Alternative Business FUNDING

Lenders often lend to businesses that have very limited or poor credit by offering them a short term loan or merchant cash advance (MCA). These lenders will have lower qualifying requirements, but they will often take payments out of the borrower’s bank account on a daily basis (term loan) or hold back a certain percentage of credit card sales (Merchant Cash Advance). This process allows the lender to feel more secure about making what is in effect a high-risk (for the lender) term loan without collateral.

For businesses that have uneven cash flow, the repayment structure of daily or weekly withdrawals may not work well. For businesses that have obligations to meet which fall close together, borrowing on this type of arrangement may not give the business enough time to pay off original debt before incurring more. If an MCA is your only choice, it is a good idea for the savvy business owner to analyze where operating costs can be cut.

Be sure to consult with a Funding Specialist in order to determine your best possible route. Quote 2 Fund has partnered with microloan organizations that assist non-traditional borrowers in order to build pathways toward smarter entrepreneurship.

Alternative finding tends to cost more, either in upfront fees, or in interest costs. The loans are a higher risk for the lender, particularly when they are unsecured, so there has to be an offset in earnings potential for the lender.

There has been a recent surge in a type of alternative business loan that operates against open receivables. This kind of loan lets a company’s accounts receivable (unpaid invoices for work or services provided) serve as collateral for a short term loan.In other words, the lender takes a look at the outstanding bills customers will be paying over the next 30 days and take those open receivables as collateral against which the company can borrow. This type of loan is normally a forty-five to ninety-day loan, and many companies use this sort of funding to float payroll as the payables become due.

Alternative financing usually involves reduced terms, perhaps topping out at one or two years. The documentation requirements for borrowing on an alternative program will be different from that required for another type of loan but, it is significantly less than that of more conventional financing products.

When evaluating the benefits and costs of alternative financing, one of the most important calculations for the business to make is the actual need for the funding. If there is an opportunity to keep the company in business if only there is thirty days’ worth of financing, this type of loan can be worth it. If there is a chance to acquire equipment that will double the company’s revenue, do it.