If you’re starting or growing your small business, you should learn about loans guaranteed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) as a funding option.
If you apply for an SBA loan, your loan won’t be from the SBA, and you won’t make your payments to the agency. Instead, the SBA approves lenders to provide loans to small businesses under their loan programs. Continue reading
Cash is the fuel that makes a business run. It is needed to pay salaries including your own, fund marketing programs to acquire and retain new customers, invest in equipment and facilities, pay rent, supplies and many more day-to-day activities. Most financial experts recommend three to six months of operating expenses, but using this for every business in every situation is misleading.
To determine how much cash you need, you must look at the following key areas.
If you’re an established business owner, look at your monthly cash flow report (or go to the next paragraph if you’re a start-up). This report will provide an historical and seasonal perspective. Note the cash received from sales and the cash spent. The net of these two is often referred to as the “net burn rate.” For example, if you have $50,000 in sales and $30,000 in expenses, then your net burn is +$20,000
Your “gross burn rate” only takes cash expenditures into account; in our example, that’s $30,000 and is the more conservative amount, since it does not assume any sales are made. Historical spending patterns are a good starting point in considering future spending plans. Continue reading
Choosing the right financing option for your small business—and figuring out which ones you can get—can feel confusing or overwhelming.
More importantly, it can help you understand which ones are available and appropriate for your business now.
Many startup small business owners take pride in pulling themselves up by their bootstraps and not using financing to get their companies off the ground. But that approach can backfire, a new study in the Journal of Corporate Finance suggests.
The study, conducted by Florida Atlantic University faculty, assessed what happened to companies that took on debt during their first year of operation.
The authors discovered businesses that took on debt are more likely to succeed (as long as they use business debt as opposed to taking on personal debt).
What’s more, they’re also more likely to achieve higher revenues. Continue reading
Due to the growth of online lending, the quickest way to get money in the bank isn’t always by going to the bank!
During this workshop, Lendio’s Brock Blake reviews the alternative sources of financing that may make better sense for your business and are easier to obtain than your traditional bank loan. Brock presents sought-after information and insights that are sure to help you identify the best source of financing for your company – and help you secure it! Continue reading
by Kelly Deis of SoundPoint Consulting
So, you have a great idea for a start-up or you want to expand your current business. You have the perfect business plan and are confident that both revenue growth and profitability are sure-fire.
Problem is, you don’t have the capital to fund the start-up or expansion. If that is the case, here are a few ways to fund your business. Which one is right for you? Continue reading
Starting a small business takes time, hard work, and money. Depending on your type of business and your present financial situation, you may find you need to reach to outside sources for funding.
One resource you can turn to for assistance in obtaining a loan to start or grow your business is the United States Small Business Administration (SBA). While the SBA does not directly lend money to small businesses, it can facilitate loans with third party lenders. Various banks, credit unions, community development organizations, and microlending institutions throughout the U.S. partner with the SBA to provide funding to small businesses without access to other financing options with reasonable terms.
SBA sets specific guidelines for loans, which are made by its partners, and it guarantees that they’ll be repaid by the borrowers. This benefits small business owners by giving them access to much-needed funding, and it eliminates some of the risk to the lending partners.
To qualify for an SBA loan, your business must meet certain criteria regarding business size, financial standing, and others. You must also meet the credit qualifications of the lender. Continue reading
by Gerri Detweiler
Carolyn Walters’ small business clients know they can ask her more than just tax questions. While “tax is the heart and soul of what I do,” she says as the owner of Financial Solutions Accounting and Tax in Greensboro, NC, she has expanded her business to offer a variety of different services.
“The challenges that small businesses have usually end up in my lap one way or another,” she says with a chuckle.
Walters wants to be the first resource her small business clients turn to when they have questions about small business financing and credit. “Quite a few of my clients are looking at ways to expand and grow their businesses, and that takes money,” she says.
Some of them have the funds they need to grow, but others will need to borrow. And even those who don’t have to borrow may find it advantageous to do so. “If you can get credit at low rates and still maintain the integrity of the business goals you are trying to accomplish, it may make sense,” Walters says. Continue reading
