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Alternative Financing Vs. Venture Capital: Which Option Is Best for Boosting Working Capital?

There are several potential financing options available to cash-strapped businesses that need a healthy dose of working capital. A bank loan or line of credit is often the first option that owners think of – and for businesses that qualify, this may be the best option.

In today’s uncertain business, economic and regulatory environment, qualifying for a bank loan can be difficult – especially for start-up companies and those that have experienced any type of financial difficulty. Sometimes, owners of businesses that don’t qualify for a bank loan decide that seeking venture capital or bringing on equity investors are other viable options.

But are they really? While there are some potential benefits to bringing venture capital and so-called “angel” investors into your business, there are drawbacks as well. Unfortunately, owners sometimes don’t think about these drawbacks until the ink has dried on a contract with a venture capitalist or angel investor – and it’s too late to back out of the deal.

Different Types of Financing

One problem with bringing in equity investors to help provide a working capital boost is that working capital and equity are really two different types of financing.

Working capital – or the money that is used to pay business expenses incurred during the time lag until cash from sales (or accounts receivable) is collected – is short-term in nature, so it should be financed via a short-term financing tool. Equity, however, should generally be used to finance rapid growth, business expansion, acquisitions or the purchase of long-term assets, which are defined as assets that are repaid over more than one 12-month business cycle.

But the biggest drawback to bringing equity investors into your business is a potential loss of control. When you sell equity (or shares) in your business to venture capitalists or angels, you are giving up a percentage of ownership in your business, and you may be doing so at an inopportune time. With this dilution of ownership most often comes a loss of control over some or all of the most important business decisions that must be made.

Sometimes, owners are enticed to sell equity by the fact that there is little (if any) out-of-pocket expense. Unlike debt financing, you don’t usually pay interest with equity financing. The equity investor gains its return via the ownership stake gained in your business. But the long-term “cost” of selling equity is always much higher than the short-term cost of debt, in terms of both actual cash cost as well as soft costs like the loss of control and stewardship of your company and the potential future value of the ownership shares that are sold.

Alternative Financing Solutions

But what if your business needs working capital and you don’t qualify for a bank loan or line of credit? Alternative financing solutions are often appropriate for injecting working capital into businesses in this situation. Three of the most common types of alternative financing used by such businesses are:

1. Full-Service Factoring – Businesses sell outstanding accounts receivable on an ongoing basis to a commercial finance (or factoring) company at a discount. The factoring company then manages the receivable until it is paid. Factoring is a well-established and accepted method of temporary alternative finance that is especially well-suited for rapidly growing companies and those with customer concentrations.

2. Accounts Receivable (A/R) Financing – A/R financing is an ideal solution for companies that are not yet bankable but have a stable financial condition and a more diverse customer base. Here, the business provides details on all accounts receivable and pledges those assets as collateral. The proceeds of those receivables are sent to a lockbox while the finance company calculates a borrowing base to determine the amount the company can borrow. When the borrower needs money, it makes an advance request and the finance company advances money using a percentage of the accounts receivable.

3. Asset-Based Lending (ABL) – This is a credit facility secured by all of a company’s assets, which may include A/R, equipment and inventory. Unlike with factoring, the business continues to manage and collect its own receivables and submits collateral reports on an ongoing basis to the finance company, which will review and periodically audit the reports.

In addition to providing working capital and enabling owners to maintain business control, alternative financing may provide other benefits as well:

It’s easy to determine the exact cost of financing and obtain an increase.
Professional collateral management can be included depending on the facility type and the lender.
Real-time, online interactive reporting is often available.
It may provide the business with access to more capital.
It’s flexible – financing ebbs and flows with the business’ needs.
It’s important to note that there are some circumstances in which equity is a viable and attractive financing solution. This is especially true in cases of business expansion and acquisition and new product launches – these are capital needs that are not generally well suited to debt financing. However, equity is not usually the appropriate financing solution to solve a working capital problem or help plug a cash-flow gap.

A Precious Commodity

Remember that business equity is a precious commodity that should only be considered under the right circumstances and at the right time. When equity financing is sought, ideally this should be done at a time when the company has good growth prospects and a significant cash need for this growth. Ideally, majority ownership (and thus, absolute control) should remain with the company founder(s).

Alternative financing solutions like factoring, A/R financing and ABL can provide the working capital boost many cash-strapped businesses that don’t qualify for bank financing need – without diluting ownership and possibly giving up business control at an inopportune time for the owner. If and when these companies become bankable later, it’s often an easy transition to a traditional bank line of credit. Your banker may be able to refer you to a commercial finance company that can offer the right type of alternative financing solution for your particular situation.

Taking the time to understand all the different financing options available to your business, and the pros and cons of each, is the best way to make sure you choose the best option for your business. The use of alternative financing can help your company grow without diluting your ownership. After all, it’s your business – shouldn’t you keep as much of it as possible?

Low Interest Business Loans

Regardless of the state of the economy, all entrepreneurs, either new at their trade or old hats in business, when seeking financing, tend to get caught up in haggling over the lowest possible interest rate that they can achieve.Who can blame them? Cost savings – especially while we are still experiencing recession like economic symptoms – may be the key to their business’s survival and their personal financial future.But, sometimes, merely basing a financing decision on just its cost (its interest rate in this case) alone can be even more detrimental. All business decisions should be taken in the whole – with both benefits and costs consider simultaneously – especially with business loans.Let me explain: In today’s market, any offer of a business loan – regardless of its costs – should not be taken lightly given the fact that these business transactions are hard to come by. Thinking that this interest rate is too high and that a better one will come along tomorrow may just be destructive thinking as nothing may come along tomorrow – especially in this continued sluggish economy and all lenders being overly cautious.Further, if the business owner’s decision hinges so much on the rate of the loan, then maybe a business loan is not something the business truly needs at this time or may be a decision that just spirals the business further along an unhealthy path.Example: Let’s take a simple but common business loan situation. A $100,000 loan for 5 years with monthly payments at 8% interest. This loan would require monthly payments of $2,028 for the next 60 months. Now, let’s say the interest rate was 12% instead of 8%. This would result in a monthly payment of $2,225 – nearly $200 per month higher. A significant increase – nearly 10% higher with the larger interest rate.This is what most business owners, when seeking outside capital tend to get caught up in – the lower rate means more savings for the business and thus a better decision.But, what happens if the current lender will not lower the rate from 12% to 8%? Or, if another, lower rate loan / lender does not come along? Is it still a good business decision?Looking at the cost of the loan or the interest rate is purely one sided and could potential affect the long-term viability of your business – the benefits of the loan also have to be weighed in.Let’s say that the business can take that $100,000 loan and use it to generate an additional $5,000 in new, monthly business income. Does it really matter the interest rate at this point as the nearly $200 difference in the rate is really trivial (especially over the 60 months period) compared to possibly declining the higher rate loan and getting nothing in return (losing out on the $5,000 in new revenue per month).Or, what if the business would only be able to generate $1,000 in new, extra income from the $100,000 loans? Then no matter what the interest rate (8%, 12% 50% or higher), the business should not even be considering a loan in this situation.Why do I bring this up? Simply because I have seen business after business either lose out on their future potential or fatally harm their organization over a mere one or two percent increase in a business loan rate. We are just conditioned to think that if we do not get the rate we feel we deserve – then the deal is bad for us. That can not be further from the truth. Know that these conditioning instincts we tend to have are more from the fact that competitors (those other lenders seeking our business) tell us we can do better or that we deserve better – but in end only finding out that those ploys never really work to our benefit.The lesson here is that all business decisions are more complex then we may initially think or been lead to believe. We are taught from very early in life to negotiate for the lowest costs – like zero interest car loans or buy now with “the lowest mortgage rates in decades” – either case, one would not buy a car or a house (regardless of the interest rate) if there was not a great need – a need that provides more in benefits then its costs.The same should be done with business loans. Loans are merely an asset to a business and should be treated as such. Business loan assets should be used to generate more in revenue than they cost – the more the better. If they are not being used (like any other business asset) to generate the greatest benefit that they can generate, then they should be pulled from whatever use they are currently being employed in and put into use that will generate the greater benefit. It is simply a law of business.Thus, merely focusing on only one side of a business decision – the interest rate for a business loan decision – can have an unforeseen, adverse affect on the business – creating more harm then good. The entire situation should be taken into advice before a decision is made.In fact, in the case outlined above, the interest rate can increase as high as 56% for the 60 months before the cost would outweigh the benefits – provided there were no additional costs associated with the loan.In my experience, I have always found it much easier to look at the benefits first (like the increased monthly revenue that can be generated) then search out the lowest costs options to receive those benefits. But, as stated, this is essentially opposite of what we tend to be taught in our society or in our markets (remember the zero percentage auto loans – which have the lost interest revenue built into the price). But, sometimes the best entrepreneurs think outside the box and tend to go against any conventional wisdom we may have been subject to – mostly for the benefit of others and not ourselves.Therefore, when seeking a business loan and finding yourself fighting hard for a small decrease in your interest rate – be sure to step back for a moment and look at the entire picture – as a low interest business loan may not be in the best interest of the business in all circumstances.

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Financing Private Home Care

When the time comes that we can no longer take care of ourselves or our loved ones, we definitely need to be prepared. Life is a long journey and we should be ready for the years when bathing, eating, dressing up or even walking are no longer that easy. Most families nowadays rely on caregivers or care providers to assist and take care of their elderly loved ones or family members who have special medical conditions.However, most families also fear losing all their savings or finances paying for private home care services; that’s why they choose cheaper options that in reality are not that comfortable for the patients themselves. In truth, letting our loved ones stay at home and be taken care of there is a lot more beneficial for them. They will feel much better physically, emotionally and psychologically. The good news is that we shouldn’t be scared nor should we hesitate in choosing private care for our loved ones as there are a lot of ways on how we can finance private home care.1. MedicareMedicare normally covers private home care expenses for a specific span of time. Usually, when a patient has recently gotten out of a hospital or a long-term facility, Medicare provides financial assistance so that monitored care can be continued at the comfort of the patient’s home. However, one should take note of the requirements to avail of this benefit. In most cases, the doctor’s order for home care is necessary as well as other supporting documents. Ask your local representative for detailed information.2. MedicaidMedicaid is just about the same as Medicare only that the former’s qualifications or basis of eligibility relies on a patient’s income rather than age and disability. There are also other differences in terms of health coverage but Medicaid is definitely another good way to help you finance your private home care services. Just also make sure that necessary documents are filed and the doctor’s order is noted to apply for financial assistance.3. Social SecurityWhen you’re getting Social Security benefits, you can set some of the amount aside to aid in paying for your home care. You can supplement your Medicare and Medicaid coverage by letting your saved Social Security benefits pay for those expenses that are not covered by the first two.4. Long Term InsuranceMost long-term insurance policies provide assistance for private home medical care. Although coverage varies among insurance companies, you should remember that most of them has or requires a maturity or elimination period before you can avail of specific benefits.5. Veterans BenefitsIf you’re a U.S. Armed Forces Veteran, you may actually qualify for a Disability Pension Benefit that you can use for your home care expenses. This said benefit is mostly termed or referred to as the “Aid and Attendance Allowance”. You can use the internet to search for more information regarding qualifications or procedures on how to avail this benefit.These are just some of the creative ways on how you can finance your private home care services. Not every one of us may be qualified with all the options provided above but it doesn’t mean that we should set aside our loved one’s comfort and wellness for practicality. After all, families can always pitch in and help each other for another loved one who needs the help.

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