Invoice factoring should be considered by businesses facing cash flow problems on a regular basis. The process involves selling accounts receivable in return for cash. It doesn’t usually take more than two weeks to get the money. However, you should know that most factoring companies purchase invoices at a discounted rate. They proceed to collect the payments from relevant customers while you get to enjoy instant cash proceeds.
Instant and Easy Access to Cash
Businesses need optimal cash flow to be able to finance their operations and pay their employees and suppliers on time. They also need to take care of overheads, such as utilities and rent. It is easy to run into cash problems if customers with credit privileges do not settle their bills on time. This is especially true for businesses offering longer credit periods.
Invoice factoring comes in useful when debtors fail to clear their bills or invoices don’t become due and the business requires immediate cash. Financing is usually provided within 7 – 10 days by factoring companies. This is when banks may take anywhere from weeks to months for a business loan. Some invoice factoring companies such as ezfreightfactoring.com can help your business easy access to cash.
Steady Growth
Businesses need to have a steady cash flow if they want to grow. This is one of the ways invoice factoring helps. It enables businesses to focus on customer acquisition rather than wasting resources chasing debtors. It also allows businesses to extend longer credit lines to their existing loyal customers.
Another way invoice factoring or Government invoice factoring helps is that it enables the business to pay all suppliers on time preventing supply chain constraints. Business owners don’t need to fend off creditors when they can sell their client invoices to an invoice factoring company.
Factoring Fee is Affordable
The cost of factoring services has become very affordable in recent years. You can get discounted rates between 0.5 – 3.0% of the business volume. However, factoring fees tend to vary between the industries. Also, factoring companies base their fee on the creditworthiness of the debtors, invoice volume, and time before the invoice becomes due.
Financing Terms are Flexible
It can be challenging for small businesses to access financing from banks and other traditional lenders. Mainstream financial institutions don’t want to deal with small businesses for offering finance. They only want to deal with established brands and businesses. Invoice factoring companies have no qualms dealing with small or fairly new businesses.
Factoring companies tend to measure a customer’s ability to repay their outstanding invoices rather than the experience or net worth of the business.
Invoice Factoring Reduces the Risk of Bad Debts and Late Payments
Bad debts and late payments can easily cripple any established business. You can always take legal action against the debtors who failed to make good on their invoices. However, this is a lengthy and costly approach. You can avoid such a situation by selling your invoices to a factoring firm. These companies have stipulated professionals to deal with bad debts.
Improves Credit Rating
Factoring provides easier, faster, steady, and more predictable cash flow. You can improve your credit score by paying your bills on time or paying the debt more quickly. This can help improve the personal credit scores of business owners as well.
Reduce Expenses
Invoice factoring enables you to avoid several unnecessary expenses. You may incur additional interest charges or late fees if you are forced to delay paying your own creditors and bills because you are waiting for your customers to pay up. You can avoid this late fee and interest by factoring in invoices.
Increase Business Profits
Cash factoring can go a long way in increasing the profits of a company. You can pay your vendors quicker and negotiate for better terms. You can also enjoy early settlement discounts with suppliers. Many businesses enjoy the increase in available cash to boost their marketing efforts or invest in a new and improved product. All of these efforts help in increasing profits in the long term.
Invoice Factoring is Cost-effective
There was a time when invoice factoring had a bad reputation for being expensive and wasteful. However, costs associated with factoring have significantly decreased in recent years. There are several factors that determine the cost of factorings, such as the value of invoices, their volume and the type of industry a business operates in. You can easily acquire a 95% cash advance on your invoices by paying a 1.5% factoring fee.
Zero Hassle Approvals
Almost every business qualifies for invoice factoring. You do not require a strong balance sheet or a perfect credit score for your business. Instead, you can avail great factoring terms if your customers are creditworthy with sound repayment histories. Factoring companies look at the debtors rather than the financial prowess of a business. Gaining approval from an invoice factoring company is hassle-free and quick.
Great for Startups
You may need to get your hands on some solid cash if your company just got into business. You may not be able to wait around for your customers to start paying. Unanticipated costs have been known to bring several start-ups crashing down. You may also have to lose out on customer acquisition and business growth opportunities because you don’t have enough cash.
Business factoring service in this case can help you get your hands on some immediate cash. You can expand your services and cover initial expenses by getting the funds you need. You won’t need to take up the added expense of a loan to get the company on its feet sooner.
Smarter than Taking up a Loan
Many people wonder why they can’t just take up a loan instead. There are two main reasons why small businesses should choose invoice factoring over taking up a business loan – creditworthiness and loan repay.
You need to have a solid credit standing with the perfect credit strong if you want favorable loan terms from traditional lenders. This is when they are interested in offering a loan to you. Interest rates on business loans can prove to be highly cost-intensive in the long run. The worst part is that even if your company goes under you will still need to repay that loan.
The second reason is that business factoring companies don’t require any repayments. They get their money from your customers when the invoices become due. This is one of the reasons why all established factoring companies assess the customer’s credit history before purchasing the invoice.
Debt and interest associated with a traditional loan continue for several years. This can prove to be an expensive as well as stressful experience. Also, it is a risky venture to take up a loan to stay afloat. It may not be a prudent idea to tie yourself to a business idea if you already find yourself in a tight situation.
Meanwhile, invoice factoring offers the flexibility small businesses need. You don’t need to sign up for the long haul. You can always sign up for a month or six months depending on your needs. Factoring companies do not offer a loan. Instead, they offer funding based on your invoice volume. The risk of owning a large principal and interest amount decreases considerably with a factoring company.
Factoring Invoices is Less Risky
It is important that you analyze differences regardless of the solution you eventually choose for your business. You will also need to determine the overall benefits and costs. You may have to repay the invoice factoring company the amount owed to them if the customer defaults on their payment. This can be a risky situation. Luckily there are several elements that can be used for lessening this risk factor.
Factoring companies usually investigate the creditworthiness of customers before purchasing the invoice or agreeing to do business. This means that the factoring company is confident to a high extent that the customer would make good on the invoice. You probably don’t need to worry about a thing if your customers are reputable and large corporations or state or federal government.
You should also consider investing in non-recourse factoring. This is when the factoring company takes on the major share of risk on your behalf. While the actual terms of the agreement may vary, most companies will not come after you if the customer files for bankruptcy. However, you need to make sure that you ask all these pertinent questions before deciding on a factoring service for your business.
Thousands of businesses acquire immediate cash flow by factoring their invoices. It is important to do your research before choosing a factoring service. You should opt for something that makes complete sense to your business situation.
The Bottom Line
Cash flow is the lifeline of any business, and in many ways, it is more critical than sales and profits. Invoice factoring is one of the best ways for you to get your hands on some cash when you need it. There are several benefits to attaining increased cash availability provided by factoring companies. Not having to take up a loan is one of the biggest advantages. This means there is no negative impact on the business balance sheet and the costs of debt can be minimized. However, you should also consider the costs associated with factoring when making a decision.
