Get Rid Of Cash Flow Problems Once And For All With Accounts Receivable Factoring Companies
Factoring in Canada continues to be more and more of a financing option for Canadian business owners and financial managers. Generally speaking, factoring in Canada is a great synonym for alternative financing. When Canadian businesses cannot raise traditional financing for working capital and cash flow solutions, factoring via invoice discounting becomes one of several viable alternatives.
IS FACTORING INVOICES A GOOD IDEA? WHO USES FACTORING
Factoring invoices work for all companies that sell on business credit, require money for day-to-day operations and who have a creditworthy customer base. The cost of this type of financing is quoted as a fee and not an interest rate, and companies should be able to absorb this method of finance.
WHEN DOES INVOICE FACTORING WORK WELL?
Invoice factoring works well for business owners that need money quickly, have reliable customers that have a history of paying invoices on time and can afford the fees that come with selling invoices to a third party - that party is accounts receivable factoring companies. If this sounds like your business, you might benefit from an invoice factoring solution!
FACTORING FACILITIES CAN BE SET UP QUICKLY AND EASILY
Part of the appeal of a Canadian factoring finance solution is a firm's ability to put this financing facility in place fairly quickly. In our experience, the facility generally takes about two weeks to finalize, from start to finish. When we compare this against a firm's time spent negotiating traditional Canadian chartered bank financing, we can easily see this as a key advantage.
WHAT INDUSTRIES IN CANADA USE FACTOR FINANCE
Almost every industry in Canada has the potential for factoring invoices. The process is also referred to as invoice discounting. Companies that maximize the factoring process are generally those that are expanding and growing very quickly – this is probably the optimal use of factoring as an alternative financing vehicle, but in many cases Factoring in Canada is simply a survival or restructuring strategy of a temporary basis. Factoring companies in Canada are often referred to as a 'bridge' back to traditional financing.
Most business owners and financial managers are keenly aware of both the cost of carrying their receivables and at the same time the amount of management time that is spent on monitoring this asset, which quite often represents the largest or second-largest ‘ current asset ‘ they have on their balance sheet. (Inventory is 2nd).
WHAT IS THE TYPICAL CHARGE FOR FACTORING / INVOICE FACTORING RATES?
The average costs of factoring is between 1-2% and depends on factors such as monthly volume, overall credit quality of your receivables and the average invoice value. These costs are expressed as a fee, not an interest rate.
So when you don’t want to wait 30 to 90 days, or in some cases 90 days as seeming the norm being the norm, accounts receivable factoring is the quick and effective solution. It is somewhat more costly than traditional financing, but savvy business owners can turn the perceived high costs of factoring around in many creative ways.
This can be done in very basic ways, such as increasing pricing by 1 or 2% or utilizing part of the cash flow generated from factoring to take prompt payment discounts with suppliers and negotiating better pricing on goods and services. Imagine a financing solution that gives you unlimited cash flow and whose costs can be effectively managed by smart business decisions in your business and operational and purchasing model!
FACTORING FINANCE IS NOT DEBT ON YOUR BALANCE SHEET
The process of factoring is really one of the key issues around why factoring was much slower to catch on in Canada, and business owners are highly recommended to research this type of financing with an experienced and credible partner. If properly structured, your Canadian factoring solutions will not require additional collateral, and they should not be confused with term debt or additional borrowing. You are simply ‘monetizing’ immediately your largest liquid asset, those receivables!
SOME BACKGROUND AND HISTORY ON FACTORING
So why has factoring become a cash flow solution of choice for Canadian businesses? If it’s so great, why haven’t you heard more about it? The truth is that factoring has been in place for hundreds (some claim thousands!) of years. When I first heard of factoring is was always in conjunction with the textile or garment industry in Canada, much of that out of Montreal. Nowadays, factoring is pervasive in every industry. We can easily maintain that if your firm has good receivables and your overall gross margins can handle factoring, you should consider this financing a potential alternative.
So what’s the ‘Canadian’ spin on factoring? We know that in the U.S., there are probably over a thousand-factor firms - these firms are looking for financing relationships with U.S. businesses. In Canada, the market and the players are, as usual, smaller in size.
We strongly believe that one of the reasons factoring in Canada did not catch on as quickly was simply that Canadian business owners did not like the concept that their receivable is managed via a notification process to their customer.
DO BANKS OFFER FACTORING
Banks do not offer factoring as a general rule. Instead, they take an assignment of your accounts receivables, and these ongoing receivables are collateral security for the loan or line of credit. They have security on your A/R receivables loan, unlike the factoring process, which sells a receivable.
So if your overall business philosophy does not foster the idea of a finance company notifying and collecting your receivable for you, you should strongly consider a non-notification financing factoring facility. This again is where you need the services of a trusted, credible, and experienced financing advisor to steer you through the Canadian factoring process.
In summary, Factor companies in Canada are, relatively speaking, a newer form of financing – but has been in place in Europe and the U.S. for hundreds of years. It has major cash flow benefits, is a great alternative financing strategy, and, if managed properly, is cost-effective.
One of the best Canada factoring solutions is Confidential Receivable Finance - allowing you to bill and collect your own receivables without any notification to any clients, suppliers, etc. Companies can choose between non recourse factoring and recourse factoring depending on what level of typical bad debt risk they wish to maintain of transfer.
Are you looking to fast-track your liquidity as a small business? Factoring services will turn your outstanding invoices into cash immediately, either the same day or within 24 hours. Talk about accelerated working capital via factoring financing!
In some cases, PO financing might be an additional service that is complementary to A/R Finance.
CONCLUSION
Processes that Canadian owners may not necessarily like around the paperwork and customer intrusion from ar factoring companies can be managed and negotiated carefully with the assistance of an experienced Canadian business financing advisor like 7 Park Avenue Financial, with a track record of success in this area of factoring program and accounts receivables as a key asset of your business.
7 Park Avenue Financial :
South Sheridan Executive Centre
2910 South Sheridan Way
Suite 301
Oakville, Ontario
L6J 7J8
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7 Park Avenue Financial provides value-added financing consultation for small and medium-sized businesses in the areas of cash flow, working capital, and debt financing.
Business financing for Canadian firms, specializing in working capital, cash flow, asset based financing, Equipment Leasing, franchise finance and Cdn. Tax Credit Finance. Founded 2004 - Completed in excess of 100 Million $ of financing for Canadian corporations.
Stan has had a successful career with some of the world’s largest and most successful corporations. He is an experienced
business financing consultant
.Prior to founding 7 Park Avenue Financial in 2004 his employers over the last 25 years were, ASHLAND OIL, ( 1977-1980) DIGITAL EQUIPMENT CORPORATION, ( 1980-1990) ) CABLE & WIRELESS PLC,( 1991 -1993) ) AND HEWLETT PACKARD ( 1994-2004 ) He is an expert in Canadian Business Financing.
Stan has over 40 years of business and financing experience. He has been recognized as a credit/financial executive for three of the largest technology companies in the world; Hewlett-Packard, Digital Equipment and Cable & Wireless. Stan has had in-depth, hands-on experience in assessing and evaluating thousands of companies that are seeking financing and expansion. He has been instrumental in helping many companies progress through every phase of financing, mergers & acquisitions, sales and marketing and human resources. Stan has worked with startups and public corporations and has many times established the financial wherewithal of organizations before approving millions of dollars of financing facilities and instruments on behalf of his employers.
Click here for the business finance track record of 7 Park Avenue Financial
Stan Prokop
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