Discover How Corporate Bonds Can Provide Cash Flow During Revenue Delays, and Explore How Royalties Can Tie Investor Returns to Your Sales Without Control.
Advice About Bonds and Royalties to Fund Business Growth Read More »
Every Business Needs Three Things to Survive and Thrive: Access to Capital, Business Acumen, And Energy.
3 Important Things Every Business Needs to Survive and Thrive Read More »
Most Businesses Require Some Form of Funding to Get Started. However, Based on What Business Stage the Business Is At, The Sources of Funding Will Be Different. This Is Where Your Funding Plan Comes in To Identify How the Business Will Secure Financing for Each Stage.
The 5 Stages of a Funding Plan Read More »
Enjoy the following excerpt from my FREE What You Need to Know About Starting a Business course where I talk about two common small business funding options for small businesses. We will discuss what I call the debt continuum, how lenders control risk and reward, and the value proposition for equity financing investors you can use to convince investors to fund your business.
Video: What You Need To Know About Your Funding Options Read More »
Financial ratios measure the relative health of your business as it compares with other businesses in your industry.
Why You Need To Know How to Benchmark Your Financial Ratios Read More »
Risk follows reward, the riskier the loan, the more reward the lender requires, and the interest rate is just one of three controls that lenders have at their disposal to manage loan risk and reward.
Here is How Business Lenders Control Risk and Reward Read More »
When a business approaches a lending institution about debt financing, the lender conducts an evaluation of the borrower using a method known as the 5 C’s of Credit
The 5 “C’s” of Credit Read More »
Many Entrepreneurs Seek Funding from Friends and Family. Others Avoid It as They Fear the Prospect of Asking for Money.
6 Keys To Managing Funding From People Close To You Read More »
What is operating leverage and why should you care? Ignoring the financial mumbo-jumbo, operating leverage represents how having debt can affect a company’s bottom line profit. In some cases, Operating leverage can improve a company’s profits and in others, it can destroy it.
Operating Leverage for Small Business: When You Should Use Read More »
Within the world of debt financing, there is a continuum, as different lenders have different appetites for risk and reward.
What You Need To Know About The Debt Continuum Read More »
When entrepreneurs look at debt financing, their credit score (FICO) plays an important role in being able to get a loan. Essentially, a person’s credit score is computed on five dimensions, each with a different weight.
Why You Need To Understand Your Credit Score Read More »
Conventional business advice is that in order to have a successful business you need to write a business plan. However, did you know that the simple act of writing a business plan can often lead your business to fail?
The Simple Truth Why Business Plans Cause Business Failures Read More »
Basically, there are two ways to fund a new business: debt and equity. Debt, commonly thought of as a loan, requires that the borrower/guarantor has an adequate cash flow or has enough unencumbered liquid assets to pledge as collateral. This collateral covers the debt’s principle and any liquidation costs and discounts in the event that
How to Make the Most of Equity Financing Read More »
Don’t look to our government as a model in understanding good vs. bad debt. Every day the media highlights another case of the government’s ignorance in the way money should be used. One side of the aisle says it is a revenue problem and we need to raise taxes on the rich. The other side
Is Bad Debt Destroying Your Business? Read More »
Several weeks ago, Sara Pope of ConsumerAffairs.com, reached out to me and asked if I could review a step-by-step guide to business loans and financing that her company had produced. My initial reaction was to just say no. My inclination to decline her offer was based on my experience with hundreds of nascent entrepreneurs. All too
A Step by Step Guide to Business Financing Read More »
Innovations and manufacturing businesses have different planning requirements than the more common support and local service businesses.
Why The Business Planning Advice You Have Received Is Probably Stale Read More »
The SBA has it wrong. A business plan is not always what you need. Financial planning is advisable to the extent that you have access to enough money or capital to conduct your first few experiments. However, small business counselors, mentors, and the SBA often encourage ALL fledgling businesses to write a business plan. This
Forget Writing A Business Plan Read More »
I teach a boot camp class each month for our local Small Business Development Center (SBDC). There is portion of this course that looks at the three ways to become a business owner. These ways include: buying a business, buying a franchise, and starting from scratch. As I discuss the option of buying an existing
Why Owners Sell Their Business Read More »
Most banks say that they are small business lenders. The missing part of that statement is how banks define small businesses and what banks will lend money for. From the bank’s perspective, a small business is an established business and not a new business. Banks lend money primarily for tangible assets that double as collateral.
How to Argue for Seller Financing Read More »
Traditionally, entrepreneurs had 2 options to raise funds to start their business. They could either get a loan or give away ownership to investors. Enter crowdfunding as a third option.
The Hidden Value of Crowdfunding Read More »
There is a bit of an injustice in the way entrepreneurs are told about the business planning process. First, new entrepreneurs are told that to get money from a bank they need a business plan. While there is some truth to this, a major missing piece is that they will likely not get any funds
By transferring a traditional IRA into a self-directed IRA, the IRA owner can invest in private businesses and in real estate as well as traditional sources
Using a Self-Directed IRA to Fund Your Business Read More »
Many would-be entrepreneurs have money tied up in retirement plans like IRAs or 401ks that could be used to fund their businesses. Many simply believe they can’t access these funds until they reach the age of 59.5 without being subject to a premature distribution penalty. That being said, there are a few ways that you
Retirement Account Funds New Business Read More »
The sustainability of your business revenue is important to understand if you want to keep your business solvent.
Not All Business Revenue Is The Same Read More »
Debt used to fund consumption, such as buying a new TV, is not a good use of debt. However, debt used to buy an income-producing asset such as a rental property, where the interest on the debt is less than the income derived from the principal invested, is considered a good use of debt. We
All Debt Is Not The Same Read More »
A wise man once told me: “If you have a successful business, you will need more money.” He also said: “If you have an unsuccessful business, you will need more money.” The undisputed leading cause of business failure is that businesses just run out of money before they become profitable. Access to capital is, therefore, the
Do You Have Access To Capital? Read More »
