WELCOME !

Thanks for dropping in for some hopefully great business info and on occasion some hopefully not too sarcastic comments on the state of Business Financing in Canada and what we are doing about it !

In 2004 I founded 7 PARK AVENUE FINANCIAL. At that time I had spent all my working life, at that time - Over 30 years in Commercial credit and lending and Canadian business financing. I believe the commercial lending landscape has drastically changed in Canada. I believe a void exists for business owners and finance managers for companies, large and small who want service, creativity, and alternatives.

Every day we strive to consistently deliver business financing that you feel meets the needs of your business. If you believe as we do that financing solutions and alternatives exist for your firm we want to talk to you. Our purpose is simple: we want to deliver the best business finance solutions for your company.



Friday, December 17, 2010

Great Reasons to take your sr ed claim and access sred financing via specialize sred funding Canada Programs

Gimme a reason .That’s what clients often ask when we talk to them about the benefits of both filing a sr&ed claim, and then considering sred financing as a cash flow strategy around sred funding in Canada for cash flow and working capital .

You want reasons, and we have reasons for you to consider...Businesses of all size in Canada utilize the sr&Ed program in Canada to be eligible to receive a huge portion of their expenses in R&D via a non repayable tax credit.

When we tell clients they can utilize a sred financing strategy to increase cash flow and working capital via the r&d credit, well, frankly, they almost cant believe it .

There isn’t a day when the government isn’t issues cheques for millions of dollars on the Scientific Research and Experimental Development (aka " sred!) Program, so let’s all agree that you are eligible for your share. And if you're working on processes and products and re design in your industry then the salaries, products and equipment and even some overheads are taken into account when you file a sred claim.

The sr&Ed claim process is all tied into Canada Revenue Agency. They receive your claim and process it at the same time you file you year end tax return. If you are ok with ' waiting’... and most of our clients are not, you will get a significant cheque back from Ottawa in a number of months.

Clients are always asking us how long they have to wait for a refund, and if there is any way to speed up the process. Far be it from us to be the ones to be telling someone from the government to speed up the process. But what we do advise clients to consider is to finance their sred funding credit as soon as they file it.

Why would you want to finance a tax credit? There are only two reasons, cash flow and working capital now! By monetizing your tax credit you are in a position to take the government rebate and put it to positive use within your company. And what are those positive uses? It's the basics, reduce your payables, buy new equipment, re invest in your entire sr&ed claim process to increase your competitive advantage...and on it goes, basically use those funds for any worthwhile purpose .

How long does it take to finance a claim and whats involved? That's not an untypical question. In our experience claims are financed within two to three weeks. And could the process be any more simple - its all about completing a simple business financing application, utilizing your sred claim as collateral, and undergoing any normal due diligence . Claims of any size can be financed, it typically makes sense to finance claims that are in excess of 130k... but smaller claims can be monetized also.

Speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor around sred funding Canada claims. And use that cash flow which you have achieved in a timely fashion to grow your sales and profits.

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Stan Prokop - founder of 7 Park Avenue Financial -

http://www.7parkavenuefinancial.com


Originating business financing for Canadian companies , specializing in working capital, cash flow, asset based financing . In business 6 years - has completed in excess of 50 Million $$ of financing for Canadian corporations .Info re: Canadian business financing & contact details :

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


We finance the little guy .
P.S. We finance the big guys also!

Don’t Make Mistakes When Searching For Franchise Finance Lenders When You Buy A Franchise In Canada

Business folks often refer to the term ' key to success ‘as part of their business plans. Certainly the key to success when you buy a franchise is to finance it on time, and properly; we tell clients you don’t get a lot of chances to make mistakes when you are working with franchise finance lenders!

The concept of financing your franchise is a broad one... it might be one single loan or a couple different finance strategies to get you to the goal line, which is of course acquirng and owning your own business under a franchise umbrella... in effect the Canadian dream .

Try and try again generally doesn’t work in franchise finance - you more or less, in our opinion, get one chance to do it right . That therefore involves getting all your ' ducks' lined up properly and working with an experienced Canadian business financing franchise advisor, or if you prefer, yourself and the lender directly.

As we said, making mistakes in business finance is not where you want to be - so plan, do it right, and do it once. Let's examine some of those underpinning you need to be successful and avoid those errors.

In general some of those cornerstones are decent personal credit history (more about that in a minute - as we can hear our clients already " what's decent?!), a down payment that makes sense. and a financial plan that demonstrates your ambition to be successful .

This latter point is usually covered off in a business plan. We can’t ever imagine buying a business without a plan, and humbly submit that if you don’t have a plan you are primed to fail - and that’s not a good thing when you have your own funds at stake.

Can you buy a franchise in Canada, and finance it without a good personal credit history. We tell clients the sad truth is that it is difficult, if not impossible, to do that successfully. That’s because franchise finance lenders view your business as both a start up and a small business, and they relate those two terms directly to how you manage your own personal finances as the owner. To put is very simply, the lender is saying ' if this man or woman isn’t paying Visa then why should I think they are going to pay us....’ In Canada the credit bureau system is based on a score to 800 and you need a certain specific number to qualify for franchise financing. Speak to a trusted, credible and experienced business financing advisor as to how you can manage and work through that process.

You probably have spent a large part of your life dreaming about crafting a great business plan, opening balance sheets, 3 years of projected cash flows... loan amortizations, etc. Uh... we're beign a bit sarcastic of course!! But the reality is you need a solid business plan to demonstrate how you will be successful. It’s a great document for benchmarking down the road even how you are doing against your plan.

In Canada the majority of franchises are financed and subsidized so to speak by a special federal program called the BIL program. Don’t make a mistake in not understanding what the qualifications are, and work with an expert if you don’t feel you are comfortable in navigating the finance maze.

So, is financing the key to Success when you buy a franchise in Canada. We'll let you be the judge... but if you are on the side of our opinions plan, and work with an expert , do it right, and avoid mistakes that will jeopardize closing the transaction .

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Stan Prokop - founder of 7 Park Avenue Financial -

http://www.7parkavenuefinancial.com

Originating business financing for Canadian companies , specializing in working capital, cash flow, asset based financing . In business 6 years - has completed in excess of 50 Million $$ of financing for Canadian corporations .Info re: Canadian business financing & contact details :

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


Thursday, December 16, 2010

The Dirty Little Secret Your Banker Won’t Tell You About Asset Based Lending and Asset Finance

Can you blame someone for not telling you about a good thing? Especially when that thing is better than their thing! No surprise then that asset based lending is the dirty little secret in asset finance that that bankers in Canada don’t want to let you know.

We hate to burst their bubble... but what the heck; we'll share that secret with you and touch on why it’s such a powerful non bank financing strategy.

To understand why an asset based lending solution is so different we need to understand what we are comparing it against. The comparison is of course an operating line of credit with a Canadian chartered bank. They are great, low cost, and run smoothly on a daily basis. If... and we repeat if... you can get one and get it increased as you need it.

Your ability to access a business line of credit with the bank focuses in on everything you probably feel isn’t necessary. You have assets; you have growth, so whats the problem. The chartered banks, in their wisdom allocate these lines of credit based on yes... the assets... but as importantly ratios, covenants, personal guaranteees and outside collateral. By the way, we think they do a great job of that... mainly because they are lending you my money which is on deposit at their bank. So all power to safe lending practices, and that’s why Canadian banks are some of the strongest in the world.

That’s all great say our clients, except it does nothing for us when you want to access business credit. That’s brings us to our secret - asset based lending in Canada and why this type of asset finance is a powerful working strategy. And could it be simpler. Not really. It focuses on the two things you have always had... assets and growth potential for sales and profits.

Asset based lending is the ability of your firm to borrow, daily, as you need it , against receivables, inventory, as well as equipment and real estate if they factor into the picture .

It supports you credit needs, and does not, we repeat , does not revolve around those other requirements the banks have, i.e. rations, covenants, emphasis on personal net worth, outside collateral , etc.

Want to know an even more surprising secret. Some of the Canadian banks actually have small boutique divisions of asset based lending. In our experience these divisions don’t communicate properly with regular commercial bank divisions around what their offering is.

So who actually offers this type of asset based lending. In Canada it’s a relatively small handful of firms, some of which are U.S. based, and who have a tremendous expertise on the things you already have, inventory, receivables, and purchase orders and contracts.

Asset finance can cost the same as the chartered bank offering, in ,many cases it costs a bit or a lot more, depending on the size of your transaction .A business line of credit via an asset based line of credit generally starts at 250k and goes up to anywhere up to 50 Million or more!.

Accessing and navigating the maze of this boutique financing is difficult for the Canadian business owner and financial manager. Speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor on why asset based lending is the secret you want to know more about. And why the heck didn’t your banker tell you about it sooner!
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Stan Prokop - founder of 7 Park Avenue Financial -

http://www.7parkavenuefinancial.com

Originating business financing for Canadian companies , specializing in working capital, cash flow, asset based financing . In business 6 years - has completed in excess of 50 Million $$ of financing for Canadian corporations .Info re: Canadian business financing & contact details :

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

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Working Capital and Business Lending in Canada Without the Voodoo!

The other day one of the major U.S. banks released a report around the current ' optimism ' in small and medium sized businesses. God knows we love a good survey about what our competition is thinking!

It's tougher than ever to read through some of the smoke and mirrors, dare we call it voodoo? .. and get a sense of where working capital and business lending is at here in Canada. We're going to do that for you. More importantly we'll give you real world solutions to cash flow challenges.

Optimistic? You may or may not be bullish about your business as many of our clients are still slowly coming out of the recent recession, and from a cash flow and working capital perspective you're more or less hanging on for your life.

If you are forecasting and planning your cash flow needs, say on a 12 month basis your biggest challenge is often how you do get that liquidity squeezed out of receivables, inventory, and purchase orders and contracts. That has been and still is the real challenge.

When looking at your cash flow and financing needs you need to focus in on several key issues and determine how they fit together - typically those issues your ability to collect your receivables and how you are financing them, what your sale growth is going to be, and what type of longer term capital do you need for things like equipment, real estate, etc. Naturally all that has to be benchmarked against how you are currently financing your company.

The U.S. survey we talked about probably mirrors Canada quite a bit... 25% of firms are going to spne on euqipment... most felt cash flow from customers would imporove , and that sales growth and hiring would again resume an uptrend .

As a Canadian business owner you read these types of surveys, see the business news, and yet at the same time still feel a sense of smoke and mirrors, mostly around the fact that working capital and business lending still don’t seem achievable to the extent you want them to be .

You want solutions to your cash flow challenges in working capital. Let's leave the surveys to the pundits and your competition. You want to get back to growing our business and now worrying about working capital pretty well every day.

There are great solutions for working capital via creative business lending in Canada. When we meet with clients they typically are looking for one solution, the ' holy grail' so to speak. In reality we show them that a number of solutions, possibly combined, can get you where you want to be in Canadian business financing.

Those solutions include receivable financing. Heard about factoring but not sure you like how it works... then consider confidential invoice financing... allowng you to bill and collect your own receivables .

Looking at new equipment while at the same time conserving working capital. Want a 5.5% rate and no full owner personal guarantee... consider the government BIL /CSBF loan... great rates, terms and structures .

Have contracts upcoming, worried about financing them. Talk to an expert on purchase order and inventory financing... despite the myth it really is available!

And finally, consider an asset based lending facility... it combines the power of receivales, inventory and equipment... with your firm borrowing against those assets on a daily basis as you need the working capital .

Is business lending dead in Canada. Is it all just voodoo? We don’t think so. You have solutions, investigate them and speak to a trusted credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor about getting your business on track!

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Stan Prokop - founder of 7 Park Avenue Financial -

http://www.7parkavenuefinancial.com

Originating business financing for Canadian companies , specializing in working capital, cash flow, asset based financing . In business 6 years - has completed in excess of 50 Million $$ of financing for Canadian corporations .Info re: Canadian business financing & contact details :

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

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

What Mom Didn't Tell You About Leasing Equipment For Business And Lease Finance Options

And you thought you knew it all! Did you ever think that leasing equipment for business was a straightforward process... you almost couldn’t go wrong? In reality your lease options and who you deal with in this area can make or break good or bad financing decisions.

We’re going to cover some lease basics for you, and we'll let you in on some inside secrets to the trade. We have often told our clients we're not impressed by the ways in which some industry participants create a smoke and mirrors scenario around some of your most important lease financing acquisitions.

We think they are wrong, but most of the time our clients are only focused on rate. That's not a good thing necessarily, because in reality pure math analysis will more often than not show that leasing is a bit more expensive option. The actual reasons you chose to lease probably should be more focused around the two types of leases available, and which one is right for your firm.

Alternate decisions to lease are driven by, guess what...? Credit approval (leasing approval is easier to obtain) and the managing of your payments in a predictable fashion related to your cash flow. An if you are in a technology business you're most concerned with the fact that you have 3 or 5 years to go on payments and your asset is depreciating, or become obsolescent a lot faster.

Don’t forget also that many small, what we can call ' service features ' come with the lease facility. They include the ability to include taxes on your payments, bundle in warranty and maintenance, etc.

Is it possible to figure out the exact rate you are being charged in a lease? As we said, it shouldn’t always be about rate, but the answer is ' yes’... you can figure out what the interest rate is.

How do we do that then? Relatively simple, if you have the tool. The parts of any lease calculation are term of lease, amount financed, the final obligation or future value, the interest rate, and the payment. If you know any four of those you can use a financial calculator to calculate the 'real' rate the lessor is using. For example, you are leasing 50,000$ for 3 years and you own the equipment at month 36 you are told, and the monthly payment is 1600.00$. By entering those 4 into a financial calculator (a real financial calculator) you can see that the rate is 10%.

Let's stay with our client’s fixation on rate. Is that 10% high, low, acceptable, competitive? More often than not it’s a competitive number because the entire industry has to stay competitive to be in business. A better question you never asked is what rate your lease company borrows at in order to allow leasing equipment for business such as yours. If they can borrow at 5% they are making 5% on you... if their cost to borrow is higher... and in most cases it’s higher than you think, they are making less.

Let's share another of those secret strategies not commonly known. Your firm has a lease... it’s for 50,000, for three years, and the monthly payment is 1600.00 and you. Our firm has the same lease, but our monthly payment is 1480$. How could that be, ask clients. Or they will bring us two quotes for the same asset with those same differing payments. The answer is that one lease is an operating lease, structured as a rental, and the lower payment simply means the lessor is going to get the equipment back at the end of the lease - sell it, and recover the shortfall (hopefully) on the lower payment you have been making.

So... is it all smoke and mirrors when it comes to lease finance options. It doesn’t have to be. Does your homework, compare apples to apples, and speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor in the lease financing area.
--

Stan Prokop - founder of 7 Park Avenue Financial -

http://www.7parkavenuefinancial.com

Originating business financing for Canadian companies , specializing in working capital, cash flow, asset based financing . In business 6 years - has completed in excess of 50 Million $$ of financing for Canadian corporations .Info re: Canadian business financing & contact details :

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

Why Finance Companies Are Your Best Bet For Leasing Equipment via a Capital Lease

Looking to improve? Aren't we all! Improving your business with respect to the acquisition of new business assets is a major decision for Canadian business. What is the current state of the leasing equipment market in Canada, and what finance companies are your best bet and why?

Even though you're taking on additional debt when you acquire a capital lease option the committing of your cash resources can still be properly managed using an equipment financing strategy. You're making the decision because you want to utilize the asset to improve productivity and profits.

We can certainly help our clients finance the asset, but it’s up to you to ensure you choose the right asset, negotiate a best sale price, and ensure the business asset meets your needs. The reality is of course that your leasing equipment decision is an important one - its an alternative to paying cash outright, or drawing down on credit lines you might have in place - and most of our clients agree that the ability to secure business credit for working capital is a large challenge these days, so using those funds outright for an equipment purchase doesn’t seem to make sense.

You have chosen a capital lease, or a lease to own option. The alternative was an operating lease, or a use and return of the asset and that hasn’t made sense this time around. Finance companies in Canada can structure payments that make sense for your firm. Typically clients have budget constraints, have some seasonality in their business... etc. This is typically when leasing makes more sense than a loan, because it’s so flexible and tailored to meet your specific financing needs.

In the current Canadian leasing equipment landscape and environment of 2010 /2011 you may well be expected to make some sort of down payment, but again, this is negotiable. Talking to your accountant might bring up further reasons why the tax advantages of lease financing might make you decision to finance an even easier one.

Finance companies recognize that you are in many cases using a leasing equipment strategy simply because you can obtain assets you might not be able to afford. These firms have only one mandate... approve and fund your leases! Consequently their credit people are experts in looking at your overall picture, which includes your firm’s financials, the value of the asset itself, which is of course the collateral, and your projected profits via use of the equipment.

Your decision to enter into a capital lease should be relatively straight forward; the challenge is often picking the right partner. The Canadian landscape is made up of hundreds of firms who have specialization, only regional representation, or in some cases your transaction will be viewed as too large, or too small. Navigating that maze is a challenge, so see the service of a trusted, credible and experienced business financing advisor who will help you get approved and negotiate the best terms possible. That added value along can improve your overall return on investment and make your decision to finance a solid one.
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Stan Prokop - founder of 7 Park Avenue Financial -

http://www.7parkavenuefinancial.com

Originating business financing for Canadian companies , specializing in working capital, cash flow, asset based financing . In business 6 years - has completed in excess of 50 Million $$ of financing for Canadian corporations .Info re: Canadian business financing & contact details :

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

Monday, December 13, 2010

We’re Sharing the biggest Secret in business funding today and why factoring of accounts receivables isn’t what you thought!

It's kind of not a secret if everyone knows it right? but we’re pretty sure when it comes to business funding that the factoring of accounts receivables on a confidential basis is one of the most powerful alternative Canadian business financing strategies that is a secret that only limited Canadian business owners and financial managers know about .

Let’s put this ' secret ' in the context of some real world examples that might closely resemble your firm’s situation and needs.

Working capital challenges. You have them, and they seem to pre occupy a lot, and we mean a lot of your business day. So how do those restraints on liquidity affect your firm... they manifest themselves in payroll challeges, meeting lease and loan payments, and that worst feeling of all, not being able to grow your business or take on that new customer because of cash flow challenges.

In many cases, and you are certainly not alone, you're just coming out of the recession and collections from customers is still difficult, and expense restraints seem the order of the day. If you're like many other firms there is some seasonality to your business and you occasionally have bulge needs for cash and working capital.

So... we have done a great job of giving you the problem, which you knew already! Let’s turn that around and give you the solution.

Accounts receivable financing and business funding, commonly known is factoring of accounts receivables, is the potential solution. But we can hear you already... you have heard about it and you dont like how this solution works and the perceptions some suppliers and customers might have around how you are financing your business.

Well, it gets better, because we have a solution to that problem and it’s called confidential factoring of accounts receivables. Under this type of financing you are in a position of selling your receivables as you generate them, at your option of course, and, here’s the kicker, you receive cash for those invoices the same day - while at the same time retaining the right to bill and collect your own accounts. That ability to bill and collect your accounts receivable financing process just turned you into a confidential cash flow machine, allowing you to meet day to day obligations and, as we said, grow your business.

The whole process is seamless and it takes only a week or so to set it up. This type of financing appeals to two typical small and medium sized firms (by the way, Canada's biggest corporations use it also!). It appeals to firms who don’t have access to bank credit, or more commonly, might qualify for some level of bank financing, but not enough. That is because, unlike the Canadian banks business funding in Canada via factoring focuses solely on the strength and size of your receivables. In some cases, are you ready for this..? Inventory can be combined into the same facility.

There it is then... a great secret and business financing strategy that will allow you to finance your business. Speak to a trusted, credible, and experienced business Canadian business financing advisor who can assist you in completing this finance strategy.
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Stan Prokop - founder of 7 Park Avenue Financial -

http://www.7parkavenuefinancial.com

Originating business financing for Canadian companies , specializing in working capital, cash flow, asset based financing . In business 6 years - has completed in excess of 50 Million $$ of financing for Canadian corporations .Info re: Canadian business financing & contact details :

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