Is Vendor Finance a Good Way to Start a New Business?Posted by Spconsultancy on April 17th, 2013 If you're in business, you know that financing is hard to obtain. Since the financial downturn that had its origins in late 2007, many entrepreneurs have seen their lines of credit reduced or altogether eliminated. If you're serious about financing a business today, you may need to look for alternative funding sources. While you probably have applied for and received a few credit cards, those cash advances can be burned quickly. If you have obtained financing from relatives, this was probably a one-shot deal, and you may not be able to go back for more. Home equity loans used to be a good place to mine some cash, but you may have tapped out those lines. After you've raided your superannuation, you'll need to get really creative. Vendor Financing Vendors can aid in financing a business in two ways. First, they can actually lend you cash. If you have a very successful store and if your purchases are large enough, your primary vendor may actually assist you with cash if you agree to continue making large purchases from them. Although this scenario does occur, it is unfortunately rare. The other way vendors can help the process of financing a business is to give you generous credit terms. If you buy $30,000 worth of product and you don't have to pay for it for 45 days, your vendor has just given you a 45 day interest free loan. When the 45 day period is up, pay off the invoice, buy more product, and you have basically renewed your loan. As long as you continue to do business, you can float that $30,000 indefinitely. Three Way Cash Flow Forecast In order to entice your vendors into financing a business, you will need to have a business plan. Even if you have a healthy unit, you'll need to show that your second venture will also show a profit. You also must have a document that includes a three-way cash flow forecast. This portrays your profit and loss, balance sheet and cash flow, and predicts how those items will look in the future. Any good accounting firm can prepare this for you, but many accountants can take a long time to prepare the statements, and this may cause you to miss out on good financing opportunities. The process can also be expensive, and the cost may be prohibitive for a small or new business. Our Company We are set up to provide you with quick three way cash flow forecasts and business planning in Australia. We have over 20 years of experience in this area, and we are designed to move quickly and efficiently. We also have inside banking connections, and we'll be able to help you with vendor and possibly even bank financing. Best of all, our rates are amazingly reasonable. You know you need to be creative if you're financing or expanding a business. We can help you with the preliminary paperwork so the entire financing process can move forward quickly and satisfactorily. Contact us for an obligation-free discussion about how we can help you. About The Author Follow our blogs on www.strategyplusconsultancy.com.au and 'like' us on Facebook Like it? Share it! More by this author |