Making sense of a working capital loan offer can be difficult. At first glance, the offer might seem very steep – even invasive. However, if you look a little closer; it may be a very viable loan option for your small business.
Over the past few years there have been huge limitations on bank loans and lines of credit. Just ask anyone who has seen their bank line of credit go from $200,000 to $10,000 – even with great credit! Secondly, small business owners have been faced with their own credit issues such as late payments, foreclosures, bankruptcies, and even IRS liens. Big banks don’t seem to “get it”, whereas working capital lenders are willing to work with almost anyone. Why? Because they don’t base their loan decisions on your credit rating alone; instead they take a look at the overall cash flow of your business. Chances are if you have positive cash flow, you will qualify for a couple of different offers. At Ardent, it’s our job to help you navigate a decision that is best for your business.
Since working capital is simply based upon your sales and cash flow; there will not be assets required as collateral. That’s often comforting to our clients; especially if they own a home or a building that they run the business out of. Absent any assets as back-up; the lender has no choice but to ask for small, fixed daily ACH payments to ensure the loan is paid back as agreed. Many of our merchants have grown to appreciate the small daily payment over coming up with a large monthly payment. Big monthly obligations can be detrimental to small businesses. General contractors can actually wait up to 90 days to be paid. Having a smaller fixed payment is easier and more affordable when you’re talking about a short-term loan. Working capital lenders want you to pay them back; just like any other bank. Therefore, they are certain to keep your payments at a very low and comfortable level during the loan.
Here’s an example: Tony’s Pizza shows an average daily balance of $1,000 in the business checking account. The underwriter will keep Tony’s daily payment at around 10% of his daily average balance; meaning Tony has a Monday through Friday payment of about $100. If Tony had to pay once a month– the payment would be $2200 a month. That would eat up his cash flow very quickly and probably not allow him enough time to make a profit on the funds of his loan. If Tony missed just one month’s payment, it would be a lot harder and fairly expensive for Tony to catch-up.
Working Capital loans have come a long way over the past few years. The loans are renewable and offers tend to get larger over time. Rates have gotten lower and terms are more generous. Creating financial relationships for your company is key. It shows a willingness and an ability to pay opening future credit possibilities for your business. You can make it happen without providing a ton of paperwork. We won’t ask for Profit and Loss statements, a business plan, or your first-born child. Just prove the cash-flow and we’ll get a loan tailored to your business within days. It might just be the right way to grow your business this year! We can help you grow, call us at 1-888-316-1349 or start your application now!