Planning to Take Out a Small Business Loan? Tips on Getting a Loan and Managing Your Debts
Businesses can obtain funding through loans, credit cards, and lines of credit to pay for new personnel and equipment as well as to fund expansion and investments. Did you know that almost all 29 million small businesses in America have taken out a loan? In fact, businesses wouldn’t survive and flourish without borrowing money.
Having a business has its own share of challenges and difficulties along the way, and debt is not uncommon for most of them. According to statistics, within the first five years of operation, 50% of small firms fail, and a typical American small company owner is held accountable for $195,000 in debt on average.
As mentioned, no business has been smooth sailing since it first started. But although problems will always be present, there will always be ways to overcome these. Borrowing money can do you good more than you think, it can even save you from going down with your business because of debt.
Managing Your Company’s Cash Flow
If you are involved in a business, it is important to know these terms (especially if you’ve taken out a loan):
• Net Income = revenues – expenses (this includes wages, taxes, and other expenditures)
• Monthly Loan Payment = principal + interest
• Principal = the total amount borrowed / time period of repayment in months
Careful planning of the budget and maintaining a balanced cash flow can keep you on track with all of your spending. With a consistent expenditure and cash flow, perhaps you can already have an expectation of how much income you will have by the end of the month. However, if your cash flow is unpredictable and you fail to keep track of your spending, you might find it difficult to make payments and begin accruing more debt than you can manage.
Reducing your debt is possible in many ways. First, budget your earnings so you can save some to pay off the borrowed money. Allocate a certain percentage of your income specifically for repayment. You may also establish a savings goal in which once you reach a certain earning, you can pay the debt comfortably. Or a much simpler but very effective approach is by saving money by only buying necessary items. Although it can be a struggle to not shop for your wants it’s time to prioritize.
Earn Big
We know that it can’t happen overnight but it is true that increasing the revenue of your company can help a lot in paying off your debts. To achieve this, a small business should stand out from the crowd. Your venture would be flooded with customers in no time.
Listed below are some ways that you and your business can adapt to gain more profit.
Expand the business
Create a growth strategy for your business like offering a new product or making your service available to more platforms. If you’re operating a coffee shop, think about what goes well with coffee. You may introduce donuts or croissants on your menu, giving your customers more choices. Or if you only have a physical store, why not branch out to more consumers and make your store available online? Launching a website is cheap but very efficient in the business world.
Price Increase
Sellers are usually dubious when it comes to setting prices. Some of them opt to sell more products at a lower cost than to determine the actual price that buyers will pay for their goods. But before raising the cost of your products, you should conduct a comprehensive research about the market and your competitors first. If you think that you’re pricing too low, you can impose a one-time price hike to acquire more profit.
Side Hustle for Extra Income
Having another job while working full-time is a good way to make extra cash. If your current business allows you to have too much free time, consider taking another job or working part-time to earn more. Nothing is constant which is why a lot of entrepreneurs struggle with unpredictability.
Sense of Creativity
Starting a business up to operating it will never be an easy task. Up and down will always be present, which is why business owner should always have something up their sleeves. Allow yourself to learn more and you can generate fresh concepts that will support the growth and success of your company.
Know What You’re In For
Before signing all the paperwork, make sure that you understand the terms and conditions of your loan, especially when it comes to the fees and penalties.
If you happen to have extra cash, you may pay your debt earlier than expected. However, you may also have to pay extra cash because penalty costs are charged by some loan providers. Late payment fees could also apply, especially if there are some internal problems the business is currently dealing with. Ask your lender if they can provide a grace period. It may be a great chance for a company to earn a profit before repayments begin. However, firms may experience issues with back-ended payments if actual revenue is below projections.
Such documents may have left important things out that could either bring you issues in the long run or it could also be beneficial to you. Either way, there’s a risk of encountering problems if you don’t fully read and comprehend the contract. If you found any clauses that are questionable or the repayment duration is too tight for you, try to discuss more with your lender and change the conditions that are both agreeable to you and them.
Most lenders are generous and understanding. They would certainly agree on renegotiating the deal if you can prove that you can’t afford to pay the proposed amount monthly. It is much more feasible for them to grant you smaller monthly repayments instead of debt collection, which is considered expensive by lenders.
There is a possibility that you may not have to pay the entire amount you borrowed. Talk with your lender and ask for a debt settlement if your loan is not backed by collateral. On the other hand, through debt management, you can convince creditors to offer you a longer loan term or a lower interest rate. This cuts your monthly payments or allows you to have more time to pay off your debts.
A hardship letter should be sent by the borrower to his or her creditor stating the reason why they couldn’t meet the required monthly payments. The letter should also explain that the borrower has done everything to budget their money, such as creating a repayment plan for each month and limiting their spending. It should also include that there’s nothing else that the borrower could do to solve the problem.
Debt Payment by Consolidation
The process of combining loans from one or more lenders into a single loan from a different lender is known as debt consolidation. The new creditor of choice will take care of repaying your previous loans and provides you with a new one. This could come with more benefits such as flexible monthly payments and reduced interest rates.
Even repaying one debt might be challenging for small business owners. However, if your company has debts from several lenders, trying to keep track of all those bills may hinder you from expanding your company, or even worse, having the business closed. By consolidating your debt, the risk of not fulfilling the payment will be decreased and will allow you to plan your budget for the month.
Pay Your Debt with Automatic Payment
To prevent penalty fees, automated payment helps you not forget the due date. It is said that automated payments can have a good psychological impact in addition to saving you the hassle of directly paying your lender each month. It will be simpler to track your monthly spending and create a budget plan if there’s a transaction history that you can use for reference in your bank account.
You may link your credit card or pay via your online bank account to automatically pay your borrowed money. Having your creditor withdraw the money could also save you a lot of hassle.
Lending Companies that Might Help You Solve Your Financing Problems
• OnDeck. With its company loans and lines of credit programs, OnDeck is a wonderful option if you’re seeking flexible financing. A candidate’s credit score must be at least 625 to be qualified. Decisions about your application may be made, and funds may be secured, just 24 hours after submission. Additionally, the business appreciates its clients, as seen by the quality of its customer service.
• Rapid Finance. The lending company targets its services to businesses of all sizes across a range of markets and sectors. In the almost 20 years that the financial services firm has been offering capital services, it has invested more than $2 billion in new enterprises. With a minimal credit score requirement of about 550, which is comparatively low when compared to other creditors, Rapid Finance is a suitable alternative for your local banks and other lending institutions.
