Read this article to learn how invoice factoring can be used to smooth out cash flow issues and solve cash flow problems.
Small businesses have been one of the biggest victims of the economic credit crunch. Some have seen their revenues go down. And almost everyone has seen their cash flow suffer. Clients that used to pay in 15 days are now paying in 30 or even 45 days. And those that used to pay in 45 days may now be paying in 60 days. The net effect of this is that cash flow weakens, and with it, the company's ability to operate.
Although larger companies have sufficient reserves to wait for payments, few small companies do. And, due to the lack of credit, small companies usually need to pay their own bills sooner. This creates an unsustainable situation, where the end result is downsizing the company, if not closing it.
The most obvious way to solve this problem is to get a business loan. The problem, especially in today's market, is that qualifying for business loans is very hard. Most institutions are being cautious, in part due to their own capital problems, and are only providing business financing to their prime customers. These are customers that have solid income statements, strong balance sheets and seasoned management teams. This also rules out a number of small and midsized business owners who also need the funding.
One alternative that is often overlooked is invoice factoring, a solution that is specifically designed to address slow payments from commercial clients. It helps by providing an advances for your slow paying invoices - this accelerates your cash flow enabling you to meet your obligations. You get immediate funds, while the factor who bought the invoice from you, waits to get paid. The transaction settles once your client actually pays the invoice. The factoring company charges you a small fee for the service.
The transaction is usually structured as a sale - where you sell your invoice to the factoring company. Because of this structure, factoring companies are more interested in the commercial credit of your clients than yours. This means that small to medium sized companies whose biggest asset is a list of solid customers can usually obtain factoring financing.
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