Our blog highlights Canadian Business Financing solutions via receivable finance , equipment finance, working capital financing, asset based lending, business acquisition financing,franchise finance, and tax credit monetization via SRED and Film Tax Credits. Our goal is to educate and assist Canadian businesses with their financing needs. You Are Looking For Canadian Business Financing! Welcome to 7 Park Avenue Financial Call Now ! - Direct Line - 416 319 5769
WELCOME !
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.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Which School Do You Attend When It Comes To Leasing Finance ? Old School Or New School ? Equipment Lease Rates And Approvals In Canada
It’s Not Too Late To Become New School In Canadian Asset Financing
OVERVIEW – Information on leasing finance and equipment lease rates and approvals in the Canadian asset financing industry .
Are you 'old school' or 'new school' when it comes to leasing finance in Canada. We've always thought there is nothing wrong when it comes to being ' old school ' sometimes when it pertains to business. (In hindsight we would have been a lot smarter in the Dot Com era!
However, when it comes to maximizing the benefits and business financing availability for equipment lease rates and solutions we are categorically recommending a ' new school ' attitude.
Trends now show that leasing assets in Canada often approaches 80% of all asset financing in Canada. So why is that the best choice? And are you too late to get into the game? We don't think so - so let’s try and prove to you how you can adopt a more positive asset acquisition strategy when it comes to acquiring your business assets. And by the way, those assets cover everything under the sun these days; including software, computers, rolling stock for your fleet, production equipment... you name it.
The key to being successful in leasing an asset in Canada your ability to have a solid understanding of the lay of the land. What does that do? It allows you to leapfrog barriers, and that’s a good thing.
And when it comes to understanding that ' lay of the land ' you really have only two options - the first being to become an expert yourself, and the other is to rely on expert guidance from an experienced business advisor - and more often than not that advice is ... FREE!
The actual ' boring ' part of lease financing in Canada might in fact be the documentation that comes with your transaction. And some lessors do a great job of keeping this area of the industry boring, and complex... stuffed with all sorts of ' legalese '. Thats why its often critical to take a bit more time on the ' terms ' conditions of any transaction, no just those equipment lease rates which often seem so all important to clients.
Just picking correctly one of the two leas options types that are available to your firm can make you quite ' new school '. And that decision is often not as hard as you think - your choice is simply a ' lease to own' strategy, or a 'lease to use ' strategy. Respectively they are called capital leases and operating leases. So when it comes to the numbers those two lease types can dramatically change monthly payment, lease obligations at end of term, tax and balance sheet treatment, etc.
When you understand your options in lease finance in Canada you clearly have the ability to become ' new school '. When you understand the many advantages of asset financing this solution becomes the de facto alternative for acquiring assets for your company.
Speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor who can assist you in your departure from ' old school '!
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 10 years - has completed in excess of 80 Million $$ of financing for Canadian corporations . Core competancies include receivables financing, asset based lending, working capital, equipment finance, franchise finance and tax credit financing.
Info re: Canadian business financing & contact details :
http://www.7parkavenuefinancial.com/leasing_finance_equipment_lease_rates.html
Monday, October 29, 2012
The Fix On Business Cash Flow ! Financing And Managing Your Working Capital Problem Via Pigs And Cows!
How To Kill Or Cure 2 Pigs . Turn Your Company Into A Cash Cow, Not A Cash Pig
OVERVIEW – Information on business cash flow in Canada . How financing and managing currents assets affects your working capital position.
Business cash flow in Canada. What in the world would that have to do with pigs, cows, and... Heaven forbid... killing pigs?
Basically, it comes down to this, and all of a sudden our animal analogies will make a lot more sense. And what do we mean by that... just that your current assets in your business, ie receivables, inventory, prepaids, etc are cash pigs. They require and use cash, and if you don't manage them properly bad things happen.
But the good news - when you do manage them properly your company embraces that other barn yard friend, the ' cash cow '! ( We're not re opening the beef vs. pork debate, but todays recommendation is definitely beef via the cash cow !)
The Canadian business owner and manager can easily be forgiven sometimes when it comes to concepts such as growing business assets. That's a good thing, right. Well, sometimes but definitely not always because the constant build up of current assets (again, your A/R, inventory) can be disastrous for your company if not addressed by two actions you can take - managing them, and financing them.
While we're all for working with clients on financing working capital and providing solutions that match their needs its the business owner/manager that can also make a huge dent in their cash flow plan by simply reducing and managing receivables and inventory .
Naturally its human nature for the business owner/manager to feel that if they overly pressure their client base for payment that they might be in a position to lose their customer. Don't forget though that large corporations invest huge amounts of capital in people and systems when it comes to enforcing their payment terms. By the way, that’s one of the ways that they became a large company - and we shouldn't be surprised that the metrics of Days sales outstanding and inventory turns are often keenly related to the compensation of very senior management, up to and including the president. So those big guys just might be on to something!
The same general concept applies to inventory also, and if your business has an inventory component on the balance sheet (services businesses of course don’t) it might already be taking months for inventory to work your way through your system and finally become: ' CASH FLOW '!
While we have focused on the left side of the balance sheet the corresponding current liability on the other side is of course payables, and if you properly manage payables that’s also a great cash flow generator . Again don't our large companies do that great also? Their modus operendi ... pay everyone slowly... because... hey... they're big and they can!
There is a great analogy around managing and financing current assets, and it revolves around running your company like a plane pilot ,
with yourself as the owner of financial manager always watching the controls. And when you don’t... there's a crash around the corner, and the cash flow pigs have in effect won the battle.
Working capital solutions to enhance business cash flow are abundant. it's all about which one is for your firm. They include:
Receivable financing
Inventory financing
Asset based lending
Business bank lines
Supply chain /PO Financing
Tax credit monetization
Speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advising on barnyard management - turning your company into a cash flow cow
and wrestling down those cash flow pigs!
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 80 Million $$ of financing for Canadian corporations . Core competancies include receivables financing, asset based lending, working capital, equipment finance, franchise finance and tax credit financing.
Info re: Canadian business financing & contact details :
http://www.7parkavenuefinancial.com/business_cash_flow_financing_working_capital.html
Sunday, October 28, 2012
SBL Small Business Loans In Canada . 5 Reasons You Don’t Qualify! The Government Small Business Loan Program Info You Need Today!
You Just Might Not Have Realized You Qualify for This Great Business Financing
OVERVIEW – Information on SBL Small business loans in Canada . Qualifications for this government loan program might not be what you thought!
Let's face it... and be honest here. You could probably never qualify for SBL small business loans in Canada. We're referring of course to the government loan program that provides over 8000 businesses annually with financing for their needs.
And we know why you would never qualify - Here are those 5 reasons:
1. Your business has over 5 Million dollars in sales or estimated sales
2. You could never put together a business plan or cash flow
3. it’s impossible for you to come up with the 10% equity down payment required in this loan program
4. You haven’t paid your taxes to CRA - Canada Revenue Agency in years coupled with your disastrous personal credit history
5. You have no need for any financing that would cover equipment, leaseholds, real estate, computers, software, etc
What? Are you serious? You're saying that you actually don't view all those issues as obstacles? Then guess what? You're a candidate for one of Canada's least understood (in our opinion) and most valuable financing mechanisms in the Small to Medium Enterprise sector in Canada!
Industry Canada put this program together, in conjunction with authorized Canadian lenders to help businesses just like yours to get assistance for Canadian business financing needs via the government loan guarantee. (A very large part of the loan is guaranteed to your bank or authorized lender by the government of Canada)
As we said, you don't have to work with or communicate directly to the government for this loan, you simply work through an authorized lender or Canadian business financing advisor. And talk about an uncomplicated process, you simply have to have a clear understanding of your business finance needs, and that is typically communicated through a business plan or executive summary, and a cash flow projection . Hopefully that’s not rocket science
to you, and if it is, don't despair, help is available from a variety of sources.
SBL loans in Canada are also called ' BIL ' loans, which stands for Business Improvement. And that’s a solid description, because funds are used for modernizing your business through assets and leaseholds. Those can be a variety of things:
Machinery
Rolling stock
Furniture /Leaseholds
Etc!
What you do need to know though is the program can’t be used for financing working capital . And trust us; it’s not a cash loan either
So if there's a bottom line today , it hopefully should be pretty simple - understand the basic criteria and attributes of the program, and if it makes sense for your firm access this financing that comes with excellent rates, terms , structures, and oh by the way , did we mentioned a limited personal guarantee .
Speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor today who will prove to you that you just may in fact be an EXCELLENT candidate for the SBL Small Business Loan program in Canada.
7 PARK AVENUE FINANCIAL
CANADIAN SMALL BUSINESS LOAN FINANCING EXPERTISE
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 80 Million $$ of financing for Canadian corporations . Core competancies include receivables financing, asset based lending, working capital, equipment finance, franchise finance and tax credit financing.
Info re: Canadian business financing & contact details :
http://www.7parkavenuefinancial.com/sbl_small_business_loans_government_program.html
Friday, October 26, 2012
Financing a Franchise. Here’s 4 Things To Worry (Or Panic !) About When Looking For Your Franchise Loan . Business Loans Are Critical To Success
Un- Worry Your Way To Canadian Franchise Success
OVERVIEW – Information on financing a franchise in Canada. Getting the right franchising loan or loans is critical to your success.
Financing a Franchise in Canada. We're all for ' un worrying ‘,
and not panicking, but the reality is that there are some key issues, financial, and otherwise when it comes to success in this entrepreneurial segment of the Canadian economy . And yes, the right franchising loan, or combination of loans
Although we’re focusing on franchising finance, there are of course other issues to get ' un worried ' about. They might include your overall personal suitability to be a franchisee in your franchisors system.
You also want to be able to have a strong comfort level that you have aligned yourself with the right franchisor. We're proudly Canadian of course, but we can't forget that many very solid franchise opportunities come out of the U.S. market based on their organization in Canada. In some cases you might be dealing with the Master franchisee of a U.S. organization, someone who has simply purchased the rights to the Canadian territory. Lucky them!
Another key aspect, our third in fact is the structure of the franchise when it comes to franchise fees and royalties. The reality also is that this issue is a key component of financing a franchise. Let's explain.
Although disappointing to many Canadian prospective franchisees typically the actual franchise fee is not financeable unless you are dealing with a very specialized franchise loan firm. This is typically shown as ' Goodwill ' on your balance sheet, reflecting the value of your franchise relationship from a financial perspective.
So make sure to carefully assess your ability to include that part of your business commitment in your total cash flow and cost to acquire the business strategy. The most typical franchisee fee we see when franchises are in the 350k range tends to be $ 25,000.00.
Right behind the franchisee fee when it comes to addressing our ' worrying ' are the royalty payments that come with your franchise obligation. More often than not these tend to be in the 6- 8 % range, and are a key driver in your cash flow analysis. That’s a good chunk of your profits if not managed properly.
So, we have covered off 3 key things to worry about when it comes to buying and financing a franchise - your overall suitability to run your own business, picking the right franchisor as a long term partner, and finally franchise and royalty fees.
Oh yes... about that financing!! In Canada your business can be financed by a specialized franchise lender, the government via the BIL/CSBF loan program, and a combination of lease and working capital finance options from the non bank sector.
Want to get unworried about financing a franchise? Seek out and speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian busines financing advisor who can ensure you have access to the right financing options, and round out your franchising loan with the right combination of debt and working capital. Get ' un worried ' today!
7 PARK AVENUE FINANCIAL
CANADIAN FRANCHISE FINANCE
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 80 Million $$ of financing for Canadian corporations . Core competancies include receivables financing, asset based lending, working capital, equipment finance, franchise finance and tax credit financing.
Info re: Canadian business financing & contact details :
http://www.7parkavenuefinancial.com/financing_franchise_franchising_loan_loans.html
Thursday, October 25, 2012
You Can Finance A Tax Credit? Are You Kidding? Financing Film, Media and SRED ( SR&ED ) Credits In Canada
The Art Of Tax Credit Financing – Easier Than You Think!
OVERVIEW – Information on the financing of tax credits in Canada . Film financing, SRED research and Media credit claims can all be financed for cash flow and working capital finance solutions.
Are we kidding? Definitely not! Canadian business owners, including those in the film and video industry in this case can access much needed funds when it comes to film tax credit financing and SRED (SR&ED) finance. And that includes media tax credits also, as that is probably one of the fastest growing aspects of the entertainment industry.
The good news is that you don't need any secret techniques to complete the monetization of tax credits in Canada. Frankly, compared to some comparable U.S. programs it could not be easier and more straightforward.
As we have noted, today we are primarily talking about 2 specific tax credits when it comes to financing - the first is the ' SRED' program, and , at the opposite end of the spectrum an industry fraught with excitement ( and frustration?) , film, TV and digital media projects.
Let’s do the SR&ED recap first! We can safely say that, more than ever, its all about the quality of your claim. The ' advisors' and ' SRED Consultants ' are a mini industry in Canada - in effect they are the brain trust preparing the majority of claims in Canada.
The majority of transactions completed by these consultants and advisors bill their work on a contingency basis, in other words they are assuming a large part of the risk on the acceptance and approval of the claim. It's of course up to you as a business owner/manager to source a consultant that’s capable and experienced, as different industries have different nuances.
It's their work that will be viewed by your CRA office when it comes to legitimacy and amount requested. The fact that the SRED credit is a non repayable cheque from the government allows thousands of Canadian corporations to access billions - yes that’s billions with a ' b ‘, of dollars that is used for further research , working capital, basically any general corporate purpose .
Timing is always a discussion point in SRED claims. First time claimants typically might have their claims audited from both a combination of technical and financial accuracy. That of course always comes back to the quality of your claim.
Let's move on to the subject of... ‘Cash '. Not all SRED claimants know their SR&ED claim can be financed. And the good news, it’s hardly a complex proposal. A basic business application that includes your firm’s financials, a copy of the SRED claim, and some supporting information on the claim and you company is all you need. SRED loans are typically done at 70% loan to value, simply meaning that for every $ 100,000.00 of claim your loan amount be in the 70k range. And the monthly payment? 0. Yes Zero. That’s because your loan is repaid when you receive your government chq - the remaining 30% comes back to you less financing costs.
One of the most dramatic changes in SRED financing is that fact that you can even get accrual financing these days. That simply means you can cash flow your claim prior to filing it, as you spend and recoup funds. Now that’s creativity.
Canada is a leader in film, TV and digital media incentives. And those incentives, aka the ' tax credit ' can be monetized. And that includes, as we have noted the digital media tax credits that are starting to be a huge part of the industry. The largest factor in the make up of the digital credits is the emphasis placed on recovering your actual labor expenses. Simply speaking, you're recovering, via a non repayable credit, a majority of your salaries on your projects.
Using Ontario as an example it is safe to say that your actual programmers, contractors, employees, etc must reside in Ontario. That makes sense, but the Media tax credit is available in pretty well all the provinces of course.
Generally speaking your film, TV and media claim has significantly less risk from an audit or claw back perspective. In other words, you just have to prove you spent the money which can easily be verified via your payroll records, etc.
The process for financing film, TV and media credits. Same as our SRED. A basic application, copy of your claim and supporting data, etc. And those same financing criteria remain intact, relative to amounts financed, etc.
Our bottom line today? Film tax credit financing, SRED finance, and Media tax credits are viable cash flow assets for any owner of the credits. Use them to grow your company, complete your projects, or start another project. Speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor today.
7 PARK AVENUE FINANCIAL
CANADIAN SRED, TV, FILM, AND DIGITAL MEDIA TAX CREDIT FINANCING!
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 80 Million $$ of financing for Canadian corporations . Core competancies include receivables financing, asset based lending, working capital, equipment finance, franchise finance and tax credit financing.
Info re: Canadian business financing & contact details :
http://www.7parkavenuefinancial.com/tax_credit_financing_film_sred_media_finance.html
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Financing Working Capital In Canada . Recognize These Implications Of Cash Flow Finance?
Get out of that ‘ Horses And Bayonets’ Mindset When It Comes To Working Capital Finance Solutions & Approaches
OVERVIEW – Information on financing working capital in Canada . Business owners/managers must understand the implications of their actions when it comes to cash flow finance . Here is why!
Financing working capital for your Canadian business. Are you still in the ' horses and bayonets' era when it comes to understanding the solutions available for cash flow finance, and the implications of not having the right solution in place?
And excuse that ' horses and bayonets'
comment about being old fashioned and out of touch... we just made it up... NO.. really.. we did...
Working capital management is a critical success driver for any business. And it not really overly necessary to focus on the word management, it’s simply about adopting a style or consistent manner in which you run your business on an on going basis.
So how do you know when you are successful at financing working capital properly? Are there some benchmarks? There are and some of them might include the fact that you actually have positive cash balances on hand most of the time, although we point out that if you have a bank or non bank line of credit that revolves properly positive cash balances aren't always necessary. But what is key is that your working capital facility revolves up and down, a lot, and regularly!
Two other very solid bench marks for knowing you are doing the right thing (or not) is to ensure you understand and have acceptable receivables turnover and inventory management. (If your firm does maintain inventories)
Accounts receivable are your next closest asset to cash. So make sure you know how to measure A/R success or failure, and one of the best ways is to perform a simple ' days sales outstanding ' calculation on an ongoing basis, typically monthly. Bench mark that result against your stated terms to clients and voila! you'll vey quickly know whether you are winning or losing.
You also want to ensure you have access to short term borrowing facilities based on current assets. They can be bank or non bank in nature, and typically include solutions such as:
Bank business lines of credit
Comprehensive asset based lending facilities
Receivable finance / Invoice financing
Inventory finance programs
Purchase order/supply chain financing
Monetization of tax credits - i.e. your SR&ED claim
When you don't have solutions in place and are unable to meet your general obligations serious problems ensue - at their most extreme you can be judged unable to meet your liabilities - i.e. bankrupt!
How then do cash flow problems present themselves or happen? It's not as complex as the Canadian business owner or financial manager might think. You might be in fact enjoying the double edged sword of ' fast growth '. That typically means you're carrying more inventory and receivables than ever... and exhausting your actual cash resources.
And the ultimate irony? Your accountant tells you that you're actually profitable! It just doesnt feel that way... mainly because cash flows only eventually catch up to profit . Key word: eventually!
Speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor on how you increase liquidity when sales, receivables and inventory demand it.
7 PARK AVENUE FINANCIAL
CANADIAN CASH FLOW FINANCE EXPERTISE
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Customer Finance Programs At Zero Cost ? Lease And Loan Offers Your Clients Want Now . Achieve Leasing Company Benefits For Your Clients
Increasing Sales ? Consider a Customer Finance Program – Here’s how!
OVERVIEW – Information on setting up customer finance programs for your clients . Lease And Loan offers from a Leasing Company increases sales!
Customer finance programs in Canada, via, are you ready : your firm! Is it possible? Absolutely. And the hard core reality - lease and loan offers from your firm substantially increase sales. Just think of our auto mfr's as an example!
But do you have to be, own, or start a leasing company to offer customer financing? The answer is a resounding ' NO ‘!
Let's examine why assisting your clients with customer financing can increase sales, profits and cash flows. Talk about a triple whammy!
When you look at putting together a program for you clients based on your products and services its important to fully realize and focus on a couple key aspects - they include revenue, accounting, and cash flow implications, all of which are generally positive in nature as they affect your firm.
The good news is that once you commit to a program and work a partner firm to put your program in place you're in a position to maximize sales and reduce sales lead times in your firm.
There are of course a lot of ' technical ' aspects to running any firm that offers financing. Most clients we talk to would never want to immerse themselves in issues such as funding, credit risk, legal and documentation issues, as well as asset management.
The good news - all you have to do is find a partner who will do all that for you... the cost... nothing other than a time commitment. That’s the key reason you want to partner with a leasing company who will make that investment in time spent with your firm to set up a proper program.
In general you should want to get into offering customer finance programs for your clients as a means to reduce the sales cycle, sell more, and generate immediate cash flow on sales . Now those are things all business owners and financial managers can aspire to!
Here's an even better reason to partner with a firm who can offer your clients lease and loan offerings - YOUR COMPETITION DOESN'T OFFER THIS! If they do all you are doing is making sure the playing field is level . It's dangerous out there!
Quick example - lets say your firm offers a product/solution in the $100,000.00 range. Your client perceives your product positively when bench marked against your competition. The problem - they can't afford it or it’s not in this years ' budget ‘. (The curse of the budget!)
The solution - working with a partner leasing company you offer the client immediate delivery of your product. Furthermore you indicate they can commence monthly payments in their next budget cycle. Oh and by the way you get paid immediately on shipment and acceptance of the products.
The quick summary - increased sales, faster sales, accelerated cash flow and a happy customer. Isn't that the business nirvana
we always dream about?
At the end of the day you want to be able to offer client financing solutions that help you accelerate growth and have your firm perceived as a value added vendor/supplier - offering your clients not only your product and services but an easy method under which they can acquire them.
Speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor who can assist you in setting up a program that makes sense.
7 PARK AVENUE FINANCIAL
CANADIAN CUSTOMER FINANCE PROGRAM EXPERTISE
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 80 Million $$ of financing for Canadian corporations . Core competancies include receivables financing, asset based lending, working capital, equipment finance, franchise finance and tax credit financing.
Info re: Canadian business financing & contact details :
http://www.7parkavenuefinancial.com/customer_finance_programs_leasing_company_lease.html