Canadian Franchise Finance Isn’t What You Think! Financing a Franchise Business Properly

Misconceptions. They are all over the place when it comes to financing a franchise business successfully, and properly. Let's wade into some of the key factors that allow you as an entrepreneur in the Canadian franchise finance industry to complete a transaction that meets your business and personal goals.

As noted, there is a lot of poor information out there about the challenges of financing a franchise in Canada. Let's focus in on whats important, whats achievable, and what you don’t have to worry about.

We can relate to clients who are making a significant life change and personal financial investment to purchase a franchise. You have access to some funds but the challenge of financing their new venture properly seems somewhat daunting.

Is there financial assistance in completing a franchise properly? Absolutely, but you must be prepared in every sense of the word.

Step one is often simply to properly identify the total amount of borrowing you need. Unfortunately we meet with some franchisees that have completed a franchise closing, only to find they are quickly running out of working capital to run their business on an ongoing basis. So close, yet so far.

The costs to finance a franchise involve what we call the soft costs to set up your business; they typically include franchise fees and professional fees such as those for an accountant, lawyer, etc. In our experience it makes strong sense for the owner to finance those soft costs themselves, leaving the hard assets and working capital for the franchise loan itself.

Here's something that surprises clients, as it appears to be a contradiction in terms. Canadian business financing itself is a challenge, but franchise finance is not! That is because they are some excellent programs that focus specifically on financing a franchise business. If done properly, and don’t quote us on this, it’s almost a ' slam dunk! A huge and we mean huge portion of all franchises in Canada are financed by a guy named Bill.

So who is Bill? Actually we have spelled his name wrong, because B I L is the acronym for the Government federal loan program that typically finances most of the franchises in Canada.

So you thought franchise financing under the BIL might be difficult or onerous. If properly presented and prepared you have just been approved for , bar none, the best small business financing program in Canada - great terms of 5-7 years, limited personal guarantees, and , are you ready, great rates and structures on the financing itself.

Is financing a franchise business easy or hard? Our simple answer to clients on that is that if you are prepared its easy, if not, you are guaranteed to fail.

Key elements of being prepared a business plan and cash flow that demonstrates your experience, the business potential, and, what the lender wants to see, cash flow to show repayment of the debt.

OPM doesn’t work in Canada almost anywhere in Canadian business financing. OPM is other peoples money, simply signifying that your own investment must be reasonable and shared with the loan investment to represent the full financing. To put is even more simply, you need a reasonable down payment. Franchisees with poor or derogatory personal credit histories need not apply in our opinion. Why? Because the lender views a franchise business in the context of how you have managed your own personal affairs.

So is there a bottom line on your quest for Canadian franchise finance success. Yes, and its pretty simple - avail yourselves of financing that is geared toward this type of business , be prepared from a presentation perspective , and commit a reasonable amount of your own funds to the transaction, sharing the risk with the loan provider .
Speak to a trusted, credible and experience Canadian business financing advisor on moving forward successfully, avoiding unnecessary surprises, and allowing you to finance the franchise dream successfully.

Canadian ABL Lending vs. Bank Loans - Which Offers The Best Financing Facility ?

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to determine the difference between abl lending in the Canadian marketplace vs. similar business financing loans offered by chartered banks .

A significant amount of confusion exists in the Canadian business financing arena around the definition and use of ABL lending. In the context that we are talking about we're focusing on a comprehensive business financing credit arrangement that provides you with a total borrowing facility based on primarily receivables and inventory, but also equipment and real estate when that comes into play .

There are many subsets of abl lending in Canada. The two dominant factors that play a role in theses subsets are size of facility, and single focus financing, such as receivables only. Additional the overall credit quality of your firm (i.e. good, bad and ugly) ultimately drives what type of facility you choose/obtain.

Can anyone raise their hand and answer why abl loans (by the way they are not loans per se) are deemed by many to be the savior of Canadian business financing. We sure can - its because they have the simply ability to offer financing when traditional bank financing is not available ,and, even to a stronger point, abl loans don’t discriminate when it comes to size of the facility . Generally these facilities range from 250k on the small end to tens of millions of dollars at the high end. Oh, and by the way, many of Canada's largest corporations use this type of financing, unbeknownst to the average follower of Canadian business financing.

So again, whats better for your firm ? We have got nothing against traditional bank operating loans, they have served Canada well for a hundred years, however , they can be restrictive when it comes to size of facility, renewals of your facility on different terms, and , most importantly limiting on what can be financed and for how much .

Quick example based on a real world scenario. Manufacturing company 'A' has a bank financing operating facility that margins their receivables to 75% of total value, and inventory to a cap of, let’s say 750k. However, manufacturing company 'A' is growing quickly, requires additional inventory, and has receivable growth commensurate with sales growth. The challenge in a traditional banking arrangement is that the company is restricted in ability to grow commensurate with their working capital needs .Would banks step in. Maybe, possibly, who knows ?

However, we can almost guarantee this same type of problem or challenge our company 'A' is facing would be met head on in an ABL lending scenario. Why , simply because abl financing is based on assets, so as the firms inventory and receivable investment grows so does the facility, pretty well automatically .

Many Canadian firms that are smaller and medium in size unfortunately don’t qualify for what we call a true pure play ABL, simply based on deal economics , size of facility, and asset categories. Does it end there?

Definitely not, as working capital facilities, mini ABL’’s we could call them, are available that finance a combo of A/R and inventory, accounts receivable only (typically called factoring financing), with potential to add on purchase order financing when that makes sense. Our mini ABL’’s, aka working capital facilities are priced significantly higher that true asset based lines of credit, but offer the same flexibility and access to capital .

So, is there a bottom line? The old saying ' the trend is your friend ' is applicable - more and more firms are investigating abl lending and benchmarking it against bank loans. Do not, we repeat, do not investigate this type of financing if you have all the business credit you need and have no challenges in working capital financing and business growth! If that’s not you, speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor who can help you benchmark abl loans vs. bank financing facility.

Surviving a Working Capital Cash Crisis – Real World Solutions & Techniques

The alternative to surviving a working capital cash crunch, temporary or permanent is of course not surviving it and losing control of your business from a financial perspective. Let's examine real world (we like those the best - the academic guys are very nice though) techniques and solutions to cash flow challenges.

You probably know you have a working capital problem; it’s the turnaround strategy to that problem that is challenging. When you think about it your constant cash flow challenge is in fact the most obvious sign that you need a survival plan.

Many business owners also equate growth and profits and cash flow on the same terms, in reality they are all VERY different! To be fair to the Canadian business owner sometimes the factors affecting your working capital cash are external and out of your control, however they still could lead you to insolvency of some sort.

Question - would you as a business owner ever consider your bank operating line of credit (assuming you have one?) as ' dangerous'? More traditional bank lines give you an advance against your receivables and inventory, those two most liquid assets after cash. If you are committed to a bank facility you have a pre sent borrowing limit, it’s as simple as that. So if your business has good operating performance, is profitable, and you are expanding or growing carefully all that works. So how could a bank facility precipitate a working capital crisis? Simply because if your business either shrinks, or grows too quickly you are locked into pre set borrowing power. Your receivables and inventory go down, or go up if you're lucky enough to be exploding with growth, but your credit facility is still the same!

We never want to be accused of just reminding your about the crisis, we'd rather provide solutions and techniques to eliminate the working capital crunch.

So let’s address some techniques and solutions for cash flow survival. These focus around accounts receivable and inventory. Think about it, if you have A/R and inventory, these amounts are one step away from liquidity. So how do you monetize these assets on an on going basis, whether they going up or down?

In Canada the most logical solutions to restoring your cash flow normalcy are the following - asset based lending, a working capital facility, and combinations of receivable and inventory and purchase order or contract financing.

True asset based lending facilities are typically for larger facilities of several million dollars or more - they have the ability to double, if not triple your access to working capital. How do they do that? Simply because they margin on an ongoing basis all your A/R and inventory at very high margin rates, and the facility grows as those two asset categories grow. They are the ' best bet ' for surviving a working capital crunch.

Small and medium size firms should look toward working capital facilities that combine A/R and inventory lending, have no fixed upper limit, but usually come with higher financing and borrowing costs.

Finally, the average business owner and financial manager may not even be aware that contracts and large ' one of ' can be financed and inventory financing programs can be implemented on a stand alone basis.

Surviving the working capital cash crunch comes with short term solutions as we have noted, that provide immediate relief; as well.. owners can consider long term strategies such as working capital cash term loans and sale leaseback of equipment or property. Speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor for advice solutions and techniques for cash flow survival.

5 Dangers of Financing Equipment - From Technology to Machinery - Avoid These Mistakes With your finance company or leasing firm.

You've seen the sign - it reads ' Danger Ahead ' !No we're not talking about a curve in the road but rather discussing 5 key areas where Canadian Business makes thousands ( or millions ?) of dollars in poor judgment around critical areas of financing equipment via a third party finance company - and our discussion covers all assets from machinery to technology .

Let's review 5 key dangers areas in equipment financing in Canada and provide you with solid real world tips on how to successfully navigate these areas to better enhance your company’s ability to maximize on lease finance company benefits.

Item 1 - Structure - Lease financing is all about structure. Unfortunately most clients we deal with only always focus on 1 of the 5 elements of a lease transaction. (By the way, those are: term of lease, lender interest rate, value of transaction, payment, and obligation at end of term)

Let's use a quick example - we'll take a sample 100,000$ transaction. On a 3 year capital lease to own scenario your monthly payment at an assumed rate of 8% is 3112$. However, if you chose an operating lease (i.e. use equipment and not own it) your payment would come in at around 2490$/mo. And if you took our first example, and either were required, or voluntarily put down 10% the monthly payment is now 2801$. Same deal, different payments. Which one is best? That is only for you to decide based upon your unique asset acquisition situation.

So interesting calcs, but what’s our point you say? Simply that by understanding how the finance company utilizes structure to provide you with a ' monthly payment ' can arm you with knowledge that will ultimately translate into a payment scenario that works for your firm. Bottom line - understand how the lender views and utilizes the five elements of your final lease calculation.

Danger Item # 2- Pricing! We suppose that the late famous Vince Lombardi might say ' Lease pricing isn’t everything, it’s the only thing!' Sorry Vince, we couldn’t disagree with you more. Your ability to match the right term of the lease with the right finance company and type of lease you choose (there are several) can pay for itself many times over . Its now always about rate and pricing because if it was always about price we would all be driving low end compact cars - many of us dont , because we have financial options and alternatives . And by the way, its a competitive market , so by positioning your firms credit quality properly you will always receive a competitive rate .

Danger - Item 3- Credit approval . Most clients simply aren’t aware of how to position their financials properly in financing equipment . Whether you are acquiring heavy machinery, construction equipment, or high end software applications you need to understand what drives credit approval . Those factors are the asset you are financing, your historical cash flow, your current and sustainable cash flow, and your ability to work with your finance company to structure a deal via down payments, outside collateral, etc that make the transaction a win win for yourself and the finance company .

Danger - Item # 4- Conditions . Its all about the fine print, but many customers don't read the fine print, As a result they are subject to thousands of dollars in misc admin fees, renewal fees, possible appraisal requirements, and most importantly early pay or termination fees . Ask your finance company or Canadian business financing advisor to ensure you understand who is paying what .

Item # 5- Our last danger point ! What is it ? Simply that financing equipment is great, but in many cases are you sure you understand all your alternatives to this type of financing . They might include an asset based loan, or even a temporary bridge loan on the asset .

In summary, financing equipment in Canada occurs everyday, from assets from 5k to 50 Million dollars . Understand the hot points of what a finance company focuses on when they are leasing machinery , business equipment, or any type of business asset you need to acquire . Unsure of that Danger Sign in the road ahead ? Speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor for navigational assistance!

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Stan Prokop is founder 7 Park Avenue Financial ; see

http://www.7parkavenuefinancial.com
Originating financing for Canadian companies,specializing: working capital, cash flow, and asset based financing , the 6 year old firm has completed in excess of 45 Million $ of financing for companies . For info / free consultation on Canadian business financing / contact details see:

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

Canadian Business To Business Factoring Stripped Down – Receivables Cash Flow For Your Accounts

What's our goal here ? It's to explain the art, and science of business to business factoring so your firm can understand the benefits, costs, and ' how to ' of receivables financing for your commercial accounts . (Commercial, because in general consumer receivables can’t be financed in this manner - see .. you have learned something already!).

So where are you in the pack? We think we know already, you are either growing quickly, or running into all sorts of obstacles when it comes to cash flow and working capital financing. Is it possible to actually finally manage that situation successfully? One of a number of possible answers is the cash flowing of your receivables - which can be facilitated by the way on a one of, periodic, or on going full time basis. Bottom line, your firm has options.

So what does business use receivables factoring for ? - its pretty obvious - the general day to day business obligations you have with suppliers re your payables, any loan or lease payments you need to make, admin and salaries, etc.

The reality, (hopefully) is that your ongoing working capital needs fluctuate, and that you are not in constant crisis mode. We are the first to admin that with the recent recession every small and medium sized business in Canada probably felt, to some degree, a tightening of business credit. Suffice to say they looked for alternate or new innovative solutions for business financing.

One of these solutions is business to business factoring, which is the sale of your receivables for cash. It sounds so simply, that’s why we are hoping to convey the ' stripped down' explanation of this type of financing, while at the same time warning clients where some of the complexity and risk lies.

Receivables, your commercial accounts tended historically to be paid in commercial environments in 30 days - these days 60 and 90 days are common occurrences. Your ability to smooth out the cash flow ultimately will reflect in your overall business financing success.

Let's focus in on our core asset, your A/R. Go to any balance sheet and receivables will make up a very large portion of your ' most near liquid ' asset. Your ability to monetize that asset on an ongoing basis creates working capital.

Business owners need to consider that their ability to monetize cash through receivables factoring in essence can become a competitive tool, allowing you to penetrate markets, and generate more sales and profits at the expense of your creditors.

Business to business factoring has been around for 100 years, if not more. Why is it more popular today? The simple ' stripped down ‘reason it is easier to obtain than bank credit, and can often be fully functional in your company within a couple weeks.

Why do business owners like and utilize A/R financing? - simply because it has limited focus on personal covenants of the owners, other asset collateral is not required, and under the right circumstances your customers and suppliers aren’t even aware of how your firm has suddenly become flush with cash .

So that’s all the upside, is there any downside? Only if you don't know what you are doing !You need to focus on what types of business to business factoring is out there, what are the costs ( they vary from 1-3%/month) and if your receivables partner has the flexibility and straight forward processes to accommodate your day to day activity . Speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor to ensure our ' stripped down ‘version of business factoring meets your business and cash flow goals.

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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 7 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_to_business_factoring__receivables.html

Why Canadian Lease Finance Is ‘ Business Appropriate ‘ – Use Equipment Leasing Companies To Acquire Your Business Assets

Canadian business owners and financial managers constantly search for the right type of financing for their business. Lease finance, the core business of equipment leasing companies in Canada can be a powerful tool in acquiring business assets and managing your capital.

Leasing is often confused with a loan , it is of course ' not ' a loan but a process in which your lease firm partner buys for you, and owns the equipment , ' leasing ' it back to you at a pre agreed upon rate, i.e. the monthly payment on which clients are so fixated!

The ability for you to both understand, and , yes, manage that whole process makes the difference in how some of the powerful advantages of lease finance accrue towards your firm, not the leasing company . (Naturally we respect the right of equipment leasing companies to earn a reasonable profit - we just want to keep it reasonable!)

So why, and perhaps ' when ' is equipment financing appropriate for your company. The good news is that whether your firm is a pre revenue start up, or a Financial Post top 100 firm equipment finance is a powerful strategy. its one area of business where size doesn’t count ! .. Every type of firm benefits.

Hundreds of millions of dollars of business equipment assets are leased each year. Lease decisions are made on a variety of criteria - in the case of a smaller firm the personal credit worthiness of the owner is often a key factor. In the case of a larger firm historical and future sustainable cash flow are analyzed.

Most Canadian business owners often confuse, for lack of a better word, leasing companies with banks. Some of the Canadian chartered banks do have full fledged lease finance divisions - credit criteria and deal size (i.e. large!) are all a part of bank leasing. However, the hundreds of firms that are independent and focus solely on equipment financing in general or specialized market niches are very aggressive and want your business.

Time and time again independent finance firms can approve your deal faster, and be more flexible with structuring criteria attuned to your business model and its challenges - example : seasonal cash flow, special assets, etc .

Equipment lease finance is ' business appropriate ' because it is a total solution form of financing. It will often include a lot of what the industry calls the ' soft costs' in an asset acquisition - i.e. installation warranty, delivery, training, etc.

Yes when the accountants attack a lease versus buy schedule it may often seem that equpment leasing companies are a more ' expensive ' solution, but the ability to diversify your credit lenders , achieve prompt and 100% financing, and conserve capital via creative payment structuring is in our opinion a small price to pay for a cheaper bank type term loan . And don't forget, whether its 5k, or 5000k lease finance accommodates any acquisition.

So in summary, is lease finance ' business appropriate ' for your firm - we think we've shown it is. Confused about your next steps - talk to an independent Canadian business financing advisor who has credibility and experience. Maximize the benefits of equipment leasing with one thing in mind, your firms success.

Dear Abby - Can I Really Use The Canadian Film Tax Credits (credit ) For 30 - 45% Of My Film Finance Projects ? Signed - 'Anxious '

Dear Anxious - Look northward - to Canada that is, and you'll find that with all the turbulence in U.S. film finance as it relates to tax credits that the Canadian tax credits as they relate to film televison and digital animation will provide you with a tremendous sense of relief. Often the Canadian tax credits can finance anywhere from 30 - 45% of your entire project (sometimes more) based on proper certification of your credit and a solid finance plan completed by yourself as producer.

Ontario, British Columbia, and Quebec have historically been the dominant geographies for film, TV and animation production in Canada - but tax credits are available in all provinces. On many occasions the geography that is best suited to your project is often the most sensible with respect to that provinces tax credit program.

It comes as now surprise to anyone in the industry that film finance is a journey. The challenge is maximizing the true value of your project via a potential theatrical release, and of course the pre requisite DVD, downloads, and broadcast and international rights. All of those will create your future revenue streams, but unfortunately won’t get you the cash flow you need today.

We’re assuming you are the owner of a Canadian project in our aforementioned genres of movies, TV, and digital media. There are what we can call 4 pillars of financing your project. They are grants, debt, equity, and of course our favorite - the film finance tax credit sponsored by the combination of federal and provincial government.

We're going to have to let you take care of grants, debt, and equity - but, and its good news, the Canadian tax credits on your project can cover anywhere from 30-45% of your project. In many cases even a higher amount is available, which comes into play due to certain factors such as shooting or production being held farther away from major centers such as Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, etc .

The enhanced tax credits come back to you as a cheque - a true non repayable tax credit. The add on good news is that your film tax credit can be monetized or cash flowed, thereby securing automatically a very large percentage of your budget. The government in Canada supports the program strongly; having determined it’s a major overall economic benefit in employment, tax generation, and culture benefits. Bottom line - it’s a direct cash subsidy to your project.

In order to maximize your film finance utilizing the Canadian tax credits you simply need to ensure you have a proper production budget and finance plan. An experienced entertainment tax accountant will help you maximize the total amount of funds applied for in your credit. You will want to ensure you have valid title to your project, and that you have a properly legal entity set up to capture all the revenue and expenses of your project.

A special point system around any Canadian producers and key personnel will further enhance the total dollars you receive. There is data to suggest that 80% of the films that leave the U.S. for production in other geographies end up in Canada.

Your Canadian special purpose vehicle for your project must be Canadian owned, and pay special attention to the points system for creative positions such as director, screenwriter, etc.

So in summary dear ' Anxious ' you can definitely use Canadian tax credits as a key part of your finance plan. Applications can even be made online these days!

-


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 7 years - has completed in excess of 50 Million $$ of financing for Canadian corporations .Info re: Canadian business financing & contact details :

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