Introduction
When it comes to the financial aspects of running a business, most advice for small business owners falls into two schools of thought.
The first school encourages you to fund your business yourself: keep your head down, empty your personal savings, and invest all the cash resulting from your early sales; after some hard work, you will succeed.
The other school is more traditional: go to a big bank, put your home up as collateral, and if you have a good credit history, you will get a good loan with a high interest rate.
Both strategies are reasonable, but there are other ways to finance small businesses.
In this article, we will discuss business loans and money management, along with everything you need to know about small business financing.
Financing Options for Your Business
Let’s first talk about the financing options available to you. Then we will look at how to manage small business financial management once you have the money in the bank.
Business Loans
Business loans are one of the most common types of loans for small businesses, where the amount of the bank loan is set at a fixed amount to be repaid in regular installments over a specified period. Business loans can have either a fixed or variable interest rate. These loans may require a large down payment to reduce the loan payments and the total loan costs.
Small business owners with two years of operation typically choose term loans. They use term loans to purchase assets (like equipment) or invest in growth, rather than to cover daily expenses.
Term loans have some features that distinguish them from other financing options: lower interest rates, flexible use of funds, and predictable payment schedules.
These loans come in three different loan options, each serving a different purpose for your business:
- Short-term loans (repaid within a year). Business owners choose these loans over cash flow loans because they have lower interest rates and are easier to obtain. You can use a short-term loan to buy inventory for holidays, take advantage of an inventory deal, or cover payroll if you face a cash shortfall.
- Medium-term loans (repaid between one and five years). These loans are good for larger projects like purchasing equipment or refinancing old business debts. You will want to use these loans for projects that may take a few months or years to yield a return on your investment.
- Long-term loans (repaid between six and twenty years). Long-term loans target growth opportunities, like purchasing a new building or acquiring heavy manufacturing equipment. They are backed by your company’s collateral or existing assets. These loans usually come with strict guidelines on what you can and cannot do with the money.
The application process in traditional banks can be cumbersome and opaque. For this reason, Shopify offers fast and straightforward financing for merchants. Through Shopify Capital, merchants can obtain funding within days of approval. Once merchants accept the offer and approve it, the funds are deposited within just two days, and loans can be repaid with each sale. You can use the loan to fund payroll, inventory, marketing campaigns, or anything else that can support your business growth.
What’s the best part? You can avoid lengthy application processes with minimal documentation and no credit check. By financing through Shopify Capital, you can get the financial support you need quickly and easily.
Merchant Cash Flow
This is a cash amount you can obtain for a fixed fee. In this model, the financier buys a percentage of your future sales, then collects a percentage of sales daily by withholding part of your credit or debit card sales. Since sales can be high on some days and low on others, there is no fixed time frame.
Provides
Shopify Capital provides funding for small businesses in the form of cash flow for qualifying merchants in the UK.
Equipment Financing
At some point in your business life, you will likely need to purchase, upgrade, or replace various pieces of equipment. This is where equipment loans come in.
Equipment financing is a type of small business loan designed to help you acquire equipment for your business. These loans can cover a number of items, including office furniture, commercial ovens, medical equipment, computers, heavy manufacturing equipment, and more.
Each lender will have different terms. But generally, you can finance about 80% of the total price of the item. Typically, a 20% down payment is required to secure a small business equipment loan. You own the equipment from day one.
Lines of Credit
Adapting to change is part of managing a small business on a regular basis. Sometimes, if there’s a growth opportunity you want to take advantage of, you may need cash quickly, with flexible monthly repayment terms, such as those offered by small business loans, unsecured lines of credit can be a great solution.
Think of a small business line of credit as more like a credit card than a loan. It gives you access to funds that you can use to meet any business needs that arise. There is no specified amount of money (which means you don’t receive all the cash at once) when opening a line of credit. Instead of having to use a set amount of funds, you can use only what you need, helping you manage your business finances better. Often, this helps you avoid paying interest on money you really don’t need.
Like a credit card, once you take cash from your line of credit, interest begins to accumulate. The amount you can spend depends on your available credit. With each repayment of drawn funds, your credit balance increases. The lender will set a limit on the amount you can borrow.
Small Business Administration (SBA) Loans
The Small Business Administration (SBA) partners with lenders to provide small business loans to small business owners. The SBA does not directly provide loans to borrowers. It sets guidelines for small business loans that are made by its partners. The SBA helps small business owners who may have difficulty obtaining approval for other loan programs.
For example, if a bank believes that your business is a high risk to lend to due to your poor credit, the SBA can guarantee the loan. This reduces the bank’s risk and makes it more willing to extend a business loan. SBA loans can be used for most business needs and vary in amount. SBA loans generally have more flexible terms and greater accessibility for a wide range of credit types.
Do you want to get a loan from the SBA? Learn more about eligibility requirements on the U.S. Small Business Administration’s website.
Alternative Financing Options
Many lenders may require you to provide collateral or a personal guarantee to approve financing. Collateral refers to an asset that can secure your loan repayment, such as your home or other high-value property.
If you fail to repay your loan, the bank will reclaim the property as compensation. This is the common lending process, but it’s not the only way.
Alternative financing options include:
- Friends and family
- Venture capitalists
- Crowdfunding
- Investing in your business
Business owners often turn to friends and family for funding when starting a new venture. They may raise funds from them before drafting a business plan or obtaining proof of value. The money can help finance initial inventory orders or early product development.
The way
the follow-up with friends and family is less formal than obtaining a bank loan or investing capital. Some may be willing to put money into your business without interest. This will allow you to retain full control over your company.
There are two main types of investments from friends and family: equity financing and business loans. In equity financing, you give investors a stake in the company. As your business value grows, so do their investments. In business loans, you promise to repay investors with interest over a specified period or when you reach a specific profitability point.
Investors come in the form of angel investors or venture capital funds. These accredited investors provide funding for small startups or early-stage companies. In return for investments, these investors receive a stake in ownership or convertible debt, which is a loan that can be converted into equity in the future.
Loan amounts can range from $5,000 to over a million dollars, depending on the ownership percentage and the size of the startup. This type of funding typically occurs when there is high growth and a significant opportunity for success. You might see this model when investing in commercial real estate as well.
Crowdfunding refers to raising small amounts of money from a large number of people, often in exchange for rewards. It is similar to friends and family and capital investments, but crowdfunding raises capital from the public.
Platforms like Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and GoFundMe have grown in recent years. These sites help people raise funds for new businesses, products, nonprofits, or charitable causes. There is no upward barrier to launching a crowdfunding campaign. Crowdfunding also helps attract a new audience to your online business that you might not reach through other means.
Another option for funding your business is investing your own money. Many entrepreneurs may reinvest early profits into marketing and advertising campaigns, without taking any salary for themselves. There is some math behind this strategy. So if you’re interested, read “Investing in Your Business: What You Need to Know Before You Start.”
How to Manage Your Small Business Money
There’s a familiar saying: “If you give a man a fish, he will eat for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you will feed him for a lifetime.” But what if that man has no idea what to do with the fish once he catches it? That’s where mastering small business financial management comes in.
When you understand how money works in small businesses, you’ll know what to do with the fish – that is, the money you earn and spend. This means more than just starting a low-investment business. It means that knowing how to manage your money properly gives your company a chance to survive and grow.
Separating Your Personal Money and Your Business Money
The first thing you need to do for the financial well-being of your business is to separate your personal money from your business money. Separating your personal finances from your business finances provides several advantages, from simplifying your accounting to protecting your personal property and other assets.
Separating your funds also has other benefits. It makes it easier to calculate tax deductions and prepare taxes overall when your business has its own bank account. It’s also easier to determine whether lunch on Wednesday with a client or a friend when your personal receipts aren’t mixed with your business funds. Even if you can distinguish one set of expenses from the other, sorting through a pile of paperwork during tax season wastes precious time and can cost you a lot of money to pay a professional accountant to do it for you.
When
Your small business is beginning to grow, and you may want to consider incorporating. This means that if your company faces financial or legal issues, your personal assets, such as your home or a college fund for your children, are protected in most cases.
It is important to know
Source: https://www.shopify.com/blog/small-business-finance#bizfinance
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