Look Beyond the Bank to Keep Your Business Going in Tough TimesIn my last newsletter, I mentioned that a credit correction was coming. Well, it’s arrived.Right now it’s more important than ever to make sure your customers are educated on “other financing options” as credit standards continue to tighten. As you all know, there is very little formal education on financial matters in school; hence, we have a nation of poor money managers. For this reason, I suspect that both business and personal bankruptcies will be on the rise. Educating our youth as well as our business clients on financial strategies has really fallen upon us. How many business owners do you know have a MBA? How about any formal business financial training? Or are they from the most common “school of hard knocks”?When you need to exit a credit or have to deny a borrowing request just remember that there is a very big world outside of the bank! A world that isn’t confined to loan covenants like debt-to-worth ratios, tangible net worth, or federal regulations—I could go on and on. Here are a few financing options to keep in mind:
Accounts receivable lines of credit
Minimum request $200,000, no maximum
Non-conforming commercial real estate loans
Bridge loans from $250,000 and up
Factoring Invoices
Minimum request: $20,000 per month
Sale lease back on equipment
There are also times when a simple refinance isn’t the solution, when a business is just out of control. Over the years we have built relationships with professionals in the industry who specialize in helping our clients make the necessary changes to get back on track. Back to why they went into business to begin with—to make money! Call me if your customer needs:
Debt restructuring. This happens when there are not enough assets to cover all the debts.
Strategic planning for selling the company.
It’s time to work to preserve customer deposits and jobs and keep the economy growing by making sure that when your customers are cash-flow negative, or cash strapped, you can educate them on some financing options.Early intervention is essential during a recession to keep our customers in business. If you see that a customer needs help due to lack of profitability, frequent overdrafts, uncontrollable growth, poor management, or even tax delinquencies, you need to call me at 1.877.594.9423.
Have a Happy Halloween, and what a beautiful fall it’s been so far! Suzy Oubre Alliance Commercial Credit GroupPS. if you need additional information on any of these financing options I have more detailed explanations on my website at www.alliancecomcredit.com or feel free to call me anytime.