Tuesday, May 25, 2010

How to Be A Success in Financing a Franchise in Canada

Financing a franchise in Canada should be an integral part the entrepreneurs business planning when acquiring a franchise in Canada. Our shared information here is applicable to franchisees who are buying a new unit directly from the franchisor, or alternatively an established business opportunity from an existing franchisee.

The excitement often pales a bit after the entrepreneur has chosen a franchise opportunity to focus on and then realizes that he now has to focus on financing that business. Typically clients ask us if financing a franchise in Canada is different from starting up any other business opportunity.The reality is that there is some pro’s and cons to financing a franchise, and the basic premise of our advice is to ensure that the business owner is well informed about his financing options .

Depending on the type and size of the franchise that you purchase you will have to make some sort of personal investment in the business. Naturally clients are always asking us to quantify how much they must put up as owner equity. You can perhaps guess the answer, and it is of course, “It depends!”

That is simply because each franchisor must insist upon, based on their own experience in their multi unit business experience, that a certain specific amount of owner investment helps to guarantee success.The other side of the coin is simply this, which is that the type of financing that you choose will in many times dictate what amount you are required to put in as owner equity. The final piece of the puzzle simply that depending on the overall breakdown of assets and intangibles in your business that will play a large role in what can be financed and what cannot.

In Canada various different options exist for Canadian franchise financing. The most popular method by far is a loan program that is underwritten by the Canadian government; the formal acronyms for the program are BIL, or alternatively CSBFL. In our experience 90% of franchises in Canada, in some manner are underwritten within this program.

By spending some time and working with a recognized franchise financing expert who has credibility, experience and success in franchise financing will pay a multitude of benefits for the budding Canadian entrepreneur.

As challenging and difficult it might seem to both purchase and successfully finance a franchise in Canada it simply often is a questions of sitting down either on your own or with a trusted advisor and determining how cash flow works in the franchise business you are considering purchasing .

The most successful franchisees that we work withare in a position to make at least a ‘ reasonable ‘ investment in the new franchise and have carefully considered the cash flowsinn’s and out’s of the business they are acquiring .

The optimal position you should be in is to be in a relatively solid personal financial position, have a decent personal net worth, and have some financial ‘buffer ‘in place to ensure the franchise investment can get off to a good start. In Canada, generally speakingyou need to have a Credit Bureau beacon score of 650 to ensure financing approvals.Higher is better of course.

In summary, Canadian franchise financing is both a business opportunity as well as a challenge. The majority of franchises in Canada are financed under a special government program. Other forms of financing such as equipment loans and working capital loans often supplement the entire process. Work with a trusted, credible financing advisor to ensure you understand your options and have planned well from a financial perspective.

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http://www.7parkavenuefinancial.com/Success_Financing_Franchise_in_Canada.html

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