Need business funding to kickstart your entrepreneurial vision? If yes, look no further! Here is all the information you need regarding business financing.
To operate, all businesses at some point require some kind of funding, whether it is self-generated, externally sought or a combination of both.
Business financing can help you meet various operational needs, including paying for office expenses, hiring more staff, purchasing equipment, or financing equipment. However, a company can use business financing to carry on when it doesn’t have enough cash on hand to cover basic operational costs.
Business financing doesn’t stop here, though!
Read this article to understand business financing even further.
To Finance Your Business, You Need to Understand:
1. Familiarize Yourself With Business Financing
2. Know the Types of Business Financing
3. Understand How to Obtain Business Financing
4. Know How to Get A Business Loan with Bad Credit Scores
5. Understand How to Use Business Financing
Let’s start!
1. Familiarize Yourself With Business Financing
To fund your business, understand what business finance is, business financing refers to the process whereby you get the funds required to launch and grow your business.
As a business owner, you must consider the costs and financial benefits of obtaining the required equipment, acquiring capital, managing cash flow, and addressing supply and demand issues. You may need business financing to start or expand your company, such as borrowing money from banks, investing your own funds or those of other stakeholders.
>>>MORE: Business Loans: What to Know
2. Know the Types of Business Financing
To fund your business, know the types of business financing. Two of the main types of finance include:
Debt Finance
You can finance your business with a debt transaction by taking out a loan. Ensure you create a payback plan that works for you and repay with interest. Additionally, you can benefit from flexible payment schedule that align with your financial goals and tax deductible interest payments.
Types of Debt Finance
- Business Loans from Banks: You can fund start-up capital and make substantial acquisitions or expansion plans with the help of a bank business loan, whether it’s a large or small lump sum payment. To qualify, your business must adhere to a strict set of requirements, boast robust credit history, have a complete business plan stating the usage of the loan amount.
- Business Credit Cards: You can easily access and use credit cards when compared to bank business loans. You can use credit card for minor purchases despite having significant disadvantages, including high interest rates and fees.
- Invoice Finance: With financing by invoice, you can obtain capital by using unpaid client bills. By doing this, you may receive an advance from the invoice finance firm of up to 90% of the invoice value in as little as 24 hours, bypass the lengthy wait for payments, and reduce your cash flow needs.
- Family or Friends: You can receive a business loan from family or friends. However, have a clear written agreement outlining the loan terms, repayment criteria, and interest rates in order to prevent misunderstandings. Consult a lawyer to draft the business loan agreement.
- Business Lines of Credit: With a business line of credit, you have the financial freedom to invest in your business growth, meet unexpected expenses, and take advantage of new opportunities. You can access funds as needed, pay interest only on what you borrow, and enjoy flexible repayment terms.
- Equipment Financing: With equipment financing, you can take a business loan to purchase necessary equipment for your business. You can choose between a loan or a lease agreement, depending on your financial goals and the equipment’s lifecycle.
Equity Finance
Invest in a business by putting your own or other investors’ money and receive ownership in the company. Choose equity financing to avoid cash flow problems caused by debt financing and forget about credit history limitations.
Types of Equity Finance
- Private Investors: You can get business funds from private investors commonly referred to as “business angels,” they make significant financial investments in your business in exchange for shares and a cut of the earnings.
- Crowdfunding: You can generate money by enlisting the help of people at once, usually online using social media or crowdfunding websites. Using crowdfunding, investors can contribute large sums of cash in exchange for stock or small sums in exchange for a first-run product or another reward.
- Personal Finance: You can self-finance your firm by selling personal assets or using savings you have on hand.
3. Understand How to Obtain Business Financing
To fund your business, understand how to get business financing and avoid delays when you apply for business financing, consider the following:
- Create a business plan that defines your long-term objectives and your approach for achieving them. Even though some lenders might not request for a business plan, having a strategy on hand can improve your chances of getting approved. Make sure you can explain what your business plan comprises.
- Gather your personal and corporate financial records, including a balance sheet, income statement, cash flow statement, tax returns, and bank statement, to boost your approval odds.
- Gather relevant documents to increase your chances of getting a business loan without stress. Ensure you have your business and personal credit scores, business bank, legal contracts, tax returns and business license.
- Know your credit score before you apply for a business loan. Ensure you have a minimum score of 650 to be eligible for a business loan.
>>>PRO TIPS: What Documents Are Required for a Business Loan?
4. Know How to Get A Business Loan with Bad Credit Scores
Even if you have bad business credit ratings you can still get the funding you need to launch and expand a profitable business. To increase your chances of approval for a business loan with bad credit, plan ahead by gathering your personal and corporate financial statements. To get approval for business financing with bad credit scores, consider this:
(i) Provide Collateral
(ii) Use a Co-signer
You can get business financing in a number of ways as a business owner. Decide to cooperate with conventional lenders like banks or credit unions. Alternatives include working with fintech or internet lenders such as, Fundbox, OnDeck, Avant and Kabbage.
Obtain quick business financing by choosing online or fintech lenders. They are often flexible and process payments quickly, in some cases providing funding in as little as 24 hours. Keep in mind to prepare all necessary paperwork and respond promptly to lender requests to avoid delays in the approval process.
5. Understand How to Use Business Financing
To finance your business, know how to use business financing.
Cash injections can enable you to grow your company and keep it operating. When a business is at the developing stage, more funding is essential. You can also use business financing to deal with daily cash flow issues.
You can use business financing for the following:
- Moving to a new site, launching marketing campaigns, buying raw materials, testing products, looking into new markets, and more
- Buying a piece of land or property
- Acquiring equipment or machinery
- Tracking daily costs, including those related to merchandise purchases, rent, utilities, employee wages, and more
- Hiring new employees
- Refinancing of debt
>>>GET SMARTER: Business Loans: How Much Can You Borrow?
Conclusion
To kickstart your business idea with business financing, understand business financing, familiarize yourself with the types of business financing, understand how to obtain business financing, make sure you know how to get a business loan with bad credit scores and understand how to use business financing.
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