Tuesday, July 17, 2007

What are some alternative forms of financing for a small business? -

Hey all,During these tough times, it s getting harder and harder to achieve traditional funding from banks. As a small business owner myself (a janitorial and cleaning service) I wanted to know what alternative funding sources are available for us?

I d like to respond to Johnathon to this before I answer.Just because a company needs a source of funding, that does NOT mean they are struggling financially with their current setup. It may mean however, that they wish to expand their services and need some financial backing.Anyway, back to the question at hand. There are many sources of alternative funding for small business. They all vary, depending on who your clients are, but I will list a few with a description for each.The first option, factoring, is a practice wherein one company purchases a debt or invoice from another company. It refers to the acquisition of accounts receivable, which are discounted in order to allow the buyer to make a profit upon collection of monies owed.PO Funding covers the supplier expenses associated with a specific purchase order. It enables you to make sales that exceed your current financial capabilities and provides a solid platform for growth. When used properly, purchase order financing can help you grow your company by enabling you to accept larger orders.A Merchant Cash Advance, otherwise known as credit-card-receivablefunding, is an increasingly popular solution for small businesses looking for a flexible form of business capital. As use of credit cards grows as a form of payment at a greater variety of businesses, more small business operators are able to tap into a previously unrecognized form of capital: their credit card receipts.So, to sum it up. Your three options are Invoice Factoring, PO Funding, or Merchant Cash Advances.Hope this helps :)

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hopefully none for you. if you cant do what you are doing without funding you are doing something wrong.

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