When Cash Flow Problems Become A Crisis . The Power Of Proper Financing Solutions

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Want To Avoid A Cash Flow Crisis? Here’s How!

Information on cash flow problems faced by Canadian business. Financing solutions and working capital management avoids a business crisis .

Can a problem become a crisis? You bet it can and when your business cash flow is a problem potentially verging on a crisis financing solutions and some analysis into what happened and how you fix it sure helps! Let's explain.

A ' constant juggling act ' is how many clients and business people we talk to describe the day to day challenge (let alone planning!) of business operations and growth when it comes to operating and funding your business.

Looking for one more good analogy? One author described cash flow management along the lines of juggling bowling pins, spinning knives, and flaming torches. Enough said!

We've often spoken about the very simple problem around cash flow that doesnt even involve the solution yet. It understands what it is. The hard core cash is of course what you have in your bank account, but when it comes to ' flow ' everything changes. It becomes the dynamic of sorting out where you are using and getting cash, and where you are able to get cash by perhaps managing your business in a different manner.

So how is cash flow managed then? We can also say that you can improve cash flow by taking on debt, increasing profits and, our favorite and most important... ‘Managing assets '. We're not huge fans as you can guess of taking on long term debt, or giving up ownership equity. Who wouldn’t be!

We all know the results of a cash flow crisis gone bad. They include supplier/vendor relations, employee morale, and lender concern. The path to these problems becomes very steep when operating losses continue, wrong financing is put in place, and creditors sue for payment or attempt to realize on security you have provided.

Some solid cash flow planning helps in a number of ways - You are in a position to plan cash needs, lenders feel more confident about your plans, etc.

Cash flow financing solutions in Canada include:

Asset based credit lines

Receivable Finance

Tax Credit Financing

Inventory finance

Supply chain /PO finance


Ultimately the business owner by experience and planning can put the right plan and solution in place. Your goal: Creating cash and then using it!


In summary then, what’s the best way to avoid cash flow problems, or even a crisis? Yes, you can borrow more; sell equity, but the easiest and as important? ... Convert working capital into accounts (A/R and inventory) into cash faster. Oh and by the way, if along the way you can increase sales and reduce some costs you're a true cash flow superstar!

Seek out and speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor who can get you out of working capital crisis mode!

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

Direct Line = 416 319 5769


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

Is The Asset Based Credit Line And Loan A Threat To Bank Business Lines Of Credit In Canada . You Decide After This!

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Is There A New Triple Threat In Canadian Business Financing?

Information on the business line of credit in Canada . Differences in bank and ABL asset based loan facilities are worth knowing for the Canadian business owner / manager

Not all business owners and financial managers in Canada are familiar with the new (relatively speaking )kid on the block in Canada , the business line of credit know as the ABL , which is basically an asset based loan , non bank in nature .

Is the ABL a real ' triple threat ' when it comes to the alternative, the bank commercial credit facility? We'll let you decide but we’re quite sure you will agree there is a market for both as you will soon see.

Oh, and by the way, the banks agree with us, because many of them, unbeknownst to many, offer their clients both alternatives. Talk about a secret we have let you in on!

So if the ultimate goal of both the ABL and the bank facility is to provide you with revolving credit, how in fact are they different? One way is simply the focus - for the bank its on cash flow and profits, while the ABL facility focuses on... you guessed it, just assets ! While our chartered banks view collateral as a back up to their credit decision the Asset based lender views your assets, the collateral, as pretty well the only back up plan.

The way bank credit lines and ABL facilities behave is partly driven by regulations. That is to say that our strong Canadian banking system is driven by rules and regulations around the amount of funds they have, what they can lend, who they can lend to . Given the fact that our banks are all pretty well public corporations on the stock market we can further imagine all the visibility around their lending that that garners!

And the asset based lender then? Well we are certainly not portraying them as drunken cowboys doing what they want and when they want, but the reality is they are not regulated, are more often than not private firms, and make their own risk ratings and decisions based on management experience and their opinion of your assets - typically A/R, inventory, equipment, and even real estate. All of those components become part of your business credit line.

Here's another little surprise we'll share with you today. When bank loans go bad they are placed in a ' non performing ' part of the banks books, a special place known as ... you guessed it ' SPECIAL LOANS '. Do you know who often refinances these loans and pays out the bank? Surprise! It's the asset based lender!

So when a company is consuming too much cash, rather than generating it the asset based business line of credit is a great business credit solution. So all of a sudden historical cash flow and profits, critical to a bank, are a non issue when you are looking for an ABL facility. Big difference!

Do we criticize our banks for their behavior .Some might, but not us, because Canadian chartered bank solutions deliver the lowest cost based on the risk they are prepared to take.

That brings us of course to pricing. In fact certain ABL business lines of credit are in fact 100% competitive, even lower than bank offerings. However, the majority are in fact priced higher, with the offset being the tremendous amount of additional liquidity and working capital your firm achieves when monetizing assets via an asset based ABL loan.

So, co-existing. Absolutely. Just be prepared to recognize the price, limitations and benefits that your firm is prepared to take one when looking for a true business line of credit. Seek out and speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor who can assist you with your business credit decision.

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

Direct Line = 416 319 5769

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

Solving Turn Around Financing And Business Finance Problems in Canada

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Do You Know How And Where To Finance The Turnaround?


Information on turn around financing in Canada . How business owners can address and solve serious finance challenges and problems with success

There are strategies that troubled companies can use to save themselves from dire straits and regain their former financial success. These same sort of strategies are valuable for business owners and financial executives to understand how their firms can avoid financial turbulence and failure.


We must first realize that business failure or bankruptcy never happens overnight. Normally there is a gradual trend of financial deterioration that is sometimes exacerbated by industry troubles. No doubt in the current 2009-2010 environment the auto industry is a poster child for a troubled industry, as an example.


Naturally firms that are on the very precipice of failure or bankruptcy do not have many options or time left. It has to fix itself, or sink. No business owners or entrepreneurs want to face bankruptcy, liquidation, and other creditor issues.
Do financially failing firms survive because of a revival in products or their services, or have they in fact executed on improved financial management. This is a challenging questions, because the very financial problems that beset a firm hinder it in getting new sales, acquiring inventory, and regaining supplier credibility.


Also, lets be realistic, banks and other finance companies do not throw themselves at failing firms with financial offers of loans, lines of credit, etc. In fact what usually happens is that the company is forced to pledge some or all assets at much higher rates, sometimes simply accentuating the financial problems that were already there.
So what are the financial strategies that a firm can undertake to avoid financial failure when it has been losing sales, not generating profits, and generally traveling down a potential death spiral?


There are three or four solid strategies that can save the firm. The first is ' assets '. The second is liabilities and debt, and the third we will simply call ' maneuverering '.


Strategy 1:
Assets have value. They can be sold, re financed,, or pledged to secure new financing. This type of strategy works best when it works for all parties, the company and the lender, or the company and another firm. However lets be clear that this is somewhat of a one shot strategy. It either must work or it doesn't. Asset maneuvers have 3 stages of success: assets can be used to get a new loan, assets can be sold, or they can, in somewhat of a worst case scenario, be liquidated.


Strategy 2:
On the other side of assets on the balance sheet is debt and equity. Debt can be structured properly to ensure the lender gets a reasonable reward, and the company is able to both repay and survive. There are too many types of debt to consider for the purposes of this article - suffice to say that creativity in debt is somewhat unlimited. A firm could issue debt, as an example, and repay only when the company is earning profits again.This would normally entail higher rates, but again, as we have stated, the transaction has to make sense both for customer and lender. A solid alternative solution is to simply re - structure existing debt at new rates and amortizations.


Alternatively to debt a company with promise can bring in new equity or ownership. This is somewhat more risk for all as dilution of ownership is usually significant when a company is failing and bring in new equity capital.


Strategy 3:A firm sometimes has to look to the outside for help. Since the owners and managers are often too close to the problem it is somewhat of a classic case of not seeing the forest for the trees. Outside consultants and industry experts can often bring a solution to the table. They have insights that management simply did not possess. These strategies include developing new sales and product strategies, bring in new management, or considering a strategic merger.


In summary, anyone who has worked through several business cycles over a number of years knows that companies can in fact be saved. Some go on to be the new super stars of their respective industry. The company must clearly uncover what the problem is, and then adapt strategies, financial or otherwise, to fix those problems


Speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor who can assist you with ‘ the turnaround ‘!

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

Direct Line = 416 319 5769



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

Is A Sale Leaseback Transaction , Or A Bridge Loan Your Solution To Working Capital . Sales Leaseback Finance Works!

A Reverse Position ! Refinance Assets With Sale Leasebacks!


Information on the sale leaseback as a working capital strategy . Why sales leaseback finance or a bridge loan just might be the solution you are looking for in an innovative financing solution





We're pretty sure (and we hope!) that Canadian business owners and financial mangers leave no stone unturned when in comes to exploring different financing options in what can generally be viewed as a tougher credit environment in Canada. Not brutal, but tough for sure!

One of those options is the sale leaseback strategy. It's what we can call a reverse position; you are in effect using sales leaseback finance, via a lease or a bridge loan, to sell your asset back a finance firm. The benefits. They are pretty clear - no new excessive debt and new cash flow into the company, leveraging your balance sheet.

Naturally it’s all about the value of the assets - it’s simply a method to maximize, via new found cash flow, the value of existing assets on your balance sheet. What the business owner and financial manager have achieved is in effect a redeployment of shifting of the balance sheet, for the better we believe! Depending on the quality of the asset and your firms overall credit and financial strength the pricing that you can achieve from a viewpoint of interest rate on the deal is probably a lot better than mezzanine, and certainly better than the cost of new equity .

By the way, even real estate assets are a solid asset to consider in the sales leaseback finance decision. Your essential decision should revolve around the fact that you can generate a higher return in your business than the rate you are being charged for the bridge loan or leaseback. Makes sense right, as its all about return on capital and investment?

If a value, via an appraisal or some other method can be placed on an asset it can be refinanced. So that covers real estate, heavy equipment, technology assets, construction equipment, printing presses, rolling stock assets... well we think you get the picture.

For a number of clients that we talk to their decision simply revolves around ' what is my core business ' and if it isn’t real estate it makes sense to deploy cash in your normal business operations. Recall that in Canada we have even seen some of the banks in downtown Toronto sell their prestigious bank towers... why? … for cash! And these are the guys supposedly with all the cash !

Growing your company is one key use of sale leaseback capital - other reasons might be to pay down debt, pay off government arrears, improving your covenants with the bank or other lenders, or simply taking advantage of certain assets which have either appreciated , or held their value as you have made your payments .

It is important to talk to your accountant or tax advisor on the implications of any tax scenarios that come with a sale leaseback, but we have rarely seen that hold back a good deal. Also, when a pure ' lease ' scenario does not work a bridge loan financing is often just as effective

Seek out and speak to a trusted credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor on the advantages and implications of the sale leaseback or bridge loan.

Wizard In Working Capital Solutions And Finance Cash Flow Tools? You Are Now!

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Is Your Working Capital Situation Scarier Than A Zombie Movie?


Information on working capital management solutions in Canada . What tools are available to finance cash flow and manage business finances properly ?

The constant battle for working capital for the Canadian business owner - it's a continuous journey. And sometimes it’s a scary one, maybe not as scare as some of those popular Zombie movies... but pretty close sometimes!

Are there some finance cash flow tools and knowledge we can share? You guessed it... there are. So we’re of course talking about the funds that are in fact, hopefully ... ' working ' in your short term operations. It's critical to understand a couple of key concepts before we can take you to that toolkit of solid cash flow solutions. So the concept of ' net working capital which is really the difference between your short term assets and liabilities is critical. And at the end of the day the final success you have in financing your business comes down to two key areas -

How you manage those assets
How you finance those assets

Simple as that.


When you think of it, you’re basically on a constant journey with this whole issue. We read an analogy the other day where you might be considered either a warrior or a wizard when it comes to certain aspects of business success. We suppose that we are saying that you have to be a bit of both.

The ' warrior ' aspect of today’s issue is your constant effort to turnover assets, but at the end of the day you have to be a bit of a wizard, especially if you are growing, because that investment in receivables and inventory is in effect your permanent investment. So both your lenders and yourself have a vested interest in how you are doing on that issue - especially if bankers, other lenders, lessors, etc have loans outstanding.

When you think about it the real challenge of finance cash flow tools is really the issue of using the financial solution that comes with an appropriate rate and risk level.

So what are some of the working capital solutions that your firm can employ? They might be one or several of the following:

Bank credit facilities

Receivable financing

Asset based lending

Supply chain/Purchase Order Finance

Sale leaseback of fixed assets (we’re a bit outside out current asset scenario here but sale leasebacks do work)

Tax Credit monetization

Securitization of receivables/contracts

While we would all probably agree that it would be great to have a precise formula around which solution worked best that’s not the real world of course! It simply becomes a case of ensuring that the increases in sales you are enjoying are financed properly. And you want to be able to do that proactively... we can't count the number of clients who we meet who are in emergency cash flow crunches. Why? Because they didn't plan or use some basis analytical tools to measure the performance of their receivables, inventory, and payables.

Seek out and speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing manager who can assist you with your finance needs. It doesn't have to be scarier than a Zombie movie!

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

Here’s Your Fighting Chance For Cash Flow Solutions! How To Pinpoint A Canadian Business Finance Solution

Looking For Working Capital Survival Techniques?


Information on cash flow solutions for Canadian business owners . Understand the problem and find a business finance solution

Canadian business owners and financial managers are looking for ' fight back' type cash flow solutions
for their survival and growth challenges. Let's examine that from two angles understanding and pinpointing the problem, and then implementing a satisfactory business finance solution for your firm, one that makes sense in the here and now!

While clients we talk to are often very focused on fixing the problem we’ve felt it's just as important to understand how and why they got there. Makes sense right?

If you step back and take a closer look at what's going on in your business you will see that the constant pattern of payments and receipts to your firm dictate the need for Canadian business financing at certain times. The cycle typically constantly repeats itself, your company buys good, generates a payable, incurs costs in creating your products and services and finally invoice generation to your clients. And then you wait!

That's when we arrive exactly at the crux of the matter as typically at this time your cash shortfall is at its greatest point. All the while your firm of course has payable and creditor obligations, and let’s not forget the tax man!

Now we are getting to the core issue, creating cash flow solutions to finance these needs. We now arrive at a point where many companies ' blow it ' for lack of a better word. That's because the obvious solution is ' the bank '. We can't count the number of times clients told us they have approached their bank on what we can politely term a ' short notice'.

Guess what though. Banks don't like to lend on a short notice. Quite frankly they are managing their own cash flow issues! Clients simply often don't realize that at this point in a company's need for a business finance solution that insolvency risk is at its greatest.

The other irony of our situation as described above is that in many cases business has never been greater for your firm. New contracts, new orders abound! Yet history tells us many companies, small and large have gone under when profits and sales were great, but cash has run out.

Solid and savvy Canadian business owners and financial managers will step up to the challenge this time and learn to plan better for short term borrowings. You don’t want to over borrow but at the same time you don't want to commit yourself to having excess cash and liquidity. (Although that’s a problem clients never seem to have!)


One of the best ways you can monitor your cash flow needs is to monitor on an ongoing basis changes in your assets and debt. Business owners often don’t realize that the transfer of funds between those two identify the movement of your cash.

If assets go down cash has been generated from the asset, if assets go up you have in fact invested in this asset, and, guess what, your cash has gone down.

In Canada you have a number of available cash flow solutions for working capital needs. They include properly managed bank debt via a solid relationship and track record. Companies that can't qualify have access to asset based lines of credit, working capital facilities, receivable and inventory financing on their own or together and even monetization of tax credits and purchase orders.

Looking to better understand what business finance solutions makes sense for your firm, and why? Speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor to determine your firm’s best course of action.

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

Direct Line = 416 319 5769


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

6 Ways To Compare And Analyze Asset Based Lending Revolving Credit Facilities : ABL Financing Works

Are You In a Position To Properly Compare Business Lines Of Credit ? You are now!



Information on why financing via asset based lending is increasing as an option in Canadian business

Clients who listen to us tout the positive aspects of business revolving credit via abl asset based lending and financing sometimes have a great question for us ; namely ' How can we compare this type of Canadian business financing to other forms of lending, i.e. the traditional chartered bank line of credit ?'

Good question! Right? So a good way to do that is to set up 6 common benchmarks that allow you as a Canadian business owner or financial manager to do a proper analysis or comparison. Let's cover off the basics of those 6 comparison points.

First of all, we can start with borrowing capability. In general terms we can make the following statement - under a bank facility you have a pre -set credit limit that typically is reviewed annually. However with an ABL facility your borrowing is always tied to the asset base of your firm, which typically is a total sum or receivables, inventory, unencumbered equipment, and even real estate. While bank A/R facilities are more often than note capped at 75% of A/R the asset based revolver will typically come in at 90%. On top of that you will also receive more generous inventory margining 99% of the time, in our opinion.

Let’s move on to overall structure, our 2nd comparable. Larger more high quality asset based facilities typically have a multi year length, while your bank facility is renewed (hopefully!) annually based on historical financial performance.

Point # 3, which we will call follow up or monitoring via your lender. Here is where a dramatic difference occurs. Your bank will assess and provide and renew the credit facility based on operating ratios, loan covenants, external collateral perhaps, and quality of owner guarantees.

Asset based lending takes a different approach; it counts your assets, both at the start of the facility, and periodically during the facility. So in the same manner that you provide what bankers call ' borrowing certificates ‘the ABL lender actually only focuses on those same assets within those certificates. Are we making ourselves clear, it’s always about the assets!

Point # 4. Bank lines of credit are available from... you guessed it... Canadian chartered banks. The ABL revolving credit universe in Canada, while not huge, is non bank in nature.

It is made up of ' unregulated " (banks are regulated) independent finance firms, small and large that offer revolving credit financing to Canadian business. Faculties are available from 250k to hundreds of millions of dollars in size. As such all types of firms that might not qualify for traditional bank financing are immediately eligible for ABL finance, even if they have financial challenges, up to and including considering a bankruptcy filing!

Let’s move on to point # 5 - pricing. While bank pricing is generally perceived as the best financial cost on Canadian business borrowing clients of the same credit quality can achieve the same or better pricing via an asset based line of credit. Firms who can't obtain bank lines of credit still qualify, but of course pay more for these facilities.

Last, but not least, covenants. While banks focus on cash flow coverage (typically 1.25:1) balance sheet ratios, and leverage ABL lending draws on appraisals of assets, reporting, and operational type audits.

What's better for your firm a traditional bank business line of credit or an ABL financing. You're now in a position to better decide. Speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor today on moving forth with the selection of your choice.

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


Direct Line = 416 319 5769

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