New Ways To Achieve Accounts Receivable and Inventory Financing - The Working Capital Finance Loan Facility

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Canadian Inventory Finance Loan Solutions

Information on inventory financing in Canada . What are the best ways to finance inventory and accounts receivable via a loan arrangement that works ?

Successful business owners and financial managers are always looking for a new... no wait, ' better ' way business financing success. No where that is more obvious than in the quest for

accounts receivable and inventory financing

, the actual monetization, if you will, of your balance sheet current asset accounts.



So we have dubbed the solution as W/C solution if you will . What's W/C - Why working capital of course, and a variety of ' flavours of this type of financing loan facility are available to your company. It's just that they are not well known - Until now!



Is it unique, or novel to be looking for way to raise cash flow and working capital out of your receivable and inventory investments? Absolutely not, its just that its become a lot more difficult in the past several years - and we're talking from the start up right up to major corporations - No one has been exempt from the pain challenge of raising working capital, that works!



So what sort of ' cash flow products ' if you will, are available? Many clients are skeptical that it is difficult, or impossible to generate a stand along inventory finance facility. There is some truth in their belief, in that the collateralization of your inventory is in many cases tied to the overall collateral that your company offers up, usually in the form of a blanket General Security Agreement given to your lender, in some cases Canadian chartered banks.



However the hard reality, even harsher since the 2008-2009 recession, is that inventory financing in Canada has been difficult to achieve.



So let’s cover off your options in this regard, one of them might well be the option you are looking for. At the top of our order is of course straightforward bank financing that is margined against your collateral, typically the A/R and inventory we mentioned. That’s probably optimal, but the requirements that come with that facility are significant, they are good financials, owner guarantees, strong operating performance... well you know the drill.



However, did you know that there are independent finance firms that offer a working capital facility along the same lines as that chartered banking arrangement we mentioned. The most valuable facility is the asset based loan, a financing arrangement that in many ways is similar to a bank deal, but significantly margins your inventory financing needs simply because real value and appraisals are made on your inventory. There are numerous situations where clients have been able to double, and even triple their overall working capital loan facility with this type of transaction.



A number of what we call ' second tier ' firms step in for many small and medium size transactions, for facilities that generally range from 250k - to 3 Million dollars. These facilities are more expensive, but again give you very solid borrowing power.



And back to our main theme, is it possible to achieve a pure inventory and contract financing in Canada. This solution is more expensive, but non bank in nature, and provides a method in which you suppliers are paid directly , with your rights in inventory and contracts being assigned to the lender an independent finance firm, somewhat boutique in nature . You are simply leverage the actual inventory prior to it being sold and generated into a true receivable, which of course itself can then be monetized.



So, whats our take away here? Pretty basic, yet giving you hope. Various forms of direct inventory, non bank financing, and contract and purchase order financing do exist in Canada. They are becoming more mainstream everyday. Intrigued? Got questions? Have a unique situation? Speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor real world solutions to an inventory financing loan facility in Canada.

7 Park Avenue Financial :
South Sheridan Executive Centre
2910 South Sheridan Way
Suite 301
Oakville, Ontario
L6J 7J8

Direct Line = 416 319 5769

Office = 905 829 2653

Email = sprokop@7parkavenuefinancial.com

Click here for 7 PARK AVENUE FINANCIAL

http://www.7parkavenuefinancial.com


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 .

' Canadian Business Financing With The Intelligent Use Of Experience '

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stan has had a successful career with some of the world’s largest and most successful corporations.
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 finance executive 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.

Stan Prokop

Receivable Factoring – The Two Things You Need to Know !

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We're Looking Inside the Box on Canadian Receivable Financing- Here's What We Found!

Information on A/R Financing Solutions In Canada

Canadian business owners and financial managers can make some big, painful, expensive and time consuming mistakes when they choose the wrong factoring facility.  In a previous article we highlight three popular misconceptions about factoring – they were:

-Factoring is the pledging of receivables

- Factoring is expensive

- All receivable financing services and facilities are essentially the same

We provided information that clearly showed that there are a number of fallacies and myths about the factoring of receivables in Canada, and that the prudent business owner needs to investigate the true costs and ‘how to’ of factoring in Canada.
Let’s now share two other major misconceptions around this method of business financing in Canada. They are as follows:

• Factoring is very intrusive to my customers and suppliers (NOT NECESSARILY!)

• All factoring companies are essentially the same (WRONG!)

Before we examine these two popular business misconceptions lets take a very brief step back and recap what receivable factoring is.

Canadian business, more than ever, needs cash flow and working capital to survive. Many traditional sources have either disappeared, dried up, so to speak, or simply are not available in the current business climate. Primarily we are of course referring to generous bank lines of credit for receivables and inventory. Business must go on, so how do business owners resolve these temporary cash crunches. One alternative is factoring.

The other alternative is a term loan, which has fixed payments, and generally extends for a period of three to five years. So the business owner must decide whether to focus on short term working capital – i.e. a factoring solution, or permanent working capital via a term loan or more owner equity.
So now let’s debunk out two myths surround factoring.

In a traditional what we will call the U.S. model of factoring we will agree that factoring, otherwise known as receivable discounting is in fact intrusive. The factor firm has the ability to in essence take control of your entire receivables function, including invoicing your customers with notification from themselves, dunning letters and calls for collection, and the insistence of payments being made directly to their firm. Is this intrusive – we certainly think so.

 Is this the only alternative for Canadian business – absolutely not? Prudent business owners will seek the advice of an experienced, trusted, and credible advisor in business financing who will structure a facility that allows them to collect their own receivables. Under this scenario they will reap the benefits of factoring ( Immediate cash, increased working capital ) while at the same time preserving customer good will . So the bottom line is, yes, if you enter into the wrong type of facility, factoring will be deemed intrusive, but you have options and you should investigate those with professional assistance.


Now let’s cover our final misconception – ‘all factoring firms are the same’. The reality is that if you are not an expert in this unique form of business financing then you can probably be forgiven for having talked to a few firms and drawn the conclusion they have the same product and service offering. The reality – Nothing could be further from the truth. Factor firms in Canada are sorted by geography, ownership (many are just branches of U.S. and U.K.operations) their own capital and borrowing structure, and, most importantly, how they do business on a day to day with you and your customers.

When we talk to clients about factoring solutions we recommend they focus on firms that have a nominal holdback, competitive rates, and , most importantly, are comfortable in allowing you to do your own billing and collecting . Naturally at the same time you are in a position to reap the key benefits of receivable financing, which is cash flow and working capital leverage you did not have.


Talk to an expert, sort out the good from the not so good, and focus on a receivable financing facility that meets your cash flow and growth needs. That’s solid business financing.




7 Park Avenue Financial :

South Sheridan Executive Centre
2910 South Sheridan Way
Suite 301
Oakville, Ontario
L6J 7J8

Direct Line = 416 319 5769

Office = 905 829 2653

Email = sprokop@7parkavenuefinancial.com

 http://www.7parkavenuefinancial.com

 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 .

' Canadian Business Financing With The Intelligent Use Of Experience '

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stan has had a successful career with some of the world’s largest and most successful corporations.
 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 finance executive 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.

Stan Prokop

Invoice Cash – Immediate Cash For Accounts Receivable And Inventory

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Cash Flow From Your Sales - Figured Out - Finally !

Information on invoice cash financing strategy . The ability to generate immediate AR Cash from your sales revenues increases the probability of business financing & financial success

Invoice cash – What is the problem and what is the solution? The problem or challenge is a classic one for Canadian business owners and financial managers. It is that sales are growing fast, but, guess what? The receivables associated with those fast growing sales and converting into cash. In fact they are tying up your working capital for 30, 60, and sometimes 90 days. How can you tell if this is happening? Well we are sure it’s fairly intuitive to most customers, but you can actually do a very basic calculation on this to verify. We also tell our clients there is one easy way to fix the problem,


We advise our clients to track something as simple as the ‘ Turnover of Working Capital ‘ – Take your sales for the time period, example, month, or year , and divide by you working capital which is calculated by current assets minus current liabilities . If your ratio is trending higher you will find that you are having more working capital challenges.


Our clients often ask for solutions though, not a financial ratio as we have presented above! Invoice cash, also known as factoring or receivable discounting is one solution to the above working capital challenge. This solution also assumes you have been unable to get any, or enough, bank financing to fund your business.


How does this solution work – it’s a simple process of generating your invoice as you sell your product, and then on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis (it’s your choice) sending these invoices to the factoring or invoice discounting firm. They will on a same day basis send you approx 90% of those funds immediately. You have just generated IMMEDIATE cash flow for your business. The other 10% of the invoice is paid to yourself when your customer pays, minus a ‘ discounting fee ‘ , which is a carrying or financing charge for the factoring firm .


Canadian business owners need to ensure they have the right facility. We encourage clients to get the type of facility where they continue to bill and collect their own receivables during the factoring process. Also, the Canadian business landscape relative to invoice cash/ factoring firms is much different than in the United States.


As a Canadian business owner or financial manager contemplating a factoring facility you should consider the following key points:


-What fees are you paying – ensure your fee is clearly understood and has no miscellaneous costs


Ensure you can bill and collect your own receivables – many factor firms will want to take over to some degree your invoicing and collection function


Ensure you are dealing with a firm that understands the Canadian landscape – many firm are simply branches of U.S. organizations


You should ensure that your capital requirements can be met and that the firm can fund companies in your facility size range. More cash flow means more growth, more profits, and more competitive success for your Canadian company.


That is a good thing!




7 Park Avenue Financial :

South Sheridan Executive Centre
2910 South Sheridan Way
Suite 301
Oakville, Ontario
L6J 7J8

Direct Line = 416 319 5769

Office = 905 829 2653

Email = sprokop@7parkavenuefinancial.com



http://www.7parkavenuefinancial.com

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 .

' Canadian Business Financing With The Intelligent Use Of Experience '

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stan has had a successful career with some of the world’s largest and most successful corporations.
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 finance executive 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.







Stan Prokop

Factoring Financing In Canada - Your Viable Cash Flow Solution

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Cracking The Code In A/R Cash Flow Financing

Information on factoring financing in Canada . Here's how this real world business finance solutions works and why it just might make sense for your company

Factoring - Financing in Canada has a limited number of options, and factoring is certainly become one of them. When we meet with Canadian business owners and financial managers to discuss their working capital and cash flow problems customers are either self financing or requiring cash flow assistance, or their current financing needs to not provide them with the working capital and cash flow they require.

Canadian banks are among the strongest and most successful in the world - part of that reason is their somewhat conservative stance to Canadian business financing .- That conservative stances serves shareholders very well, but certainly doesn’t help small and medium sized business owners achieve their financing needs .


So where does your business get the cash flow it needs. Long term borrowing, i.e. what the finance people call ' term debt ' is not really the solution for day to day operating and working capital needs. Companies generate cash from the ' current assets ' portion of their balance sheet. That involves the following asset categories -

Cash
Inventory
Receivables

Factoring focuses on turning receivables into immediate cash. Yes there is a cost and a process but those costs and that way of doing business can be properly justified with the help of a trusted and credible advisor in this area of Canadian working capital finance.

When we meet with business owners to discuss their working capital needs it is essential they understand their working capital situation and requirements. Customer doesn’t need to be full fledged chartered accountants to measure their working capital situation and needs.

By taking a very few numbers for their financial statement customers can monitor the level of working capital to fund the business, and make payments on any debt the company has - i.e. loans, leases, etc .

Those calculations are very simply but not always properly understood or monitored by our customers. For example, determine your current working capital by taking your current assets and subtracting current liabilities - it’s as simple as that. Then monitor this number against the following items:

Sales
Total assets
Total liabilities

By at least on a monthly basis analyzing these very basic numbers will show your trends in your working capital needs and any deterioration that might be setting in.

Well, to this point we have discussed the problem - Is factoring the solution? It can be.

Factoring works as follows if you have properly structured a facility for your own particular business model and way of doing business. You simply sell, or ‘factor’ invoices as you generate them. You receive 80-90% of the money immediately, the balance on payment from your customer. There is of course no ' free lunch' in Canada so a financing fee, or ' discount fee ' is deducted from the funds due you. In Canada this can be in the range of 1 - 2 1/2% on average. Your ability to negotiate the best fee and the type of facility that suits your daily paperwork is probably going to come from working with a trusted and credible advisor in this area of Canadian Finance.

Higher turnover of receivables, I.E. via factoring, is a great indicator of a successful company. Your company is in a better position to invest funds, pay creditors in a timely fashion, and grow and profit your business.

If your firm could sell more because it had the working capital to finance receivables and inventory and purchase more goods you are turning over assets constantly and generating more profit .Therefore the 1-2% cost of the factoring is hardly what the Canadian business owner should focus on. You can also extend credit terms to major customers or new potential customers, which becomes a major competitive advantage - like your firm your customer also views ' cash as king' and will probably reward you with new business. Offering larger amounts of credit to good customers, with great payment terms is a great way to increase your competitive presence.

Factoring might no be the solution for every firm in Canada, most certainly it is not - 'BUT ' - if you cant get the financing you need its a solid working capital Canadian alternative . Work with a trusted advisor to get the facility that suits your business and needs.



Stan Prokop - founder of 7 Park Avenue Financial –
Originating business financing for Canadian companies , specializing in working capital, cash flow, asset based financing . In business 13 years - Completed in excess of 100 Million $$ of financing for Canadian corporations . Core competancies include receivables financing, asset based lending, working capital, equipment finance, franchise finance and tax credit financing. Info & Contact Details :

http://www.7parkavenuefinancial.com

7 Park Avenue Financial
South Sheridan Executive Centre
2910 South Sheridan Way
Suite 301
Oakville, Ontario
L6J 7J8

Direct Line = 416 319 5769

Office = 905 829 2653

Email = sprokop@7parkavenuefinancial.com

' Canadian Business Financing with the intelligent use of experience '

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stan has had a successful career with some of the world’s largest and most successful corporations.
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 finance executive 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.


Stan Prokop