TYPES OF BUSINESS FUNDING

February 6th 2012 at 9:47pm Published by firstdownadmin

There are 6 main types of business funding: SBA funding, business lines of credit, invoice factoring or financing, business term funding, equipment financing, or a merchant cash advance option. 

1. SBA Funding

The USA’s Small Business Administration partially backs funding that range from $5,000 up to $5 million to help out small businesses, although the funding are actually provided by online funders and commercial banks. SBA funding can be used for almost any business purpose and have low APR rates and long repayment terms, but the application process is long and time-consuming.

2. Business Term Funding

With a traditional business funding, you can borrow a lump sum of money between $1,000 and $500,000 and repay it over the next several years. Repayment terms are usually between 1and 5 years, although there are funders that offer both longer and shorter terms.  

3. Business Line of Credit

A business line of credit is comparable to a credit card, but it’s open to businesses with lower credit ratings. You’ll be approved for a maximum amount of credit which you can draw on whenever you need. Once you’ve repaid the money you can withdraw more, only paying interest on the money you borrow.

4. Invoice Factoring

With invoice factoring, or invoice financing, you sell your unpaid invoices in exchange for an advance of between 60-90%. The company collects the invoice amount from your client before paying you the remaining percentage, minus its fees.

5. Merchant Cash Advance

Merchant cash advances give you a lump sum in exchange for a set percentage of your daily credit card transactions. Instead of regular APR rates, multiply your funding amount by a factor rate, typically 1.14 to 1.48, to discover the total amount you owe. The equivalent in APR begins at 15% but can go into triple digits. Similarly, there isn’t a fixed funding repayment term; you keep paying until you’ve paid off the total amount.

6. Equipment Financing

Although regular business funding can be used to purchase equipment, a dedicated equipment financing funding uses the items you buy as collateral against the funding. This lowers the average APR rates to 8% to 30% and makes the funding open to businesses with poor credit ratings. You can use your equipment even while you are paying off the funding.