line, assessing what is selling and what isn't. Cutout products that are slow sellers and focus on ones that are in constant high demand. This is why knowing your customers is so important - when you know what they need the most, you know what product lines to target for your business.

You can also consider expanding your products or services. If you find a product that complements your current line and that will sell, add it and market it aggressively. This will keep your business in the right direction and show customers that you are proactive about meeting their needs.

You can also stay on track by being open to new forms of marketing. Social media, blogs, directories and related sources on the internet can be goldmines to keep consumers buying from you. Offer sales, promotions, customer input and conduct surveys using these sites to get attention for your business and to keep your finger on the pulse of the market. Thinking outside the box will help you to keep the edge in business.

Sit down and re-assess your business plan with a business consultant. You will want to make sure that your focus, goals and strategies are in line with the emerging changes in the economy. Planning ahead and finding alternative ways to get consumers into your business can help to keep you on the right track. This also makes it easier to approach a bank if you are seeking additional funding for your company. Banks want to see where and how the money they are lending you will be used.

The time you spend re-assessing your current business strategy and keeping up with customer demands will pay off in your ability to weather the changes in the economy successfully.

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The recent last minute agreement to raise the debt ceiling was only a temporary solution to our nation's biggest fiscal problem. No one really expected that the United States was going to default on its debt obligations, but the politicians certainly caused something of a world crisis in the financial markets.

While it is hard to say whether it is this administration's fault or the result of the previous administration's policies having to be addressed with an entirely different strategy, the fact remains that our country owes more than 14 trillion dollars.

The number is so big, it is hard to understand. Imagine 14 million attaché cases (18"x12"x4.5") each filled with a million dollars in hundred dollar bills. A trillion dollars would be more than enough to buy all of the homes that were foreclosed in 2007 and 2008. The 14.3 trillion dollars the United States is equivalent to being able to write a $2,000 check to every one of the roughly 7 billion people living on our planet.

Now that you have a clue as to the enormity of our debt, what does that actually mean? What impact does the current debt ceiling deal have on you and me? How does it affect small businesses?

When the powers that be finally came to some sort of agreement, the result was to add 2.4 trillion dollars to our nation's borrowing limit. As part of the deal, promises were made to cut spending by the same $2.4 trillion dollars. It is an attempt to stabilize our debt crisis and still allow the country to function normally and without having to go through a major financial disruption.

There is a price to pay for carrying so much debt. Standard and Poors, the financial rating agency recently downgraded the credit rating of the United States. The unprecedented move does not actually affect our ability to pay debt, but does create a question both at home and abroad about the financial stability of the world's greatest economy.

The Federal Reserve has promised to keep interest rates low over the next several years so not to cause a panic in the business community. While interest rates may go up on all types of consumer and business debt, they are unlikely to spike high enough to bring our slow economic recovery to a sudden halt.

Small businesses may suffer the brunt of the impact as not only may it be harder to borrow money, but the costs of running their businesses may increase. The fact remains that there is great uncertainty in what will be cut and if/when taxes will be raised.

Small businesses that are already struggling can be forced to close if taxes get any higher. The cost to hire an employee will rise. Government programs will be trimmed or completely eliminated. Who knows what will happen with Social Security and Medicare? Without doubt, everyone will be asked to cut back and sacrifice and that will mean additional hardship for the millions of small businesses in our country.

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Building commercial credit is a absolute must for many businesses to grease the wheels of commerce both inside and outside their industry. However, especially for those businesses just getting started on the road to commercial finance, building commercial credit can be a daunting task without the aid of a partner company specifically geared to help with that goal.

Here are some of the ways that a commercial credit building company can help to build the business credit of a company more quickly than a company could do on its own.

1. Combining accounts.

A commercial credit building company will combine the many smaller accounts of start up and small businesses into one large account to present to a financial institution, which is much more appropriately designed for loans of a large size. Presenting many loans as a group will alleviate much of the risk of the financial institution, as the credit company will often offer added incentives for principal repayment should one of the loans default.

What this does for the small company is get them loans that they simply could not get on their own, giving them the opportunity to build a credit history with even a small or short term loan.
 

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Unsecured financing is an excellent option for a small business that needs to borrow money without a credit check. The loans must be paid back in a shorter time frame and do require a higher interest rate than secured loans. You have easy access to the money for emergency situations and do not need to use your home or business as collateral. There are very high interest rates on these loans because they are very risky to the lenders. Some lenders may not get their money back until after the liquidation sale of your business because there is no collateral required for the loan and you do not need to risk your home or business building with a lien on your property. You will however, have a financial obligation to repay the loan amount.

If your company is doing well, then an unsecured loan could allow you to improve your small business to a better level of profit. The unsecured loans are a handy tool if the banks will not extend you any more regular credit on your business. Many small businesses need to have more money, especially when they are growing. You may be able to service more customers, but simply not be able to finance the additional equipment that is needed for more production. The unsecured loans usually need to be paid back in a number of months or perhaps a very few years but if you believe that you will make more in profit during that time than you will spend on the unsecured loan, then the loans could be a good choice for you.

Even with a bad credit rating, you could receive unsecured financing that could protect your small business. You might not have the money that you need to repair a service truck that you use to replace gutters with your small business, so for you, having an unsecured loan would allow you to fix your truck and continue installing gutters. Without that truck, your business could be closed. Those unsecured loans do offer an option for the small business owner that may not be able to survive without getting the high risk loans but lenders do charge higher interest rates because there is a high risk of having to go to court for their money if the borrower can not repay the loan. However, with unsecured financing, you could stay in business and protect your investments.

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Factoring, also referred to as accounts receivable financing, is the process by which a company sells its outstanding invoices or accounts at a discount to a finance company which then assumes the risk associated with the accounts in exchange for immediate cash. In this instance, companies are essentially trading future earnings potential for the ability to immediately obtain cash to finance separate projects or cover different expenses.

The particulars of the financial agreement vary depending on the nature of the account and on the nature of the financing institutions personal policies and guidelines. In most instances, the financing company will charge a 5% fee associated with the proceedings, which, may or may not be less then other comparable financing options. Additionally, every account has a value assigned to it on an individual basis. Basically, the lending institution will assign a higher base value to an account relative to how recently the account has been opened. For many small businesses, financing of this form offers several benefits.

Manage Collections.

Many small businesses lack the resources necessary to properly pursue and manage collections. This form of financing allows companies to continue normal business operations while only suffering a minor loss on specific accounts. Though factoring companies are often uninterested in purchasing accounts greater than 90 days past due, most accounts will qualify for financing.

Free Up Capital.

For companies involved in the production process, a majority of their working capital is connected directly to their inventory levels. In the event that a customer wishes a delayed payment schedule, smaller operations are often left facing extended downtime between the completion of an order and payment collection. Factoring allows companies to minimize downtime while maximizing capital liquidity levels.

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