There are two major business opportunity investment loan mistakes which should always be anticipated and avoided. These key business financing errors can be avoided with a reasonable amount of time and caution.
Commercial borrowers should be able to obtain improved business opportunity investment loan terms and avoid potentially devastating business finance problems by taking some precautions as noted in this article. Avoiding critical business loan mistakes is an especially essential requirement in securing appropriate business financing terms when real estate is not involved.
A key factor that distinguishes business opportunity financing from other forms of business financing is the lack of commercial property ownership. Although the transaction will usually involve a long-term lease agreement, the buyer is acquiring a business that does not include real estate in the purchase price.
The two mistakes described in this article are more typical than expected by most commercial borrowers. While we will not be addressing all possible business opportunity financing problems in this article, we will include two of the most severe issues to anticipate and avoid.
Length of Business Financing -
A common mistake when acquiring a business opportunity is to finance the acquisition with business financing that expires within two to five years. One reason for this occurring is the failure to negotiate a longer-term lease, since it is typical for financing terms to expire with the lease.
A viable solution is to insist on a lease that is at least ten years long. This will facilitate business finance terms that can typically be for a ten-year period. One key factor that limits business opportunity financing to a ten-year period is due to the absence of commercial real estate collateral.
Use of Excessive Seller Financing -
Although nominal seller financing (such as 10-20%) can be helpful to a business financing transaction, attempts to finance either entirely or primarily with seller financing are generally inadvisable. There are several different issues which can result in this being a serious mistake.
If a seller is providing most or all of the business acquisition financing, a formal appraisal might not be obtained. While this appears to offer the advantage of saving the cost of such an appraisal, it also eliminates an important method of determining if the purchase price is appropriate. It is also not uncommon for a seller to have acquired a business appraisal that is used to substantiate the purchase price for the business they are selling. An appraisal financed by the seller is not likely to be an independent business value estimate.
An additional restriction when using excessive seller financing is that it typically will cover a period of three years or less. This will necessitate refinancing within a period that is not always practical to do so. A loan history up to 48 months will be required by some lenders prior to refinancing a business opportunity loan.
Solutions and Strategies for Avoiding Business Opportunity Investment Loan Mistakes -
Business borrowers should thoroughly discuss options with a business financing expert before proceeding with investing and financing programs. These efforts will be worthwhile since the potential business finance mistakes described above can be overcome successfully. Borrowers should seek out advisors capable of providing candid solutions in their efforts to obtain a better picture of complicated business opportunity financing possibilities.
Failure to Communicate Within a Small Business
A failure to communicate can create havoc in several critical areas for small businesses. Three potential solutions include business training, negotiating and writing. Ironically these functions are also among the most likely to be severely impacted by a failure to use business communications strategies effectively in the first place.
Communication Strategies for Small Businesses
When individuals and businesses talk about communication, there can be many possibilities as to what they are including in the topic. While cell phones and tablet computers might be relevant to small business owners, the more actionable areas of interest are likely to include business proposals, negotiating and teamwork. Writing seems to have fallen into neutral territory as a strategy for communicating, and along with that the use of business proposal writing has also declined within many small businesses. Until companies discover more effective business development strategies, writing business proposals should be looked at closely.
Finance and Business Mistakes
Business and finance mistakes can be costly and cause other serious complications. While it can be helpful to learn from mistakes, it is also preferable to avoid such situations whenever possible.
