Thursday, October 29, 2015

The Definitive Guide to Debt Financing

Researching options to finance your business can feel like entering a foreign country. There are terms you don’t know, concepts you’ve never heard of, and you’re being asked to provide documents and make decisions based on information you don’t totally understand. The options are seemingly endless, and there are so many pros and cons to each. How do you know which way to turn?

If debt financing—or financing with a business loan—is among the options you’re considering, let this guidebook help you understand the language and culture of shopping and applying for a small business loan.

What is Debt Financing?

In the most basic terms, debt financing is a loan. Beyond that, it’s any form of funding that requires your business to repay principal plus interest to an individual, lender, or financial institution. So, in addition to traditional business loans, that includes a wide variety of different loan products that businesses can choose from to access funding.

What these products have in common is that they all involve some sort of repayment terms, meaning that your business—and in many cases you, as the owner—is held liable for that repayment.

Let’s explore the differences between the various types of debt financing products.

Types of Debt Financing

Your options for debt financing extend far beyond the traditional bank loan. As the alternative lending market has grown, so too have the types of debt financing available to small businesses. Here are the various loan products you may consider for your business financing needs:

SBA Loans

The Small Business Administration (SBA) is a federal agency dedicated to helping entrepreneurs improve their small businesses, take advantage of contracting opportunities, and gain access to business funding.

Although the SBA does not directly loan money to businesses, the agency’s various loan programs increase the chances that small businesses will be approved for loans by guaranteeing all or part of the loans, providing a bigger incentive for lenders to approve loans for small businesses by easing their anxieties.

There are three main SBA loan programs which help a wide variety of small businesses obtain debt financing:

7(a) Loan Program

The 7(a) loan program is the most common of the SBA’s various programs because it offers the most open-ended terms and qualifications, making it suited for a wide variety of businesses. Through this program, borrowers can access up to $5 million in funds for working capital, equipment and real estate purchases, basic startup costs, or even debt refinancing.

Qualification is left to the discretion of intermediary lenders, who will also determine the interest rates and total cost of the loan. However, the backing of the SBA often makes lenders more likely to approve term loans through this program than they otherwise would.

Microloan Program

Many solopreneurs and micro-entrepreneurs struggle with access to debt financing, because typically the loan sizes they need don’t meeting most lenders’ lower limits. To address this challenge, the SBA created the microloan program, which provides lending opportunities for entrepreneurs in need of between $500 and $50,000 in funding. The average microloan amount is about $13,000.

These loans are designed for businesses who have never before received a bank loan and have low or nonexistent business credit history. As with the 7(a) loans, exact rates and eligibility standards are guided by the SBA, but ultimately left to the discretion of the intermediary lender.

CDC/504 Loan Programs

The SBA’s CDC/504 loan programs are designed for businesses looking to make a major fixed asset purchase—such as large equipment, land improvements, or the purchase or renovation of an existing building. Borrowers through this program can take out up to $5 million, with repayment terms of up to 20 years and interest rates based on current treasury rates.

Keep in mind, though, that these are the most highly regulated of all SBA loans, so typically only well-established small businesses with long and strong credit histories will be able to qualify.

Term Loans

A traditional term loan is the easiest type of debt financing to understand, because it’s probably what you naturally think of when you think of a business loan. The terms are pretty simple. You borrow a fixed amount of money, usually for a specifically stated business purpose, and pay back the loan over a fixed term and typically at a fixed interest rate.

If you’re looking for a loan with a fixed interest rate and predictable monthly payments that can be used for a wide range of business purposes, a term loan will likely be your first and most obvious choice.

Business Line of Credit

Perhaps the most flexible form of business funding available, a business line of credit gives you capital to draw upon to meet a variety of business needs. Once established, you may draw on your line of credit as you would a personal credit card, to get more working capital, buy inventory, handle seasonal cash flows, pay off other debts, or address almost any other business need.

Equipment Financing

Applying for an equipment loan can be a quick, streamlined way to access funds to purchase computers, machinery, vehicles, or virtually any other equipment for your business. Similar to a car loan, the equipment itself acts as collateral for the loan, so you’re more likely to be approved without offering separate collateral than with other types of loans.

Invoice Financing

If delayed payments from clients are seriously endangering your cash flow, invoice financing is a great option to get your receivables back on track. Also known as accounts receivables financing, invoice financing is a system in which companies buy your accounts receivable.

Through this process, you’ll get a fast advance of about 80% of the value of your invoices, and then receive most of the additional 20% you’re owed later on, proportional to the amount of your invoices that were actually repaid.

Merchant Cash Advance

A merchant cash advance is a lump sum payment of liquid capital offered to a business in exchange for a percentage of the company’s future sales. When a borrower receives cash from a merchant capital provider, he agrees to pay back the cash advance, plus a fee, by allowing the provider to automatically deduct an agreed-upon percentage of his company’s daily credit and debit card sales.

In addition to being fast and easy to qualify for, a merchant cash advance can be a great fit for seasonal businesses who might struggle to make regular daily, weekly, or monthly payments during their slower sales months.

Choose the Best Debt Financing Option For Your Business

Now that we’ve reviewed all the different debt financing options available to your business, how do you decide which one is right for you? Ultimately, this decision depends on a number of factors which will vary from business to business. Here are the five main factors you’ll want to consider:

1. Amount of Financing You Need

The size of your loan may need to be guided by the size of loan you can afford—but if you don’t have the capital you need to achieve your goals, there’s no point in obtaining financing at all! Create a realistic budget for your business for the length of your desired loan, and then come up with a number that meets your needs.

2. Use of Funds

As you may have noticed above, the different types of loans suit different spending purposes. If you’re purchasing equipment, for example, you might consider an equipment loan.

3. Nature of Your Business

If you have a seasonal business, that may change the type of financing that works best for your needs. Seasonal businesses can sometimes have trouble making consistent daily, weekly, or monthly payments, since their sales volumes aren’t consistent from month to month. That’s why seasonal business owners might consider an alternative form of financing without a set payment schedule, such as a business line of credit or a merchant cash advance.

4. Affordability of Financing

Which loan option can you afford? Depending on your business circumstances, it may be that your ideal loan amount doesn’t match with your ability to qualify or with the loan amount you can afford. Use our debt service ratio calculator to determine the size of loan your business can reasonably take on, and see if you can align your business goals into steps that are possible with that amount of funding.

5. Ability to Qualify

Of course, as much as you’d like to shop around and choose the perfect debt financing option with the perfect interest rate, the reality is that your options may be limited by your ability to qualify. Later on, we’ll discuss qualification standards like your time in business, annual revenue, average bank balance, and personal credit score, all of which will determine exactly which lenders and loan products you’ll be eligible for.

How to Apply for Debt Financing

Once you’ve determined which type of debt financing to pursue, it’s finally time to apply for your loan product. The complexity and length of the application process varies widely depending on your lender and loan product. However, all lending applications are designed to answer the same question: Will you be able to repay your business loan?

Documents You’ll Need

Answering that question to the satisfaction of your lender can require a lot of documentation—so the more organized you are beforehand, the easier it will be to complete your loan application.

Not every one of these documents will apply for every business or be needed for every loan product—but gathering as many of these documents as possible beforehand will make your life much easier when the time comes to actually complete your loan application.

Prove Your Business is Legitimate

First, your lender will need to be assured of the legitimacy of your business. Here are a few documents you’ll want to have on hand to prove that your business is real, and that you have the authority to apply for a loan in the business’s name:

  • Business License – To obtain a loan, your business needs to meet all federal, state, and local licensing requirements. In addition to basic business registration, your business may also require other industry-specific licensing.
  • Proof of Business Ownership – Only the owner of a business has the authority to apply for a business loan, so you’ll need to prove that you own your business. If your business has multiple owners, you’ll need your partner’s written permission to apply for a business loan.
  • Franchise Agreement – If your business is a franchise, you’ll need a copy of the FFA agreement you signed with the franchisor.
  • Business Plan – While not always required, having a solid business plan shows lenders that you are serious about your business, and that you have a vision and blueprint for your business’s future.

Prove You Have a Customer Base

In order to make money and pay back your loan, your business needs a solid customer base. Especially if you run an invoice-based service business, gather these documents for use in your loan application:

  • Customer List – Who are your customers? A list with names, addresses, contacts, total amount invoiced, and any other database information you have is very helpful. Any reputable lender will never contact your customers without your explicit permission.
  • Accounts Receivables Aging Statement – Invoice-based businesses rely heavily on their receivables to maintain good cash flow. Provide your most recent AR aging statement to show how quickly your customers pay you as evidence of your business’s cash flow.
  • Credit Card Processing Statements – If you operate a retail business, your credit card processing statements will serve as concrete proof of yours sales volume. Gather your processing statements for the last 3-6 months as evidence of your sales.

Prove the Financial Health of Your Business

Your business’s assets, liabilities, revenue, and cash flow paint a picture of the overall health of your business, which in turn shows your ability to make payments on your loan. Lenders will have questions about both your personal and business finances, which you can answer with the following documents:

  • Personal Tax Return – Especially if you have a relatively new business, lenders may ask to see your most recent tax return.
  • Business Tax Returns – If you’ve been in business for awhile, have your last 2-3 years’ business tax returns on hand to show your long-term revenue history.
  • Balance Sheets – Most brokers recommend having accurate balance sheets on hand, both for your business’ year to date operations, and for the two prior fiscal years. If you use accounting software like Quickbooks, you should be able to pull your balance sheets easily—or use our free balance sheet template to create your own.
  • Profit & Loss Statements – This shows your company’s revenue and expenses. Include both a year-to-date P&L, updated within the last 60 days, and total profit and loss statements for the last two years.
  • Sales Forecast – Particularly if you have a newer business or your most recent profit and loss statements are less than stellar, providing an well-researched sales forecast may help to tip the scales in your favor.
  • Business Banking Statements – Provide at least four months’ worth of banking statements, six if you have them, and 12 if your business is seasonal. For each month, remember to include all pages of the bank statements, not just the first.

Disclose Your Other Business Debts

Finally, you’ll need to disclose to the lender any other outstanding debts that your business is responsible for. In addition to other business loans, this may include rent payments on your retail or office space, or a business credit card payment.

Gather these documents as evidence of your business’s other debts or liabilities:

  • Most Recent Accounts Payable Statement – Your accounts payable statement breaks down the accounts payable section of your balance sheet into even more information about who and how much you owe. If you use Quickbooks, you can pull accounts payable reports under Vendors & Payable Reports. Otherwise, you can create an excel spreadsheet similar to your AR aging report.

Qualification Standards

Ultimately, the point of compiling and submitting all these documents to lenders is to paint a picture of your business showing that you meet the lender’s qualification standards for debt financing.

The exact standards used are wide-ranging and can vary from lender to lender, but they typically boil down to these four most essential factors:

1. Annual Revenue

How much money does your business bring in per year, on average?

Lenders like to see that you have enough cash coming into your business to cover your loan payments, along with the rest of your company’s operating expenses. That’s why your annual revenue is a major indicator to lenders of your eligibility for a business loan.

Typically, lenders want to limit your total loan amount to less than 12% of your business’s total revenue, ensuring that you’ll be able to make your loan payments even when unexpected expenses come up.

2. Time in Business

How long has your business been operational?

Small business startup loans are notoriously hard to secure, because lenders know that the younger your business is, the less likely you are to make it for the long haul.

Businesses that have been operational for more than two years are typically considered the most fundable. If you’ve made it through your first year of business, you likely still have options. But if you’ve been in business for less than a year, you may have a harder time being approved for debt financing.

3. Average Bank Balance

How much cash do you have in the bank?

It’s inevitable in business that unexpected expenses come up. From a leaky roof to a bad batch of inventory, these little extra costs can tank your business if you’re sitting unprepared. That’s why even if your sales numbers are fantastic, a low bank balance will raise eyebrows over your ability to cover your loan payments on time, every time.

For maximum fundability, aim for an average bank balance equal to at least three months of operating expenses for your business, including your loan payment. If that feels out of reach, anything over $1,000 will help your loan eligibility.

4. Personal Credit Score

What’s your personal credit score?

Particularly if you’re a first time business owner with a relatively new business, your personal credit score will play a critical role in your chances of being approved for a small business loan.

Borrowers with a credit score above 700 are typically excellent loan candidates. If your credit score is between 640-700, you’ll likely still have several options available, depending on your credentials in the other three categories. However, if your personal credit score is under 600, you may struggle to be approved for a loan.

Submitting Your Application

The process of researching loan products and compiling paperwork is an arduous one, to be sure. But the good news is that if you’ve already done all that leg work, actually completing your application should be a breeze!

Contact your specific lender to obtain information about the application and submission process. Then fill out any remaining forms, do your lucky rain dance, and submit!

We hope this guide has answered most of your questions about what debt financing is, how the various types of business loan products function, and how debt financing might work for your business. But if you do have any specific questions about your business’s financial situation, remember that you can always contact a Fundera lending advisor for more information. We’re here to help!

The post The Definitive Guide to Debt Financing appeared first on Fundera Ledger.



from Fundera Ledger https://www.fundera.com/blog/2015/10/29/debt-financing/

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